The unique sleep-cycle needs of morning hosts seldom cross the minds of sales-based GMs, or even their families.
As brutal as the hours can be, it's worse when you're on the air from 5:30 to 10am, then find you've been scheduled for a full plate of production, an 11am aircheck session, a 1pm staff meeting, a 3pm client visit for sales, and a 7pm appearance at a civic event.
Or, you get the rare chance to leave the station after 7 hours, only to be awakened at 1:30pm by the neighbor's lawn care crew, or at 3:30pm by the kids getting home from school.
After all that, they get lectured by consultants on how they need to bring more from their real lives to their radio shows. The lecture, of course, is scheduled for 4pm.
You know why successful long-term morning hosts sometimes come across as pricks? I believe it's because, in part, they get accustomed to constantly defending their needs against all the thoughtless demands of others. I've worked mornings with some people with prima donna reputations earned because they were tough on thoughtless "intruders," but highly appreciative of contributors who "got it."
I've always been a sort of utility infielder, and would go out of my way to reach out across departmental lines to help the overall effort. This is the kiss of death for physical well-being if you work mornings. You have to develop that crust on the outside to survive.
Physically, I found I could adapt well to overnights or mornings, but only when my work schedule home environment allowed me to get 8 consecutive hours of sleep. That was rare.
The one shift that kicked my butt, for some reason, was my first in a rated market - working 10pm to 6am at the old WEZO in Rochester. I did most of the dubbing/toning of carts for the automation, then shifted gears at 4am and wrote news for Jerry warner, and sometimes for WNYR across the hall. After a few months, I went gray around the temples...at age 22! The gray went away when I changed to a 4am-1pm shift, and is just now coming back at age 54. It's scary to think what I must have been doing to myself.
As brutal as the hours can be, it's worse when you're on the air from 5:30 to 10am, then find you've been scheduled for a full plate of production, an 11am aircheck session, a 1pm staff meeting, a 3pm client visit for sales, and a 7pm appearance at a civic event.
Or, you get the rare chance to leave the station after 7 hours, only to be awakened at 1:30pm by the neighbor's lawn care crew, or at 3:30pm by the kids getting home from school.
After all that, they get lectured by consultants on how they need to bring more from their real lives to their radio shows. The lecture, of course, is scheduled for 4pm.
You know why successful long-term morning hosts sometimes come across as pricks? I believe it's because, in part, they get accustomed to constantly defending their needs against all the thoughtless demands of others. I've worked mornings with some people with prima donna reputations earned because they were tough on thoughtless "intruders," but highly appreciative of contributors who "got it."
I've always been a sort of utility infielder, and would go out of my way to reach out across departmental lines to help the overall effort. This is the kiss of death for physical well-being if you work mornings. You have to develop that crust on the outside to survive.
Physically, I found I could adapt well to overnights or mornings, but only when my work schedule home environment allowed me to get 8 consecutive hours of sleep. That was rare.
The one shift that kicked my butt, for some reason, was my first in a rated market - working 10pm to 6am at the old WEZO in Rochester. I did most of the dubbing/toning of carts for the automation, then shifted gears at 4am and wrote news for Jerry warner, and sometimes for WNYR across the hall. After a few months, I went gray around the temples...at age 22! The gray went away when I changed to a 4am-1pm shift, and is just now coming back at age 54. It's scary to think what I must have been doing to myself.
Is that the PC version of Prize Pigs? ;D