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Suggestions for a guy trying to catch a break on-air?

T

The_Dude

In 2010, I was hired as a board op for Cumulus Albany. Soon after my hire, my boss disappeared for the cool shade of Montana. The man left in charge had no idea what to do with me. He threw me a few bones in production, working barter. When a new PD popped up at our rock station, he was quick to take me under his wing, even letting me on-air to work a remote with him.

I knew I was home. Radio was where I wanted to be. The other PD, now interim manager, told me it wasn't so. He warned me against trying to move up anywhere in this business. I took his advice in mind, but not in heart, and continued to work with my rock PD. He taught me the basics of on-air work - info breaks, quick breaks, how to make an aircheck, even to go so far as to begin teaching me the system Cumulus uses to schedule music. I was almost there until April of 2011, when the interim manager called me in and fired me. He did not specify a reason, and when I later requested my separation notice, they claimed that I was laid off. I was an employee with a spotless record - I was only ever late once, I took all the work they gave me and begged for more(there were times I was in-studio for up to twelve hours at a time, and I never once complained).

I guess this has opened up from just a simple request to more of an introduction. I've had radio greats, three of them in particular(Lou Christian, John Kelly, Jaxon Riley) mentor me and mold me into what I believe would make a great personality that knows how to talk TO the listener and engage them.

I want to move forward in this industry. It's been a year, and I've looked, and I can find little, especially near here. What would you suggest to a new guy like me?
 
Since it sounds like you're used to working for cheap, offer your services on the various websites for "outsourcing" your commercials or voicetracking to you. Get a cheapish mixer and mic (you can find both pieces online for about $150 total).

After I got the boot from a South Georgia station, that's what I did until greener (and better pay and education came to me. VTd a rated station in FL for several years!

This will allow you to actually make a living outside of radio. Unless you can move where the job sends you, consider radio a hobby, not a gig.

Radio-X
 
I had a PD tell me once that what I lacked in experience and polish, I more than made up for by being the one guy on the staff he could depend on to show up no matter when he needed me. Sounds like you're willing to work. That is a definite plus since beginners can't be too choosy much of the time. Good luck!
 
Sad but true strories we've all been exposed to. Welcome to the real world!!! Your manager was telling you the truth in that radio ain't and will never been a career choice to make money. It's very unstable. I will tell you a quick story, Cumulus moved me from Savannah to run their country station in Albany, then told me that if I wanted a future with the company I had to move...they moved me to their Grand Junction CO cluster as PD of the country station. I was told to stay there a couple years and they would move me back East and plug me into one of their stations.....well, after my 2 year country ran out they opted not to renew due to budgetary issues.. Good Luck.
 
I don't want to be in radio for the money. It's not money I want, it's the excitement I get from getting on the equipment and getting on-air.
 
The_Dude said:
I don't want to be in radio for the money. It's not money I want, it's the excitement I get from getting on the equipment and getting on-air.
Click to expand...

That's what I said in 1974. The last time I cracked a live mic was 1992. I switched over the tech side of TV. But now in the digital age all the equipment has been replaced with hard drives. I sit in front of a computer monitor for my 12 hour shift now.

Marry money so you can play radio. Harsh advice, I know, but the "performance" side of radio can only considered a hobby now. Commercial voice-overs would be worth looking into, but not for your day job. But it sounds like you're eager and a hard worker and those qualities are hard to find in today's youth.

I wish you the best of luck, really.
 
I'll jump in, as I've hired seven entry-level people at my stations in the last three years (all graduates of my school - shameless plug.) But if you dont want to do that, I've got to point out that the people who are "safe" in radio are not the jocks. It's the operations people. Do you understand your station's automation software? Do you understand your traffic/logging system? Could you change out a sound card if you had to? Do you have a basic understanding of relays and switchers? You'd be saving the owner $100/hour not having to have the CE come by.

How about sales? Could you make a small sale if you had to?

If you can do these things, you can find work. The "fun" stuff i.e. live on-air, football pxp, remotes will come with it. Because, again, the owner will want to make you happy, since you are his right hand.

