There isn't a DJ in the country, including the national ones, who can match her ability to communicate with her fans. If DJs learned some of her tricks, they would be in more demand today than they are. The recording artists are replacing DJs as the people who have the skill and credibility to host radio shows. That's why so many companies, including Sirius XM, are using artists and comedians to host radio shows.
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Four Types of on-air talent
- Thread starter RockofHBG
- Start date
I do agree that social networking is important. You can inform your listeners about an upcoming guest, on air event, or contest at the last minute. One thing hasn't changed.....we are in the COMMUNICATION business. There is nothing wrong with using all available tools to communicate with your listeners.
bossjock 56 said:
In the internet world, they call that SPAM. You're using personal tools to sell something. Not good idea.
Taylor uses social networking to let her fans into her life. If radio personalities actually HAVE a personality, they need to open themselves to their listeners. Be real people. Become their friends. Listen to what they say. Then they allow you into their lives and you gain credibility.
J
John-Summers
Guest
I agree that using social networking sites can be an important part of a station's promotion, and my meaning is not to sound dismissive of the idea of letting listeners into your life, but...
Tread carefully. Some listeners can become obsessive. The more they think they know you, the more obsessive they become. Most people are fine, in fact most of them couldn't care less about you. But there needs to be a wall against the ones who are not fine. Female air personalities should be especially cautious. Taylor Swift has bodyguards. You don't. Anyone who has been on the air for any length of time has encountered this.
An admittedly extreme example is Clint Eastwood's "Play Misty for Me." It should be required viewing for anyone considering a career as a radio personality...if there are any such people anymore.
Tread carefully. Some listeners can become obsessive. The more they think they know you, the more obsessive they become. Most people are fine, in fact most of them couldn't care less about you. But there needs to be a wall against the ones who are not fine. Female air personalities should be especially cautious. Taylor Swift has bodyguards. You don't. Anyone who has been on the air for any length of time has encountered this.
An admittedly extreme example is Clint Eastwood's "Play Misty for Me." It should be required viewing for anyone considering a career as a radio personality...if there are any such people anymore.
After hearing everything said so far by the various posters, it really makes me appreciate working in a union shop. At the last radio statiion I worked at, most of the shop was unionized from the air talent to the engineers to the desk assistants in the newsroom. Even the janitor was in a union.
When the company sold the radio station, most of the unionized employees had either a choice of being transferred to television (we were part of a company that owned tv facilities) or taking a years severance and resigning. Needless to say, most of us took jobs in TV.
Thank God for the union. While its not the panacea for all issues, its better to have them going to bat for you then going it alone. Wish more shops in radio were unionized; it would improve standards for everyone as a whole.
When the company sold the radio station, most of the unionized employees had either a choice of being transferred to television (we were part of a company that owned tv facilities) or taking a years severance and resigning. Needless to say, most of us took jobs in TV.
Thank God for the union. While its not the panacea for all issues, its better to have them going to bat for you then going it alone. Wish more shops in radio were unionized; it would improve standards for everyone as a whole.
Boardengineer12 said:
Here's my union story. I've been a member of NABET and AFTRA. In both cases, when the ax fell and people got fired, neither union did anything to change the situation or save jobs. The ONLY thing the union did was make sure the company lived up to the terms of the contract, fired people in a fair and dignified way, and paid them the agreed upon severence. That's it.
The only thing I didn't know until I moved to the management side was how much the union costs in terms of hiring new staff. The work rules are built around preserving the veterans, not hiring new people. That meant most union shops where I worked had lots of older staff, and not much new blood. So as the older ones retired, they weren't replaced, and ultimately the work was outsourced. That's short-sighted thinking on the part of the union, that should be visiting colleges and recuiting future staffers.
In the event of a layoff, whatever the union and company have agreed to determines who is laid off and how. Unions really cannot change the situation or save jobs other then what is spelled out in the contract. Keep in mind that the companies have total control over staffing and if there are to be layoffs, they determine how many are to be laid off subject to terms of the CBA.
Broadcast unions, as a rule do not go out and recruit college students as in most cases, they have no control over hiring of new employees; what they should be doing is going off to colleges and educating the students as to what unions roles are in the workplace along with some basic labor history.
NABET is the only Broadcast union that I've ever been in and my experience has been very positive. In radio we always had very good labor contracts which provided for a living wage, good benefits, good working conditions and job security.
Of all of the above that I mentioned in the labor contracts, for announcers/disc jockey's, job security is the toughest to achieve due to the so-called suitability clauses that are in many contracts whether NABET or AFTRA, however the other items are very important while your employed at the station and the nice thing is that the company cannot change the terms and conditions of employment once you have a contract in place. And if they do try to change whats in the contract while its in force, there is a mechanism in place to address the issue. Sure beats having to go into your manager and deal with it on that level.
Just my thoughts as an "older staff" member.
Broadcast unions, as a rule do not go out and recruit college students as in most cases, they have no control over hiring of new employees; what they should be doing is going off to colleges and educating the students as to what unions roles are in the workplace along with some basic labor history.
