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Where Do Jocks Go After....

M

MC101

Guest
What do jocks do in between gigs? Names that come to mind; Bo & Jim, John Dillon, Gorge Gimarc, Liz Wilde and now Channing?

Just Curious.
 
> What do jocks do in between gigs?
> Just Curious.


1. Become traffic reporters and try to convince coworkers
and commuters that they actually know what they are
doing or talking about.

2. Deliver pizzas.

3. Become erotic dancers at the Lodge or Le Bare.

4. Work in landscaping hoping to score pot or blow
from coworkers.

5. Sit at home playing Xbox, looking at tons of porn,
and trying to figure out how to transfer a cassette
tape over to CDR and mp3, so some PD somewhere can
actually hear their work in todays digital dynasty.
 
> > What do jocks do in between gigs?
> > Just Curious.
>
>
> 1. Become traffic reporters and try to convince coworkers
> and commuters that they actually know what they are
> doing or talking about.
>
> 2. Deliver pizzas.
>
> 3. Become erotic dancers at the Lodge or Le Bare.
>
> 4. Work in landscaping hoping to score pot or blow
> from coworkers.
>
> 5. Sit at home playing Xbox, looking at tons of porn,
> and trying to figure out how to transfer a cassette
> tape over to CDR and mp3, so some PD somewhere can
> actually hear their work in todays digital dynasty.
>
Then come here to post. 8>)
 
> > > What do jocks do in between gigs?
> > > Just Curious.

I find it hard to be flippant about this topic. Losing a full time paycheck is bad enough, but in a business gauged by intangibles you never know if you'll ever work again. You have to have self confidence to go before people and inform or entertain them. Being blown out, or having the rug pulled out from under you can really damage that self confidence.
I've known guys who fell into substance abuse, spouse abuse or severe depression after losing radio jobs. One guy, the man who brought freeform progressive rock to a major city, took a job selling cars. Another guy was selling smoke alarms.
One of my favorite morning men got 'Jacked' or 'bobbed'. He kept a busy sideline creating and announcing commercials. It keeps him going, even if it doesn't pay all the bills. But it led to a production job at another station.
Personally, I've done freelance announcing and writing, tried radio sales for a station with no ratings, and once waited tables. Fortunately, I've been able to find another radio gig after each dismissal, but the period in between can get pretty dark. Anybody else want to tell what you did between radio gigs?
g
 
> > > > What do jocks do in between gigs?
> > > > Just Curious.
>
> I find it hard to be flippant about this topic. Losing a
> full time paycheck is bad enough, but in a business gauged
> by intangibles you never know if you'll ever work again. You
> have to have self confidence to go before people and inform
> or entertain them. Being blown out, or having the rug pulled
> out from under you can really damage that self confidence.
> I've known guys who fell into substance abuse, spouse abuse
> or severe depression after losing radio jobs. One guy, the
> man who brought freeform progressive rock to a major city,
> took a job selling cars. Another guy was selling smoke
> alarms.
> One of my favorite morning men got 'Jacked' or 'bobbed'. He
> kept a busy sideline creating and announcing commercials. It
> keeps him going, even if it doesn't pay all the bills. But
> it led to a production job at another station.
> Personally, I've done freelance announcing and writing,
> tried radio sales for a station with no ratings, and once
> waited tables. Fortunately, I've been able to find another
> radio gig after each dismissal, but the period in between
> can get pretty dark. Anybody else want to tell what you did
> between radio gigs?
> g


Thank you. well said.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Lead, follow or get out of the way...

And remember, the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

</P>
 
Traffic Reporting
ABC Radio Network
Move to smaller market
or if they're really smart
Real Estate
 
I remember years ago in an article, former local talk show host Ed Busch stating "if you have a job in radio, chances are very good that some day you will lose it". That's a very pessimistic outlook, but as experience and history has proven over and over, sadly realistic.

The best advice on this subject given to me years ago was "become a juggler". In other words, if you're going to be in radio, you need to supplement that job with other things. Have three things going at all times peripheral to your main radio gig.

Don't just do you 4 or 5 hour radio show and hit the door and hang out.

Perhaps doing voiceovers for other out-of-town stations from home (easily done these days, buy a good mic and Cool Edit {adobe} and you're set).

Webdesign can easily be done on the side from home.

Write freelance articles for the newspaper or local magazine.

Mobile DJ.

DJ at a local club at night.

Wait tables.

Pet babysitter (don't laugh, they make good money!).

The possibilities are endless.

The main point is, have something else going on the side in case the main gig blows up, for whatever reason. We often hear of cutbacks, philosophical differences, new boss that doesn't get you...whatever. Many times a job is lost through no fault of the individual (not always, but it does happen), you just need to be prepared for it. When it happens, you may not be high rollin' for a while, but you can still pay the bills till the next gig rolls around. The average for finding a new job is THREE months. Could you float right now with no income for three months? That's the next point.

