New talent in Sac?

[DJBigOne]

Hey there!
I have applied for several full-time gigs in Sac. Do you have to know someone to get in the door? I have over 10 years in radio and television...so what does it take to get at least an interview? I did interview for a few part-time gigs, only to be offered not much more than minimum wage.

I read the posts on low pay in Sac. How can we survive on THAT?

I hear new voices in the jobs I applied for, and they just plain suck! If I HAD TO listen to THAT I would go insane! So what is the deal? Low pay attracting inexperienced or just plain bad talent?

Like someone mentioned before, I would rather wait for a good paying gig that seems good. I only interviewed with one cluster that I now have a lot of respect for! Company names withheld to protect the innocent...and guilty.

 

[rickradio]

Hey Big One...

Knowing someone (or them knowing YOU) is usually the best way to get your foot in the door, not how long you've been in the biz, unless your amount of experience translates to how you sound ON-AIR. But I've heard newbies that were pretty darned good, like Vicky Moore. I worked with her at what I believe was her first gig, and she was terrific. I moved on, but she stayed for a couple more years or so, then I heard her on KFBK, next thing I knew she was at KFI, and this was over 15 years ago. She started out good and got better. Ironically, I don't know where she is now.

There are a number of ways to get an interview, but the station(s) has/have to be hiring. And are they promoting from within, or seeking new hires? Both? A lot of variables. If you're not sure, just punt to submitting a resume and a CD or mp3 of your work, then check in every so often by emailing the PD and asking what he or she has going on. Chances are they're very busy with having to oversee a number of stations, but if you're what they're looking for, you'll get a call.

As for the low pay, this shouldn't surprise you if you've been in the biz for "over 10 years." Even for a market like Sacramento. And it's not a matter of what you or anyone else can survive on, the corporate ownership doesn't care about that; it's a matter of how little they can get away with paying you. You're a flesh-and-blood human being with possibly a family to feed, rent or a mortgage over your head, and a car payment, but to them, you're just an expense.

With the new voices that "just plain suck," join the crowd. I've heard so-called "talent" on the air in SF and LA that I wouldn't hire to clean the toilets. But again, it's usually not a matter of how "good" you are. Besides, "good" is a relative term. Some deify Stern (and Limbaugh), while others don't have the stomach for them.

Keep waiting for that "good-paying" gig if you want, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. My best advice would be for you to find something outside of radio as your primary source of income, and dabble part-time to keep your toes wet, unless you wanna go into sales to make some money. Radio is no way to make a living.

 

[DJBigOne]

Very well said Rick! Like most companies nowadays, most stations will try get away with what they can. Unfortunately, they find out too soon their ratings reflect what their talent can't deliver. Then they can their talent, and try some other low-paid bad talent. It looks like an endless cycle I wouldn't want to be a part of. Since Congress is trying to pass royalty taxes on traditional radio, we all might be "on the outside looking in" soon...

I actually left full-time radio after starving in smaller markets...which is how I landed in the SAC area. I do engineering work to pay the bills, and work part-time in radio just to stay "in the biz". I am not saying I am some incredibly great air talent. I just know I am better than a lot of the bad voices I hear...

 

[rickradio]

Thanks, BigOne. Yeah, it's sad, all right, to see what the radio industry has become: owned by bankers and run by bean counters instead of broadcasters, like before. There was a time when one could make a very decent, respectable living in radio. When the ownership shifted after the '96 deregulation, and corporations were allowed to buy up stations by the handful, so did the paradigm. Licenses became simply profit centers, little more. The fun and soul slowly got sucked out of radio, and/or just bled out. A lot of big-name talent has left radio and won't go back because of what it's become, managerial mantras like, "Dis ain't a charity," being recited day in, day out and such. Having said that, I'm not quite ready to eulogize radio just yet, but I will say that if some sort of dramatic turnaround doesn't take place with the way radio is run (into the ground) soon (next few years or so), we could see licenses being sold for pennies on the dollar (or just surrendered) simply because they won't be the profit generators they once were, and owners will just move on to other industries to strip-mine them. Who knows, maybe that'll be a good thing (for radio, anyway)...making way for the dawn of a new era...I just hope by then it won't be too late.

I am not saying I am some incredibly great air talent. I just know I am better than a lot of the bad voices I hear...

I have no doubt whatsoever that you are...in fact, PM me here or email me and let me know where and when you're on the air...I'd love to catch your show, if that's what you meant (part-time engineering or on-air?).

Since Congress is trying to pass royalty taxes on traditional radio, we all might be "on the outside looking in" soon...

Hmm, wasn't aware of that, but again, nothing surprises me anymore. And I'm on the outside, yes, but not looking in...

You're smart to do engineering work...somebody has to keep studios and transmitter sites humming. And if you're going to be in radio, part-time is the best place to be these days, in my opinion...having a decent, hopefully comfortable income doing something else during the week, but at the same time keeping not only your feet wet, but your chops up as well for just a few hours on weekends, not be expected to do 6 peoples' jobs, and get a few extra bucks to boot.