NABET is the only Broadcast union that I've ever been in and my experience has been very positive. In radio we always had very good labor contracts which provided for a living wage, good benefits, good working conditions and job security.
Of all of the above that I mentioned in the labor contracts, for announcers/disc jockey's, job security is the toughest to achieve due to the so-called suitability clauses that are in many contracts whether NABET or AFTRA, however the other items are very important while your employed at the station and the nice thing is that the company cannot change the terms and conditions of employment once you have a contract in place. And if they do try to change whats in the contract while its in force, there is a mechanism in place to address the issue. Sure beats having to go into your manager and deal with it on that level.
Just my thoughts as an "older staff" member.
Every type of business and industry is now a "cake walk". When the music stops there are fewer chairs to sit down in..
not just one fewer, but 10 fewer. When I found myself without a "chair" in feb 2009, the only chair I had to "run to"
was covered in filth, ink, grease, and required my presence about 345 days a year on midnights.
I could complain to management about all the various labor laws being broken, but my industry is retracting, too.
It took them about 3 months to "move out" a less productive person who was already in that position.
This is no position from which to be doing any hardball negotiating.
Nor does it inspire me to do so now, even though I've proven I can keep this plant and 9 presses running.
If I don't like it, there's the door. When the day comes I have a better or equal option, I'm real, real gone.
And they'll get by somehow. Management won't try to keep me. If they do, I'll laugh openly at them, and perhaps suggest
they do something for those who remain. Burning bridges is not a problem when it's only a path back to hell,
and ideally others will be inspired to depart the accursed place.
Understand that in many cases management sees personnel as a commodity.
They aren't, but this won't change as long as the economy is in such bad shape.
When personality Pete leaves, Vern may get another chance, and the only one who benefits is Vern and management.
Vern gets to keep a roof overhead, such as it is, and management really doesn't much CARE that "personality"
or whatever quality Pete excelled at is gone. They'll get by somehow.
And they're often betting the end user (in the case of radio, the listener) won't notice or care.
And the listeners who do? Well, they're out of the demo or maybe they're paying too much attention to the radio.
They should turn it down, and only listen peripherally, like most listeners....or find a different station.
Radio's not there to serve the "transfixed" listener anymore. They're too demanding.
They expect too much, complain about limited playlists and such. Good listeners just listen 22.5 minutes per day and buy every
product or service advertised.
not just one fewer, but 10 fewer. When I found myself without a "chair" in feb 2009, the only chair I had to "run to"
was covered in filth, ink, grease, and required my presence about 345 days a year on midnights.
I could complain to management about all the various labor laws being broken, but my industry is retracting, too.
It took them about 3 months to "move out" a less productive person who was already in that position.
This is no position from which to be doing any hardball negotiating.
Nor does it inspire me to do so now, even though I've proven I can keep this plant and 9 presses running.
If I don't like it, there's the door. When the day comes I have a better or equal option, I'm real, real gone.
And they'll get by somehow. Management won't try to keep me. If they do, I'll laugh openly at them, and perhaps suggest
they do something for those who remain. Burning bridges is not a problem when it's only a path back to hell,
and ideally others will be inspired to depart the accursed place.
Understand that in many cases management sees personnel as a commodity.
They aren't, but this won't change as long as the economy is in such bad shape.
When personality Pete leaves, Vern may get another chance, and the only one who benefits is Vern and management.
Vern gets to keep a roof overhead, such as it is, and management really doesn't much CARE that "personality"
or whatever quality Pete excelled at is gone. They'll get by somehow.
And they're often betting the end user (in the case of radio, the listener) won't notice or care.
And the listeners who do? Well, they're out of the demo or maybe they're paying too much attention to the radio.
They should turn it down, and only listen peripherally, like most listeners....or find a different station.
Radio's not there to serve the "transfixed" listener anymore. They're too demanding.
They expect too much, complain about limited playlists and such. Good listeners just listen 22.5 minutes per day and buy every
product or service advertised.
Boardengineer12 said:
My mistake...I should not have said unions should be "recruiting" students. Bad choice of words because I know colleges have strong rules about that sort of thing. A union is not an employer. But yes, there is a lot of educational work broadcasting unions should be doing. When I was at one of the networks, NABET was more concerned with jurisdiction than with things like career growth. AES was better at that sort of thing. As digital electronics started to sweep the industry, the union didn't do anything to help its members adapt to changing technologies. Thus, slowly buy surely, NABET positions were eliminated, rather than having those staffers take on new roles.
My biggest criticism of AFTRA is that it treats radio as an afterthought, and is now supporting the RIAA in the performance tax issue.
TheBigA said:
For years NABET offered no training nor any avenues of advancement for its members other then what was contained in contracts; however over the past 6 years NABET created a training group called "BURST" which is charged with creating training programs in various technical disciplines for its membership base in order to help them grow in their careers and making them more marketable to prospective employers. Most training is offered free of charge or at extremely low cost. In NY the program is so popular, the IBEW local is in a partnership with the NYC NABET Locals.
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