Each week we feature “Meet the Staff Mondays” to help viewers (and even our own staff) learn more about the folks who work behind the scenes, out in the community, at locations around the state, and in front of the cameras here at Idaho Public Television. Today we introduce Chief Engineer of North Idaho, Michael Cramblit.
IdahoPTV’s Carol Beres sat down with Mike to learn more about his adventures keeping our signal on the air in the northern part of the state for the past 22 years. “I’m responsible for the television transmitter maintenance (of) KUID and KCDT. Eventually, I’ll hand that over to Justin [Hinrichs, our new North Idaho Field Engineer], but right now, it’s still my responsibility,” Mike says. “My main new duties (are) in-house stuff here in Moscow … ensuring our signal flow from Boise up to our transmitters is correct. And also working with the University of Idaho School of Journalism and Mass Media. We have a complete production facility here in Moscow … it’s just been vastly underused and neglected the last 10 plus years. But we’ve been working hard to get the facility fully operational and up to speed … trying to get it utilized more, not only by our production folks down in Boise but also by the school.”
Mike started with Idaho Public Television 22 years ago. “I’ve been here since 2001. I started out as the Field Engineer up here in North Idaho, and was on the road a lot. I did that for 21 years,” Mike says. “When Ken [Segota, former longtime Chief Engineer of North Idaho] passed away, I put in for the Chief job, because I wanted something new. Plus, as you get older, it’s harder to be on the road so much,” Mike laughs. “I used to be able to come home at midnight and come right back to work the next morning.” He’s hoping to keep working for the next several years (until retirement) and see the next transition for the KUID transmitter. “KAID will get the first new transmitter, then KUID is scheduled for upgrade … it’s our oldest transmitter right now in the state,” Mike says. “It’s been working, but we gotta try to get the old stuff replaced while we have the chance.” He adds, “Sometimes people don’t realize the broadcast end of our business is really expensive. It costs a lot of money to upgrade our equipment.”
Mike is originally a Midwesterner. “I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I grew up there. For two years, we lived in California. But other than that, I lived in Wisconsin until I was 19.” He ended up in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, graduated high school, and tried college. “It wasn’t quite for me yet; I needed to grow up a little bit. So I enlisted in the Air Force in 1980,” Mike says. “I originally was only going to go in for a four-year tour. My first duty station was in Colorado Springs. I was single, could go skiing whenever I wanted; it’s a really nice place to live in Colorado. But then … I said before I get out I need to see something of the world while the Air Force pays for it, so I said, ‘Send me anywhere,’ and they sent me to Iceland.” These days, Iceland is a hot tourist spot, but back then, there was no tourism industry. “Less than six months there I met my wife to be, Dagny, a native Icelander.” Coming up in March, they will have been married 39 years. Mike and Dagny have three daughters and four grandchildren.
After 21 years in the Air Force, Mike retired and came to Idaho Public Television. “I needed a job after the Air Force, and I had worked with Craig [Koster, our Director of Technology] in the Air Force. He said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a job opening in North Idaho,’” Mike says. “Idaho Public TV invited me to visit Moscow where they showed me the facility and took me to several mountaintop sites to see if I’d like the job. Both my wife and I liked living in the mountains, and it’s a small college town where our daughters could go to college right there as they grew up.” So Mike took the job. He says he’d do it again if he had the chance.
When the urge to snack strikes, Mike reaches for the savory snacks. “Nowadays, it’s mostly just popcorn and mixed nuts. I’m trying to eat a little healthier,” he says. And he picks the panhandle of the Gem State as his favorite spot. “Probably Bonners Ferry. It was always my favorite translator site to go to.” And as far as hobbies go, Mike enjoys hiking and fishing. He and his wife also like to go RV camping, or as Mike calls it, “glamping.” And traveling is still tops on the list. Their youngest daughter lives in Madrid, Spain, where they hope to go visit her and her new husband in the near future.
Mike’s favorite PBS Kids character is not too hard to guess. “If I had to pick one, it’d probably be the Count. I like numbers.”
Idaho Public Television News 