Job Market Research

[musicsweep]

I'm not presently looking for employment, but I am curious as to what type of employment opportunities may be out there in medium to large markets for an individual with 11 years experience in radio, some in a rated market, having done everything from traffic to on-air, to programming to even sales, with a strong background in local sales (mainly due to 11 years of small market experience) and station management (all small markets).

Are medium to large market stations interested in sales people from smaller markets who have never had to depend on Arbitron and Agencies for survival? Who know how to put together a promotion that not only builds the station's branding, but also generates revenue? A small-market station manager whose station has actually increased revenue during this recession?

What are your thoughts on the employment prospects for someone who fits this description. Like I said, I am not looking for employment now, but would still like to know what my prospects are, and what I should be doing to increase my employability.

(I know, posting on message boards is not a plus.)

 

[TheBigA]

My suggestion is to target a handful of radio stations in markets where you want to work. Pick stations that aren't doing promotions like you describe, but have the infrastructure to carry them out (such as a good signal, proper format, staffing, etc). Schedule appointments with the GM and present a very specific proposal on how you can make them more money. And offer to do the first promotion on commission. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Then you're in a position to do something.

 

[Roger That]

If you're actually capable of those things, and have the experience to back them up, your prospects would likely be great. In my experience, however, your post reads like most cover letters. And, when put to task, these folks' own view of their abilities rarely lives up to the hype.

 

[musicsweep]

BigA, thanks for the advice. I have found targeting stations as opposed to mass mailing resumes has worked for me in the past. Your advice of doing something on a commission only basis to prove my merit would be a good idea.

RogerThat, I'm glad you've seen some good cover letters. Most of the ones I've seen have been from recent broadcast school graduates telling me that if I don't change my operation and hire them immediately, XM will put my station out of business. What could I do in my cover letter to set myself apart from all the other claims being made by other job hunters?

 

[Roger That]

What could I do in my cover letter to set myself apart from all the other claims being made by other job hunters?

This will echo some of what BigA said. What I would personally look for only works well if it's me who you're trying to get to hire you.

The key is to tailor your presentation (whether cover letter, package, or interview) to the specifics and needs of the station you're sending it to. I have a special filing cabinet (read: trash can) for packages that are very obviously a copy and paste job from the other 100 packages they've sent out. You want to work in my building? Do the work/research. First find out if I'M a good fit for YOU. Spell my name right. Find out if I'm an a$$hole. I know the economy sucks, but just because I may have a job opening, doesn't mean you'd be happy in it. And getting the job is not the time to find that out.

Once you've established my position is the right fit for you, use that as the catalyst to determine why you would now be a good fit for me (some of the reasons would be the same). Be specific. I don't hire sales people, but if I did, I'd hire them like I hire jocks...if you sound generic, could be cut-and-pasted onto any radio station, and show me no creativity, I move on.

It's a lot more work, and for many would be unappreciated. But would you really want to work for the folks that don't appreciate that anyway?

Hope that helps.

 

[Questor]

Neither as hiring manager nor candidate does experience mean much of anything any more.

Since 11 is a prime number, all that tells me about you is you might have 11 years of experience solid building sequentially one on top of the other. Or you have 1 year repeated 11 times. Next year you'll have a dozen of one, 12 of another and twice half dozens too if the cream gets crispy.

What really matters? Radio has this model called "auditioning." Unfortunately, not too many people adopt it. That's fine, because in my case I don't want to work for most people, nor do I want them working for me. It's been said that as many as 80% of today's managers are underachieving or underemployed because they are in positions where they can't make the most of their abilities. Consequently, because a manager makes or breaks himself by making or breaking careers of the people below him (or her!) it's the 20% worth working for and worth having that I care about.

Then again, some people simply want a paycheck that funds the rest of their lives.

So my advice here is shop and broadcast for the type of boss you want, in terms of or in spite of your 11 years of experience. One of my best bosses told me the key to his advancement was not brownnosing, instead to climb every penis, swim every vagina and have a great dental plan.

