Apologies for Previous Posts...

[musicfan101]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to apologize for previous angry, hate filled posts I made on this board a couple of days ago. There were no excuses for these posts, and after I made these posts, and after my suspension I felt horrible. That is not the kind of person I am.

Those angry posts came from the fact that I do take radio too personally, and from the fact that I've always wanted to secure a job in radio, doing the kind of thing I wanted to do, and not be sure of this possiblity of that happening because of the fact there are no great jobs in radio right now. I'm currently working at a college station in Monroe, LA, and the station is close to running out of business - which doesn't help my situation.

Again I hope everyone who was offended could forgive me.

 

[Buckethead]

Thanks for the apology.

Stations "running out of business" is status quo for the industry.

If this is the profession you are hoping to be in, then you must accept that people, jobs, and stations will all disappear
through no fault of the good people doing the hard work.
Often times it's just real estate or stock prices that make the decisions.

Pack light.

 

[michael hagerty]

Thanks for the apology.

Stations "running out of business" is status quo for the industry.

If this is the profession you are hoping to be in, then you must accept that people, jobs, and stations will all disappear
through no fault of the good people doing the hard work.
Often times it's just real estate or stock prices that make the decisions.

Pack light.

I wish someone had said those words to me when I was 15 and just getting started. It was a time when certain stations (now long gone) seemed bulletproof. All you have to do is live long enough to see that none of them are.

I probably would have gone ahead anyway, but the heads-up would have softened several later shocks.

 

[LKellerIII]

Thanks for the apology.

Stations "running out of business" is status quo for the industry.

If this is the profession you are hoping to be in, then you must accept that people, jobs, and stations will all disappear
through no fault of the good people doing the hard work.
Often times it's just real estate or stock prices that make the decisions.

Pack light.

I wish someone had said those words to me when I was 15 and just getting started. It was a time when certain stations (now long gone) seemed bulletproof. All you have to do is live long enough to see that none of them are.

I probably would have gone ahead anyway, but the heads-up would have softened several later shocks.

This is why - despite a childhood radio obsession - I never considered getting into the business. Which is not to say that I necessarily have any talent. Other than a few high profile DJs that seemed to have some amount of job security (Morgan, Steele, Owens, etc.), most would disappear for awhile even when they were popular due to station politics, format changes and God knows what other reasons.

A couple of my high school friends did jump into the LA radio business in the early 70s, and they've ultimately done well financially - but not until they got out of radio.

The story I heard decades ago, along the lines of "pack light" - was about the Program Director that would welcome his new DJ to town by saying: "Don't buy - rent!"

 

[michael hagerty]

Thanks for the apology.

Stations "running out of business" is status quo for the industry.

If this is the profession you are hoping to be in, then you must accept that people, jobs, and stations will all disappear
through no fault of the good people doing the hard work.
Often times it's just real estate or stock prices that make the decisions.

Pack light.

I wish someone had said those words to me when I was 15 and just getting started. It was a time when certain stations (now long gone) seemed bulletproof. All you have to do is live long enough to see that none of them are.

I probably would have gone ahead anyway, but the heads-up would have softened several later shocks.

This is why - despite a childhood radio obsession - I never considered getting into the business. Which is not to say that I necessarily have any talent. Other than a few high profile DJs that seemed to have some amount of job security (Morgan, Steele, Owens, etc.), most would disappear for awhile even when they were popular due to station politics, format changes and God knows what other reasons.

A couple of my high school friends did jump into the LA radio business in the early 70s, and they've ultimately done well financially - but not until they got out of radio.

The story I heard decades ago, along the lines of "pack light" - was about the Program Director that would welcome his new DJ to town by saying: "Don't buy - rent!"

And Llew:
Look at the samples you cite of "some amount of job security":

Robert W. Morgan. Good until he left KHJ the second time in July, 1973. Then it was 2 years of being the #30 morning man in L.A. at K-100, after which he bailed to KMPC...and did FOUR YEARS of weekends before getting mornings. He probably could have been okay, but he bolts for Magic 106 in '84 and gets blown out when it becomes Power 106. I think it was 7 or 8 months before KMPC took him back, just in time for Jackie Autry, Gene's second wife, to begin estate planning the station into the dumpster (a painful six-year process of decline).

The Real Don Steele. Golden for 8 years at KMPC, the same disaster at K-100 as Morgan (except Steele left after only 11 months, in October of 1974). Off the air entirely for 2 years and two months before being part of the Ten Q launch...but bailed after two years and was off the air for SEVEN YEARS. And I think there may have been a year or more between KRLA and KODJ.

Gary Owens. 18 years at KMPC. Awesome. Since then...well, it's a good thing Gary's a voiceover legend, because it's been radio roulette ever since...KPRZ, KKGO, KFI (with Al Lohman), KJQY, The New Music Of Your Life, KLAC.....and some significant periods (including now) where he couldn't be heard on local L.A. radio.

