• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Downsized

V

VODood

Well....I got whacked today. Cluster is underperforming - even though my station is 166% of budget for the last few months and the two rockers are at 30%...its' about the cluster.

Not to take $$$ away from any of you, but if you hear of any gigs, freelance or otherwise, for imaging or spots, hola'.


Thanks
Chuck
 
Sorry to hear that Dood....been there before. Ya know, cluster environments can be a great thing in some ways, like the sharing of resources, but the one huge drawback is that everything is viewed as a whole. I've worked for stations before that were, not only the top biller of the group, but even of the whole company, but we had to do without becuz of the underperformance of the rest of the stations. I understand the premise that, no matter what individual stations are doing, it's all about the entire bottom line of the company, but it still sucks that sometimes the people working for the cadillac of the company have to pay with their jobs.
 
What a bummer.We can all identify with that..But, something good will come out of it,hang in there...
 
VODood said:
Well....I got whacked today. Cluster is underperforming - even though my station is 166% of budget for the last few months and the two rockers are at 30%...its' about the cluster.

Not to take $$$ away from any of you, but if you hear of any gigs, freelance or otherwise, for imaging or spots, hola'.


Thanks
Chuck
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear it, but welcome to the club anyway! The budget cutting got me about 2 months ago. The jobs are pretty thin right now, so this is my motivation to try VO full-time.

Best of luck!

Emmett
 
I appreciate the support. Looking to make a go of VO and freelance imaging/prod. Will still need a "real" job in the meantime. Have some ideas for revenue using present skillz. We'll see.
 
Chuck - I just read the news in All Access - i'm a little shocked and really bummed to hear you're out.
Hope something materializes for you quickly.
 
Chuck, DUDE!, with your pipes, talent, and production skills, I don't know why you're wasting your time with radio. Of course, I don't know your expense situation at all, but if you can, you need to become radio-independent. If you really feel like you need a "real" job, think about going to work at a video post house, which I did in '93. But you really should just go into business for yourself totally TODAY if you can. And if that entails not living quite so large, so be it. I can't tell you just how GOOD you will ultimately feel about yourself.

After 18 years in radio, I worked in post for 9 years until July of 2002. But really, I should have gone it alone much sooner than that. That time working at a production house did give me a good stable client base, but I could have and SHOULD have just worked out of my house 3 years sooner than I did. "Woulda coulda shoulda," like Judge Judy says. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but I will always regret not having moved back to The Sticks sooner to enjoy my dad's final few years. I was still "making plans" when he died suddenly. That's something to think about. Now's a good time for you to take an overall assessment of where you wanna be and what you wanna do for the remainder of your career.

I'm not making a killing at this as a third-tier voice talent, but I am making a living, and I'll tell ya: I would not trade having my independence from corporate peonage for a minute. The stability of a "job?" In RADIO???? Bwah Ha ha ha ha! Riiiiiiiiiight....... YOU will always be more stable and dependable than any one employer. It's like the stock market, man, DIVERSIFY.

Sure I miss being on the air sometimes. But I'll never miss the uncertainty of being radio's sales bait. Put yourself closer to the money. ;-)

Good luck!

JJ
 
Bad news? Short term, maybe. Sounds like opportunity Chuck! You've got great Prod skills.
My suggestion, hook up with someone who does video, shooting and editing.
Together, freelancing, you two can make a nice living, on your own terms.
I love radio, but it's become too fickle, too cold, too run by people who don't love it like we do.
Best of luck!
Bill
 
Chucker. This may be the bird parents tossing the baby bird out of the nest. As others have so emphatically stated..TODAY IS ALL YOU HAVE. It may be time to do what you love..with you as the master. Your new career path that will allow you to "stay in radio" or go wherever you choose. Just take a few points from a decidedly elder-type who has made some major mistakes and damn near lost it all. I cut this out and put it on my console after I almost went bankrupt.

THE BIG EIGHT:

1. If I have a taste for any substance that could impair my judgement I must discard this from my lifestyle for now. This includes anything that might make me believe that I am more important or more wealthy than I really am.

