This is a rule that I always find difficult to enforce. Since switching into contracting mode, I am often at any particular studio once per week or less. It seems to me, no matter what signs are posted or what words are spoken, the DJ seems to hear; “It is okay to eat and drink in the studio.”
Of course, with that attitude, the inevitable is bound to happen:
To make things worse, this was spilled on the main mic on/off buttons. These button membranes come in groups of six and are not inexpensive. The complaint was “The main mic will not turn off.” Ah well, I am paid to fix things after all. The DJs are only inconveniencing themselves at this point.
Our issue is, we tell people to not eat at their desks in the newsroom. They ask why, ignore us, then complain when they see mice in the winter time. It doesn’t make sense to them.
Our jocks were pretty good and we came up with a compromise. We provided a tray at the back of the console away from all electronic equipment. They could keep their drinks there and only there. If anything spilled it stayed in the tray. It worked. But it helps to have jocks that understand that they’ll only be putting themselves off the air.
Jocks get paid enough to afford food? When did this start?
Job security!
Rule of thumb: no drink & food in the studio.
[non working] “surveilliance 24/7” communicated – and voila it works. 🙂
On my first day as a combination Production Director/2nd Engineer at Radio America in 2004, I was tasked to fix a temperamental 360 Systems “Instant Replay” that could not play anything without mashing the Start button extra-hard.
Once the case was opened and the rubber button membrane peeled away, the fault was evident: “French Fry Finger”. People who eat in the studio and then handle the gear (in spite of our best efforts) have greasy fingers. The grease sticks to the button surfaces, the warmth of the device melts the grease and causes it to run under the button. Over several months of this repeated behavior, contact is impossible.
Ten minutes gently scrubbing the button pads and the conductive pads on the circuitboard with Q-tips soaked with warm diluted Dawn dishwashing liquid brought the unit back to life. A thin film of Caig Labs fluid on all conductive surfaces before sealing it all up again kept it running until just a couple of weeks ago.