WORTHLESS NEWS QUESTION FOR DAN O’DAY: I work in a small market as an afternoon jock, and I have a question regarding news. Our station does 90-second updates at the top of the hour, and the content is mostly rip & read national news with very little local. As a jock who busts my ass to be plugged into the community, it is frustrating to have to stop my show once an hour for seemingly irrelevant news about a car accident that happened across the country. It is especially frustrating when this news from afar is used when good local news never finds its way to the airwaves. I've been told by management that it's not my place to complain as I'm just a jock. How would you handle this? DAN REPLIES: When I was a jock, I would've handled it by complaining to the PD and the GM and the news director. The only thing that would've accomplished would be to alienate some or all of them and brand myself as a "troublemaker." It would not have helped the station, my show, or my listeners. How would I handle it today? After having shared my thoughts once with management, I would agree with them: It's not my place to complain; I'm just a jock. And I'd refocus my energies on the aspects of my show that I *do* have control over. Let Dan O'Day personally coach you in your job hunt with CAREER CONTROL: Radio Job-Hunting, Interviewing & Contracts!