The Unemployed

[TheBigA]

If you are Stern or Imus you can pull it off. Limbaugh can do it and his door is in his own house in Palm Beach anyway.

Keep in mind they're not traditional employees who work for an hourly salary with benefits. They are contractors who aren't subject to employee work rules, but rather pay other employees, and also handle their own insurance. So no one is keeping track of their hours worked.

 

[aaronread]

I think that is part of the problem. Most people who get into radio want to work on air and that is it.

Maybe that's the secret: I never really wanted to be on-air talent, and for the most part I haven't been. Oh I did my own (terrible) show in college, and I've filled in as talent here and there over the years. But being on the mic is, at most, just another part of the job for me.

Does anyone really do 4 and the door? I would love to only work 4 hours a day and get full time pay and benefits!

In my college radio work, I've noticed this is a good benchmark of how "serious" a given student is about being in radio. Most of them don't realize that to sound good/professional, there's at least a 1:1 or even 2:1 ratio of prep work to show time. (i.e. one hour of show means one to two hours of prep) The ones that hear that and take it to heart are the good ones that might not go into broadcasting for a career but they at least have the option to try for it upon graduation. The rest just kinda play in the sandbox for a semester or three, get bored, and go do something else.

 

[TheBigA]

In my college radio work, I've noticed this is a good benchmark of how "serious" a given student is about being in radio. Most of them don't realize that to sound good/professional, there's at least a 1:1 or even 2:1 ratio of prep work to show time.

Malcolm Gladwell writes about this in his book The Outliers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_(book)

The quality of one's work is determined by the amount of time one puts in. Not the time one gets paid for. But the rehearsal time. The time spent BEFORE you get paid. Ten thousand hours. He talks about The Beatles playing in Hamburg, and how that time in a small club got them ready for the fame they ultimately achieved. How many people are willing to put in 10,000 hours on a job they don't get paid for, with the intent of perfecting their craft? The answer is a lot of internet broadcasters, LPFM owners, college students, and even some public radio volunteers. Lots of people doing radio work every day for no money, building up that 10,000 hours, with the hope of it someday paying off. I read a lot of people complaining that there's no place for new radio people to learn their craft because the overnight shifts have been replaced by VT or syndication. That's just an excuse. If someone REALLY wants to learn radio, they should do it for no money. Get used to doing work for the love of it rather than the compensation. That's what you need to survive in broadcasting today.

 

[BoredModerator]

I posted a while back about Charles being VT'd. Saw him pulling out of Oxford @ 6pm yet he was on the air until 7.

 

[Skynet74]

If someone REALLY wants to learn radio, they should do it for no money. Get used to doing work for the love of it rather than the compensation. That's what you need to survive in broadcasting today.

That's just great. People can just start paying their rent with notebook paper and survive on a steady diet of gumballs. It's a great fantasy, but not very realistic now... is it?

 

[TheBigA]

That's just great. People can just start paying their rent with notebook paper and survive on a steady diet of gumballs. It's a great fantasy, but not very realistic now... is it?

Sure it is. I did retail sales while doing overnight radio for minimum wage. Paid my rent with the sales job. Radio money barely covered my bar tab. And this was a while ago. When you are in a field where there are hundreds of applicants for every opening, you need a plan B. That's what I tell college kids in broadcasting, music business, and theater. They're all in the same boat. Aaron's point, and I agree, is this is a field for people who do it because they want to, and HAVE to, not for money. What he does with his students is he measures their passion. And yes, you can't pay your rent with passion. But some things you do for love, and others you do for money. What I learned was there are a lot of hours in a day, and there's no law that says you can only do one thing. And if you put your heart in something long enough, you may get lucky. I'm one of the people who got lucky.

 

[Skynet74]

I see a lot of this sort of thing on Craigslist. People expecting others to work for no money. They'll hire you, give you credit in a movie and a free copy of the DVD. How generous. But in the meantime the producer is making all kinds of money from movie sales while the suckers all get to work for free. That's a pretty good deal for one person.

I don't care how much of a passion you have for the business. Radio, TV, Film, whatever. If other people are making money with your help, you should be getting a piece of the action. Free help is called interning. People do that in college for experience and class credit. That's fine. Any work you do after that should be appreciated enough where they actually pay you. This is a business. Not playtime. Nobody can survive on free. Passion without pay isn't going to last long. Work for nothing long enough and see how long you stay motivated. Your passion is going to die out real quick.

