“The only constant in life is change”-Heraclitus 

As the saying goes, the only constant in life is change. Here at the IBEW 48 we ride the wave of change and as construction projects begin and end, but in this instance we are seeing the end of an era in broadcasting! 64 years of working with the KGW here in Oregon has been built on professionalism and a commitment to excellence in broadcasting. In recent years we have seen the job of Master Control at broadcast companies changing operationally due to technological advancements. 

From Michael Ranweiler, Union Steward at KGW:

For just over 64 years, KGW had someone at the master control point. The final step before the broadcast is sent to the transmitter is Master Control. These operators are responsible for making sure that commercials and programs are ready for air. As technology advances, the need to have operators at local stations isn’t as great as it used to be. Broadcast companies have been able to centralize many of these operations. The job is done at a single point for multiple stations since commercials and programming are the same for a region or country.
 
At the end of January, we said goodbye to the last of those master control operators at KGW. They were crucial in the final weeks of the project to ensure that the switch was seamless and that all the content they managed was transferred over to the new system.
 
Thank you for all the years of partnership!