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Big Jay Sorenson - WJRZ
- Thread starter dmhjerz
- Start date
Hiya..
I'm still scratchin' my noggin over who you are but I'll nail it someday. If only Mike Boyle would speak to me, perhaps I'd figure it out. But thanks for the kinds words..well at least most of the words were kind. You must understand the conditions that were going on at the OBM stations back then. 5 Owneres..3 of them VERY opinionated each with their own little agenda. I answered mostly to one who CLEARLY was running the overall ship. He said FIX this station when I made my first proposal to program WOBM AM (Which for you trivia freaks ALMOST was called WOAM, but someone got the letters JUST as I applied for them. I had a caste system going on there when I arrived. The CAMPS were clear and I clearly wasn't going to be in that camp, at least at the FM station. So EVERY step I took, every move I made, every liner I wrote, every contest I conceived, every new record I added, every CHART postition I gave each record was looked at with disgust, with the line usually uttered "we never did it that way". That happens whenever you don't blow up a staff before changing things. I've been told this by countless PD's stretching back into the 60's. But I started at the AM station first..and that was simple. PLay the hits..it was a rockin' little top-40 machine that had all the kids under our thumb. Then the hipper adults said..hey..for an AM station, this ain't bad! I was bucking the trend then for sure, and even convincing the owners to GO top-40 in the first place was a miracle. I laid it all out in writing with NO research other than what I thought the other stations in the market were doing, what the NY stations were doing..and I saw a hole...without focus gruops, perceptual studies, etc.. Then the station (THE AM) took off like a mother. Eric Johnson, Mike Boyle, Me, and Mark Sheppard originally set the place ablaze. It was so cool to suddenly hear the station on in every 7/11, every radio you drove near on the highway..what a rush. It was because we were DEDICATED to making it sound as BIG as life. I put reverb on it again..and THAT was passe by that point..but I didn't care. I wanted it to sound much BIGGER than the 5000 watts we were allegedly pumping out. I started out calling the stations ONE ONE SEVEN OH--AM..so do TOTATLLY ****** the old WHLW/ELEVEN SEVENTY ELEVEN SEVEN identity. I wanted a clean start. I even had planes flying over the beach saying ONE ONE SEVEN OH--AM--ROCKS! And then many people within earrange turned it on and liked it.
I can't take all the credit for it because the other jocks including the production guy Terry Lee made things pop. And when I think about how LITTLE equipment we had at the time to MAKE the thing pop, it scares me. We were using the original board from 1970..which was realllllly worn out..turntables that wowwed. So we carted everything on those crappy grey carts..but it's all we had inititially.
SO a little guts, a lotta faith in the jocks, and a luck put the place back on the map, to perhaps the days when Joey Reynolds was there in '74 & '75.. I then brought back the 11/7 moniker only because it made sense..and then we changed the call letters to WOBM Am. I made the emphasis on all of the jingles that I had custom made for me in Memphis say AAAAAAAAAAAAA M..so no one would think it was WOBM FM. Piney's being what they are still didn't know one from the other..so some of the Arbitron success may have been just that..confusion of AM and FM. I suspect they still get that today..as some books show the AM station HUGE, and the next book it's back to a 2 share. Having this market (Monmouth-Ocean) only rated twice a year is bad..because you don't see trends untill it's too late to adjust what other stations are doing..PLUS, the markets clearly are different..with some stations that only reach Ocean, some only reach Monmouth with some spillover..and and area that stretches nearly 80 miles long and 40 miles wide in spots NO station covers it all (maybe the Hawk does now) but ALL other stations are hit and miss no matter how good or bad they are..it's a crap shoot. Add that THESE days to the 800 lb gorilla 101.5, and the strength of the NY stations still in MONMOUTH especially, and you see why it's SO freakin' difficult to program ANYTHING in these parts now. You get clobbered by the other guys just because. That's why ever station here needs to be at their very best and tweaked ever so perfectly every moment, or you LOSE.
And even if you ARE the best you can be, a few less books here or there..or too many in Manalapan, and not enough in Waretown can make the difference whether you're #4 or #14. Really..ask ANY PD here.
Now..saying that.. The things that mystery man above is aluding to at WOBM FM when he was there was that CASTE system that I mentioned. Look..it's been so long since I was there I don't give a crap anymore who I piss off or who doesn't like what I say. I've been told by some in MY camp to just shut up.. Freak that.
I will not let MY reputation be screwed by a couple of whining wanna bes who never left the area in 35 years. I'm HONORED to have been given the authority at the stations I've run BOTH OBMs and 101.5. I may have come across as a jerk at times..and I know I did..but SOME people mistake INTENSITY for arrogance. There is a HUGE difference. And I've certainly grown as a person since those days. I've also worked at some pretty cool call letters since then and before.. Not bragging..just fact. Even IF people don't LAST at a station very long, there is usually a reason for it. Lack of promotion, a PD who doesn't have balls (male or female)..a station that was doomed due to market conditions or signal, lack of MONEY, etc, etc...I've seen it all..been there done that.. But ONE thing I came away with. The MOST successful PEOPLE I ever worked with had one thing in common.. GRIT. Yep. Total determination to make whatever they did JUMP out of the radio in the best way they knew how..And I mean people ranging from Joey Reynolds, to Tom Bigby, to Jeff Hillery, Bruce Johnson, Perry Simon, Eric Johnson, and countless others who I have observed from afar. They WIN because of GRIT.
So if my GRIT was mistaken for arrogance or some other bull dinky, so be it. But I
am sorry if it was misunderstood. I was given free reign at OBM to fix the &$*@#*# as it was told to me. And I did it for both at least in my eyes. After I left, then what ever happened was out of my hands. The same could be said for the current situation at WJRZ. They have limited resources to run a perfectly fine station. Just to get NOTICED with no promotion is SO frustrating to all involved. The fact that anyone knows their on the air is amazing..and you'd be surprised at how many people who LIVE within 15 miles of their tower don't know the station...OR OBM, OR The HAWK OR The POINT, OR THE BREEZE, or the shirt kicker..or the rock stations geared to people with more tatoos than Navy vets from the 40's. It's so hard just to break through the clutter..especially if people are from up north..as most ARE now.
So back to my original thoughts.
I see my wife Andrea wrote a few times to keep the handful of you who care up to date on my health issues. I am feeling better now after yet another round of surgery, and almost having to have ANOTHER one to fix a horrible infection post surgery. This is the third time in 2 years that this has happened..and I can tell you, it's a life altering experience when a doc says we almost lost you.. Here's some advise. FIND out which hospitals have the lowest rate of infection and go THERE. The state just passed a law I think to require a list be given to the public. IF you are ever IN the hospital..don't let ANYONE in the room with washing their hands and putting gloves on. And even THEN be wary. I'm serious. This MRSA staph infection and others ain't funny..it killed a friend of ours..and almost took MY life and now has afffected my wife. So WE know firsthand.