 

[nomorejeffs]

And if you're going to be in radio, part-time is the best place to be these days, in my opinion...having a decent, hopefully comfortable income doing something else during the week, but at the same time keeping not only your feet wet, but your chops up as well for just a few hours on weekends, not be expected to do 6 peoples' jobs, and get a few extra bucks to boot.

Amen to that, brother. That's exactly the situation I'm in now, and I'm having a blast. I walked into the studio the other day while two of the full-time air staffers were discussing the minutiae of the latest trend, and all I could think was, "Thank God I don't have to worry about that crapola any more!"

 

[calguy]

Hey Big One...
I've heard newbies that were pretty darned good, like Vicky Moore. I worked with her at what I believe was her first gig, and she was terrific. I moved on, but she stayed for a couple more years or so, then I heard her on KFBK, next thing I knew she was at KFI, and this was over 15 years ago. She started out good and got better. Ironically, I don't know where she is now.

Vicky left KFI in January 2004 when KNX hired her for morning drive. She co-anchors with former Sacramento talent Dave Williams.

 

[Creighton Sanders]

Yeah. Where's all the new Sacramento talent? Funny. Witty. Compelling. Anybody? KWOD used to be the best station for new talent. I think because it was live 24 hours a day.

 

[Plays Well With Others]

Are we really going to go round and round about this again?

1. For there to be NEW talent, there needs to be opportunities. And as mentioned here before those are few and far between (especially in Sac).

2. There needs the TEACHERS... PD's who actually give 2 bits about not just their FTerms but their PT's and weekend jocks too.

3. And there needs to be companies that aren't afraid to let their jocks "entertain" and become personalties and not just a warm body to read liners.

 

[Neanderpaul]

I love the "low pay" comments.

Keep perpetuating the big lie.

No...the salaries there aren't what they are in other cities, but seriously...look what we do for a living.

Overall, we're paid pretty good in ratio to the amount of "hard work" we do.



That being said...look at salaries in ratio to cost-of-living and you get a real feel for how good the gig is. Sometimes you gotta go away to really appreciate what you have.

As far as teachers go...Curtiss Johnson is an amazing teacher for those coming up. He truly loves the craft of this. And the people in the Entercom building would be wise to seek his ear on airchecks and the such.

 

[Stage5Clinger]

Yeah, but NP, look at the title of this thread. New talent...Curtiss is working with some the most seasoned talent in the biz, much less the area. Nakashima, Keller, Thomas, those guys don't need teaching, they already got big skills.

 

[Neanderpaul]

Curtiss also runs KWOD. And he's got some great teaching techniques he's implemented there.

Obviously, Keller, Nakashima, and co. are all seasoned pros (and awesome people), and yeah...working in that building around them is also learning by osmosis...if you pay attention.

I know what you're saying though.

Honestly...IMHO, by the time you get to Sacramento, you should know what you're doing, and merely need adjustment to your on-air character. Sacramento is not a "learning market" or a place you go to start out...Go up the hill to Reno for a couple of years, or down to Bakersfield. There's where the "beginner's gigs" usually are. The fact that Curtiss would have time available to teach at all is special.

 

[Plays Well With Others]

The reason there's a lack of entertaining jocks is because there is no one to challenge the current fixtures to be better than they currently are. I wonder when the last time a Sacramento jock took a trip Morning Show Bootcamp or some other seminar to help them sharpen their skills. Sure attending a weekend in Vegas isn't going to magically change a personality, but at least it gives a fresh perspective on things.

Other than a handful of personalities, I hear the same schtick day in day out, since they're not challenged by the market they could care less.

I remember hearing Marcus Allen on the KSFM back in the day, thinking WOW that dude sounds like he's having fun! I don't remember the last time, outside the Morning Show, that I felt that way about a KSFM jock or The End at that matter.

 

[punkdj]

Curtiss also runs KWOD. And he's got some great teaching techniques he's implemented there.

Obviously, Keller, Nakashima, and co. are all seasoned pros (and awesome people), and yeah...working in that building around them is also learning by osmosis...if you pay attention.

I know what you're saying though.

Honestly...IMHO, by the time you get to Sacramento, you should know what you're doing, and merely need adjustment to your on-air character. Sacramento is not a "learning market" or a place you go to start out...Go up the hill to Reno for a couple of years, or down to Bakersfield. There's where the "beginner's gigs" usually are. The fact that Curtiss would have time available to teach at all is special.

really i dont think there is any such thing as a "learning market" you start where you get your break. my start was in SF , and, ( the pay there is not much better than sac unless you are doing mornings or afternoons...)
sac is very much a learners market if there was one. at 98 rock, there have been several interns who have had their first on air shot doing overnights on the weekends. these kids had no prior exp... and here is where they have learned.
as far as KWOD.... curtiss should spend more time focusing on the kwod talent, if he is such a good teacher, teach. KWOD jocks are horrid.

