Anytime you hear a
station ID or
bumper played from a
cart on the
radio, you're hearing the work of a
production manager of a
radio station. Their job is to
produce new
content through the
studio. Production managers are almost exclusively
geeky, and they need to be, considering the kinds of things that they must deal with to do their jobs. Lots of
electronics, and in the
olden days, lots and lots of
splicing tape.
XLR connector grounding specifications and
pyramiding tracks are all part of the productions manager's day. Dealing with
pops from on-air talent who don't know how to use
microphones. Coordinating their schedules so they'll come in to do their
promos. Fun fun fun.
It's all worth it, though, when a station you haven't worked at in over a decade still plays one of your station ID carts on a regular basis, and it still sounds goooood.