A Loyal Reader Writes:
A comment was made in your video interview with Ray Edwards that perked my ears up. It was about hurt and anger.
I was beached back in February. I have 29 years in this business. I started part-time and did all the grunt work. Worked 80 hour weeks, sacrificed vacation time, pulled extra shifts when other jox didn’t show up. Worked my way up to MD to APD and finally to PD and the hours and work just got heavier.
But it was allllllll GREAT because I looooved it.
The past 15 years I’ve done mornings, sacrificing my health and sleep and family time. I’ve moved my family all over this country and they were ok with the fact that radio usually got the best of me and unfortunately, and they kinda got what was left over…but they knew I LOVED IT and everything about it.
Now….here I am. With all of this experience, enthusiasm, hard work and massive sacrificing for an industry that I absolutely adore and can’t get enough of. Why then, am I sitting out here feeling like it has turned its back on me?
In the past 7 months I have applied for over 46 on-air gigs (I have to keep count because of unemployment). I am OVER qualified for these jobs and they are getting snapped up by others with a fraction of the years I have in radio.
In any other industry, working your way up and to the top of ‘the ladder’ successfully for 30 years earns you the golden ticket! I feel like all those years I put in mean nothing and that breaks my heart and makes me sad….and yep, angry on some days.
I guess this is more of a rhetorical note as I don’t think there is an answer. And I KNOW, Lord I know, I am not the only one who feels this as there are LOADS of others just like me trying for that same job. I do know you understand that fire that radio put inside ones’ soul, and that you probably understand where I’m coming from.
As every day and week and month goes by, it’s getting easier to deal with it all and I’m even starting to apply for jobs outside of the radio industry, which breaks my heart too. But here is one question….how does one get past what feels like a big ol’ 30 year betrayal? Just wonderin’….
P.S. One of my ex-co-workers once told me “don’t love radio because it’ll never love you back.” He unfortunately told me this 28 yrs too late. I am getting over it, it’s just taking a little bit.
Meanwhile, I can’t wait to hear what you are working on!
Radio “turned its back on” you because it doesn’t know you exist.
To some extent, radio always has been an industry that eats its young. In North America, at least, “radio” and “job security” never appeared in the same sentence.
Yes, consolidation has made it situation much, much worse for radio programming staffers.
But you always were gambling that your hard work, loyalty and dedication somehow would reap worthy dividends down the road.
Ironically…sadly…Radio didn’t make those promises. You (and thousands of others) assumed The Radio Industry would take care of you. It seemed only right: Hard work leads to reward.
But Radio never promised you a long-term reward.
When U.S. radio deregulation began, the writing was on the wall. Group owners (and their lobbyists) swore to Congress, “With more radio stations, we’ll be able to serve our local communities so much better!
“If you drop that stupid News requirement, our stations actually will end up providing more local news. While you’re at, get rid of that ‘Public Affairs’ requirement. Of course we’ll continue to provide Public Affairs programming.”
If I knew local news would disappear from American music stations, why didn’t those big shot group owners know? Or…Gee, d’you suppose they just said that stuff to get the government to give them more freedom to do whatever they wanted, and they never really cared about serving local communities?
My point is not, “Hey, I saw it coming. Why didn’t you?” I’d already stopped working for radio stations.
In fact, my no longer being “in” radio probably gave me a clearer picture of the industry than I had when I was a radio station employee.
And I understand why so many people stood frozen for the dozen or so years during which Radio gradually set them adrift. During the Internet bubble and subsequent crash, I owned a stock that had shot WAY up…and then watched as it descended literally to nothing. I was too much in a state of shock to act. (A pathetic excuse for losing my entire investment, but…)
For people still working in radio: What are you doing to secure your future? Are you managing your career, or are you just showing up for work and hoping your crazy boss doesn’t fire you today?
If you’re out of radio and unhappy about it:
While of course it’s possible that you, personally, will land a good radio job again, most people in your position won’t. For them the question becomes, “What are you going to do about it? How are you going to take the skills and talents you honed in radio and apply them to a new career that you’ll find equally rewarding?”
As you heard in the interview with Ray, it is possible.
I didn’t say “easy.” But it’s not “difficulty” that stops so many people as much as fear.
If you’ve been deserted by radio and are fearful of your future, you have a choice: You can do nothing at all, because you’re afraid. Or you can take the first steps to build your own new career despite the fact that you’re afraid.
Meanwhile, I can’t wait to hear what you are working on!
I wish I could talk about it, but at the moment it looks like it’ll be December before I can reveal my Plan To Save Radio People. As soon as I’m able, I’ll announce the details in our Facebook group. It will change some people’s lives, and I sure do wish I could talk about right now…
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Same here in Australia , the younger kids are coming through , doing automated shifts if they stuff up , they re record it . as for voicing commercials , must can’t do a 30 sec read in one go ,they struggle big time , but its ok the production guy just , edits it together, the young announcer never gets any better , because the computer fixes it up .
Clients get a crap commercial , but they don’t know any better
Great post, Dan… I, for one, appreciate your candor by sharing a post like this… It’s true that technology, economic realities, and the vast increase in entertainment choices have collectively changed the industry. However, I’m with you 100% when you say, “What are you doing about it?” A lot of people complain, and pine for “the way it used to be,” but the ones who ACT always seem to end up OK one way or the other, even though it may mean breaking it off with that two-timing seductress, Radio.