 

[Questor]

If you're actually capable of those things, and have the experience to back them up, your prospects would likely be great. In my experience, however, your post reads like most cover letters. And, when put to task, these folks' own view of their abilities rarely lives up to the hype.

Exactly why I request full enactment of the "audition model," as hiring manager and as candidate too.

Auditions separate the capable from the wannabees. Telling people to come in and show you how they'd do the job if hired clearly demonstrates to both source and destination whether a match can happen. I've had people with 0 years experience show their capacity to me before a competitor snatched them. I've had people with 30+ years experience who thought all they needed to do was repeat past accomplishments. Sorry, successful people can and do fail.

And here's why I love the audition model. If my next boss cannot define the work that needs to be done, the type of person needed for that job, and the type of team that person is best with, then let him fall into that 80% of aforementioned misery. Conversely, when I do find that kind of boss who has his act together, I'll be his strongest advocate.

And that can only happen with bosses who see people as an opportunity. You know you're dealing with the other kind when they say "No Phone Calls Please." If they can't be bothered neither by listeners nor potential customers, then that's not the place worth working for, esp. when life is too short.

Flip all past recommendations to positive voicings as necessary!

 

[amfmxm]

I'm not presently looking for employment, but I am curious as to what type of employment opportunities may be out there in medium to large markets for an individual with 11 years experience in radio, some in a rated market, having done everything from traffic to on-air, to programming to even sales, with a strong background in local sales (mainly due to 11 years of small market experience) and station management (all small markets).

Are medium to large market stations interested in sales people from smaller markets who have never had to depend on Arbitron and Agencies for survival? Who know how to put together a promotion that not only builds the station's branding, but also generates revenue? A small-market station manager whose station has actually increased revenue during this recession?

What are your thoughts on the employment prospects for someone who fits this description. Like I said, I am not looking for employment now, but would still like to know what my prospects are, and what I should be doing to increase my employability.

(I know, posting on message boards is not a plus.)

Nothing wrong with posting on message boards... is there?

I have no argument with the "audition" tactic, but I do have other ideas to toss at you.

If you've been doing this for 11 years, I'm assuming that you're an adult--30+? Let me recommend that you first figure out where you (& spouse/family?) want to live. FWIW, I carted my family around to several larger markets in exchange for higher paychecks during my thirties & forties only to bounce back "home" to small-market radio when those bigger properties got sold out from under me. And much to my shock found myself making as much (low six figures) in small-market management as in Top 100/Top 50 management. And, yeah, the cost of living really is less in small towns--so that six figure income really does go further. Point is, you don't necessarily have to give up the charms of small town life to make a good living doing what you're already doing.

My own observation is that there is no minor league/major league system in radio sales & management. There is a tremendous (and perhaps well-founded) bias for "knowing the market," and it is much easier for a freshly-minted Pitt marketing grad from Moon Township to get through the door in Pittsburgh than an 11-year small-market sales vet from Punxsutawney... if you get my drift. (Or in Los Angeles, a UCLA grad from Santa Ana versus an 11-year pro from Eureka). It really helps to be born in the right place. Ain't fair, but that's life.

But like the others suggested, you may want to narrow your target to specific companies and specific people. Then, get to know them and figure out the best way to let them know what you're capable of achieving.

Good luck!

 

[Roger That]

You know you're dealing with the other kind when they say "No Phone Calls Please." If they can't be bothered neither by listeners nor potential customers, then that's not the place worth working for, esp. when life is too short.

Disagree with this one. I know a LOT of managers that are high-quality and people I'd work for (and have worked for me). These same people rarely take calls when a job opening hits. If it's a good station, with a good opening, there are a VAST number of people who think they're qualified for it. They aren't. Calls are saved for those that have risen above the rest.

