I'M NOT A SIDECHICK! QUESTION FOR DAN O’DAY: I said it would never happen to me, but it did. I have fallen into the "Sidechick" zone. I even told the owner/GM/Morning Guy when he offered me the job that I was nobody's "sidechick," and he thought that attitude was great! Now I'm part of a top-rated morning show, getting great response from listeners (except women, go figure), being written about in major market newspapers for the work I'm doing in a small market....and hating every minute of it, doing what I feel is the worst work of my ten year career. Your Top Ten Signs That You Have A Job And Not A Career, as listed in RADIO PERSONALITY II? Well, seven of those are my JOB DESCRIPTION! OK, I'm whining. I'll get to the point: How do I get out? I have no worthy product to put on a tape, only airchecks consist of me laughing, attempting to talk and getting interrupted, or defending myself from the onslaught. This is not what I want to put in T&Rs to look for a new gig. Do I fake a tape, edit the real ones to make myself sound less like the whipping girl? How can I convince a perspective PD of who I am, if my current work is all about who I'm not? DAN REPLIES: You've pretty much covered your choices: Find bits & pieces that highlight the "you" that you want to present. It's a bit hard to fake stuff and then fit it in with your "real" stuff...especially because the "fake" will be so different from the "real." How about volunteering your services as weekend jock, in addition to your morning show duties. Tell them you need the extra money or whatever. But your real reason will to do enough solo shows to compile recent aircheck material for your job tape.