Okay, those of you who work in radio.....

[captainrexk]

I know some of you who post here on a regular basis work for radio stations, and I want to hear from you. I don't want you to pick on your current employer, but I'd like to hear stories that just make the hair on your back just curl. I'll give you a couple of things to get started.....

The other day I was heading to work when the guard at the palacial broadcast plaza asks me, "...hey, how come your picture's not on the web site?" Well, WTF am I supposed to tell him? It's true, even PTers have their pic there. I was told the pics were taken with a cell phone no less! I work FT there, M-F and a weekend shift, get paid salary, and get just a 3, or is it 4, line mention on the web site. Oh, well, maybe there IS another station out there who DOES give their staff, all of their staff, respect.

This guard supposedly was in radio at one time, and he never hesitates to give me his opinions of our stations' peformances. He's always telling me "...yeah if I was there, your station would do much better than (Arb#)." Well, dude, you know where our boss' office is, bring up your resume and past Arb #s. He falls right into line with the old phrase "it's much easier to point the finger.....". I'd love to see him as a PD. I'd start a board in Vegas to see how long he lasts. He always loves to make fun of our stations when we see him, but I don't think he has the 'nads to actually try. If he's as radio as he says he is/was, he'd be applying for a radio job, not just playing "rent-a-cop" in an office building.

Also, if any of you are associated with the Pirates in any way, tell them they missed someone on their mailing list, ME! The other jocks get these sweet-looking shwag bags from the Buccos' marketing folks whenever promotion weekends come around. Everyone else got the stuff, but I however got passed over. I guess someone (or more) at our station doesn't consider what I do as vital as others. Well, the next time they want me to give the right traffic/weather info....well, don't be so sure!

It's about respect and loyalty. PTers get none from their stations, then there's my case. My solution is: keep the job search active. There probably IS someone out there who'll respect what I bring to the table. Until then, there'll always be stories about radio and how FUN it is! Have a good week everyone, and next week.....promises, promises will be the next topic.

 

[RadioEngnr]

try being a radio engineer

 

[Part-timer]

> try being a radio engineer
>

When I was at my last station a few years back, the GSM gave the sales staff a quiz about the station's programming. One of the questions was, "Who is on the air here on weekends?"

Only one salesperson got any answers right, correctly naming myself and another jock. But it wasn't that she listened to the station.... we all worked at another station previously and she knew us from over there....

Rodney Dangerfield was not alone...<P ID="signature">______________
"With God as my witness, I could have sworn turkeys could fly."</P>

 

[captainrexk]

> When I was at my last station a few years back, the GSM gave
> the sales staff a quiz about the station's programming. One
> of the questions was, "Who is on the air here on weekends?"
>
> Only one salesperson got any answers right, correctly naming
> myself and another jock. But it wasn't that she listened to
> the station.... we all worked at another station previously
> and she knew us from over there....
>
> Rodney Dangerfield was not alone...
>
LOL....nothing makes me look back more & laugh out loud than all of the Christmas parties....the PD invites me & the missus, and all of the sales people look at you like "....who the f*%k are you?" In some cases, when they were cleaning out their desks the Friday night they got canned, I was on the air! As Nelson from "The Simpsons" would say "HA, HA!"
But there was just 1 station I can honestly say that didn't happen.....but it wasn't around here. It's a station I hope to work for very soon & get the HELL out of here!

 

[Chowder]

Why don't you go cry to your mommy? When I got started in this business I got my first raise because it was the friggin' LAW.

What do you care if your picture is on some website that nobody sees? Have you ever gone to Alexa.com to see what kind of traffic your station's site gets? I bet it's not much. I'm guessing all you want is your friends to see you anyway. If you want your picture on a website so bad go design your own, it takes about an afternoon.

Maybe if your show was a little better people would notice you. There's more to TV and the internet than porn and other garbage--try doing a little prep.

If you enter this industry expecting money and respect, FORGET IT. Maybe 5% of everyone in this busines gets that, and almost always only after a long and treacherous career path. You need thick skin to tolerate working in radio, not a bag of pierogie bobbleheads they give to children at PNC Park.