I also don't see the correlation with "No Phone Calls" and listeners/customers. If anything, it's the opposite...Usually, "No Phone Calls" weeds out the job whores, and actually allots time for returning listener calls.

 

[Questor]

If you've been doing this for 11 years, I'm assuming that you're an adult--30+? Let me recommend that you first figure out where you (& spouse/family?) want to live.

Maybe it's because I now reside on the West Coast after being born and raised on the East Coast that I don't make any assumptions about people. Maybe it's because back East I had a boss who was gay and he used to tell me, "The biggest problem with you straight people is you act like a bunch of Maggots." (Since we're talking radio, replace the M with F building on Steely Dan's FM no static at all.)

Hey, I know some people who are single, who have no desire to get married and tell all employers that, especially the group of employers who attest behind closed doors that work/life balance is a hoax. Morever, some of us who are connected at all hours see an opportunity can arise at any hour, including 15 minutes until the Midnight Hour in my case. (Yes, employers, I know you're tracking me -- show me your passion and I'll give you my fire!)

Maybe it's because the radio sales and marketing I've been involved with deals with people on the psychographic level where aspects like age and demographics matter less and less. Maybe it's because some of us have had to change careers INVOLUNTARILY due to mergermania, outsourcing, technology making us obsolete, etc. that we can picture someone with 11 years experience having started out at age 41, and now that he/she is 41 + 11 = 52, they're wondering what cards to play and what suits to draw, especially as they wonder where on the creative/suits spectrum to play on next.

Maybe it's because we're hoping that if we extend the karma of flexibility to one, it'll be extended to us in return. Maybe that's what we're after in this corporate culture club, where we come and go.

Yes, I thank Barry Farber for telling me most companies are ultimately vehicles we use to get what we want as we help them get what they want. So what if loyalty is dead?!

 

[Questor]

I also don't see the correlation with "No Phone Calls" and listeners/customers.  If anything, it's the opposite...Usually, "No Phone Calls" weeds out the job whores, and actually allots time for returning listener calls.

I'm so glad you say that.

I'm so glad we've had this time together, to quote Carol Burnett.  It means that okay, maybe some other employer is stupid enough to like ABBA take a chance on me.

Today, in your eyes, the light and heat may say I'm a nobody.  I'm just the scum of the earth.  (Actually, as a manager, I'm also one of those Scumbags of Management as scary as Werewolves in London.)  Yes, management is the Dark Side, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Consequently, you have no idea how many people I represent.  Today, you may see me as dirt just scraping trying to get this societally-approved income-making entity called a job.  So right now, you may hate me more today than yesterday.  And you'll hate me twice as much tomorrow.  So my spiral staircase is nothing more than a tumbling dice of me rolling down, down, down.  Let some other hopeless hiring manager experience their downfall through me.  After all, in your eyes, I'm worth nothing, not even 7 digits of a phone call.

Then again, some maggot upstairs might declare me worthy.  Maggot comes before manager in some golden book.

Then I may represent 500 people with income spending possibility.  If not today, maybe next summer.  Or a few shakes of Arbitron books.

Then if you turn me away, you also turn away 500 people who can spend money at your station.  My religion says not to hold grudges.  That may be okay Sunday mornings for just half an hour.  There's the other 167-1/2 hours a week to deal with.  Screw religion.

Screw you, screw me, screw us together, naturally!

Since seeking employment has been compared to seeking marriage,
like Fred & Barney,
we'll have a gay old time!

 

[amfmxm]

Trying to make sense of these posts, but the drugs aren't quite kicking in just right...

Hey, musicsweep, one more (fairly clear) thought on your Job Market Research question:

Radio has always been--and continues to be--an industry in which talent, intuition & vision play an inordinate role. What this means is that conventional wisdom often does not apply.

It sounds to me as though you have prepared yourself very well for general management or market management on the small-market level, and as I mentioned above, people can make an excellent living in that role. But if that isn't what you want to do, go ahead and roll the dice. You may surprise yourself. It happens all the time.

