It's been almost two months since graduation, and Elijah Miller '26 finds himself sitting around watching TV most of the day... sometimes as many as 18 TVs at once.
Back in April, Elijah came across a job post for a master control operator at Spectrum News in Albany. He quickly applied, and just as quickly, he earned in interview. Elijah was ecstatic at the prospect, but as the interview drew near, he did have one concern...
"I honestly had never heard of master control. I wasn't really sure what I was interviewing for."
Thankfully, that tiny detail didn't hold him back.
As Elijah has learned, now six weeks on the job, a master control operator manages the technical broadcast of television. Think of Elijah as quality control – he watches and listens to the live signal and quickly troubleshoots when there's an issue with the video or audio. He also oversees the automation of programming and commercials and maintains regulatory compliance. Some master control operations are fixated on a single signal, but at Spectrum, Elijah is often monitoring a handful of newscasts at once.
Spectrum News operates more than 30 local news and regional sports networks, and for many of them, master control runs through Albany. Depending on the shift, Elijah could be one of ten master control operators juggling eight different markets. Sometimes, he'll have the luxury of focusing on one market at a time, but Elijah must also be capable of talking to a producer in Wisconsin, while keeping an eye on a newscast out of Ohio, and preparing for a commercial break in Rochester.
"On my first day, I was completely overwhelmed. I took a tour of the whole facility, and I was thinking, 'This is real. This is crazy.' But now I love it."
Elijah originally majored in accounting, but switched to sports communications to chase his passion. His first communications course was video and editing intensive, and that's where Elijah developed an unexpected affinity for the technical side of the industry. He sharpened those skills during his senior year in TV Production Workshop (below), a course that simulates a live newscast taught by Joe Frumusa '12, associate director for communications and alumni engagement (and a former producer at Spectrum News).
"In that class, I learned how to do the job of a producer and a director. It's really intense, but it teaches you how to get the job done at a TV station. I talked about those experiences in my interview."
Elijah was hired as a freelance master control operator, and it took him less than one month to earn a promotion to full-time. As it turns out, he's really good at the thing he didn't know existed until two months ago. There's a lesson in that.
"Go for the unexpected. When I applied for this job, I didn't know what to expect. I took a chance. I went for it. And now, I love it here. Everyone is so friendly. I feel like this was definitely my true calling. Just believe in yourself and put yourself out there."
"As a former senior producer at Spectrum, I worked closely with the master control operators as they kept an eye on stations across the country. It's a tough job. Here at the SCTV studio, we simulated a number of real life scenarios for live broadcasts that no doubt helped Elijah prepare and succeed in this first chapter of his career!"
Joe Frumusa '12, associate director for communications and alumni engagement; adjunct lecturer in communications