There are ABSOLUTELY ways to make a living “on” the radio, or using the skills you learned in radio, without necessarily being “in” radio… And no, it’s not as easy as simply showing up… You gotta be dedicated to your craft, you have to take what you learned, and use it to learn more… and you really have to hustle.
But if you believe in what you know, and what you can do… then you don’t have to wait to get fired, wait to get hired, or wait for radio to “take you back”… Like the Rolling Stones said, “Time waits for no one…”
Go, do!
After 20 years from 79-99, I saw the writing on the wall and elected to use my degree and leave the business. I loved what I did, but always knew that the owners were looking for a way to get rid of the jocks (remember reel and cart automation in the ’70’s?), but the technology just wasn’t there. We were a necessary evil, and I never lost site of that. My grandfather and great grandfathers were blacksmiths. Not much call for that these days either. Watch repairmen? Also gone. We must always be diverse in our skill sets and aware of changes…and, be prepared to change with them. I long for the days of what radio was, but it’s not there anymore, and hasn’t been for awhile. It’s like pining for that girl from high school. Gotta move on. Life’s too short.
Dan, are you telling all of us who love radio and are ate up with producing a great product that we should head for the hills now before it is too late? The pit in my belly now makes me think yes. Please tell me I’m wrong.
@Anonymous: No, of course I’m not telling anyone who is happily and securely employed to leave radio.
I’ve been in this silly business for almost 27 years now. The one thing I can point to that has consistently saved me has been to move to engineering and the upkeep of the computer and automation networks. I still pull a daily airshift, but I’ve reached the point where I’d rather not be on air. I much prefer the engineering and production side, but this is small market and I do what I have to do.
Hey! I can totally relate to Ray’s situation and have stepped outside of the box. Radio in my area has been eaten alive by corporations (2 to be exact)…and they wont even talk to you unless they have an opening. And then its literally “last man standing”!
I spent over 20 years in major market radio but had to get out after finally admitting to myself that my passion for radio wasn’t being reciprocated. I’m still involved doing imaging and commercials but now I’m using my skills for ~connecting with people~ in new and more rewarding ways.
The piece of advice I give all young broadcasters; work only at an AFTRA affiliated station. At least your then making some investment in your future benefits and pension.
I’ve been doing this for nearly thirty years now about half as an AFTRAN in a major market. I have some security coming in my retirement years.
Those bowing to non union outfits will not have the same.
First let me say, Hi Dan, it’s been a long time. Then… Sorry. But folks forget that radio is a business. Grow, change, adapt or wander away. Play records on your web site if it makes you feel better but remember, radio is a business. It is not about the music or the lifestyle except where the music or the lifestyle benefit the business.
“Losers always whine about their “best”! Winners go home and f*@& the prom queen.” John Mason (Sean Connery), The Rock
Bill, I heartily disagree. Radio is “show-business”.
It’s a balancing act between “show” and “business”. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Without show there is no business, without business there is no show. To flat out say that radio is a business is missing the entire point why anybody listens…and why people choose to go into radio.
The sad thing is that today’s generation of radio managers don’t see radio’s duality. They have missed the point of why people listen, can’t find (or train) people who know how to connect to an audience (assuming they see the importance of that skill) and are now scratching their collective heads wondering why fewer and fewer people are listening!
Radio is about the audience, not a spreadsheet.
David, Well Spoken… Written. I like the “show-business” explanation but at the same time when I see folks complaining that radio somehow let them down or otherwise owes them, I become frustrated. While I agree with you about “Show-Business” I assert that even the best, most product oriented ownership doesn’t give us control of the transmitter and let us practice our magic because they like to hear it on their frequency. They do it because we make them money and even today the market rewards excellence because it is good business.
The best GM I ever had used to say “The Truth is somewhere in the middle”.
That’s right Tommy, there needs to be a balance between the 2. Some weeks it tips one way, other weeks it tips the other way but it always comes back to center. Radio as an industry, has lost that sense of center.
Hum, if I may, you said :”Radio is about the audience, not a spreadsheet.” Well, we are all turning around numbers these days… And, for me, we are all missing a lot of things by judging everything with cold numbers. And we are all missing the point. People are doing things for other people, what’s the point if we do things just for numbers. Someone somewhere is not that wise…
After many, many years in the radio business, I was laid off early this year. After many months of job hunting in the industry and at the same time finally admitting to myself that maybe I wasn’t going to find another gig in a timely fashion, I’ve moved on. Last week I started my new career as a full-time head chef and I am beyond elated. I am using my communication, management and administrative skills I learned in radio to run my own kitchen. My creative mind works all week long creating menus and my passion goes onto every plate.
As someone who’s been there, I can share a little wisdom for those who are still searching: keep your options, mind and heart open. I agree: find a way to use what you’ve learned in radio to maybe pursue a new passion.
I worked in radio for 15 years, on and off, in various markets in different capacities. In 2001 I said the hell with it. I moved into IT consulting and then bought rental properties.
Radio was fun in its day. But I never would have become a millionaire had I stayed in it.