Any financial planner will tell you that the first thing you need to do is have THREE MONTHS take home pay in the bank that you can access (not tied up) in case something goes awry. It's hard to do, but once it's there, you don't touch it unless an emergency comes up or you lose your job, etc. Once that cushion is there, a lot of stress goes AWAY.

Next point, how much are you saving? 20% is what most recommend. Again, one of those things that is HARD to do at the start. Don't lower your savings amount, lower your LIFESTYLE! If you make $50,000, act like you make $40,000. You make $30,000...think of it as $24,000. We all get caught up in making good money every once in a while and think "hey, it's only gonna get better"...sometimes it works out that way, sometimes it doesn't!

I remember another guy years ago who was bragging about making $70,000 a year at a station (when 70 grand was a ton of money)...we all laughed because the truth was he kept getting blown out after 6 months at every station he worked at and then sat on the beach for 6 months...he never MADE $70,000 a year, he made $35,000, less than all of us!

More often than not, someone loses the gig and is up against the wall from day one. It doesn't have to be that way. It's often a cruel and bitter business, but if you love it, find a way to make it work for you...or sell real estate.


<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by abcdj on 01/21/06 03:41 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Radio people, often quite deservingly, get called stupid because they work for terrible pay and are frequently their own worst enemies by constantly being at one another's throat, which only furthers their poverty and endangers their job security even more. However, radio people are also quite smart as you have to learn so much so quickly and have to have so many skills just to do the job. I'll go as far as to say I learned more skills in radio jobs than I did working in the telecom industry, which I did for four years. For example, when I was forced out of my radio job in market #252 a couple of years ago, I took what I learned in radio and used it to get a government job that pays $10,000/year more! So, there are plenty of things jocks can do. It's just a matter of how you package them. There are some who can't get past, "radio is all I know." They don't get very far. Others who can will do very well. Here are a handful of the things I learned working in radio:

Communication skills: This one is a natural. You do this everyday. If you don't have communication skills, you can't last in the business.

Customer service skills: How many angry callers have you had to defuse calling your request line? "You didn't play my song!" "I won something I had to pick up yesterday, and I couldn't get to the station. Now, you won't give it to me!" "Why do you keep playing that awful song?" "Are you aware I have kids in the car? You shouldn't play Eminem when they're listening!" I could go on and on, but you should get my point.

Adaptability: How many different formats have you done? How many have you done in one day? How many times have you had to scramble at the last second to make something happen, like a last minute remote?

Quick thinking (along the same lines as above): How many times have you had breaking news and had to report it in just a few seconds in a way that would be interesting to your listeners? How many times has something new crossed the studio console, and you've had to find a creative way to talk about it RIGHT NOW?

Computer skills: Who taught you how to use ProTools, Adobe Audition, SAW, Cool Edit, AudioVault, Prophet, Maestro, Scott Studios, and automation scripts (just to name a few)? If you're like most people in this business, you probably taught yourself!

People skills: This is hands-down the most important thing for any job. You definitely have them if you've lasted very long in radio. How many different personalities, all with huge egos, have you had to deal with at the same time while balancing your own interests? Truly an amazing feat when you think about it!
 
Becky Wight...

I really enjoyed listening to her on Memories. I found a website where she said she was tired of the latest layoff after 28 years in broadcasting; so she chose another career. I think it was Wizetrade.
 
When I was let go:

I was on unemplyment and ebay. Here is a very good tip. Those interview CD's, promo trax with bonus cuts, and other memorabillia are great on ebay. I also collected a large amount of posters (also good) set lists (even better when autographed) and so forth. I also had a lot of sports stuff, and other memorabilia that I sold. After 3 months, I went to work for Harley Davidson selling Hawgs. I knew very little about bikes, but got the hang of it pretty quick.

Just when I started making some serious money, I felt the need to be broke, and got back in to radio- again.

Rememeber, the regular CD's aren't worth that much- the bonus stuff that goes along with it, and the poster, set lists are good for ebay, and the money can help pay the biils.

Just being honest about it.

Davery
 
Re: Becky Wight...

> I really enjoyed listening to her on Memories. I found a
> website where she said she was tired of the latest layoff
> after 28 years in broadcasting; so she chose another career.
> I think it was Wizetrade.
>

Becky White hired me at ABC RADIO NETWORK in the early 90's. Sad to see radio lose another great talent.
<P ID="signature">______________
Lead, follow or get out of the way...

And remember, the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

</P>
 
>
> And remember, the early bird may get the worm,
> but the second mouse gets the cheese.
>

I don't have anything to add to this thread but I just had to say thanks for that tag line! I have never heard the last part added: "but the second mouse gets the cheese."

