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The Synergy TiltRac Flatman robotic tape loader that was installed when Access SF moved into its current facility, had never handled MiniDV tapes reliably. The robotic claw cannot grab the small tapes from the decks, since when they are ejected fro the deck, the tape edge is still flush with the deck. Synergy devised a set of movements where the claw sits itself on top of the tape, and drags it out onto a ramp, and then the claw goes back to pick the tape off of the ramp. Too often, the tapes ended up being knocked into the robotic mechanism or knocked to the floor. This would bring the decks and Flatman robotic tape loader off-line and interrupt programming.
As a workaround, all MiniDV tapes submitted for playback have to be dubbed (digitally) to DVCAM tape. That's a lot of dubbing. There are three sets of decks we can use for digital dubs, the DSR-40 decks in the main studio, the DSR-20 decks in the flash studio, and the DSR-20 decks in the playback dubbing rack. The main studio and flash studio decks can be used for dubbing only when there is no production. When we are open to the public, the playback subbing decks are often the only decks available. Dubbing is done in real-time, so it takes an hour to dub a hour-long show.
The playback dubbing decks are also the decks staff used to "black" edit tapes for producers. Record tapes must have a consistent time-code laid down in order to use them in the linear edit suites in "edit" mode (as opposed to "assemble" mode). When staff blacks a tape, a solid black video without audio is recorded to the tape an a consistent time-code beginning at zero is laid down. The procedure to get a tape "black" is for the producer to label their tape and case, and leave it in the "To Be Black" bin at the front desk, at least two business days prior to their edit session. In the edit workshop, producers are not only informed of this procedure, but they are also taught how to "black" their tape in the edit suite, just in case they neglect to submit the tape to staff in advance of their edit session.
Dubbing tapes for playback is a top-priority, since a MiniDV tape cannot be handled reliably by the Flatman robotic tape loader. If a MiniDV is not dubbed, it will not be played, and program playback is the essence of why the station exists.
I was working in playback on this Saturday, and I had to program late Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday. While I was pulling tapes for playback, another staff member starting to "black" a tape in the flash studio. I had to interrupt the blacking to dub a tape for playback. The tape was unlabeled, so I had no idea who it belonged to, or who started the blacking. An hour or so later, that staff person came back to playback and started yelling at me for interrupting the blacking he was doing "on demand" for a producer. It turned out that the producer didn't even need that tape immediately, he just didn't want to bother leaving it at the front desk.
At the next staff meeting, we discussed (yet again) the need to MiniDV dub tapes for playback. The staff person who yelled at me on Saturday apologized. Except for a single staff member, we all agreed the dubbing for playback trumps the desire to "black" on demand. At the next staff meeting, Zane announced that we would be banning MiniDV tapes and demand that producers use DVCAM tapes. Most everyone argued against that move, since DVCAM decks are very expensive, DVCAM tapes are expensive, and we don't have a single user dub station for dubbing these tapes, much less the number we would need if every producer had to dub their own MiniDV to DVCAM. Zane said he would give it more thought, and reaffirmed that dubbing for playback is a much higher priority than blacking tapes, much less blacking tapes on demand when a producer neglects to bring their tape in a couple days in advance. We also agreed to re-approach Synergy to fix the problem with the robot.
(As if it was deja vu) I was working in playback on this Saturday, and I had to program late Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday. While I was pulling tapes for playback, another staff member starting to "black" a tape in the playback dub rack. I had to interrupt the blacking to dub a tape for playback. The tape was unlabeled, so I had no idea who it belonged to, or who started the blacking. An hour or so later, that staff person came back to playback and started yelling at me for interrupting the blacking he was doing "on demand" for a producer. Zane and all staff had many discussions, and memos, so I found it odd to be subjected to this abuse again. This time it was much worst, and more personal. In my contemporaneous note to Zane, I wrote:
I just took a lot of grief from Tina (Gordon) for placing playback dubbing over her immediate desire to black a tape for a producer on demand. She must have missed the meetings and memos where this was discussed. She made this very personal, to the point where she questioned my humanity.
Apparently, while I was pulling tapes, ***** arrived for an edit session with an un-blacked tape. Tina accepted this unlabeled tape and started blacking it. Tina neglected to label the tape to identify the owner, neglected to place the "Blacking" sign on the deck, and neglected to let me know. When I got back to playback and started dubbing tapes, I had to interrupt (what I presumed to be) the blacking in process to start dubs for playback. Later Tina came to playback and started chewing me out for interrupting her blacking. She accused me of not communicating. Note that she's the one who didn't tell me and didn't label the tape. I had no idea whose tape it was, so who started the dub. I knew that I had a slew of tapes and DVDs to dub. At the end of the day, I had just enough time to finish programming Sunday.
I don't believe I should be subjected to this grief from Tina. I told her so, but she disagrees. I reminded her that we strive for a two-business day turnaround for blacking tapes, and that producers learn how to black their own tapes in the Edit class. She stated that I should reject published policies and procedures, as well as your (Zane Blaney) directives to place the immediate demands of producers who neglect to plan their edit sessions, in front of the established demands of dubbing, timing, and scheduling playback.
Tina even stated that she didn't give a s**t if tapes didn't get played. Before my employment, while still a volunteer, I witnessed Tina tear into John Sanchez a couple of times, now she was tearing into me. That type of outburst is intolerable, and I insisted that Zane set Tina straight and that I demanded an apology. Zane told me he talked with her, but I never received the apology.
I started having nightmares that evening. I was losing a lot of sleep. My resistance went down and I ended up catching a very bad cold that another staff member had. I was also working long hours programming, training Tom Barkett's replacement, and preparing for the timeslot selection meeting. I was being subjected to abusive remarks from producers for being falsely blamed for some cancellations, but I could deal with that since I knew they didn't know any better. It was totally different to take abuse from a fellow staff member who does know better.
I started insisting that all other staff get some training in playback. I felt that they needed some first-hand appreciation of the amount of work back there and the pressures associated with that work. Back in playback, you don't have time to blow your nose and everyday your under pressure to get 20 hours of work done in an 8 hour day. Even when you go home, you're still obligated to respond to pages.
Tina became impossible to work with. I was very busy working long hours, losing sleep, being on-call to a robot that was paging me all hours. I just tried to keep Tina out of my thoughts and focus on my work. Then she pulled a couple of stunts on the 29th that just blew me away. Here's an excerpt of my contemporaneous note to Zane;
I have neve received any form of apology from Tina for the grief she gave me on December 10th. I find that unacceptable.
Then today, while I was working, Tina yelled down the hallway that she wanted me in checkout. All she wanted me for was to tell me that I should report to her when I arrive for work. I don't report to Tina. I told her I would consider her request and that I had work to do, and excused myself.
At 3:10, Aaron came back to playback to ask me to sit at the front desk. Apparently, although Tina was assigned to reception this afternoon, she decided to go to lunch right at 3:00 p.m., without finding anyone to fill in at the front desk for her. She was here when I arrived after noon, so she had plenty of time to take her lunch break before our public hours, and at a minimum she had ample opportunity to arrange for someone to sit in for her.
Now Tina is back from lunch, and she claims that she arranged this time (when she was assigned to the front desk) to be trained by Sam in playback. She made this arrangement without arranging for anyone to do her assigned work at the front desk.
Please remember this when you wonder why other tasks assigned to me are not completed.
When Tina called me into checkout, she interrupted my work. She was sitting at the desk surfing the Internet.
When Tina left the front desk unattended, I was dubbing and timing tapes so I could program that day. Sam Long was processing the paperwork from the December 26th timeslot selection meeting. We were both sick with that awful cold, yet we were working out butts off. Then Tina pulls this stunt, and I end up having to work the front desk after she was A.W.O.L.. If I didn't work the front desk, then Tina would use that as an excuse to not get trained in playback, and she (more than anyone on staff) needed to understand the requirements of that job. So I was forced to work the front desk instead of doing my assigned duties, and Sam was required to pick up that slack, in addition to training Tina.
I'm posting this page on January 17, 2006, one week after being terminated from SFCTC. I'm still having nightmares every night and still losing a lot of sleep over these events. Tina was never disciplined for these stunts and I never received any apology for being subjected to this abuse from her. Zane wouldn't even respond to my complaints.
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