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New Guy

B

Brother Cliff

Greetings,

I am a radio professional who will be moving into the Allentown area sometime in late October, early November. My wife is being re-located by her company. I’ve accumulated about 10 years of experience in radio and the music industry. I’ve been a Radio Promotions person for a record label, a Music Director, News Director, Production Director, and specialty show host. Over the years I’ve managed to get a pretty decent understanding of the way radio stations work…and the way they shouldn’t.

I’m looking for a nice quiet night or overnight position at a well run radio station and was wondering if I could request input from people with experience in the market as to which places I should look, and which ones I should avoid. I am a thirty-something cat who is really just looking for a new start.

Any thoughts? I would love to find a nice sweet non-commercial to work for with a modest to reasonable salary, but I would certainly be willing to work for the right commercial station that had their proverbial ducks in a row. I’d prefer small group ownership to large but that’s certainly not a deal breaker.

Would love any useful tips.
 
If you like a $6.00 an hour radio gig, than Allentown is the place for you.
 
Contact Neil Hever at WDIY.org. Also stop in and talk to Joe Timmer at WGPA. Sorry, there's no money involved but you'll have fun.
 
lehighvalley said:
If you like a $6.00 an hour radio gig, than Allentown is the place for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response, very insightful.

Money, is the factor I weigh the least in radio…no one makes a grip of cash in my experience. Personally I would much rather find a station that isn’t A. Run by morons (not that there are any in Allentown that are…I just don’t know…hence the post). B. Feel relatively good about the work I am doing, and C. Work with a group of people that can both impart their experience to me, and me to them.

To sum up...I’m looking for something that doesn’t suck.

Money would be nice…but I’ve been well paid and hated my job…and I’ve been underpaid, and loved it. Soo…money…not really the end all of everything.
 
If you can buy airtime...you'll do OK
If you can sell airtime...you'll do ok

If you cannot do either, then make the commute to the Philly or North Jersey market.

That's the truth. Don't let anyone tell you any different.

There is no real radio career in the LV.

It's a good thing your wife has a job. Talk to Ken M. He'll tell you.
 
Brother Cliff said:
lehighvalley said:
If you like a $6.00 an hour radio gig, than Allentown is the place for you.
Click to expand...

Personally I would much rather find a station that isn’t A. Run by morons (not that there are any in Allentown that are…I just don’t know…hence the post).

To sum up...I’m looking for something that doesn’t suck.
Click to expand...

Well, doesn't look like he'll want to work for Joe Timmer and WGPA.
 
Well thanks for the input guys all of it is very insightful and much appreciated. I’m looking forward to being in the area (Moving from Iowa…not the most exciting place in the world). I’m also looking forward to making some new radio buds. By the way…I’m a die hard Cubs fan, how outta place am I going to be in Phillies country?

Also…can anyone tell me what the local music scene is like? Any good outdoor venues? Good local talent?
 
Most people are more into the Eagles which I am not. Im into baseball and bleed Philly red! Football is was too commercialized and I have chosen not to be involved. Eagles fans are embarassing. I have nothing to do with these neanderthals!

The music scene is alright. The Teeth and The Swimmers Union are two of the best in the area. The Fairgrounds is an outdoor music venue but it's only used in August. And, it's that time of the year where concerts are held indoors. For a good show you will have to drive to Philadelphia or New York. Otherwise, you will find mostly 2nd rate garbage at the State Theatre. Godfrey Daniels brings in relevant folk artist. The drawback is the size. Stay away from Crocodile Rock which only features hair metal has beens and emo-pop punk pukes!
 
drpickle said:
Most people are more into the Eagles which I am not. Im into baseball and bleed Philly red! Football is was too commercialized and I have chosen not to be involved. Eagles fans are embarassing. I have nothing to do with these neanderthals!

The music scene is alright. The Teeth and The Swimmers Union are two of the best in the area. The Fairgrounds is an outdoor music venue but it's only used in August. And, it's that time of the year where concerts are held indoors. For a good show you will have to drive to Philadelphia or New York. Otherwise, you will find mostly 2nd rate garbage at the State Theatre. Godfrey Daniels brings in relevant folk artist. The drawback is the size. Stay away from Crocodile Rock which only features hair metal has beens and emo-pop punk pukes!
Click to expand...

Awesome! Best info yet. Will be making frequent trips to NYC/Philly it looks like.
 
The Swimmers Union will be playing at the Funhouse on saturday night. Get there around 11. Sadly I will not be attending as I have the early God Squad airshift the next day. On occasion I will go out and just walk over the bridge to the station and catch a few hrs sleeping in the floor before getting up and firing on the station but I doubt if I will be doing that this saturday.
 
drpickle said:
The Swimmers Union will be playing at the Funhouse on saturday night. Get there around 11. Sadly I will not be attending as I have the early God Squad airshift the next day. On occasion I will go out and just walk over the bridge to the station and catch a few hrs sleeping in the floor before getting up and firing on the station but I doubt if I will be doing that this saturday.
Click to expand...

Would love to catch it. Unfortunatly it will be a few weeks before I am out there. Likely around the 15th of October. Still getting corporate housing arranged and all that jazz.
 
Brother, you'll be stone's throw from the Philly market. NY is close by too, plus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and some small markets in NJ. Good luck!
 
You guys are depressing. There is RADIO in LHV...don't let these no talent hacks scare you. If you have talent, there is always a job to be had. Oh, and have fun...that's all.

There is money if you are good. Not as much as there used to be....but it's there for those who are truely talented.

There should be PT gigs at Citadel and CC...Hawk or whatever....you don't know until you apply.

And there is Musicfest every year! But the best one's are in Philly...and some that are free...XTU has a free one every year with big artists.
 
Ron said:
You guys are depressing. There is RADIO in LHV...don't let these no talent hacks scare you. If you have talent, there is always a job to be had. Oh, and have fun...that's all.

There is money if you are good. Not as much as there used to be....but it's there for those who are truely talented.

There should be PT gigs at Citadel and CC...Hawk or whatever....you don't know until you apply.

And there is Musicfest every year! But the best one's are in Philly...and some that are free...XTU has a free one every year with big artists.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ron, exactly what I was hoping for in a response.

To be honest, I am a little nervous about the whole "move".  I'd be foolish to think that radio on the east coast is anything similar to radio in small town Iowa.  I've worked in Omaha (I think market 70 something).  But I am sure it's still an entirely different ball game.  I guess I won't know till I hear the talent in the area.  Hopefully I won't fall into the talentless-hack category.

I'm a pretty multi-faceted guy, but it's been a while since I have had a "real" on air shift.  For the last 8 months I've been a News Director with 7 10 min newscast 7 days a week...I also did about 80% of the production, and 60% of the promotions, as well as covered the racetrack.  Would be nice to get back to a "traditional" music shift.  Would love to find someone, who's fairly well respected, who would take a chance, and give a new guy an overnight shift (and then maybe groom him into a nice APD position!)
 
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