Richard H. Mertz

Richard H. Mertz is the Vice President of Cavell Mertz and possesses more than 40 years of experience in broadcast television and radio, cable television, and communications.  At Cavell Mertz, Mr. Mertz provides engineering services in the preparation of applications and the design of station facilities.  One major project was the design and assistance with construction of Radio One in Kampala, Uganda. 

More recently, Mr. Mertz has been assisting television clients with the transition from analog to digital television.  Power maximization applications have become a specialty.  Several projects of note involved field measurements to demonstrate that the FCC’s interference model overstated actual station coverage.  These measurements and experimental reports resulted in several high band VHF station being permitted to greatly exceed the maximum power cap in the Northeast (TV Zone 1) providing an improvement with indoor reception.

Mr. Mertz regularly participates with the troubleshooting and commissioning of FM and TV antenna systems.  Recently, he oversaw a project to modify a VHF TV panel antenna to add a vertically polarized radiation component.  Additionally, he has assisted FM clients with the implementation of HD Radio (IBOC).

Prior to joining Cavell Mertz he was a staff engineer and facility services project manager for Jules Cohen & Associates, P.C. where he designed and constructed broadcast facilities.  Before that, Mr. Mertz was the director of engineering for United Broadcasting Company, Inc. where his responsibilities included not only the reconstruction and upgrading of the group’s facilities, but the implementation of a rigorous FCC compliance program that resulted in clean inspections and frustrated FCC inspectors.

Before joining United, Mr. Mertz was manager of technical operations for NBC's WRC-AM, in Washington, D.C.   At NBC he was able to reduce operating costs while maintaining on-air quality and operation.

Prior to coming to Washington, Mr. Mertz was the technical operations manager for Jefferson-Pilot Broadcasting’s WBT(AM), WBCY(FM), and the Jeffersonics audio recording facility in Charlotte, North Carolina.  While at WBT, Mr. Mertz involved the station in the early AM stereo proceeding.  Under Mr. Mertz’s guidance, WBT participated in testing AM stereo skywave performance becoming the first station in the South to operate in AM stereo. While in Charlotte, Mr. Mertz served as assistant chapter chairman of the local SBE chapter.

Before WBT, Mr. Mertz was assistant chief engineer for Jefferson-Pilot Broadcasting’s WQXI-AM and FM in Atlanta, Georgia.  At WQXI, Mr. Mertz designed and built studio and transmitter facilities.  Mr. Mertz also designed and constructed the custom information displays with custom clocks and timers for the new studio built in 1975.

Prior to joining WQXI, Mr. Mertz designed and constructed college radio stations at Oglethorpe University and at the Atlanta University Center.  He was also a disk jockey at Georgia Tech’s WREK.

Mr. Mertz is a nationally recognized expert in broadcast technical matters.  He has presented technical papers at NAB conventions and at the IBC convention in Amsterdam.  He has served on panels of industry groups covering subjects from AM stereo, multiple ownership, microprocessor systems, to RF exposure protection. He was a columnist for Radio World Magazine, writing about radio related computer uses and was a contributor to one of the NAB’s publications on station multiple ownership and consolidation of facilities.

Mr. Mertz holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oglethorpe University and belongs to the Society of Broadcast Engineers where he held SBE Professional Certification. He formerly was chapter chairman of SBE Washington Chapter 37 and is a member of the Audio Engineering Society, The Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE), and the IEEE. He holds an FCC General Radiotelephone License and is a licensed radio amateur (N3QJF).

Updated June 19, 2012