"...Oh, Wait...Maybe It's For The Same Reason They Put That Litttle Sprig Of Parsley On The Plate In The Restaurant..."

Here's a thing.

This picture, courtesy of a friend/fellow broadcaster, is pretty typical of the average radio station today.

The other day, a civilian visitor to my own station/studio looked around and, very insightfully, began the following exchange.

"Wow, those are pretty good sized speakers hanging there."

"Yes, they are"

"Tell me...don't the speakers automatically cut off when you turn on the microphone?"

"Yes, they do."

"Why is that?"

"Because we don't want the sound coming from the speakers to bleed into what is being said into the microphone. And it could cause the noise of feedback."

"Oh...tell me...when you guys aren't talking on the microphone and you're answering phones or looking up things online, I notice you keep the speakers turned way, way down."

"Yes, we do."

"Why is that?"

"That's so that we're able to concentrate on the web sites or hear the person we're talking with on the phone."

"Oh...so, tell me..."

"Yeah?"

"If you can't hear the speakers at all when you turn on the microphone..."

"Uh-huh.."

"And you keep them turned way, way down the rest of the time...."

"...Uh.huh..."

"...then why do you need pretty good sized speakers hanging there?"

Hmm.