How about you "promise, promise" to be a man and go earn your respect instead of anonymously whining to a bunch of strangers about how much you suck.

 

[captainrexk]

> Why don't you go cry to your mommy?
I'll do better than that...I've got contacts in this business. I won't cry, but I'm sure they know something about the job market insomuch that I can change what I don't like.

> What do you care if your picture is on some website that
> nobody sees? I'm guessing all you want is your friends to see you
> anyway. If you want your picture on a website so bad go
> design your own, it takes about an afternoon.
It's about a couple of things called RESPECT & LOYALTY! It seems that someone there doesn't have as much of that for me than I do for them. So hence the never-ending job search. We're all looking for the BBD, the Bigger Better Deal.

>
> Maybe if your show was a little better people would notice
> you. There's more to TV and the internet than porn and
> other garbage--try doing a little prep.
I prep more for a 6 hr. weekend shift than some people do for a full week of morning shows. When I have a chance to talk, it could be sports (not just the Pirates, Stillers, etc.), what's going on this weekend, news on the artists that we play, and the never-ending array of dumbass criminals. Come on over to the estates some time and see just how much music show prep I DO have!

> If you enter this industry expecting money and respect, FORGET IT.
I'm also looking to page out into other aspects of this business, of which I won't get into now. REAL radio people may get an idea of what I'm talking about. For respect, there ARE decent people out there who make good employers.

> You need thick skin to tolerate working in radio, not a bag of pierogie bobbleheads they give to children at PNC Park.
ROTFLMAO! Chowder, no matter how much a radio person denies it to your face, they'll go after freebies faster than racoons after fresh garbage on the curbside. They'll hide their Bucco shwag, and even try to steal someone else's if they can get away with it. Radio people and "freebies" go hand in hand, like a PB&J. It's because we can't get stuff from promotions that we hound freebies. I swear some radio people think stuff like free shwag is an entitlement, not a perk!

> How about you "promise, promise" to be a man and go earn
> your respect instead of anonymously whining to a bunch of
> strangers about how much you suck.
I have earned respect, numbers from my last job prove it, and I still have them to show people. Now, before ass-uming something, here's why I left that job. I was offered FT salaried work where I'm at now. I told my previous PD of the job offer, and he did nothing to match the offer. It wasn't about my work, it just that particular PD never realized some values in me that others do. So, why stay there?

I'd love to write more, but I have to get ready to go to work at my RADIO job. By the way, where's YOUR job at? Hmmmmmmm, you never made a mention about that security guard I wrote of. Could it be?

 

[Radio_Realist]

> I'd love to write more, but I have to get ready to go to
> work at my RADIO job. By the way, where's YOUR job at?
> Hmmmmmmm, you never made a mention about that security guard
> I wrote of. Could it be?

It really doesn't matter what industry you work in. If you expect an American employer IN ANY INDUSTRY to actually care about his employees, if you expect an American employer IN ANY INDUSTRY to regard his workers as a valuable asset to be respected and treated with dignity and loyalty, then you expect something that is as rare as polkas on a CHR format station.

 

[MadAirchecker]

>
> The other day I was heading to work when the guard at the
> palacial broadcast plaza asks me, "...hey, how come your
> picture's not on the web site?" Well, WTF am I supposed to
> tell him? It's true, even PTers have their pic there. I
> was told the pics were taken with a cell phone no less! I
> work FT there, M-F and a weekend shift, get paid salary, and
> get just a 3, or is it 4, line mention on the web site.

So why don't you ask the PD or the GM or someone who has responsibility for the site? Most station websites seem to have afterthought status, so maybe they just overlooked you and haven't given the site much thought since the last overhaul.
>
> This guard supposedly was in radio at one time, and he never
> hesitates to give me his opinions of our stations'
> peformances. He's always telling me "...yeah if I was
> there, your station would do much better than (Arb#)."
> Well, dude, you know where our boss' office is, bring up
> your resume and past Arb #s. He falls right into line with
> the old phrase "it's much easier to point the finger.....".
> I'd love to see him as a PD. I'd start a board in Vegas to
> see how long he lasts. He always loves to make fun of our
> stations when we see him, but I don't think he has the 'nads
> to actually try. If he's as radio as he says he is/was,
> he'd be applying for a radio job, not just playing
> "rent-a-cop" in an office building.