As for jocks in nonrated markets, I'll tell the old Ted Turner story when one of his CNN anchors was holding out for more money. He looked at her and said, "You see that tree out the window? Whenever I need new talent, I go out there and shake it."
 
Thanks. You just cemented my decision to say I'm done with "live" on air, which I already decided earlier tonight. Good luck programming the two other "live" daily newscasts M-F, plus 6 hours of "live" programming on Sunday, plus all the Sports Teams that needs to be scheduled, etc. Good luck hiring an RDS Phantom "Wizard", I'm done. You pissed me off for the last time on Friday when you brought in a client to record an ad that doesn't start for another week right in the middle of my most busy day (programming weekend, backup,etc) and expected me to drop everything I was doing to accommodate you because you needed my help because you never have taken the time to learn how to do your job. If you knew how to do your job, (after repeated offers of help to teach you how), You could have recorded your client on the non critical offline production computer to be dubbed into the critical online computer at a later time. But, you don't know how to do that, do you? So, I had to go beg another employee to drop everything to help you, so I could complete my tasks which had a definite deadline less than one hour away and were not completed, just because you don't know how to do your job. I'm the only moron who knows how do everything here, including your job when you're on vacation. If I had a flat tire, called in sick, could you cover for me? Nope.

/end rant. Fark it. I'm done.
 
CompleteGame said:
I'll jump in, as I've hired seven entry-level people at my stations in the last three years (all graduates of my school - shameless plug.) But if you dont want to do that, I've got to point out that the people who are "safe" in radio are not the jocks. It's the operations people. Do you understand your station's automation software? Do you understand your traffic/logging system? Could you change out a sound card if you had to? Do you have a basic understanding of relays and switchers? You'd be saving the owner $100/hour not having to have the CE come by.

How about sales? Could you make a small sale if you had to?

If you can do these things, you can find work. The "fun" stuff i.e. live on-air, football pxp, remotes will come with it. Because, again, the owner will want to make you happy, since you are his right hand.

As for jocks in nonrated markets, I'll tell the old Ted Turner story when one of his CNN anchors was holding out for more money. He looked at her and said, "You see that tree out the window? Whenever I need new talent, I go out there and shake it."
Click to expand...

I essentially did all those things previously, short of sales. Sales...could I sell a station? I believe so. But here in Albany, I could do these things and still be ignored. To be on-air here, you have to either do a certain PM's bidding(as if he were The Emperor from Star Wars), or be a different race. I think my only option now is to cut my own airchecks and start looking outside this area.

production said:
Thanks. You just cemented my decision to say I'm done with "live" on air, which I already decided earlier tonight. Good luck programming the two other "live" daily newscasts M-F, plus 6 hours of "live" programming on Sunday, plus all the Sports Teams that needs to be scheduled, etc. Good luck hiring an RDS Phantom "Wizard", I'm done. You pissed me off for the last time on Friday when you brought in a client to record an ad that doesn't start for another week right in the middle of my most busy day (programming weekend, backup,etc) and expected me to drop everything I was doing to accommodate you because you needed my help because you never have taken the time to learn how to do your job. If you knew how to do your job, (after repeated offers of help to teach you how), You could have recorded your client on the non critical offline production computer to be dubbed into the critical online computer at a later time. But, you don't know how to do that, do you? So, I had to go beg another employee to drop everything to help you, so I could complete my tasks which had a definite deadline less than one hour away and were not completed, just because you don't know how to do your job. I'm the only moron who knows how do everything here, including your job when you're on vacation. If I had a flat tire, called in sick, could you cover for me? Nope.

/end rant. Fark it. I'm done.
Click to expand...

I understand where you're coming from.
 
I think Production just about summed it up............
Friday afternoon, all syndicated programming, two tape machines (Ampex VR-1200 VTR's), program is cued up on one machine, six commercials are cued up on takeup reels stacked on the counter. Finish the break, snatch the commercial off VTR-1, while the first minute of programming plays on VTR-2, load the next spot on VTR-1, and recue the program on 2, then snatch it off the machine and replace it with the next spot. Snatch the last spot off the machine, throw the next spot on,.........................

When they have all played, rewind them, try to get them in the correct boxes and back on the shelf, and cue up the next few spots.

