DEPRESSED JOCK QUESTION: Recently, one of my co-workers loaned me their copy of your book, PERSONALITY RADIO. I read it and was very impressed with your knowledge of this business. I started over a year ago, and I love this business. I work very hard at doing the best that I can do, however, the negativity at the station has been at an all-time high since the new owners arrived. It is starting to effect me now,also. It is becoming a chore to get up and go to work. My PD, who started out as a very positive individual, does nothing but bitch about not making any money and how bad the station sounds. One of the other jocks here, who is probably my best friend, is extremely depressed. So I am surrounded by negativity and I do not know how to combat these external factors. My fiancee told me that I should write to you since your book is all I talk about. Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations. DAN REPLIES: My short reply to your predicament is to say, in all seriousness, that radio is a crummy life for many if not most of its practitioners. If you've been in radio only a year, then you still haven't had time to get a taste of how far you can go in it; perhaps you'll be one of the lucky ones who manage to make a good living and achieve some stability in it. Given the situation you describe at work, your best bet is to quietly start searching around for a better job at a better station, either in your market or elsewhere. It's unlikely your PD suddenly is going to adopt a better attitude. But DON'T tell anyone -- certainly not your PD, and not even your best friend/overnight jock unless you're 100% sure he'd never, ever let it slip to anyone. You DON'T want to leave your current job until you have a new one.