Just Curious-does being at a radio station as a jock for a LONG period of time have any bearing on how much money you make. In other words, do you constantly get raises every year or after a certain amount of time do the raises end. Because if raises continue, there must be a lot of DJ's in Boston making big bucks. The DJ's at Magic have been there for years. Then, there's Matt Seigal at Kiss (forever). And I even heard Paula Street say not long ago that she's been at Oldies for 18 years! Do you think she has stock in the company for being there that long? How much money do you think each of these people make for being at there respective radio stations for over a decade? I'm lucky if I see a cost of livng raise!
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Does DJ Longevity Equal More Money
- Thread starter paul edwards
- Start date
G
greg11
Guest
Matty probably makes enough $$ to buy a car and a boat with 1 paycheck! The folks at Magic and the Paula Streets of the radio world I would guess make 6 figures.
B
bandman
Guest
Crap...I'm doing something wrong!
A
and.u.r?
Guest
greg11 said:
I can see the Paula Streets of the radio world but the fact that anyone at Magic would make 6 figures is an indication of how DJs price themselves out of the business eventually.They're a liner card station.A successful one albeit because these types of stations usually are but assuming anyone on the air has anything to do with that success other than fitting into the mold is ridiculous.They would be just as successful with a staff with half the experience and the same smooth way of talking but saying nothing.
and.u.r? said:
Wow...what a misperception. Mike Adams in the morning has been in the Boston area since the early 70's (if I'm not mistaken), David Allan Boucher is a STAPLE in Boston radio with Bedtime Magic, Nancy Quill, I believe, has been at the station since day 1 and Dan Justin is one of the most talented jocks in Boston. They don't just read liners, they do have lots of personality. Sometimes trying to adapt your personality to AC and knowing how much is too much is harder than doing an all out personality driven show.
The answer to your question is that it completely depends on your station. Our morning guy at my radio station has been here for 28 years. He still has to keep a side business and his wife has to work. Now, granted, I work for a small market station, however it still depends on the station and ownership group. Thefact is, we tend to do radio for the joy of it. Not the $$$$.
paul edwards said:
Paul, the real answer to your question is a qualified "Yes." But it is a "yes" with a variety of qualifications.
For one thing, raises in radio or ANY private industry--as opposed, say, to working for state government or universities--often don't come automatically--many bosses wait for employees to ask for raises rather than just giving them out on the same day every year. And--again unlike public sector jobs--the amount of any increase becomes a negotiation, rather than an automatic 3 percent increase (or whatever). General Managers & CEOs tend to be strong negotiators--it's what they really do for a living, every day, in one fashion or another. Jocks tend not to be great negotiators--they're artists...performers--and often shy away from the business side of things. Left Brain/Right Brain.
But, great GMs & CEOs also recognize that part of the value that talent brings to the table is that listeners form vicarious relationships with jocks; listeners feel as though they KNOW and LIKE air talents they've heard every day for years and years--and that translates into TSL... and AQH... and the ratings turn into sales. So talent=money. Radio stations that encourage longevity in their air talent leverage into revenue. Frankly, it's a great pitch: "None of these other stations have anyone the audience KNOWS, while OUR air staff has been here ten, fifteen, twenty years. OUR listeners know, like and trust our jocks--so when we're pitching your car dealership (furniture store, bank, whatever) they RESPOND." $$$$$$$
My hunch is that Magic management understands all this and no doubt compensates their air staff very competitively (and probably treat 'em right in other ways, as well) as part of that strategy.
A
argytunes
Guest
I've noticed that additional compensation usually is in conjunction with additional responsibilities!
Management can justify a raise if an employee is willing to take on the responsibilities of an employee they can easily fire...err...REPLACE!
argytunes
Management can justify a raise if an employee is willing to take on the responsibilities of an employee they can easily fire...err...REPLACE!
argytunes
Sometimes more money can mean added responsibilities.
But, if you are proving your worth to your employer, longevity can equal more money.
Whether it's the long-time jock who can consistantly deliver quality ratings that consistantly produce increased revenue every year.
Or, you can be the "go to" person that can do almost any job in the station when it needs to be done.
You may not get megabucks this way, but this type of employee is usually the last one a company looks
at when trying to curb expenses.
Either way, I agree...the answer to this question is "yes" and "no".
The minute you stop or fall short making money for your employer is when you need to be sending out the
resumes and demos.
But, if you are proving your worth to your employer, longevity can equal more money.
Whether it's the long-time jock who can consistantly deliver quality ratings that consistantly produce increased revenue every year.
Or, you can be the "go to" person that can do almost any job in the station when it needs to be done.
You may not get megabucks this way, but this type of employee is usually the last one a company looks
at when trying to curb expenses.
Either way, I agree...the answer to this question is "yes" and "no".
The minute you stop or fall short making money for your employer is when you need to be sending out the
resumes and demos.
Thank you for your replies. I guess from reading some of your responses, a lot of it depends on how valuable a particular DJ is to a station. I was just wondering, if at some point, the salaries and/or raises of DJ's that have been at the same station for very long time are capped off.
paul edwards said:
Capped off? No, but-- (I've been a GM/Market Manager for 25+ years, so have been doing this awhile)...
For a good, solid jock with average talent who sticks around and shows up for work every day for 20 years, compensation isn't frozen, but annual raises are usually incremental--a few percentage points.
When an air talent does get up into serious money, the only real "cap" is whatever the market will bear. In major markets like Boston, outstanding air talents who can "move the ratings meter" can-and-do make NBA/NFL money. In those cases, yes--longevity helps--but the compensation paradigm is completely different than in smaller markets, where being a jock is more like having a "regular job."
Like any other line of work, if you are easily replaced--if anybody can do your job--compensation & raises are hard to come by. If your talents are unique, or at least relatively rare, you'll make a lot more money. And if you stack longevity on top of unique/rare talent, compensation will continue to rise.
Just want to say 'ditto' to the last one. I've only worked at one other station in another life but had all the numbers layed out in front of me and there are longtime veterans unable to negotiate for raises while hot new talent even if it' debatable is handsomely rewarded and longevity has to be matched by ratings and 'new' listeners, that's the ticket.
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