Finally...
I WILL return. I WILL be on the 'air' in some way.. It may not be terrestrial..or it may be in ways that I never imagined. Just know that I ain't done..as many people have written to me thinking I've retired or something due to my illnesses. I made it..I'm back..and someone will figure out that I still have plenty to offer and I don't cost as much as some think..(with the exception of one unmentioned station.)
Thank you for the people who have gotten in touch to wish me well..especiallly my 'partner' Anita Bonita..the sweetest person I've ever worked with in 37 years.
BE BIG
Jay
I'm still scratchin' my noggin over who you are but I'll nail it someday. If only Mike Boyle would speak to me, perhaps I'd figure it out. But thanks for the kinds words..well at least most of the words were kind. You must understand the conditions that were going on at the OBM stations back then. 5 Owneres..3 of them VERY opinionated each with their own little agenda. I answered mostly to one who CLEARLY was running the overall ship. He said FIX this station when I made my first proposal to program WOBM AM (Which for you trivia freaks ALMOST was called WOAM, but someone got the letters JUST as I applied for them. I had a caste system going on there when I arrived. The CAMPS were clear and I clearly wasn't going to be in that camp, at least at the FM station. So EVERY step I took, every move I made, every liner I wrote, every contest I conceived, every new record I added, every CHART postition I gave each record was looked at with disgust, with the line usually uttered "we never did it that way". That happens whenever you don't blow up a staff before changing things. I've been told this by countless PD's stretching back into the 60's. But I started at the AM station first..and that was simple. PLay the hits..it was a rockin' little top-40 machine that had all the kids under our thumb. Then the hipper adults said..hey..for an AM station, this ain't bad! I was bucking the trend then for sure, and even convincing the owners to GO top-40 in the first place was a miracle. I laid it all out in writing with NO research other than what I thought the other stations in the market were doing, what the NY stations were doing..and I saw a hole...without focus gruops, perceptual studies, etc.. Then the station (THE AM) took off like a mother. Eric Johnson, Mike Boyle, Me, and Mark Sheppard originally set the place ablaze. It was so cool to suddenly hear the station on in every 7/11, every radio you drove near on the highway..what a rush. It was because we were DEDICATED to making it sound as BIG as life. I put reverb on it again..and THAT was passe by that point..but I didn't care. I wanted it to sound much BIGGER than the 5000 watts we were allegedly pumping out. I started out calling the stations ONE ONE SEVEN OH--AM..so do TOTATLLY ****** the old WHLW/ELEVEN SEVENTY ELEVEN SEVEN identity. I wanted a clean start. I even had planes flying over the beach saying ONE ONE SEVEN OH--AM--ROCKS! And then many people within earrange turned it on and liked it.
I can't take all the credit for it because the other jocks including the production guy Terry Lee made things pop. And when I think about how LITTLE equipment we had at the time to MAKE the thing pop, it scares me. We were using the original board from 1970..which was realllllly worn out..turntables that wowwed. So we carted everything on those crappy grey carts..but it's all we had inititially.
SO a little guts, a lotta faith in the jocks, and a luck put the place back on the map, to perhaps the days when Joey Reynolds was there in '74 & '75.. I then brought back the 11/7 moniker only because it made sense..and then we changed the call letters to WOBM Am. I made the emphasis on all of the jingles that I had custom made for me in Memphis say AAAAAAAAAAAAA M..so no one would think it was WOBM FM. Piney's being what they are still didn't know one from the other..so some of the Arbitron success may have been just that..confusion of AM and FM. I suspect they still get that today..as some books show the AM station HUGE, and the next book it's back to a 2 share. Having this market (Monmouth-Ocean) only rated twice a year is bad..because you don't see trends untill it's too late to adjust what other stations are doing..PLUS, the markets clearly are different..with some stations that only reach Ocean, some only reach Monmouth with some spillover..and and area that stretches nearly 80 miles long and 40 miles wide in spots NO station covers it all (maybe the Hawk does now) but ALL other stations are hit and miss no matter how good or bad they are..it's a crap shoot. Add that THESE days to the 800 lb gorilla 101.5, and the strength of the NY stations still in MONMOUTH especially, and you see why it's SO freakin' difficult to program ANYTHING in these parts now. You get clobbered by the other guys just because. That's why ever station here needs to be at their very best and tweaked ever so perfectly every moment, or you LOSE.
And even if you ARE the best you can be, a few less books here or there..or too many in Manalapan, and not enough in Waretown can make the difference whether you're #4 or #14. Really..ask ANY PD here.
Now..saying that.. The things that mystery man above is aluding to at WOBM FM when he was there was that CASTE system that I mentioned. Look..it's been so long since I was there I don't give a crap anymore who I piss off or who doesn't like what I say. I've been told by some in MY camp to just shut up.. Freak that.
I will not let MY reputation be screwed by a couple of whining wanna bes who never left the area in 35 years. I'm HONORED to have been given the authority at the stations I've run BOTH OBMs and 101.5. I may have come across as a jerk at times..and I know I did..but SOME people mistake INTENSITY for arrogance. There is a HUGE difference. And I've certainly grown as a person since those days. I've also worked at some pretty cool call letters since then and before.. Not bragging..just fact. Even IF people don't LAST at a station very long, there is usually a reason for it. Lack of promotion, a PD who doesn't have balls (male or female)..a station that was doomed due to market conditions or signal, lack of MONEY, etc, etc...I've seen it all..been there done that.. But ONE thing I came away with. The MOST successful PEOPLE I ever worked with had one thing in common.. GRIT. Yep. Total determination to make whatever they did JUMP out of the radio in the best way they knew how..And I mean people ranging from Joey Reynolds, to Tom Bigby, to Jeff Hillery, Bruce Johnson, Perry Simon, Eric Johnson, and countless others who I have observed from afar. They WIN because of GRIT.
So if my GRIT was mistaken for arrogance or some other bull dinky, so be it. But I
am sorry if it was misunderstood. I was given free reign at OBM to fix the &$*@#*# as it was told to me. And I did it for both at least in my eyes. After I left, then what ever happened was out of my hands. The same could be said for the current situation at WJRZ. They have limited resources to run a perfectly fine station. Just to get NOTICED with no promotion is SO frustrating to all involved. The fact that anyone knows their on the air is amazing..and you'd be surprised at how many people who LIVE within 15 miles of their tower don't know the station...OR OBM, OR The HAWK OR The POINT, OR THE BREEZE, or the shirt kicker..or the rock stations geared to people with more tatoos than Navy vets from the 40's. It's so hard just to break through the clutter..especially if people are from up north..as most ARE now.
So back to my original thoughts.
