On the flipside, as much as WINK is a better station with a larger market sound, not a single one of those overhyped monkeys they call airstaff will ever amount to anything. Why do you think they all came from bigger markets to Elmira? That place is a haven for white trash and they prove it everyday.
Kinda harsh, dontchya think? Yeesh!
Look. Everybody wants to work, everybody needs to pay the rent. Not everybody is
Major Market Matt. Give the people a break. In every market, there's "good" and "not-so-good."
Believe me, I've heard LA, NYC, Miami, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Philly and Buffalo. There are some B and C level players in those markets (including me) who at first listen, might not have made your starting rotation.
But if these men and women who have "made the team" are trying to do their best every time the mic goes on, give them the credit they deserve. Sure, if they're coasting and mailing it in, then maybe they deserve a rip.
But really, think about it. Maybe it's their first gig. Maybe it's their last gig and they're content working where they're at home with family and friends. Maybe there's stuff going on that you don't know about. I once was on the air reading a newscast when a steam pipe burst in the studio, scalding hot water going all over the place. Think I didn't double clutch when that puppy barked unexpectedly?
I'm from Buffalo (out of radio by choice now working for the family construction business.) It's a city that gets ripped for its economy, its weather, its fat-assed old people and God only knows what else. Y'know what? Buffalo is a
great place to live. Perfect? Hell NO! (Some might emphasize the "hell" in that short, declarative entence.) It's not LA, NYC or Boston, but it's home and it's the place that hundreds of thousands have chosen to live their lives. Same with Elmira-Corning. To paint Elmira with a "white trash" paint brush is just plain wrong. These communities are facing tough times and doing their best to make it work one day at a time.
I can't count the number of times, especially in my formative years, that I've screwed up an intro, messed up a newscast, bungled a live read. Ever been called out on strikes "looking" at a fastball down the middle on a 3 and 2 count? I have.
I've also heard major market guys buckle on mic. It happens. The pros get up, dust themselves off and get back in the game and make it a point to do better the next time they get to the plate or open the mic. They're students of the game and the game is always changing. Hopefully, they have good coaches who point out their mistakes and tell them how to avoid them in the future.
We're all a work in progress.