Impress the right person in the right place at the right time and... who knows?

Again, good luck.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Trying to make sense of these posts, but the drugs aren't quite kicking in just right...

As I was reading down through this thread, this great anxiety was coming over me. You sized it up. The points made so far are very puzzling.

I have spent a lifetime going nut-so trying to figure out what to put in a cover letter... what to put in the resume... what to leave out!

I understand that if you think you want to go to work for General Electric or Cisco or a major law firm, these are targets that can be researched. Big ships don't turn around quickly and someone working there three years ago can give you tutoring on how they function, what they expect to see in an application.

How in heavens name do you research a radio station? How do you know who the person is that will receive your application? And how do you find out what "pushes their buttons". There is a part of me that identifies with the earlier post which says (paraphrased: "If you want to work for me, research me. Write a cover letter that tells me what I want to know." But there is a part of me that identifies with the best broadcaster I ever worked for, who said (paraphrased) "If he/she was smart enough to know what I think, he/she would already have my job and I would be looking for something to do." (And he said that knowing that he was the owner of the station.)

Radio stations change formats, change call letters, change managers. Some one tell our original poster how, from a distance, you figure out "what makes a given station tick" and who does the ticking..

 

[Roger That]

How in heavens name do you research a radio station? How do you know who the person is that will receive your application? And how do you find out what "pushes their buttons". There is a part of me that identifies with the earlier post which says (paraphrased: "If you want to work for me, research me. Write a cover letter that tells me what I want to know." But there is a part of me that identifies with the best broadcaster I ever worked for, who said (paraphrased) "If he/she was smart enough to know what I think, he/she would already have my job and I would be looking for something to do." (And he said that knowing that he was the owner of the station.)

Radio stations change formats, change call letters, change managers. Some one tell our original poster how, from a distance, you figure out "what makes a given station tick" and who does the ticking..

How do you research a radio station? The first step is to listen to it. If you have an aptitude for radio, spending time listening to it will allow you to glean insight into the target audience, and how well you fit into that mold. Does the attitude of the personalities jive with your own? Can YOU relate to them?

The second would be to check their site. We're talking (in this case) about larger market jobs, which means they (should) all have websites. Granted, most radio station sites are terrible, but if they do one good thing, it's telling you about themselves. While selfish compared to what their audience wants, it's helpful to job seekers.

The third would be to ask around. If you've been in radio for even a moderate amount of time, you know that everybody seems to know SOMEBODY, particularly if you're talking about a larger-market job. A large part of your job when you're in a smaller market (with large market goals) should be networking. If you've been doing that, put that network to the test.

If it was me you were paraphrasing, please note that it wasn't intended the way you put it. The best radio stations are larger than the parts/people in them (but better because of them). You have to know the radio station, and what it's about, or you're wasting both our times. Some of us actually believe the audience is the most important part, and will strive to find pieces that fit into that philosophy. Great jobs aren't about market size, salary, and daypart, but about how you fit into the puzzle as whole.

For what it's worth, I'd be impressed if you sent me an e-mail saying you wanted to make sure you'd even be a fit, and to ask about the station and its philosophies, before sending a package. You'd definitely get a response from me. Most just shoot off a package just because it's a great station or a large market or a bigger paycheck and take no consideration that they may not be a good fit.

 

[amfmxm]

Eons ago in my miss-spent radio youth, I dropped a letter to the president of a radio-TV outfit that I admired, and suggested to him that I wasn't quite sure exactly where I might fit into his organization--if at all--but that I'd welcome the chance to explore such possibilities (and, yes, I enclosed a resume detailing my successes to that point). FWIW, there was no opening posted at the time. It was a complete shot in the dark.

A few days later I received a phone call from the guy inviting me to come in for a cup of coffee and conversation. A few weeks later I was hired into a management gig which helped pave the way for the rest of my storied career.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. No harm, no foul. (Insert the aphorism of your choice here).