 

[punkdj]

The reason there's a lack of entertaining jocks is because there is no one to challenge the current fixtures to be better than they currently are. I wonder when the last time a Sacramento jock took a trip Morning Show Bootcamp or some other seminar to help them sharpen their skills. Sure attending a weekend in Vegas isn't going to magically change a personality, but at least it gives a fresh perspective on things.

Other than a handful of personalities, I hear the same schtick day in day out, since they're not challenged by the market they could care less.

I remember hearing Marcus Allen on the KSFM back in the day, thinking WOW that dude sounds like he's having fun! I don't remember the last time, outside the Morning Show, that I felt that way about a KSFM jock or The End at that matter.

its really hard to think outside the box when everything you do may be considered offensive to one ****** who will complain about it.
fcc fines are completely out of reach for anyone and no one wants to take risks. PD's wont let jocks take risks anymore because of this, we need to balme janet jackson and her purple pastey for ruining radio.

 

[djj]

...FCC fines arecompletely out of reach for anyone and no onewants to take risks.
P.D.s won't let jocks take risks anymore because of this.
We need to blame Janet Jackson and her purple pastey for ruining radio.

Blame one of the first true "shock-jocks," ex KSJO (San Jose) and
KITS (San Fran's "Live 105") DJ Perry Stone...

For the uninitiated:
http://93qfm.blogspot.com/2007/05/perry-stone.html

Or should we include (ex-KXOA DJ) Don Imus, predating Stone by many years?...
--jay

 

[calguy]

really i dont think there is any such thing as a "learning market" you start where you get your break. my start was in SF , and, ( the pay there is not much better than sac unless you are doing mornings or afternoons...)
sac is very much a learners market if there was one. at 98 rock, there have been several interns who have had their first on air shot doing overnights on the weekends. these kids had no prior exp... and here is where they have learned.
as far as KWOD.... curtiss should spend more time focusing on the kwod talent, if he is such a good teacher, teach. KWOD jocks are horrid.

There was a time when Sacramento was a stepping stone market. Yes, there were those who started here, but many jocks would come to Sacramento from smaller cities getting their start in Modesto or Stockton, or the twin cities to the north. Fresno was another city that people worked before coming to the Capitol. And from Sacramento people left for San Diego, or SF or LA and many cites to the north and east that were larger. But starting in the 80's things changed and many get their start in the majors. A lot of them suck, but that's how its done now. Plus with voice tracking there are even fewer opportunities.

 

[DJBigOne]

Glad to see I started a good discussion. I would agree that most talent in Sac is not good. I would also agree that no one is really challenged to do better. I guess most managers nowadays only care about the bottom line. Sac is a large market where I wouldn't think that newbies would start in. I worked in 3 smaller markets to start my full-time career, since I knew I would have to pay my dues...

Entercom is an operation that I respect. I interviewed with them once, and the experience was a good one. The management I met with were professional, and the staff I passed in the hall was friendly. I personally listen to KWOD mornings for Adam Carolla. Other than mornings, KWOD does nothing for me. I listen to Dogface on 98Rock. He has great stories and puts great spins on the latest wierd news. On the other hand, mornings on 98Rock is your typical morning zoo crap.

I also interviewed with another group for two separate jobs. The experience was not such a good one. What are they doing over there? I was oferred a part-time gig for near minimum wage. I was especially upset when I found out they paid others $5 more per hour. Am I that bad? Or are they just trying to get away with paying as little as possible? As is true for anything, you get what you pay for!

 

[studiofart]

I gotta say, one of teh few entertaining jocks in the market is the night guy at KHTK, Carmichael Dave is wacky, out there and surprisingly entertaining for a sports station.

reminds me of the old "seat of your pants" days where taking chances and "get forgiveness rather than permission" radio ruled the dial.

 

[DJBigOne]

KHTK? I will have to check him out!

A colleague of mine, Monty, used to do a night show on KHTK. He went to St. Louis to do mornings. The guy knows sports, and if nothing else IS entertaining...

Isn't that what radio is supposed to be?! Entertaining?!

I love Dogface on 98Rock's afternoons. The crap he comes up with makes me LMAO! That's why I listen to Carolla on KWOD, and internet radio from KLSX. I wish some station would have to balls to carry Tom Leykis. Talk about FUNNY! KLSX is a FM talk station in L.A.

I still don't believe there is much else that is exciting about Sactown radio...

 

[rickradio]

I gotta say, one of teh few entertaining jocks in the market is the night guy at KHTK, Carmichael Dave is wacky, out there and surprisingly entertaining for a sports station.

reminds me of the old "seat of your pants" days where taking chances and "get forgiveness rather than permission" radio ruled the dial.

Yeah, Steve, I'm with fart on this one: Carmichael Dave's a great guy; he's an acquaintance of mine...a swell dude off the air, and on. 9 to Midnight on 1140.