I'll speak as somebody who's been out, done a few different things and is now back in, albeit temporarily, working at one of America's better NPR affiliates in Buffalo. In other words, "I'm not long term because things are about to change." Heh... as if that sensation never occurred to me in the many years of working commercial radio.
I'd like to address some of the issues and observations made in this thread. First, dress code and appearances: I've worked at clusters having news stations and CHR stations, Active Rock, Classic Rock and Oldies stations. In all my years, not one person resembled the previously described "55 year old sporting five days stubble." For the most part, it was khakis and blue collar shirts. Often much better. Maybe clean, untorn jeans and a hoody on a dress down Friday. Long hair and beards? That went out, in what? 1985? I've known most of the people who worked at other clusters in Buffalo. Genuinely good and decent people. Irony of ironies, the two guys who actually do sport facial hair and could be in the 55+ demo are legacies at the competing Hot AC stations.
Experiences? I worked my way up through the minors and I am damn lucky. I'll be the first to admit that much of the modest success I enjoyed came from grunting it out, knowing people and proving I was capable of doing the job when given the opportunity. In the small markets, I worked with guys who were mostly on their way up and a few who had hit some rough water. All of them made an impression on me, mostly good. And as has been noted by a few people here, you could also learn something from observing the guys who squandered talent, money, good health and opportunity. Like many people my age, I'm a child of Depression Era parents. Waste not, want not is more than a slogan. A well known Buffalo morning man, when being chided for his frugality, is known to have said, "I'm not cheap, I'm practical." Touche!
Internships and education? I ran successful internship programs at two different radio stations in my career and occasionally lectured at a few colleges. I also taught at a local radio school, which to be truthful, was less than pure. Despite that, all of my classes were by the book and above board. After about 12 months, I left. But I taught some very good students there and was proud of their accomplishments in the business. One posts on this board, another is a news legacy in Buffalo.
Two students that participated in the internship programs I oversaw are working in large or major markets. Internship programs changed drastically in the 90s. And even in the mid 1980s, the stations I worked for required interns to be in a credit bearing course and my verification, observation and grading of their work was required by the college and my employer. (One of those interns, now in a large medium market, came to me in a huff after I gave him a 'B' as a final grade. He thought he deserved an "A." I responded: "I don't give 'A's'. To do so would be dishonest. Consider a 'B' the highest attainable grade in my class. This station has very high standards." Three years later, after he broke into the large medium market, he wrote to thank me for the 'B'.) These days, a lot of radio stations simply do not offer internships because of insurance restrictions, academic compliance requirements or company policies.
Teaching in college? At my last commercial job, I worked with two full time college teachers. And man, do they work hard! A person may get an adjunct teaching position at a SUNY college, but unless he/she has a Bachelor degree, all those years of experience mean little. Masters mandatory for any kind of professorial track. Community college (BTW, I haven't heard or read the term "junior college," even for athletes who used to say "JuCo" when they needed to get their grades up, since around 1979. But I digress.)
Nobody just shows up at the Dean's office and says, "I worked in radio news for twenty years, I wanna teach. Assign me a few classes." Teaching is a demanding profession. Teaching isn't a day at the beach. It's damn hard work with as much time spent prepping lessons as teaching them. Lots of people think they can teach... until they're standing in front of a classroom of twenty to one hundred students. I would not want to teach today.
At the community college level, a Bachelors degree is required in NY state. In many cases, especially when community colleges are going through Mid State Colleges certification, people without a degree need not apply. Competition for openings is intense. Ever tried to get a real professorship? Yes, there are positions for "life-experienced professionals" but openings for those positions are rare and the competition is fierce.
Hanging out your shingle? Sure, why not. Every underemployed-unemployed jock, production guy can be a voice actor, production meister, podcaster or talent coach/consultant. (Ahem. Got the t-shirt and wore it for a while.) Give it your best shot. But understand that, especially in the last five years, the number of unemployed/underemployed jocks has increased exponentially and just about everybody has a production studio in a closet, spare bedroom, basement or attic. Give it a go. Lightning can strike in the same place more than once. Just keep Dirty Harry Callahan's words in mind, "A man's gotta know his limitations."
A very good friend of mine who does national voiceovers (Buffalo posters know who he is) says the competition for voice-overs is ridiculous because every Donna, Dick and Terry who has a computer and thinks he/she is a national VO artist. There's a circle of voiceover people who get work, and a vast number who don't get called. Another friend tells me there's a guy in a major southern market who undercuts local and national talent, doing VO spots for 30 dollars a holler. (BTW, nobody we know on this board.)
What did we read today in Taylor On Radio? Cumulus signed a deal with an imaging company to handle all of Cumulus' imaging. No doubt that will affect the sound of some radio stations we're familiar with here in Buffalo and the imaging guys who (soon to be "used to") provide their imaging.
Many of us have had different experiences in the business of radio as well as life. The serene people don't insist that "the way they experienced life is the way it is" for everybody. One more thing as I conclude this screed, a wonderful scene from Cheers, wherein Norm says, "It's a dog-eat-dog world out there... and I'm wearin' Milk bone underwear." Now that's great writing and acting. It still makes me laugh.
) it is becoming clear that the problems aren't rooted in the people, but in "Management" & "Business Models". We can argue day & night about the issues on this thread...but until you "own your own frequency"...someone else is calling the shots.