TV engineers work to combine traditional forms of information technology with emerging digital components in an effort to maintain the equipment that brings images to TV screens across the country. They are involved in both the studio and the transmitter end, that is, they maintain a working knowledge of audio/video instrumentation, baseband video, studio acoustics, video compression and broadcast automation. TV engineers are often required to have degrees in either electrical engineering, computer engineering, telecommunications engineering or a combination therein.
Radio engineers create and troubleshoot wireless telecommunications equipment. Called RF (radio frequency) engineers, they develop schematics for cell phones and other broadcasting devices, as well as set up wireless networks and maintain existing ones. RF engineers work with broadcast stations in setting up their networks and performing maintenance on them once they are operational. This field sits in contrast to TV engineering, in that RF engineers do very little "in studio" work, meaning they don't contribute to an individual broadcast going live. As with TV engineering, a four-year degree is often required.
Broadcast engineering is the combined field of RT and TV engineering. These professionals usually possess multiple degrees in computer engineering, systems technologies, electrical engineering, among several others. Broadcast engineers set up, maintain and operate equipment that maintains signal integrity, picture quality and sound for television broadcasts. They also have the same working knowledge that RF engineers have to set up wireless networks and maintain radio frequencies for radio broadcasts.