I see my wife Andrea wrote a few times to keep the handful of you who care up to date on my health issues. I am feeling better now after yet another round of surgery, and almost having to have ANOTHER one to fix a horrible infection post surgery. This is the third time in 2 years that this has happened..and I can tell you, it's a life altering experience when a doc says we almost lost you.. Here's some advise. FIND out which hospitals have the lowest rate of infection and go THERE. The state just passed a law I think to require a list be given to the public. IF you are ever IN the hospital..don't let ANYONE in the room with washing their hands and putting gloves on. And even THEN be wary. I'm serious. This MRSA staph infection and others ain't funny..it killed a friend of ours..and almost took MY life and now has afffected my wife. So WE know firsthand.
Finally...
I WILL return. I WILL be on the 'air' in some way.. It may not be terrestrial..or it may be in ways that I never imagined. Just know that I ain't done..as many people have written to me thinking I've retired or something due to my illnesses. I made it..I'm back..and someone will figure out that I still have plenty to offer and I don't cost as much as some think..(with the exception of one unmentioned station.)
Thank you for the people who have gotten in touch to wish me well..especiallly my 'partner' Anita Bonita..the sweetest person I've ever worked with in 37 years.
BE BIG
Jay
I meant nothing but high praise for you.......and good wishes........just commenting on how dumb i was
but, what's up with Boyle not talking? The bear in the air chair?
but, what's up with Boyle not talking? The bear in the air chair?
HIya...say..why don'tcha just write to me privately. I can be reached at [email protected]
I am curious for many reasons, but I will respect it if you still don't allow me know know who you are. I really would like to speak with you..especially about private matters. I know I've written a lot about my brief 3 years at OBM AM and FM on this site, and that has (I believe) only a small circle of people interested. I'd much rather discuss what's happening now and in the near future for anyone interested.
I think that each time I write about the past, it makes it seem like I've retired..which I've discovered, MANY people think I have! That's soooooo not true..
I had a neighbor (whom I didn't know, never met) walk up to me while walking his dog the other day and say..'are you Jay Sorensen'..I says, 'yes'..he says, 'did you retire?..I haven't heard you on JRZ for about half a year'. I looked at my wife and almost fell down. Just because JRZ had some kind of budget issue with staffing, doesn't mean I retired..or was let go because of something I said or didn't say. I've heard others claim it was 'because I was too political'.. jeez... Looking back, I should have been MORE political..because maybe Rt. 9 would be dualized from Lakewood down to at least Manahwakin in our lifetimes.. I should have become every politician's nightmare. But I heard they all liked me..and MOST came on my Sunday show and enjoyed it..because I called it as I saw it..never minced words. I miss the regular callers too..they were a hoot..and there are SO many characters living within the sound of that little 3000 watt station..I think there could actually BE a full time talk station at the shore..even WITH 101.5 booming in.
I loved every second there. Shame it ended the way it did. But I have LOTS..and I MEAN LOTS of things I'm working on..some I just CAN'T mention yet..others like my "Big Jay's RECORD PIG TRIVIA" game real close to being completed in versions you'll reallly dig with low-tech and hi-tech versions workable..more soon on that.. The AIR stuff? Just have to wait to see which broadcaster--terrestrial-internet-satellite entitity gets it.
My recent illness is now just about a thing of the past and I'm ready to go.
So before any more rumors fly about my 'retirement'...don't believe a word of it.
In fact, I'd enjoy ANY of you to get in touch with me privately..'cause MOST of you would be potential diary keepers..no...make that People Meter People..
BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com for your listening pleasure
I am curious for many reasons, but I will respect it if you still don't allow me know know who you are. I really would like to speak with you..especially about private matters. I know I've written a lot about my brief 3 years at OBM AM and FM on this site, and that has (I believe) only a small circle of people interested. I'd much rather discuss what's happening now and in the near future for anyone interested.
I think that each time I write about the past, it makes it seem like I've retired..which I've discovered, MANY people think I have! That's soooooo not true..
I had a neighbor (whom I didn't know, never met) walk up to me while walking his dog the other day and say..'are you Jay Sorensen'..I says, 'yes'..he says, 'did you retire?..I haven't heard you on JRZ for about half a year'. I looked at my wife and almost fell down. Just because JRZ had some kind of budget issue with staffing, doesn't mean I retired..or was let go because of something I said or didn't say. I've heard others claim it was 'because I was too political'.. jeez... Looking back, I should have been MORE political..because maybe Rt. 9 would be dualized from Lakewood down to at least Manahwakin in our lifetimes.. I should have become every politician's nightmare. But I heard they all liked me..and MOST came on my Sunday show and enjoyed it..because I called it as I saw it..never minced words. I miss the regular callers too..they were a hoot..and there are SO many characters living within the sound of that little 3000 watt station..I think there could actually BE a full time talk station at the shore..even WITH 101.5 booming in.
I loved every second there. Shame it ended the way it did. But I have LOTS..and I MEAN LOTS of things I'm working on..some I just CAN'T mention yet..others like my "Big Jay's RECORD PIG TRIVIA" game real close to being completed in versions you'll reallly dig with low-tech and hi-tech versions workable..more soon on that.. The AIR stuff? Just have to wait to see which broadcaster--terrestrial-internet-satellite entitity gets it.
My recent illness is now just about a thing of the past and I'm ready to go.
So before any more rumors fly about my 'retirement'...don't believe a word of it.
In fact, I'd enjoy ANY of you to get in touch with me privately..'cause MOST of you would be potential diary keepers..no...make that People Meter People..
BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com for your listening pleasure
maybe one day i will send ya a mail, but i doubt i can help you with the people meter a thousand miles away
Hiya everybody...
I had another unfortunate health issue which almost took me down...again.
But I'm out in captivity once more to reek havoc apon the masses.
Nice to see CBS FM come back..it'll be different..but they couldn't keep playing Earth Angel and expect to
have ANYone under 60 listen. They certainly got the press that was expected. I just wonder why it took the suits so
freakin' long to realize what a major mistake they made. But at least there'll be music that's accepted by a large segment of adults and yeah..even some younger people. I CAN tell you that I was not available to lobby for a gig there as I was out of commission, but know that NOW there'll be MORE stations GETTING it..that the older demo is NOT dead. Also know that Anita and I speak on a regular basis and we knew all along that this music would return..it was just a matter of who got to do it first. And if NOTHING else people get from the return of CBS FM is that PERSONALITY radio ain't dead. Thank goodness someone still gets it. SO for the stations who voice-track a good portion of your days..shame on you..and I hope it comes back to bite you in the butt.
Oh..and thanks for all of the notes from people asking if I'd be on 101.1.. I'd love to..but I just couldn't do what I needed to do to lobby for a gig. I had some time to write more trivia questions for my Record Pig game coming soon.. And..All I saw was the four walls of an isolation room at a local hospital with hideous basic TV to keep me company. Rachel Ray's butt just keeps gettin' bigger daily I can tell you that. She'll look like Aretha soon if she's not careful..
BE BIG
Jay
www.bigjayandanita.com
I had another unfortunate health issue which almost took me down...again.
But I'm out in captivity once more to reek havoc apon the masses.
Nice to see CBS FM come back..it'll be different..but they couldn't keep playing Earth Angel and expect to
have ANYone under 60 listen. They certainly got the press that was expected. I just wonder why it took the suits so
freakin' long to realize what a major mistake they made. But at least there'll be music that's accepted by a large segment of adults and yeah..even some younger people. I CAN tell you that I was not available to lobby for a gig there as I was out of commission, but know that NOW there'll be MORE stations GETTING it..that the older demo is NOT dead. Also know that Anita and I speak on a regular basis and we knew all along that this music would return..it was just a matter of who got to do it first. And if NOTHING else people get from the return of CBS FM is that PERSONALITY radio ain't dead. Thank goodness someone still gets it. SO for the stations who voice-track a good portion of your days..shame on you..and I hope it comes back to bite you in the butt.
Oh..and thanks for all of the notes from people asking if I'd be on 101.1.. I'd love to..but I just couldn't do what I needed to do to lobby for a gig. I had some time to write more trivia questions for my Record Pig game coming soon.. And..All I saw was the four walls of an isolation room at a local hospital with hideous basic TV to keep me company. Rachel Ray's butt just keeps gettin' bigger daily I can tell you that. She'll look like Aretha soon if she's not careful..
BE BIG
Jay
www.bigjayandanita.com
Hiya..
By the way..do I get a prize for 10,000 views?
Cash is perferred but gift cards will be accepted after review of dollar amounts and if they're for food and not sports equipment.
I must tell you all..I am heartened by the hundreds of private E-mail that I have received during my recent health stuff and during the last 6 months since I left WJRZ. I means SO much to me and my family.
I've re-read some of the earlier posts that some of you made about me (notice I don't mention my WORK..because some of the posts were obviously personal)..
and I realized that one or two guys (from Harrison no doubt) brought so much havoc to this Jersey board provoking me to answer (which I likely never should have as my advisors told me)..but I wanted to set some records straight and give casual viewers of these radio boards an IDEA..just an idea of what working in radio is all about. My tomes about the WOBM's, the 101.5's, the WNBC's, were just the tip of the iceburgs.. There are things that happen at stations that are so intricate and yet so simple at the same time, making it mind boggling. I have given in to the stuff I can't control..but am VERY proactive about my future and the things that make me happy..like family, etc.. I hope that I have given some of you casual web-browsers a peek at the inside. The people who write nasty diatribes about people and stations have no CLUE. I've said that on radio shows both on the air and on internet radio stations.. To be IN this business, you have to have thick skin or it'll eat you up. And when you're a 'personality', you are wide open for critique..which is fine..but making things personal..then that's off limits.
I don't take total credit for starting NJ 101.5 and helping early on to reach places NO on thought it would, but I did have a hand in that. Bob McAllan, president of Press Broadcasting had a vision for the station being regional..rather than the station that marketed itself in a 10 mile circle of Quaker Bridge Mall.. HE's the one who made it ALL happen by asking advise from a consultant. HE was told to talk to Walter Sabo..and HE, station manager John Dziuba, a new sales manager, and I laid the ground work for what you NOW hear as the JERSEY station. It evolved quickly, as we were discovering just how potent the need was FOR a Jersey station. I've never taken full credit for that station as some posters said. NEVER have I ever even THOUGHT that I did it myself. Jeez. Sabo blurted it out in a meeting that it should be called New Jersey. We all thought he was nuts..but we were convinced he was right after thinking about it.. When we DID the flip on March 1, 1990, all we said was The New Jersey 101.5.. More Jersey Weather, New Jersey 101.5...and then substituted the word weather for News and Traffic in between cool oldies. I was called into the GM's office just as I walked in the door at home that evening after doing the flip at 6pm, and was told to meet at the station the next morning at 8am. The GM hated what he was hearing. I told him it's only for a week or so to blow up KIX.. NJ101.5 almost didn't exist after only being in that form less than 15 hours! I saved it. And HE can back that up. I think he was afraid that it was to risky blowing up an AC station that just needed some cleaning up. I said NO. Are you happy with 100,000 cume or do you want to triple that or more?
I said it WILL happen. He then relented and we continued to quickly evolve that. Sabo's help, and McAllan's determination to BE the regional station he dreamed of allowed it to flourish..and then Mr. Dzuiba was more comfortable. When the station went from worst to first in ONE Arbitron book, well..we had the last laugh.
Other stations like PST thought we were crazy. We played about 100 songs over and over..and did the traffic and weather a lot..and TALKED about Jersey stuff. Who would have EVER thought THAT would be a format? Sabo. And he was very convincing realizing that a lot was on the line there. I call that GRIT as I mentioned in previous posts GRIT. You don't get ANYwhere without it. So I just want MANY people who frequent this board to put ALL the other bull to rest. That's how it came about..with help of a perceptual study of a 7 county area showing us that there was a hole for a JERSEY station..Sabo reading it and CALLING it New Jersey.. Management for ALLOWING it to happen as a sort of 'workshop' for talk on FM..in a HIP way..and the STAFF for pulling off the almost impossible task of making it work. What a concept. Have you seen that happen ANYwhere else in NJ since then? Perhaps in some local cases stations found some balls and took chances and succeeded..but ya gotta have GRIT or NOTHING happens..and ya get eaten by NY and PHilly stations. I also want to clear the air for ALL of the above to READ and digest what I wrote. It was an incredible time to launch something that was to grow into a monster. I want all that ever WORKED for me there to know I thank them for their talents. I want to thank all of the naysayers who thought we were nuts to make a station like that. Your taunts made me/us more determined. And finally..the listeners who GOT it.
They GOT that they FINALLY had 'our own radio station' and it was 'Not NY, Not Philadelphia'..it was NEW JERSEY 101.5. I want all past aquaintances and workers who read this to know that I am grateful for all of the hard work that has gone into doing their tasks from the partimers to the stars, from the copy people to the sales managers.. NO one can take full credit for anything. I needed to get that off my chest. And I want those of you who have NEVER stepped foot in a station to know that it is NOT as easy as it looks..and it's never done alone. I also realize that some may be looking at this post as self serving. Nope.. it's just the truth.
Thanks for reading..and listening to me on what ever platform I was broadcasting from. Am/Fm/Satellite/Internet. I may have had a few failures or things that happened that were totally out of my control..but the successes..boy they are sweet, are what drives me..and will till I take my last breath..(which I thought was going to happen recently).. But I'm better now thanks to all of your prayers..and you know who you are.
BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com
By the way..do I get a prize for 10,000 views?
Cash is perferred but gift cards will be accepted after review of dollar amounts and if they're for food and not sports equipment.
I must tell you all..I am heartened by the hundreds of private E-mail that I have received during my recent health stuff and during the last 6 months since I left WJRZ. I means SO much to me and my family.
I've re-read some of the earlier posts that some of you made about me (notice I don't mention my WORK..because some of the posts were obviously personal)..
and I realized that one or two guys (from Harrison no doubt) brought so much havoc to this Jersey board provoking me to answer (which I likely never should have as my advisors told me)..but I wanted to set some records straight and give casual viewers of these radio boards an IDEA..just an idea of what working in radio is all about. My tomes about the WOBM's, the 101.5's, the WNBC's, were just the tip of the iceburgs.. There are things that happen at stations that are so intricate and yet so simple at the same time, making it mind boggling. I have given in to the stuff I can't control..but am VERY proactive about my future and the things that make me happy..like family, etc.. I hope that I have given some of you casual web-browsers a peek at the inside. The people who write nasty diatribes about people and stations have no CLUE. I've said that on radio shows both on the air and on internet radio stations.. To be IN this business, you have to have thick skin or it'll eat you up. And when you're a 'personality', you are wide open for critique..which is fine..but making things personal..then that's off limits.
I don't take total credit for starting NJ 101.5 and helping early on to reach places NO on thought it would, but I did have a hand in that. Bob McAllan, president of Press Broadcasting had a vision for the station being regional..rather than the station that marketed itself in a 10 mile circle of Quaker Bridge Mall.. HE's the one who made it ALL happen by asking advise from a consultant. HE was told to talk to Walter Sabo..and HE, station manager John Dziuba, a new sales manager, and I laid the ground work for what you NOW hear as the JERSEY station. It evolved quickly, as we were discovering just how potent the need was FOR a Jersey station. I've never taken full credit for that station as some posters said. NEVER have I ever even THOUGHT that I did it myself. Jeez. Sabo blurted it out in a meeting that it should be called New Jersey. We all thought he was nuts..but we were convinced he was right after thinking about it.. When we DID the flip on March 1, 1990, all we said was The New Jersey 101.5.. More Jersey Weather, New Jersey 101.5...and then substituted the word weather for News and Traffic in between cool oldies. I was called into the GM's office just as I walked in the door at home that evening after doing the flip at 6pm, and was told to meet at the station the next morning at 8am. The GM hated what he was hearing. I told him it's only for a week or so to blow up KIX.. NJ101.5 almost didn't exist after only being in that form less than 15 hours! I saved it. And HE can back that up. I think he was afraid that it was to risky blowing up an AC station that just needed some cleaning up. I said NO. Are you happy with 100,000 cume or do you want to triple that or more?
I said it WILL happen. He then relented and we continued to quickly evolve that. Sabo's help, and McAllan's determination to BE the regional station he dreamed of allowed it to flourish..and then Mr. Dzuiba was more comfortable. When the station went from worst to first in ONE Arbitron book, well..we had the last laugh.
Other stations like PST thought we were crazy. We played about 100 songs over and over..and did the traffic and weather a lot..and TALKED about Jersey stuff. Who would have EVER thought THAT would be a format? Sabo. And he was very convincing realizing that a lot was on the line there. I call that GRIT as I mentioned in previous posts GRIT. You don't get ANYwhere without it. So I just want MANY people who frequent this board to put ALL the other bull to rest. That's how it came about..with help of a perceptual study of a 7 county area showing us that there was a hole for a JERSEY station..Sabo reading it and CALLING it New Jersey.. Management for ALLOWING it to happen as a sort of 'workshop' for talk on FM..in a HIP way..and the STAFF for pulling off the almost impossible task of making it work. What a concept. Have you seen that happen ANYwhere else in NJ since then? Perhaps in some local cases stations found some balls and took chances and succeeded..but ya gotta have GRIT or NOTHING happens..and ya get eaten by NY and PHilly stations. I also want to clear the air for ALL of the above to READ and digest what I wrote. It was an incredible time to launch something that was to grow into a monster. I want all that ever WORKED for me there to know I thank them for their talents. I want to thank all of the naysayers who thought we were nuts to make a station like that. Your taunts made me/us more determined. And finally..the listeners who GOT it.
They GOT that they FINALLY had 'our own radio station' and it was 'Not NY, Not Philadelphia'..it was NEW JERSEY 101.5. I want all past aquaintances and workers who read this to know that I am grateful for all of the hard work that has gone into doing their tasks from the partimers to the stars, from the copy people to the sales managers.. NO one can take full credit for anything. I needed to get that off my chest. And I want those of you who have NEVER stepped foot in a station to know that it is NOT as easy as it looks..and it's never done alone. I also realize that some may be looking at this post as self serving. Nope.. it's just the truth.
Thanks for reading..and listening to me on what ever platform I was broadcasting from. Am/Fm/Satellite/Internet. I may have had a few failures or things that happened that were totally out of my control..but the successes..boy they are sweet, are what drives me..and will till I take my last breath..(which I thought was going to happen recently).. But I'm better now thanks to all of your prayers..and you know who you are.
BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com
Hey, you got a fan down here in Florida.......even if ya thought i was giving ya some hell......i wasn't, it was
thanks for riding my ass, and i want you to be well. There are some of us " good guys " left, that are doing real well, thanks to Big Jay...........
thanks for riding my ass, and i want you to be well. There are some of us " good guys " left, that are doing real well, thanks to Big Jay...........
HIya question mark..
Listen..I didn't TAKE your initial remarks as 'giving me hell'. My only regret in life is that I wish I COULD follow the careers of some of the people I 'rode' a bit rough at one point. I am ALWAYS proud and have a feeling of elation when someone who worked for me MAKES it. Just like Tom Taylor felt when I left him at PST and went to WNNNNNNNBC.
You make a DEAD ON point of saying that I SEE and HEAR potential in talent..when they don't see it themselves. Ya know.. my parnter Anita had been on the INSIDE workings of radio for a couple dozen years..and I (and her boy toy) convinced her to GO on the air with me..and I KNEW it would work even before she ever sat next to me at WCTC for a few days..and then at WJRZ.
