Paleeeeze, both you guys. If I didn't stand by my comments on here, I sure the hell wouldn't put my name next to them. I really don't care about anything to do with CBS or the people running it; same for Metro and a few others. When I see my friends falling victim to this new way of running radio, sure, I'm going to speak out. If you don't choose to do the same, and sit back and let the ax fall, with the only feeling in your heart being "Whew, I'm glad it wasn't me," then you don't see the situation very globally...and you should also make sure your "friends" know how you really feel. Self preservation is fine, protecting your "good name" is fine, whatever. It's your own choice what you do and say, and I just happen to not agree with playing scared.
When "this thing we call radio" is over soon, do you really think that guys like Purdy and whas-sis are on their way UP? My only chance to cross paths again might be in five years when I accidentally apply at one of the 7-11's one of them is running. Do you really think Purdy's flip-flopping of corporate allegiance (CBS, then Clear Channel, then back to CBS, IIRC) is going to earn him a network job? Does the DFW cluster REALLY have any true winners to flaunt to corporate?
For anyone desiring upward mobility, THAT'S the situation where one can safely say that "radio is dead." Steve, I won't completely rip into you here, but when's the last time you moved up? You had to go into ownership and consulting to "make your own break" (and I admire that.) ABCRN sure didn't hand you any favors, despite a stellar resume AND a well-remembered presence here in DFW. Ben? I assume yours is still a PT gig at KVIL...and I'd also assume that there's been no indication of any reason to think that it would ever be any more than that. And that's not a knock at you or Steve...it's reality. And it's no indicator of your abilities or talent.
And on the same page, even though I still hit the radio station websites in my job search, I know that whatever I might find, it'll be a step down, it'll be more work for less money, and there won't be an ounce of stability. I'll never forget working at CBS 7 years ago and seeing firsthand how everyone in the building was trying to fade into the wallpaper and not be noticed. Dave Siebert would walk down the hall and no one would acknowledge him...they'd just kind of cow down and rub against the farthest wall while walking, just to keep maximum distance. And I got the strangest looks from others when I'd engage Siebert in a conversation.
I don't work that way. If that's what the industry's degraded into, F-it.
BenB said:
If they truly had ventured onward, they wouldn't still be here proving they still haven't moved on.
What's this jab about? I still have a radio show, and I still do it for free, for my own personal enjoyment and fulfillment, etc, seldom complaining about it, and basically just taking advantage of these last few years of terrestrial radio's existence to do something I've always wanted to do. And yes, I'll stay on this board until it dries up and I'll keep using my stupid little "viewpoint" to tell it like it is or how I see it, and if that means calling out evildoers and do-nothings and self-preservationist managers and others who are forcing radio more quickly into oblivion, so be it. I'll suffer the "consequences" while I'm off working in some other industry that actually has a future and appreciates hard work and rewards commeasurately.
There's really a simple credo that I tell any idiot that's even thinking of considering broadcasting as a career these days: Do it as a HOBBY. Do it PART-TIME. Don't bank your future on it. And, like I learned 6 months ago, don't ever think you're insulated or not expendable. There's been a LOT of great talent, certainly WAY more talented and seasoned than I'll ever be in radio, who's been unmercifully cut in the last few months and years...and I'm sure they're soured now as well on the industry they gave their lives to. I feel some level of obligation to speak out on their behalf.
