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CSB Closes Suddenly

M

magpie

Guest
CSB has closed its doors suddenly. Some news reports say the Robinson family may buy it back and try to restore it.

Before all the bashing starts, in defense of CSB:

I went there about 10 years ago in Boston (when it was still owned by Dick Robinson.) I got a paying job a month after I graduated, (hired by an instructor) and have been working various radio jobs ever since. Before I had a home studio, I did all my production there, I had job leads, advice, and support, and I even ended up teaching production there. The director and student advisor were always there for me and I am very satisfied with my CSB experience. Plus the connections I made there have been long lasting and invaluable. It actually set me on a new course and changed my life.

The thing is, lots of people go there because they want to be the next Howard Stern or Big Sports Talker, but they just go to classes and don't put anything extra into it. I worked my butt off to learn and network and work my way into the business from CSB and it worked for me.

The director of the Boston school, Steve Williams, is a terrific terrific guy who put his whole heart into running the place, and AFAIK, it was the top school of all of them--and the new owners blew it by not listening to him about what made things work. STUPID!! And now this....

I hope Dick Robinson does buy it back. Maybe he and his family can bring it back to what it was....an opportunity to start working your way into radio.

Of course, when I went, it was only $8000....
 
magpie said:
CSB has closed its doors suddenly. Some news reports say the Robinson family may buy it back and try to restore it.

Before all the bashing starts, in defense of CSB:

I went there about 10 years ago in Boston (when it was still owned by Dick Robinson.) I got a paying job a month after I graduated, (hired by an instructor) and have been working various radio jobs ever since. Before I had a home studio, I did all my production there, I had job leads, advice, and support, and I even ended up teaching production there. The director and student advisor were always there for me and I am very satisfied with my CSB experience. Plus the connections I made there have been long lasting and invaluable. It actually set me on a new course and changed my life.

The thing is, lots of people go there because they want to be the next Howard Stern or Big Sports Talker, but they just go to classes and don't put anything extra into it. I worked my butt off to learn and network and work my way into the business from CSB and it worked for me.
Click to expand...

Thats A real shame! I went there in 2006, and like you said I worked very hard at it rather than just going to the classes.

I did go there hoping to be the next Howard Stern and they quickly roped me and said that probably aint gonna happen, but we will give you the tools to be able to at least get on the right track to follow that dream.

Im not the next Howard yet, but I was able to work with and meet my idol when I interned for him 6 months after graduating csb. I still use them as a resource, Just the other day I called Mike O'reily, the student advisor, for some career advice.

magpie said:
Of course, when I went, it was only $8000....
Click to expand...

I went there 3 years ago, and I was 10 grand. So it didnt go up that much in 10 years. Worth every penny...I hope they dont close for good
 
I saw that posted on Scotts Shots last night.

In the real world, how can one justify whatever the "tuition" is for CSB or any other matchbook trade school
when the job prospects, short or long term are non existent?

( is it true CSB diplomas say "close cover before striking"?)

I was reading the curriculum for that place... there is nothing about the finer points of transmitter monitoring.

I suppose 30 years ago they actually had to teach them to get a 3rd with an element 9 endorsement for any hopes of getting a job in radio.

I remember when my school (high school!) took 20 of us in for our Second Class exam at the Customs House.
We were a bunch of 14 year old kids, getting the good news from the examiner that we passed, and we got to laugh at all the Graham Jr College students... "John Smith... Pass Third Class, Fail element 9.. Bob Jones... Pass third class...fail element 9... for the whole group. But I digress.

Close cover before striking
 
As a CSB grad in 2007, I think the big uproar will be the fact students were promised life time studo access and also job placement. Im sure with the tuition about 12k some students will not be happy with the move.

I as well got connected through CSB, I got an internship though an administrator and worked my butt off using the facilities for studio work. Although I havnt had much success with finding a job through the school, Mike O'Reilly and Steve Williams did a good job and Im very surprised to hear the news....

The school in Needham had a great facility, Hope the Robertsons do buy it back
 
An alternative niche school---The New England Institute of Art in Brookline, Mass...they have grown immensely program-wise and space..structurally-wise...predominantly an audio production school, however, great for radio as well..digital radio studio recently...veteran professors like Len Mailloux, Larry Miller..Tai Irwin is a career advisor there..great location as far as students doing internships...and they have a great success rate as far as job placement post grad..some former students that have had success...Ramiro..Lynn Hoffman
 
Sad to hear...

Only for the students. I "interviewed" in the needham location when I needed to go back to school in order to get internship credit at ZLX. They were more concerned with making me sit facing the board than anything. Not mic position. Not reading. Sitting straight. Was slightly discouraging. Ended up doing the Northeast Broadcasting School. Which I think is now that New England Institute of Art.

Either way...you always get out of it what you put in. And the sad fact is there's now one less place to learn.

Hope the kids get their $$$ back.
 
MRBIboredop said:
I saw that posted on Scotts Shots last night.

In the real world, how can one justify whatever the "tuition" is for CSB or any other matchbook trade school
when the job prospects, short or long term are non existent?

( is it true CSB diplomas say "close cover before striking"?)

I was reading the curriculum for that place... there is nothing about the finer points of transmitter monitoring.

I suppose 30 years ago they actually had to teach them to get a 3rd with an element 9 endorsement for any hopes of getting a job in radio.

I remember when my school (high school!) took 20 of us in for our Second Class exam at the Customs House.
We were a bunch of 14 year old kids, getting the good news from the examiner that we passed, and we got to laugh at all the Graham Jr College students... "John Smith... Pass Third Class, Fail element 9.. Bob Jones... Pass third class...fail element 9... for the whole group. But I digress.

Close cover before striking
Click to expand...

I think the elephant in the living room are the real colleges and universities (BU, to name one)...the ones with Journalism schools. Whether you're talking about radio, TV, or print, how can the massive cost to go through one of these schools be reconciled with the salaries and job prospects once you come out the other side? I have to believe enrollments in these programs will fall...by a lot or a little bit depending on how you view the depth of the crisis in media. Compounding it is the credit crisis: people just don't want to take out debt in this environment for college loans; those that might want to are finding that getting a loan in the first place is harder than ever.

Are any of our major colleges going to eliminate J-schools entirely? The value proposition is totally out-of-whack, given job prospects and salaries. Only a fool would suggest that this is somehow 'cyclical' and that the 'glory days' will return again.

The funniest irony is that the Left-leaning media always had a field day raging against 'trickle-down economics.' It was 'bad for our country,' they said. The funny part is that all these media outlets (radio/TV/print) never had it so good than during the 'evil' days of trickle down economics. I sure am glad we've come full-circle where things are good again! LOL
 
FMQB reports the founder has paid 1.2 mill to buy the company back in a bankruptcy court case, with plans to re-open some schools, including the Massachusetts one
 
They should have a course called "How To Find Investors So That You Can Buy an FM License", because that's the only way those students can guarantee themselves employment.
 
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