I need to know your name..and what you've moved onto through the years. This is freakin' me out trying to figure out who you are. I'm getting mental images of people who came through the doors of the AM in Howell Twp, deep in the heart of the Southard Mountains..and FM WOBM, deep in the crick mud of Bayville. There were SO many that worked there briefly in just MY three years there in the 80's that it's hurting my head thinking about it. My regret is not keep a list of people who worked there in those days. ALL of my possessions are still sitting in a storage facility in Dallas (no room to put it all where we are now)..so access to all my old radio stuff is a bit difficult at the moment. I have a treasure trove of airchecks from just about the beginning of my career..except, I have NO tape of me at WOBM FM back in '70, '71 and early '72.. I DO have stuff from WHLW in '72..and from every station since in some form. There is SO much stuff on the internet of me at NBC that it's mind boggling. I didn't tape myself that much there..but it seems others did and I STILL get compliments 20 years later about the Time Machine..amazing..
Geez..did I sound young back in the early 70's though...it's laughable now to hear me..but some would say it's still laughable..(rimshot).
Again..reach out via email.. [email protected]
BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com
Listen..I didn't TAKE your initial remarks as 'giving me hell'. My only regret in life is that I wish I COULD follow the careers of some of the people I 'rode' a bit rough at one point. I am ALWAYS proud and have a feeling of elation when someone who worked for me MAKES it. Just like Tom Taylor felt when I left him at PST and went to WNNNNNNNBC.
You make a DEAD ON point of saying that I SEE and HEAR potential in talent..when they don't see it themselves. Ya know.. my parnter Anita had been on the INSIDE workings of radio for a couple dozen years..and I (and her boy toy) convinced her to GO on the air with me..and I KNEW it would work even before she ever sat next to me at WCTC for a few days..and then at WJRZ.
I need to know your name..and what you've moved onto through the years. This is freakin' me out trying to figure out who you are. I'm getting mental images of people who came through the doors of the AM in Howell Twp, deep in the heart of the Southard Mountains..and FM WOBM, deep in the crick mud of Bayville. There were SO many that worked there briefly in just MY three years there in the 80's that it's hurting my head thinking about it. My regret is not keep a list of people who worked there in those days. ALL of my possessions are still sitting in a storage facility in Dallas (no room to put it all where we are now)..so access to all my old radio stuff is a bit difficult at the moment. I have a treasure trove of airchecks from just about the beginning of my career..except, I have NO tape of me at WOBM FM back in '70, '71 and early '72.. I DO have stuff from WHLW in '72..and from every station since in some form. There is SO much stuff on the internet of me at NBC that it's mind boggling. I didn't tape myself that much there..but it seems others did and I STILL get compliments 20 years later about the Time Machine..amazing..
Geez..did I sound young back in the early 70's though...it's laughable now to hear me..but some would say it's still laughable..(rimshot).
Again..reach out via email.. [email protected]
BE BIG
www.bigjayandanita.com
Man, i loved 11-7.........and the SOB "World Famous'..........but when you gave me that saturday shift, my hands shook and voice cracked. and 4 years later, when i signed on at Eagle 106 in Philly, same thing. None of the other stations had that effect. Randy Micheals eventually found me in Knoxville, and yanked me into the big time. ( pre philly, of course, but right after i worked for you ) I am leaving for Key West in the morning on vacation. When ( if ) i make it back, i will drop you a mail. Just wanted you to know, all the negative garbage on this board is from people who are cowards and can hide who they are. Just thought you needed to know, you have people, who 23 years later, thank you for " riding them hard" geeze, i think i saw that on a condom box at a gas station today............yea.........Jay, the " rough rider!" you may not have those in Jersey, but here in Fla, good gawd, the heat got to everybody, they do and sell anything.
Hiya everybody...
I finally found out who the mystery poster was who had worked with me at the shore back in the jay. We've had many pleasant private messages over the months, and it turned out to be someone I didn't think it would be.
I decided to use THIS thread once again as a way to let all of you know that I'm still alive, even after some very difficult moments this past summer with my health..all relating to my original issues back in '05. In fact, I am recovering from my 5th or is it 6th surgery as we speak. A lot has happened in radio since I was on. It seems that I was first in many instances. First in Monmouth/Ocean to have a decent morning show, and having it yanked from under my feet. First to have management convinced to hire the perfect co-host, only to have her remain in an awkward situation at best. First to have a VERY highly rated SUNDAY morning talk program end because a sales department had NO interest or direction in SELLING a top-rated program that was up against a very good and established talk show up the street. First to have THOUSANDS of people write me mostly pleasant e-mails asking about first my health, then what happened. I was honest with EACH and every one of you who took the time out of your busy days to get in touch. I still have conversations with some who STILL, after over a year, wonder how I'm doing. That's heartening. What is DISheartening is to read every single day how bad this business is treating talent. Or better said, how this industry has helped itself become an afterthought for some ad buyers. Sure, they say 95 % of people still use radio, I've read all the stats, but INSIDE the biz, there is a feeling of dread that permeates through all of the positive spin that comes out of the corporate shills. Radio (in my mind) is still the most fun and potentially creative of all of the media. The problem is that the companies won't LET the creative types BE creative like they used to. No one wants to 'pissoff' that 34 year old woman in the office which every station seems to blubber over. If you make her mad for whatever reason, whether it be a song she doesn't like, or a spot that's a little provocative, or a host who dares to have an opinion about something, she'll contact the FCC and ahhhh...get you in trouble. So..we deal with vanilla..(not even French Vanilla) hosts, music lists, commercials, sweepers, liners, shucks..even the station logo must be the right color combination or miss 34 year old might not like it. The point (and there is one) is that what happened to all of you who are still LEFT to run and BE on these homogenized outlets? What happened to your creativity? What happened to your gonads? And shame on the companies that have cut back SO much that PDs have to run multiple stations. GM's have to run multiple stations. It's hard enough to run ONE well..let alone have to figure out how to devide your time doing two or more in some cases. How is THAT going to make a BETTER station? It won't.
I've had the luxury of time, and the ability to read everything I can from MANY sources about what's going on in this business. It's sad. However; it ain't dead. Yet.
I think that someone HAS to step up to the plate and have the guts to say to owners and Wall Street that the bleeding has to stop. You can't compete with all of the other available media (new or old) if you have no one to RUN it! Good grief, it's that simple.
I've been getting my hands wet in various projects, some on regular radio, some not, and hopefully one of those will pan out. I've learned after 38 years in this business that you can't just give up. I almost did, thinking it was something I did or didn't do initially. But then I realized..wait..it ain't about ME you fool. It's about the large companies not being able to RUN large companies. I hope someday to return to a time when an owner owns just a few at most stations, to concentrate on good programmign for their communities. Not just doing shows at arenas to sell products..but to actually DO good things for the people they serve. To actually GIVE them local news without reading it from the papers. To let music lists loosen a bit to enable those OH WOW songs to show up now and then. To let your GUT make the final decision in some cases. Do the research that you can afford to find out what makes your market tick, but also let your heart guide you. We've forgotten how to do that. This note is meant for general consumption. Some may be managers, some on air types, some sales folks..and MOST will never have set foot inside a radio station, but come to boards like this for entertainment purposes or to get their jollies by attacking someone anonymously. Whichever you are, so be it. I hope that I've been able to get some things off my chest that have been sitting there for a while. There is so much more I could say, but not now. I hope I haven't stepped on any toes with this note. I didn't write with that intent. I DO hope that some people read it with the twinkle in my eye that I always have. It's meant to be a reminder of what radio is and why some of us chose to make it our means of making a living.. Perhaps someone will read this and say..oh yeah..Jay's still out there...hmm....