2. Try to amass a small pile of liquid assets that I can lean on should the need arise..and pay down any credit cards as swiftly as is possible given my uncertain cashflow.

3. DUMP any excess gear that I may not have need of..If I purchase new gear..try to do so for cash not credit, and make sure it's something that will advance my new path. I can collect my whims later on.

4. Focus on getting new business, and thinking of new avenues that can use my talents. One every day. And write it down. When time permits produce samples of these new ideas and store them for easy access.

5. Visualize the life I want as if it has happened already...and set a quarterly goal. If I miss the mark I must reduce the goal until I reach one. For me it is an adjustable thing that can be altered as I need. The key is to REACH goals, and move forward.

6. Gratitude for EVERY client that chooses to pay me for my work. Use those completed projects to update my demo reel every month, and make certain that at least 10 potential clients hear it every week.

7. Try not to take critisism, and what seems like rejection personally. Use all input as a guidance tool. Not everyone will think everything I do is the best..but it should be the best I can do.

8. Eat properly, sleep regularly, party occasionally, and reward myself modestly for successes.



Try this for three months..you won't believe the results.


Call anytime Chuck. 888-780-8542..and remember RAMEN NOODLES are AWESOME and at 5 for a dollar..they are nature's perfect food.
 
Jeff Laurence said:
Chucker. This may be the bird parents tossing the baby bird out of the nest. As others have so emphatically stated..TODAY IS ALL YOU HAVE. It may be time to do what you love..with you as the master. Your new career path that will allow you to "stay in radio" or go wherever you choose. Just take a few points from a decidedly elder-type who has made some major mistakes and damn near lost it all. I cut this out and put it on my console after I almost went bankrupt.

THE BIG EIGHT:

1. If I have a taste for any substance that could impair my judgement I must discard this from my lifestyle for now. This includes anything that might make me believe that I am more important or more wealthy than I really am.

2. Try to amass a small pile of liquid assets that I can lean on should the need arise..and pay down any credit cards as swiftly as is possible given my uncertain cashflow.

3. DUMP any excess gear that I may not have need of..If I purchase new gear..try to do so for cash not credit, and make sure it's something that will advance my new path. I can collect my whims later on.

4. Focus on getting new business, and thinking of new avenues that can use my talents. One every day. And write it down. When time permits produce samples of these new ideas and store them for easy access.

5. Visualize the life I want as if it has happened already...and set a quarterly goal. If I miss the mark I must reduce the goal until I reach one. For me it is an adjustable thing that can be altered as I need. The key is to REACH goals, and move forward.

6. Gratitude for EVERY client that chooses to pay me for my work. Use those completed projects to update my demo reel every month, and make certain that at least 10 potential clients hear it every week.

7. Try not to take critisism, and what seems like rejection personally. Use all input as a guidance tool. Not everyone will think everything I do is the best..but it should be the best I can do.

8. Eat properly, sleep regularly, party occasionally, and reward myself modestly for successes.



Try this for three months..you won't believe the results.


Call anytime Chuck. 888-780-8542..and remember RAMEN NOODLES are AWESOME and at 5 for a dollar..they are nature's perfect food.
Click to expand...

Jeff
MUCH thanks for the encouragement. In fact thank you to all.

I'll print this out and post on my desk.

My wife and I have pow-wowed and have some ideas. This just may be a blessing in disguise.
 
Dood,

I don't post much on here, but I have to say, if the wife is supporting you, that is half the battle bro. I knod of got out of radio, (without getting out of radio). My wife got behind me and we bought a little AM station and are doing o.k. Jeff L. is the voice of the station btw and has helped us a great deal.

It is almost worse to have been cut than fired, atleast when you are fired you probably did something wrong. I have been in both situations.

So take a couple weeks, treat it as a vacation and then get with your wife and make it happen, with many pieplines coming in, if you get get cut, you don't have all your eggs in one basket.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom