From radio to a "real" job - successful transitions?

[blueboy]

I know more than a few guys/gals who have been off the air for more than a year. Some have accepted that their careers have unceremoniously come to an end. A few refuse to give up the ghost. Just wondering if you have any success stories of those who have moved to something outside of radio?

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Let's assume every station in America has had 10 people leave and end up doing something other than radio... (that's a low number I think) and let's assume there are 6,000 radio stations in America.... (that's a low number I think). Then there are at least 60,000 people who have made the transition.

Some are happy and have no intention of ever going back to radio. Some are happy but would consider returning. Some are breathing heavy and having little spells of anxiety as they wait for their day to return (which may never come).

I have transitioned through several lines of work through the years. Other lines of work have problems just as radio has problems. And some of us have our own problems and demons that follow us where ever we choose to hang our coat on the doorknob during the workday.

Surely you are not assuming that only 3 or 4 hundred people have lost their radio careers in the last 90 years of broadcasting.

 

[blueboy]

I'm not assuming anything. However, I thought hearing about a recent ex-jock who has moved on might be helpful and encouraging for those who are presently struggling with the difficult task of objectively examining their transferable skills. When you get fired from a radio station it is not easy trying to explain it to a non radio hr person. Their training doesn't prepare them to try to fit unconventional work experience into their rigid understanding of what is or is not a red flag in an interview. For example, I love the question, "So, why did you leave your last position?". Or better yet, "If we contacted your previous employers would they describe you as re-hirable?". Ha, ha, ha! How are you supposed to answer these questions without using the words "fired, let go, terminated"? I guess we could describe it by saying our show was cancelled or our contract was not renewed.

 

[RayThomas]

The best description of radio as a profession I have ever heard is that radio is "the bastard son of show business." So in discussing your job history with a non-broadcasting employer and having to account for one or more firings, a credible, believable explanation might be that even the most popular TV shows eventually run their course and are cancelled in favor of something new. Tastes change, formats change, popular culture changes. Therefore the firing is usually not the person's fault.

 

[doghouseradio1]

I usually never add my 2 cents to these, but I couldn’t pass this one up.

Radio personalities have FAR more to offer than radio today will accredit them for. Who knows better how to engage an audience than the talented passionate people who do it each day? Who is more creative? Who understands more about connecting and what it takes to successfully market a brand to the public? We do it each time we crack open a mic and ID a station…or talk up a promotion…etc. Since radio no longer values these gifts, I decided to go to the people that do….business owners. We all know most corporately run stations these days do not necessarily have their advertisers best interest at heart…it’s all about making the next loan note. How many remotes have you done writing down copy from a poster hanging on a wall? Money well spent? Educate yourself on other media and help local businesses who are constantly getting taken advantage of. YOU HAVE A GIFT! Don't let those who would cram another 10,000 songs in a row down your throat make you believe differently.

I’ve been off the air for 2 years now with offers to go back. I’ve declined. I’ve watched my idols go from major market radio to selling real estate…sad, but true. With each passing trade headline, my decision is reaffirmed. The industry has changed, my passion has not…it just had to shift. Best of luck to all and know that I do miss you.

Michael "MadDog" Ovadia (formerly of WSOX)
www.maddogmediarelations.com
www.theinsidercard.com

 

[blueboy]

Michael: Thank you so much for this reply. It is exactly what I was hoping to read. It gives us all a little hope and, perhaps, a proverbial kick in the pants to get moving.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

I too am a recovering radioholic. Seemingly forever exiled to the dusty pits of smalltown stations, I must have been doing it just for the fun of it, because I sure wasn't doing it for the money. I embraced the forthright honesty and sweetness of rural communities, but the time finally came when I had to make a living.

I left the business in 1976, seeking my fortunes in sales. Finally I wound up succeeding with a household name, Fortune-500 consumer products company. Been with the same company for most of the past 33-years. I did step away twice, but having left on good terms both times, they took me back, and in fact re-instated my bennies with adjusted hire-dates. Today I enjoy 6-weeks of annual vacation time and a health insurance plan rivaling that of civil service workers.

My off times from this company allowed me opportunities to return to radio once, and I even started my own news business, selling news services from the outskirts of smalltown America to nearby Urban TV stations & Newspapers.

I've never regretted either of my two careers; each in it's own way gave me ample opportunities to be creative and have fun doing what I did, and still do. I hope to finally retire in a couple years, win the mega powerball, and use the money to buy my own smalltown radio station.