The master control operator is a crucial role in television stations, responsible for broadcasting signals and managing commercials. The job requires minimal journalistic knowledge and only a high school diploma, but requires someone to be present 24/7. The operator must manage tight schedules and live broadcasts.
All cable television comes out of a small room in a television station’s office. The main control operator is the lifeline of a television station. All over the world, broadcasting signals are being carried out by one, maybe two people at a time. This is perhaps one of two positions at every television station in the United States that requires someone to be there 24/7. The only other position required throughout the day is normally the transmission technician or engineers.
The master control operator job requires minimal journalistic knowledge for anyone entering the TV business. Positions in this field are the only job at a television station that does not require a degree in journalism. The educational requirement only calls for a high school diploma to be able to be hired as a master control operator. The schedule can be delegated to the night shift for people straight out of high school or college.
On a day-to-day basis, the lead control operator will have to deal with matters ranging from local news programming for television broadcast to breaking news events to nationally broadcast sporting events. During local programming, local operators are also responsible for showing the commercials you see between the shows you are watching. In national programming, commercials are run out of the national office. During commercial breaks, the main control operators move from one commercial to the next. Usually during the normal commercial break they are switching from the show to a set of four commercials and back to the show.
All shows on the station — whether from CNN, ESPN or their local broadcast affiliates — run to a tight schedule. Commercials are sold at venues for all shows and must be shown within seconds of the times they are sold. Live news broadcasts are among the most difficult for a master control operator. Throughout the show they are giving the program director time to slip in and out of commercial breaks. This allows the director to drop or reduce program elements to stay in time.
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