That's the way of the world. Haven't you met the millions of people who could coach the Steelers better than Cowher? Laugh it off. It isn't worth getting worked up over.
>
> Also, if any of you are associated with the Pirates in any
> way, tell them they missed someone on their mailing list,
> ME! The other jocks get these sweet-looking shwag bags from
> the Buccos' marketing folks whenever promotion weekends come
> around. Everyone else got the stuff, but I however got
> passed over. I guess someone (or more) at our station
> doesn't consider what I do as vital as others. Well, the
> next time they want me to give the right traffic/weather
> info....well, don't be so sure!

I don't know, what do you do? The Pirates send the stuff because they think there's some value in having the jocks talk about it on the air.
>
> It's about respect and loyalty. PTers get none from their
> stations, then there's my case. My solution is: keep the
> job search active. There probably IS someone out there
> who'll respect what I bring to the table. Until then,
> there'll always be stories about radio and how FUN it is!
> Have a good week everyone, and next week.....promises,
> promises will be the next topic.

Most stations are in the hands of sales people who don't understand the creative side of the business. You can do a tremendous bit on the air and they won't care; they're more interested in the salesperson who made a cold call and came away with a signed contract. Unless you're at a Stern level and are so obviously the cash-printing franchise, that's the way they look at it. There's a disconnect on management's part because they don't realize that what makes the whole thing work is what comes out of the speakers. That's the ONLY thing the listeners know. Listeners equal ratings, ratings equals revenue. Yet most GMs think they run an ad sales company and those funny-looking kids who push the buttons are a necessary evil. That's only become more acute with cluster ownership and cold bottom line considerations.

 

[Keith_Lake]

> try being a radio engineer
>


...or a TV master control operator, where old DJ's go to die.


KL

<a href="http://home.nc.rr.com/gttyson/lastradio.html">The Last Radio Station<a>

 

[revman]

> I know some of you who post here on a regular basis work for
> radio stations, and I want to hear from you. I don't want
> you to pick on your current employer, but I'd like to hear
> stories that just make the hair on your back just curl.
> I'll give you a couple of things to get started.....
>
> The other day I was heading to work when the guard at the
> palacial broadcast plaza asks me, "...hey, how come your
> picture's not on the web site?" Well, WTF am I supposed to
> tell him? It's true, even PTers have their pic there. I
> was told the pics were taken with a cell phone no less! I
> work FT there, M-F and a weekend shift, get paid salary, and
> get just a 3, or is it 4, line mention on the web site. Oh,
> well, maybe there IS another station out there who DOES give
> their staff, all of their staff, respect.
>
> This guard supposedly was in radio at one time, and he never
> hesitates to give me his opinions of our stations'
> peformances. He's always telling me "...yeah if I was
> there, your station would do much better than (Arb#)."

damn

> Well, dude, you know where our boss' office is, bring up
> your resume and past Arb #s. He falls right into line with
> the old phrase "it's much easier to point the finger.....".
> I'd love to see him as a PD. I'd start a board in Vegas to
> see how long he lasts. He always loves to make fun of our
> stations when we see him, but I don't think he has the 'nads
> to actually try. If he's as radio as he says he is/was,
> he'd be applying for a radio job, not just playing
> "rent-a-cop" in an office building.
>
> Also, if any of you are associated with the Pirates in any
> way, tell them they missed someone on their mailing list,
> ME! The other jocks get these sweet-looking shwag bags from
> the Buccos' marketing folks whenever promotion weekends come
> around. Everyone else got the stuff, but I however got
> passed over. I guess someone (or more) at our station
> doesn't consider what I do as vital as others. Well, the
> next time they want me to give the right traffic/weather
> info....well, don't be so sure!
>
> It's about respect and loyalty. PTers get none from their
> stations, then there's my case. My solution is: keep the
> job search active. There probably IS someone out there
> who'll respect what I bring to the table. Until then,
> there'll always be stories about radio and how FUN it is!
> Have a good week everyone, and next week.....promises,
> promises will be the next topic.
>