I want to thank my very small circle of faithful and loyal friends and family who have helped me through these very odd few years. If you had told me 5 years ago that my life would have turned in this direction, I would have said you're an oaf. Turns out it was worse than that. But I am an eternal optimist. It IS getting better all the time (can't get much worse) said Paul & John. And I continue to live by the immortal words of Oliver Hardy when he told Stan Laurel to "BE BIG!"
I wish you all well.
I finally found out who the mystery poster was who had worked with me at the shore back in the jay. We've had many pleasant private messages over the months, and it turned out to be someone I didn't think it would be.
I decided to use THIS thread once again as a way to let all of you know that I'm still alive, even after some very difficult moments this past summer with my health..all relating to my original issues back in '05. In fact, I am recovering from my 5th or is it 6th surgery as we speak. A lot has happened in radio since I was on. It seems that I was first in many instances. First in Monmouth/Ocean to have a decent morning show, and having it yanked from under my feet. First to have management convinced to hire the perfect co-host, only to have her remain in an awkward situation at best. First to have a VERY highly rated SUNDAY morning talk program end because a sales department had NO interest or direction in SELLING a top-rated program that was up against a very good and established talk show up the street. First to have THOUSANDS of people write me mostly pleasant e-mails asking about first my health, then what happened. I was honest with EACH and every one of you who took the time out of your busy days to get in touch. I still have conversations with some who STILL, after over a year, wonder how I'm doing. That's heartening. What is DISheartening is to read every single day how bad this business is treating talent. Or better said, how this industry has helped itself become an afterthought for some ad buyers. Sure, they say 95 % of people still use radio, I've read all the stats, but INSIDE the biz, there is a feeling of dread that permeates through all of the positive spin that comes out of the corporate shills. Radio (in my mind) is still the most fun and potentially creative of all of the media. The problem is that the companies won't LET the creative types BE creative like they used to. No one wants to 'pissoff' that 34 year old woman in the office which every station seems to blubber over. If you make her mad for whatever reason, whether it be a song she doesn't like, or a spot that's a little provocative, or a host who dares to have an opinion about something, she'll contact the FCC and ahhhh...get you in trouble. So..we deal with vanilla..(not even French Vanilla) hosts, music lists, commercials, sweepers, liners, shucks..even the station logo must be the right color combination or miss 34 year old might not like it. The point (and there is one) is that what happened to all of you who are still LEFT to run and BE on these homogenized outlets? What happened to your creativity? What happened to your gonads? And shame on the companies that have cut back SO much that PDs have to run multiple stations. GM's have to run multiple stations. It's hard enough to run ONE well..let alone have to figure out how to devide your time doing two or more in some cases. How is THAT going to make a BETTER station? It won't.
I've had the luxury of time, and the ability to read everything I can from MANY sources about what's going on in this business. It's sad. However; it ain't dead. Yet.
I think that someone HAS to step up to the plate and have the guts to say to owners and Wall Street that the bleeding has to stop. You can't compete with all of the other available media (new or old) if you have no one to RUN it! Good grief, it's that simple.
I've been getting my hands wet in various projects, some on regular radio, some not, and hopefully one of those will pan out. I've learned after 38 years in this business that you can't just give up. I almost did, thinking it was something I did or didn't do initially. But then I realized..wait..it ain't about ME you fool. It's about the large companies not being able to RUN large companies. I hope someday to return to a time when an owner owns just a few at most stations, to concentrate on good programmign for their communities. Not just doing shows at arenas to sell products..but to actually DO good things for the people they serve. To actually GIVE them local news without reading it from the papers. To let music lists loosen a bit to enable those OH WOW songs to show up now and then. To let your GUT make the final decision in some cases. Do the research that you can afford to find out what makes your market tick, but also let your heart guide you. We've forgotten how to do that. This note is meant for general consumption. Some may be managers, some on air types, some sales folks..and MOST will never have set foot inside a radio station, but come to boards like this for entertainment purposes or to get their jollies by attacking someone anonymously. Whichever you are, so be it. I hope that I've been able to get some things off my chest that have been sitting there for a while. There is so much more I could say, but not now. I hope I haven't stepped on any toes with this note. I didn't write with that intent. I DO hope that some people read it with the twinkle in my eye that I always have. It's meant to be a reminder of what radio is and why some of us chose to make it our means of making a living.. Perhaps someone will read this and say..oh yeah..Jay's still out there...hmm....
I want to thank my very small circle of faithful and loyal friends and family who have helped me through these very odd few years. If you had told me 5 years ago that my life would have turned in this direction, I would have said you're an oaf. Turns out it was worse than that. But I am an eternal optimist. It IS getting better all the time (can't get much worse) said Paul & John. And I continue to live by the immortal words of Oliver Hardy when he told Stan Laurel to "BE BIG!"
I wish you all well.
F
Freshface
Guest
Very well written. Glad to hear your on the mend and getting better.
S
StuDolgon
Guest
Big Jay,
Glad to read you are recovering and glad to know you haven't given up on your quest to return to entertaining us on the radio. You are one of the few radio personalities that I would turn off my XM to listen to. Good luck with your health issues and come back on the radio soon.
Stu Dolgon
Glad to read you are recovering and glad to know you haven't given up on your quest to return to entertaining us on the radio. You are one of the few radio personalities that I would turn off my XM to listen to. Good luck with your health issues and come back on the radio soon.
Stu Dolgon
Be big my friend, we are still rattling the cages a thousnd miles south.
Leading the company in complaint calls, and damn proud of it. Still rooting
for your good health and return to us, the wild ones.
Leading the company in complaint calls, and damn proud of it. Still rooting
for your good health and return to us, the wild ones.
Big Jay: good to know you're still in circulation. Onward and upward...
-JW
-JW
Yes sir, and i listened. shake the monkey's out of the tree's.
good thing, is the firings are over, i got myself fired UP to this
company. And your name has been thrown into the company
whirlpool. Funy thing, being Jersey guys, actually makes people
wince or nervous. I have fought that stereotype for 20 years.
We worked with, and learned from the best. we listened and worked
in NY and Philly. makes a person tough. I think it bothers
people if you have a strong spine and mind.
good thing, is the firings are over, i got myself fired UP to this
company. And your name has been thrown into the company
whirlpool. Funy thing, being Jersey guys, actually makes people
wince or nervous. I have fought that stereotype for 20 years.
