ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND TASKS COMMON TO TELEVISION STATION MANAGERS EMPLOYED IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The study was to identify a set of management functions and tasks common to television station managers of stations licensed to institutions of higher education. The study was also to identify the relative degree of authority managers felt they DO have and SHOULD have in accomplishing their tasks.;The research provides answers to the following questions. (1)Do managers perform a common set of tasks which can be categorized according to the management functions of Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Leading, and Controlling? (2)What degree of authority do managers perceive they DO have to perform the identified tasks? (3)What degree of authority do managers perceive they SHOULD have to perform the identified tasks?;The survey instrument design was based on input from a survey of the literature and validated by a jury of experts in the field of public broadcasting management. The total population of the study consisted of the station managers of the 53 television stations licensed to institutions of higher education in the United States. Seventy-nine percent of the managers returned valid survey instruments.;The researcher utilized computer assistance to analyze the data returned by the managers and reported the results in terms of measures of central tendency. From the data analysis the following major conclusions were drawn. (1)Twenty-one job tasks were identified in the study as considered important to perform by station managers in the five management functions of Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Leading, and Controlling. (2)Managers feel they DO have a relatively high degree of authority to perform the 21 job tasks identified. (3)Managers feel they SHOULD have a relatively high degree of authority to perform the 21 job tasks identified. (4)The most important tasks to perform among all five management functions are the tasks "Effectively Utilize Personnel and Facilities", "Make Decisions", and "Communicate". (5)The tasks managers felt they DO have the most authority to perform in all five management functions are the tasks "Effectively Communicate", "Provide and Foster Cooperation", and "Evaluate or Make Assessments". (6)The tasks managers felt they SHOULD have the most authority to perform in all five management functions are the tasks "Provide Input into Policy Making" and "Be Knowledgeable of Requirements and Procedures for Gaining Approval and/or Support". (7)The formal college training of a majority of the managers does not prepare them to perform the 21 tasks identified with the possible exception of the task "Effectively Communicate". (8)If managers had more specific training in higher education administration it might make it easier for them to perform the 21 job tasks identified and also enable them to perform these tasks earlier in their careers, thus enabling them to enter into management earlier.;A generalization of common management functions and tasks of station managers might lead to a more effective training program for those seeking careers in this area. Further, information from this study could lead to a streamlining of organizational structure and might aid the station manager himself in accomplishing his tasks.;Based on the conclusions of the study the following major recommendations were made. (1)An effective training program should be developed to teach potential managers how to perform the identified job tasks. (2)Existing training programs in fields in which managers typically have degrees should be modified to allow for administrative training in the performance of the 21 job tasks identified.