How about a true survivor...Charlie Tuna. On Los Angeles airwaves virtually continuously (minus six months in San Diego in '72 and a few months earlier this decade between KBIG and KRTH) for 42 years. But the list of call letters would make your head spin...and the disrespect (blown out of mornings so Morgan could return to KHJ, bounced paychecks at KROQ, told to shut up and read liner cards at KHJ the second time)....well, only in radio.

 

[ercjncpr]

From 1975 to 1979 (from ages 19 throuugh 23) I was involved in college radio and had the usual dreams. But then I thought long and hard about the road ahead. Thought about the line from WKRP theme song "...town to town, up and down the dial.." And in 1979, Brooadcasting magazine started mentioning deregulation of radio. I knrew then that I would be joining an especially unstable industry, not the one I had grown up listening to and dreamed about joining some day. So I went in other directions,career-wise. But obviously, I'm still a radio fan and enjoy keeping up wth the industry even to this day. I have no regrets. I am just happy that those who have jobs still have them.

 

[Buckethead]

I don't mean to say that the poster shouldn't get into the business.
I'm just painting a realistic picture.
Remember that the WKPR theme was written even BEFORE deregulation.
It's a nomadic business. 3-5 years at a radio gig is a success. The radio people I know who are not working would gladly
and knowingly enter into another such unstable situation because radio people love radio.

 

[Mike_James]

And may I add that Robert W. Morgan (God rest his soul) and Gary Owens
were not out of work because they were prima donnas.
I had the pleasure of knowing them in 1978-9 when I was a gofer at KMPC.
They were the most down-to-earth people you could ever hope to meet,
and always nice to me, who worked in the mailroom during the day,
then went to broadcasting school at night.

Hang in there, kid!
Be true to yourself and everyone else.

 

[michael hagerty]

And may I add that Robert W. Morgan (God rest his soul) and Gary Owens
were not out of work because they were prima donnas.
I had the pleasure of knowing them in 1978-9 when I was a gofer at KMPC.
They were the most down-to-earth people you could ever hope to meet,
and always nice to me, who worked in the mailroom during the day,
then went to broadcasting school at night.

Another good and more recent example: Rick Dees. Out of work nearly 2 years when he couldn't save KHJ single-handedly, he lands mornings at KIIS-FM and was that station for 22 years as it climbed out of the basement to the top of the ratings and stayed there.

There were other very talented people on that station...but all those ads on the sides of the RTD buses had his face and the words "Rick Dees in the Morning. Hit music all day."

Now, a case can be made that a then 51-year old man was not the best choice to be doing mornings on a CHR in 2004, and that KIIS' demographics have improved since Rick was replaced by Ryan Seacrest.

But instead of recognizing that they owed Rick, he was disrespected and abused as the end drew near. It was 2 years on the beach, a valiant attempt at a comeback at Movin' (his ratings growth outperformed the station as a whole), and when it became clear Movin' wasn't working, a flip to Spanish and Rick's off the air again.

Sure, he was miscast demographically and really should be at KRTH. But that would knock Gary Bryan out of his current gig, which is mornings at the #1 station in L.A., for which he deserves his share of the credit.

It's one cruel business.

 

[LKellerIII]

Yes, it's one cruel business. But I'm not sure people who post on these boards don't make more out of the age issue than reality indicates.

Remember, folks - this is radio - listeners can't actually see the jock's receding hairline and wrinkles. Has Rick Dees been treated "cruelly" by the radio biz - or is he still a multi-miilionaire despite his recent run of bad luck?

Reportedly, the highest paid DJ in the Bay Area is Don Bleu - the morning drive personality on Clear Channel's CHR station - Star 101.3. He's had a two and a half decade run on Bay Area radio, and he's in his early 60s. He's been talking about retirement, but it's clear that he'll be gone when he decides he's had enough.

One of the posters on the Bay Area radio board recently disparaged Bobby Ocean because he's closing in on senior citizen status. But if you look at the pics of the jocks on the Bay Area's top rated music station - 3 of the 6 are gray haired veterans who have been around since the 70s.

http://www.koit.com/Hosts/3954764

 

[michael hagerty]

Yes, it's one cruel business. But I'm not sure people who post on these boards don't make more out of the age issue than reality indicates.

Remember, folks - this is radio - listeners can't actually see the jock's receding hairline and wrinkles. Has Rick Dees been treated "cruelly" by the radio biz - or is he still a multi-miilionaire despite his recent run of bad luck?

Reportedly, the highest paid DJ in the Bay Area is Don Bleu - the morning drive personality on Clear Channel's CHR station - Star 101.3. He's had a two and a half decade run on Bay Area radio, and he's in his early 60s. He's been talking about retirement, but it's clear that he'll be gone when he decides he's had enough.

One of the posters on the Bay Area radio board recently disparaged Bobby Ocean because he's closing in on senior citizen status. But if you look at the pics of the jocks on the Bay Area's top rated music station - 3 of the 6 are gray haired veterans who have been around since the 70s.

http://www.koit.com/Hosts/3954764

Listeners can't see them, but the suits do...every single day...and when things start to look a little soft demographically, the suits start to wonder.

