ublic radio listeners rely on KJZZ and KBAQ, but few consider all it takes to get their programming to them. Truth is, behind the news and canonized stanzas stand dedicated engineers managing mountains of technology. The first part of their job can be compared to that of a firefighter. Whenever a problem erupts, the engineers are the first responders. Whether it’s a minor computer glitch or multimillion dollar transmission equipment that’s gone down, KJZZ/KBAQ engineers must keep public radio on air. The team also has a second important task, as if ensuring transmission across more than 15,000 square miles weren’t enough: They’re responsible for updating the station’s technology. If new equipment might streamline operations, they have to evaluate it and execute its integration. If some part is aging and at risk of failure, the engineers must decide what to do. “The number 1 rule—the motto for any radio station—is ‘stay on the air,’” says Scott Williams, program director at KJZZ. “Our engineering team does a great job of that.” When problems do arise, Williams counts on the team to fix them fast.“They’re incredibly responsive,” he says. “Even if we have a problem in the middle of the night, one of them will get here and take care of it.” *** Last summer, the team’s mettle was put to the test. On top of South Mountain, from where the KJZZ signal emanates, a sophisticated transmission system operates—all day, every day. It takes an entire building to house the gear. And as your computer needs cooling fans, so must the KJZZ equipment be kept cool to avoid failure. If you were tuned into KJZZ last summer on the morning of July 17, you noticed the station suddenly went silent. Minutes later, it returned. Then it cut out again, and again returned after a couple of minutes. This cycle continued and, not surprisingly, calls flooded the station. *** Hired about a year ago, Ralph Hogan, the KJZZ/KBAQ director of engineering, is the newest member of the team. But he’s definitely not new to radio. At Louisiana State University New Orleans, Hogan assisted the chief engineer at his college radio station. Since then, his 40-year career has taken him across the country and now to Arizona. One of Hogan’s goals since taking the helm has been adapting his team to 21st-century radio realities. In the past, engineers looked after audio and transmission equipment. But since the late 90’s,
Ralph Hogan Age: 60 Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana Years at KJZZ/KBAQ: 1 Education: Engineering Science, Louisiana State University New Orleans (now University of New Orleans) Background: 40-year career in radio and TV stations large and small, from Louisiana to Washington Expertise: Broadcast Engineering Management Hobbies: Involvement with broadcast associations like the Society of Broadcast Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association of Public Radio Engineers
stations have had to adapt to computer technology handling audio storage and on-air functions. When this happened at KJZZ/KBAQ, Michael Brown was hired to mind the IT. He worked with Dennis Gilliam, the chief engineer at the time, to successfully integrate traditional engineering with computer services. Today, Hogan manages the IT, engineering and data operations teams as one department. So no matter what his engineers face, they tackle it together.
OPPOSITE: Ralph Hogan and Chris Furphy stand on top of South Mountain, in front of the equipment that allows KJZZ and KBAQ to be heard across the Valley.
*** Like most of his fellow engineers, Chris Furphy has handled just about every piece of station equipment, which becomes evident on his “nickel tour.” Pointing nonchalantly, he rattles off specs for blinking and whirring computer towers. He shares the story behind a sedansized generator. He strolls unflappably through what is essentially the engine of the station. “We know there’s a problem when more than a hundred calls come in,” Furphy says. The first thing the engineers do when something goes wrong is check the off-air monitors. These receive the signal coming from South Mountain, just like any Valley radio. Last summer, they heard what listeners reported and narrowed the set of possible causes. KJZZ/KBAQ engineers don’t get ruffled by such
Chris Furphy Age: 42 Hometown: Tempe, Arizona Years at KJZZ/KBAQ: 5 Education: General Studies, Rio Salado College Background: Began at KVNA radio in Flagstaff. Moved to video and satellite engineering for regional NBC affiliate before coming to KJZZ/KBAQ Expertise: Broadcast Engineering Hobbies: Photography and riding his Harley-Davidson
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