New GatesAir Care Program Addresses Growing Shortage Of RF Engineers

CINCINNATI— GatesAir today launched "GatesAir Care," an enhanced managed services program addressing the gap being created as RF engineers near retirement with skilled RF resources and services.

The program, available beginning today, offers defined service level agreements across its Elite, Signature and Standard support plans, the company said.

The number of services included escalates with each support tier, beginning with simple extended warranties, discounted spare parts and preventative maintenance visits to keep transmitters and associated RF systems in excellent operating condition. Additional services are available with each tier, which can include installation and commissioning, 24/7 remote maintenance and monitoring and live, onsite technical support for major broadcast events.

“Most young engineers coming into the business today possess a strong IT skillset but have limited to no RF expertise,” said Raymond Miklius, vice president of technology at GatesAir. “We developed GatesAir Care to alleviate concerns about finding skilled engineers to take care of RF systems and plants as veteran TV and radio engineers reduce hours and ultimately retire.”

All three program tiers can also scale to the size of the broadcaster, including dedicated services in smaller markets that are especially light on engineering resources. GatesAir Care will also offer options for crisis team deployment and disaster recovery services in the event of severe weather or other unanticipated events that require immediate attention, it said.

“The GatesAir Care program will help broadcasters maintain their focus on operational efficiency with the peace of mind that our experienced, dedicated support staff will provide consistent, proactive and responsive service tailored to each customer’s needs,” said Mark Goins, vice president of Global Sales at GatesAir.

GatesAir will also offer beginning and advanced RF training courses aligned with the GatesAir Care program to help younger broadcast engineers strengthen their RF skillsets, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website .