I guess you and I are just going to disagree on this one. That's ok. I don't have a problem with that. I just believe that everyone is entitled to their fair share. Show appreciation for your employees and reward them for their efforts. Don't be the type who tells them they are lucky to even have a job in the business. That's just a sneaky way of getting out of paying employees and trying to take advantage of them. That brings me back to the craigslist mentality. That place is full of scammers. Don't be like them.

 

[TheBigA]

I just believe that everyone is entitled to their fair share.

Believe what you want to believe, but no one's "entitled" to anything.

 

[Skynet74]

Believe what you want to believe, but no one's "entitled" to anything.

If they are working their ass off for you... Yes they are entitled to something. Only a cheap bastard would think otherwise.

 

[Speaker of Truth]

That's IF talk show hosts are motivated to do their own show prep..if they are not, they're bugging the news people to make calls and explain things to them...happens all the time..

If you're going to steer somebody into radio, look at production/IT..cause that's going to pretty much what there is pretty soon..

 

[soundboard]

Believe what you want to believe, but no one's "entitled" to anything.

If they are working their ass off for you... Yes they are entitled to something. Only a cheap bastard would think that.


Sky....sound like the kind of person that would steal your notebook with all your programming concepts anyway. Yes, I've worked with the likes of them as well. Got an answer for everything.

 

[Skynet74]

I agree. This guy thinks it's ok to not pay people for an honest days work. I guarantee you that he would change his tune quick if he was the one not getting paid.

 

[TheBigA]

I guarantee you that he would change his tune quick if he was the one not getting paid.

I always get paid. But I'm not the one looking for work.

Supply & demand, folks. That's Econ 101.

 

[Skynet74]

I knew it. It's always easy for people getting paid to tell others to go work for free. That's some logic. I think I'm done talking to "The Big A." I think I know what the "A" stands for.

 

[TheBigA]

I knew it. It's always easy for people getting paid to tell others to go work for free.

It's also easy to get a job in another field. My point is if you want to work in radio for money, that's the wrong motivation. It never was mine, but fortunately, it's never been a problem for me either.

 

[EricaKay]

"A"---it's not EASY to get a job in another field. When your education is a 4 year degree specifically for radio and times are tough, one can contemplate seeking a different field but most of the time that requires another degree or some kind of schooling that most people that were in radio cannot afford. YOU may have been lucky finding another career but not everyone has the resources to do that. Plus if you have been in radio for years that new career most likely demands work experience in that field. For instance, if I wanted to enter the medical field, candidates that have schooling and experience in that field. It's difficult to jump into a new career when you're at an entry level worker and most employers do not want to train. The require past training. Just like in radio when people say "3-5 years experience onair". Consider yourself one of the lucky ones

 

[TheBigA]

"A"---it's not EASY to get a job in another field.

I got started in radio as a teenager. I discovered very early that if all I could do is on-air, my life was at the whim of others. I worked alongside a lot of older people, who were seeing their careers end doing the same work I was doing as a high school kid. I learned many other aspects of radio and broadcasting in general, some of which required additional college degrees. I never left the business to pursue those additional degrees. My day jobs financed my additional education. And I've never been out of work. I always suggest to people, especially those in college seeking work in this field, to invest in themselves. That means to continue going to college after graduation, because the broadcasting business will change. People who were trained using razor blades, splicing tape, and turntables have seen their jobs change in the last 20 years. Broadcast finance and law are two areas where radio people will always find great paying work. Another is engineering and IT. But my view is on-air work is best left to people under the age of 40. By the time you reach middle age, you should have developed enough contacts and experience to broaden your work beyond sitting at a console all day.

We hear a lot today about the "job creators," but that isn't their main function. Their main function is to build a business that services customers. The "job creator" aspect is something they do as part of servicing customers. The goal is to keep costs down, so the cost to the consumer stays low. That is the primary concern of the employer, and why salaries stay so low. It's important that job seekers understand the motivations of employers if they hope to get a job.

 

[Skynet74]

So who is "TheBigA" anyway? He paints himself out to be such a success story that I think we all deserve to know who he is. Someone with such wisdom should be proud to reveal who he is and what stations(s) he has worked for. Not looking for a full Bio. But a simple name would do.

 

[soundboard]

Well, times do change. So, when what you "supply" isn't in demand any longer, and this time WILL come!!!

 

[soundboard]

Well, times do change. So, when what you "supply" isn't in demand any longer, and this time WILL come!!!

Infinite growth, is just what it seems, smoke and mirrors.