TAB Technical Academy: Chief Operator for Radio

REGISTRATION FOR THE MAY 2022 COURSE IS NOW CLOSED.

Email TAB to be added to lists for future courses.

Title: TAB Technical Academy: Chief Operator for Radio

Date/Time: May 2-6 (Monday-Friday | 9 AM-5 PM

Location: TAB Building in Austin (map)

Instructor: Gil Garcia, CPBEL-SBE

Travel/Lodging: All travel/lodging expenses are the responsibility of the employer/student

Registration Fees (Deadline: April 25)

• TAB Member Stations: FREE
• TAB Non-Member Stations (DFW, HOU, AUS, SAnt): $3,000/student
• TAB Non-Member Stations (all other Texas markets): $1,500/student

Registration Fees Include:

• All instructional materials
• SBE certification test fees
• Daily lunch and snacks

Enrollment Policies:

• Station groups must have all Texas-based stations current on TAB membership dues in order to receive free enrollment
• Class Size: 5 Students (Minimum); 20 Students (Maximum)
• One student/owner/market

Description:

This intensive, week-long course will provide participants with the basic knowledge and understanding of broadcast station operations and the responsibilities essential to maintaining a station’s day-to-day operations as a Chief Operator. COs work under the guidelines of a station owner/manager in compliance with requirements specified by FCC regulations 47 CFR Part 73.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers’ study guide is the foundation of this instruction.

Classroom instruction is supplemented with content and videos developed specifically for these courses by broadcast engineers throughout Texas.

Participants may elect to take the SBE CRO exam upon course completion. The exam is administered by an SBE PBE Proctor.  An additional test is conducted for TAB course completion certification.

Participants successfully completing the exam will receive the SBE CRO certification, allowing them the opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in all day-to-day operations of a broadcast Radio station.

About the Instructor

Gilbert Garcia is a Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and has held an FCC First Class License with Radar endorsement and an FCC General Class lifetime license.

He also has served as Certification Chairman for the Society of Broadcast Engineers (Austin Chapter) for 33 years, as well as a proctor SBE exams in Austin.

Garcia’s career spans 55 years in Radio.

During this time, he was a Program Director, News Director, Disc Jockey, Chief Engineer, part owner of Radio stations and owned a translator in Lockhart.

He was a teacher for the Columbia School of Broadcasting in the 1960s and worked for President and Mrs. Johnson as the first Chief Engineer at KLBJ-AM-FM Austin in the 1970s.

He also held the Chief Engineer position at stations owned by legendary Texas Broadcasters Wendell Mayes, Jr.,  Steve Hicks and Lowry Mays.

As a Corporate Regional Vice President of engineering for Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia), he managed more than 125 radio stations in Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri and other Mid-American markets.

He also served as disaster coordinator for Clear Channel during several hurricanes and disasters.

Throughout his career, Garcia has received numerous awards in programing, news and engineering. He was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fam in 2020.

He also authored a Christmas book and has written articles in Radio World and other broadcast publications.