It took me a second, and then I laughed out loud! Good one!
 
theshadow shows his "class" ... I am The Shadow ... Tony Williams

Once, I used the name The Shadow ...

this person uses "theshadow" lower case ...

and his opinions are obviously low class ...

correction: His comments are the lowest ...

Actually, I feel sorry for this individual ...

Free free to skip his comments above ...

Every word is trash ...


<P ID="signature">______________
Tony Lyndell Williams</P>
 
> When I was let go:
>
> I was on unemplyment and ebay. Here is a very good tip.
> Those interview CD's, promo trax with bonus cuts, and other
> memorabillia are great on ebay. I also collected a large
> amount of posters (also good) set lists (even better when
> autographed) and so forth. I also had a lot of sports
> stuff, and other memorabilia that I sold. After 3 months, I
> went to work for Harley Davidson selling Hawgs. I knew very
> little about bikes, but got the hang of it pretty quick.
>
> Just when I started making some serious money, I felt the
> need to be broke, and got back in to radio- again.
>
> Rememeber, the regular CD's aren't worth that much- the
> bonus stuff that goes along with it, and the poster, set
> lists are good for ebay, and the money can help pay the
> biils.
>
> Just being honest about it.
>
> Davery
>
I've done lots of different things between full time gigs.

There's always collecting unemployment of course, but that never pays all the bills and runs out eventually.

Mostly I've managed to find weekend jobs at in or out of market or smaller stations. In 1995 when I was living in Palestine I had a Saturday morning gig in town, a Saturday evening gig in Tyler and a Sunday gig in Waco babysitting the taped religious shows on Sunday morningon the AM, then hung around all day to do Sunday evening on the FM, then back to Palestine where I was DJ'ing in a Country bar Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights. All of this at the same time! I finally had to drop two of the gigs because gas costs and fatigue were killing me.

Other things I have done include selling sheets and shoes in a department store, I've had a few jobs in the shipping industry including part time grunt work for UPS, working as a cubicle dwelling transportation analyst for a customs brokerage company, running a small package forwarding operation, delivered newspapers and had stints working at McDonalds and Long John Silvers.

I've also sold or pawned many belongings over the years. ebay helped me pay the rent for a few months in 2001.

Oh, and never forget that searching for a new job IS a FULL TIME JOB itself!!

Now, I'm doing traffic. I've learned my lesson. I save a little every paycheck now, no matter how much it hurts.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by trafficboy on 01/23/06 03:55 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: theshadow shows his "class" ... I am The Shadow ... Tony Williams

> Once, I used the name The Shadow ...
> this person uses "theshadow" lower case ...

Blah, blah, blah...You don't own the damn
alias...Good God man, get over it...

> and his opinions are obviously low class ...
> correction: His comments are the lowest ...

Aaah, that ego's getting away from you again,
Mr. Williams. At least I don't bore people
with stupid song lyrics....

Go rub that spot on your chin some more....
 
Hey, little shadow ... call me ... let's talk like men ... Once again, I am THE SHADOW

> > Once, I used the name The Shadow ...
> > this person uses "theshadow" lower case ...
>
> Blah, blah, blah...You don't own the damn
> alias...Good God man, get over it...


Yes, I own The Shadow ...

you own theshadow ...


> > and his opinions are obviously low class ...
> > correction: His comments are the lowest ...
>
> Aaah, that ego's getting away from you again,
> Mr. Williams. At least I don't bore people
> with stupid song lyrics....


Let's see a show of hands of people who think lyrics by the Beatles are stupid.


> Go rub that spot on your chin some more...


What do you mean little shadow? All I feel is some stubble.


Say, give me a call, and we will talk this over like men.

Maybe I misjudged you.

Here's my number ... 972-783-7542.

Or send me your name and number, and I'll call you.

Call me ... if you dare.

The Shadow<P ID="signature">______________
Tony Lyndell Williams</P>
 
I took a year off, collected unemployment and my thoughts. Went back to work at Traffic.com for about a year, then had a BRILLIANT plan to move to Denver and get married. The move lasted about four months. I came back to Dallas for two days, took a road trip with my cat and ended up in Vegas for about two months while my broken heart healed. (Nope, didn't get married) Came home, collected more unemployment, went back to work at Traffic.com a month ago and just went back to the Bone this past Saturday. So, Mon.-Fri. I am at Traffic.com, Saturday and Sunday I am at the Bone. (Yup, Sunday nights also) :)

> What do jocks do in between gigs? Names that come to mind;
> Bo & Jim, John Dillon, Gorge Gimarc, Liz Wilde and now
> Channing?
>
> Just Curious.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Peace, smack my ass and dance for me, like a ROCKSTAR!!</P>
 
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