Sales geek comes in and wants to watch a spot he just got in. Tell him he'll have to wait a few minutes, so he storms up to the Station Manager's office, to tell him the tech guys are being "uncooperative", and "wasting (his) time".

We've all been there.
 
I worked for Cumulus in Albany from 2003-2005 with some of the best people..then it all got to be about money instead of having fun..all the local day parts was replaced with satellite fed automation. I knew back then there was no future. The average Jock stays in a market for only 3 years max before they move on unless you are in a top notch market. Ive seen that place go from on top to clear to the bottom of the barrel. I ended up quitting because i knew my days were numbered as well due to all the cuts that were being discussed. Cumulus should just sell that cluster to someone who really cares about radio.
 
Back in 1990 I was working in radio and TV, as a DJ and master control operator. I left radio in 1992. I miss the creativity part of doing a live show but management and consultants believe the listener doesn't want creative DJs anymore. My job in TV is like radio except I play TV shows instead of records. Well, now I pre-program and baby-sit the automation. I turn to hobbies for my creative outlet.

Some of the "secure" jobs in broadcasting deal with technology. All of our programming is on a hard drive - no tape. Many pieces of equipment are accessed through a web-page interface - no front panel controls! My work station has a KVM switch to deal with the multiple computers I use to do my job. Except for tuning a few satellite receivers for "real time" feeds and my lunch break, I could do my entire 12 hour shift without leaving my chair.

Horror story of the day: This morning an editor comes to the control room and wants to see a morning news/traffic report promo that mentions a sponsor who cancelled two months ago. It was seen recently (the editor couldn't be any more specific). The editor didn't have a media ID number. I searched all through the date base and played every promo labeled news/morning show/traffic report I could find. The editor said he was the sixth person in a chain of requests to find the promo. The promo was seen sometime in the last month. Nobody knew what day or time it aired so we could check logs. The last four people in the chain don't know who saw the promo. Later today I was told it might have been seen on our website in the last two or three weeks. I told the editor that master control doesn't keep the website inventory. 20 minutes down the drain! I was told that the original vague request came from the GM. That's why they pay him the big bucks.
 
younglee981 said:
I worked for Cumulus in Albany from 2003-2005 with some of the best people..then it all got to be about money instead of having fun..all the local day parts was replaced with satellite fed automation. I knew back then there was no future. The average Jock stays in a market for only 3 years max before they move on unless you are in a top notch market. Ive seen that place go from on top to clear to the bottom of the barrel. I ended up quitting because i knew my days were numbered as well due to all the cuts that were being discussed. Cumulus should just sell that cluster to someone who really cares about radio.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. If there were another perhaps small-time owner that could take over that cluster, I'm sure things could turn around. Just like you said - someone who really cares about radio.

Funny thing - I actually went back for an interview recently at Cumulus. It was for a production job, three days a week, 15 hours a week. I honestly think the PM that gave me the interview(the same guy that "fired/laid me off") just did so so he could say he gave me a chance. He did his best, again, to dissuade me from it. All I intended to do was to use the experience to build an aircheck file to use for my resume`. I have a week to wait, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
It has never been about the money to me - I just want to get back in that house, in those studios that I spent so much time in before, to run the equipment again. The PM's jaded sense of radio, along with his attitude toward me, tells me that I won't get the job. I respect his time in the business, but he's let the business run him down. I'm not going to let that happen to me like I've seen it happen to others. If I don't get this job, no big deal in my book - I'll cut my own audio and start using it to find a job outside of Albany.
 
I suggest asking your closest friends to lock you in a closet until you get over it. "Money" is important, and you'll want more of it as you get older. Radio has become a miserable place to be, it does not pay well, and advancement means taking on more duties than one should have while seeing little increase n pay (Cut a $40,000 salary and pay you $1000 to cover the duties if you're lucky). Sure, there are exceptions to the rule. However, radio today has become homogenized, run by corporate brand managers, and lacks the excitement it once had. I'm not bitter-I'm just being honest. I was one of those that jumped out after nearly 20 years in the industry. I found out the grass is greener on the other side.
 
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