12 In a Row said:
Radio is an art and there are some VERY talented people on the air.
I'm amazed how some can "pull it off" and be compelling 5 or 6 days a week.
It's the ones who think they are really good because their family and friends told them so.
They take no direction and let their ego get in the way. And the broadcast schools are more than happy to take their money.
Good raw talent you can hear in a very short period of time.
The really bad ones you can pick up in mere seconds.
We need more Simon Cowell's in the world.
I do not think anybody can be a radio personality, BUT, I think most people, if they really bust there butts, can become good after time, and make a good career out of it. Art? naaaaaa...creativity and a great amount of intellegence ARE needed, but art?
Success is simply a matter of self perception, and learning to listen to yourself. If you can do that, then you can make a good career out of it.
I remember listening to an old aircheck I found from my very first station. When I made the aircheck, I thought I was god's gift to broadcasting. But after a few years of working at my craft, I listened to that old tape and realized I really did suck when I first started out (It was UGLY!).....self perception....
But I worked at my craft, and taped/skimmed every show, and instead of thinking how great I was, I started to
really listen and work to change/improve my style. Eventually I became good enough to start working in a top ten market. And even there the work to improve continued. My old boss, Bob Gaskins at WCZY-FM In Detroit gave all his air people a little book he had written on one-to-one communication, and it was invaluable to helping most of the staff, all veterans of years in the biz, to continue to improve. I even used it later to help train staff members when I started to program medium market stations. I have never yet seen an air personality who had simply natural talent, and did not also work his/her butt off on there craft.
The thing that makes the best performers great, is they CONTINUE to listen to there performances and try and improve. David Letterman and Jay leno both hold "debriefings" after there shows EVERY NIGHT....even after all these years. They KNOW they must continue to work at improving there craft, even after all these years of doing what seems to come natural.
If you simply do your show, and listen to those reletives telling you how great you are...you will never get anywhere in this business.
I do disagree on one thing though, not all "broadcastings schools" will just take your money and send you home with a worthless degree. MANY DO, but not all. I went to Spec's Howard in Southfield Michigan (back in the early 70's when they were pretty new) and remember that several people in my class were told after a short while that they just did not have "it", and were given refunds and sent home. I was impressed with that honesty.
Even so, out of a class of 25, only myself and one other person ended up in a major market and in it for the long haul....but at least they also let you know up front it was a tough road to follow.