We worked with, and learned from the best. we listened and worked
in NY and Philly. makes a person tough. I think it bothers
people if you have a strong spine and mind.
I wish I could write so eloquently...but seriously, if I read you correctly, you got fired UP. Don't we all wish we could get fired UP in the company. I THINK I know what that means. Some companies are better than others. But I would HATE to be at a Citadel station right now. The OWNER should be fired for ALLOWING this to happen with the company under HIS watch. What a shameful thing to do with SO many talented and sometimes lifers in the business like myself. How do some of these guys sleep at night? I have had to fire people..and I will tell you it ain't the most wonderful feeling. Sometimes it was absolutely necessary due to insubordination, or because of a flagrant disregard for FCC rules, etc.. But I never had to fire someone because of a "budget cut". How do you tell someone that...you did NOTHING wrong, your work has been just wonderful...and oh by the way, you're fired. Damn. Something certainly is wrong in this biz. And if ANY of you..and I mean ANY of you think you are immune from this crap, think again from the top to the bottom of every radio company, nobody is indispensible any longer. But what DOES creep me out is how SOME people in the biz can ruin many a station, and then get promoted or worse yet make MORE money via bonuses BECAUSE their bottom line was better due to "budget cutting". Can I make myself any more clear? On another thread we've been discussing the old days of one 11/7 Jersey Shore and the characters who came through the place. ONE was Hal Murray. A well known name to people from Pittsburgh, LA, and some other cities. On his way DOWN the ladder of fame, he made stops at small stations in NJ...as McNally noted at WOND, and then when he couldn't cut it there, came to WHLW. Joey Reynolds, who has the warmest heart of any one I've ever worked with, took him in. Put him on in the mornings. I didn't KNOW him prior, but I did my homework in the PRE-internet days. I found out he WAS a big deal. A BIG deal in Pittsburgh especially...Cousin Brucie big there. What did the industry do to him? It let him just slip from bad job to bad job, not accounting for his age, nor his talents. If only someone had actually RUN the board for him..perhaps his career MAY have had a little boost. We'll never know, as he did indeed end up in some fleabag joint in Florida...with all of his possesions in his car. How sad. The point it, perhaps time had just passed him by..or perhaps he just lost his chops. It happens. The music changes, the liners are expected to sound a certain way to appeal to those 34 year old women who work in offices and dare we EVER do anything to piss them off...oh my the repercussions. Look. I know life ain't fair sometimes, and NO one is owed ANYthing. I should know. I never dreamed I'd be ill on and off for a couple of years. I MAY have been let go because of that...can't prove it. I hope it wasn't that. I gave 2000% and what did it get me? A kick in the ass out the door. I could be VERY bitter right now. But I have the knowledge that I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I did my best for a lotta years entertaining a lotta people.. (Some still getting that entertainment a second time around on www.reelradio.com.) So finally on this rant. I just wish there was a better way to discard of what we call talent. I wish that there were jobs galore for what we trained an entire lifetime to do. Some will reinvent themselves on the internet or other platforms..some already have. Others will just hang on for dear life on regular radio. Others will just find something else to do. I hear they have openings at WAWA. Great station. But...I AM optimistic that the cream will continue to rise, we'll ride out this recession/downturn in advertising, and all will be good. Radio STILL is the best medium there is in whatever form it's going to take down the road. I wonder how many of you TALENT and management have the guts to get on here and respond to this? Not many I'll bet, because you're all afraid of the boogeyman and what he'll do if he finds out you post on one of these weeny boards only read by guys who live with their mother and sit up until 3am stroking their...cats while listening to a voice-tracked jock whom THEY think are live.
BE BIG
BE BIG
For those of you that haven't heard this song, or haven't heard it
in a long time ... take five minutes and listen to the storyteller,
Harry Chapin. This song is about 35 years old. Things haven't
changed that much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l0fH0dRUow
in a long time ... take five minutes and listen to the storyteller,
Harry Chapin. This song is about 35 years old. Things haven't
changed that much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l0fH0dRUow
Tom, that song describes a lot of us, well me anyway. And BJ, radio was always a cruel mistress, but now she's an aged whore. I read your last post and others before joining in on this.
Radio as we knew it is dead. Done. Toast. History. Fun while it lasted. The ones that "hang on for dear life" were forced to accept the changes and work on-air part-time as a treasured hobby instead of a career. As you said, many reinvented ourselves. Some took their training to engineering, some "Peter Principled" themselves to management, some, like myself, sales. It's truly a means to an end. The means being real, liveable cash while raising and educating kids, mortgage, retirement savings...the end being a chance, for a very few preciuos hours a week, to do a job "that we trained a lifetime to do".
You're not alone. I know many friends who are 10 times more talented, polished, resourced, experienced than I that can't get a part-time shift. Holy smokes, look at what happened to Dan Ingram, Bruce Morrow, and more recently Bill Gardner!
But be of strong heart, as the days of consolidation radio are, I firmly believe, coming to an end. Karma? What the BIG operator did to gut the industry is now forcing a collapse of new listeners (an entire generation lost), loss of revenue, loss of community, loss of talent, and spiraling loss of value of their stations and stock. There will be bancrupcy, silent stations (CC blazes the trail on this tragedy too), and forclosures. The day of the LOCAL, independant, personal owned & operated community radio (read Howard Green style) will return.
You can argue, but you can't change physics: The cream always rises to the top. Question is, are you reeady?
Radio as we knew it is dead. Done. Toast. History. Fun while it lasted. The ones that "hang on for dear life" were forced to accept the changes and work on-air part-time as a treasured hobby instead of a career. As you said, many reinvented ourselves. Some took their training to engineering, some "Peter Principled" themselves to management, some, like myself, sales. It's truly a means to an end. The means being real, liveable cash while raising and educating kids, mortgage, retirement savings...the end being a chance, for a very few preciuos hours a week, to do a job "that we trained a lifetime to do".
You're not alone. I know many friends who are 10 times more talented, polished, resourced, experienced than I that can't get a part-time shift. Holy smokes, look at what happened to Dan Ingram, Bruce Morrow, and more recently Bill Gardner!
But be of strong heart, as the days of consolidation radio are, I firmly believe, coming to an end. Karma? What the BIG operator did to gut the industry is now forcing a collapse of new listeners (an entire generation lost), loss of revenue, loss of community, loss of talent, and spiraling loss of value of their stations and stock. There will be bancrupcy, silent stations (CC blazes the trail on this tragedy too), and forclosures. The day of the LOCAL, independant, personal owned & operated community radio (read Howard Green style) will return.
You can argue, but you can't change physics: The cream always rises to the top. Question is, are you reeady?
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