It's more of an issue in image-concious L.A. than in San Francisco (always has been...who knew Sherwood was a skinny kid with big glasses?).

 

[cspotrun]

Yes, it's one cruel business. But I'm not sure people who post on these boards don't make more out of the age issue than reality indicates.

Remember, folks - this is radio - listeners can't actually see the jock's receding hairline and wrinkles. Has Rick Dees been treated "cruelly" by the radio biz - or is he still a multi-miilionaire despite his recent run of bad luck?

Reportedly, the highest paid DJ in the Bay Area is Don Bleu - the morning drive personality on Clear Channel's CHR station - Star 101.3. He's had a two and a half decade run on Bay Area radio, and he's in his early 60s. He's been talking about retirement, but it's clear that he'll be gone when he decides he's had enough.

One of the posters on the Bay Area radio board recently disparaged Bobby Ocean because he's closing in on senior citizen status. But if you look at the pics of the jocks on the Bay Area's top rated music station - 3 of the 6 are gray haired veterans who have been around since the 70s.


we are ALL getting older, and we should all cheer for these people, because some day they will be....US.

 

[TheBigA]

Remember, folks - this is radio - listeners can't actually see the jock's receding hairline and wrinkles.

But someone in their 20s can tell when the jock on the radio is old enough to be their grandfather, based on the language he uses, the topics he discusses, and the way he speaks.

Think back to when you were that age, listening to Arthur Godfrey or Ed Sullivan. They couldn't fake their age. They couldn't fake being cool. And today's 60-year-old DJs sound like Arthur Godfrey to the kids. And that's why radio is hurting in younger demos. It's not about hairlines or wrinkles. It's about lifestyle. That's something you can't hide or fake. Some DJs have weathered the storm by taking their listeners with them, by changing formats from CHR to Oldies. But as Oldies starts to go away, due to aging demos, don't be surprised if a lot of DJs go with it.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Remember, folks - this is radio - listeners can't actually see the jock's receding hairline and wrinkles.

But someone in their 20s can tell when the jock on the radio is old enough to be their grandfather, based on the language he uses, the topics he discusses, and the way he speaks.

Think back to when you were that age, listening to Arthur Godfrey or Ed Sullivan. They couldn't fake their age. They couldn't fake being cool. And today's 60-year-old DJs sound like Arthur Godfrey to the kids. And that's why radio is hurting in younger demos. It's not about hairlines or wrinkles. It's about lifestyle. That's something you can't hide or fake. Some DJs have weathered the storm by taking their listeners with them, by changing formats from CHR to Oldies. But as Oldies starts to go away, due to aging demos, don't be surprised if a lot of DJs go with it.

Don't tell this to Dees. He still wants to play the HITS!

 

[RealityBites]

That is THE exact reason that JoJo works for KIIS. He is a lot older than you think, but even in person
he is like a really wonderful kid. That comes through and that's what the KIIS audience can relate to best.

 

[LKellerIII]

That is THE exact reason that JoJo works for KIIS. He is a lot older than you think, but even in person
he is like a really wonderful kid. That comes through and that's what the KIIS audience can relate to best.

I don't think Jo Jo's very old either, but he was on KYLD San Francisco in the mid 90s, so he's been around awhile.

I don't think anybody is saying that 65 year old personalities would work well on KIIS or KYLD, but even young radio listeners can appreciate a jock who's well known, and well known jocks like Jo Jo have generally been around awhile. One of his KYLD co-workers - St. John - is still on the air in the Bay Area, and does all the requisite club appearances for his new station (MOViN 99.7). I don't think anybody minds that he's around 40.

Even in the AM Top 40 era, there were more than a few jocks - like Bill Ballance, who were older. B. Mitchell Reed billed himself as "the world's oldest hippie" at KFWB and KMET.

 

[radiojomo]

I know this isn't related to CHR, but this morning on my drive I heard Jed The Fish on KROQ. Surprisingly, he's not on the weekdays anymore, but the man still has talent after so many years at KROQ. It's not about age, it's about talent.

 

[TheBigA]

Re: It's not about age

I know this isn't related to CHR, but this morning on my drive I heard Jed The Fish on KROQ. Surprisingly, he's not on the weekdays anymore, but the man still has talent after so many years at KROQ. It's not about age, it's about talent.

Talent is subjective. Today, everyone believes they have talent. So what makes a guy on the radio better than anyone else? The general public is wrestling with that, and with all the content choices available, having a job on the radio doesn't mean as much as it used to. Every day is an audition. That gets harder to handle after doing the same gig for 30 years. Some resent the implication. In the midst of this, the radio audience is aging, and the advertisers want younger audiences. Something has to give.

What this means is that veteran talent will do what veteran recording artists have done. They recognize they aren't going to get the same radio play they got when they were in their 20s, but they know they have an audience, so they take their talent directly to their fan base, via the internet, email, touring, and other platforms. That's what Rick Dees did. There's no reason everyone can't do, at least in some way, what Rick did. After all, it's not about age, it's about talent.