Why is it so hard to get into radio?

[jason99]

After being in a small market station for ten years. I decided to start looking into the Nashville market and all I get is the spill of "you've got the talent, but not the experience"...I've got ten years experience in radio. So why why why??

 

[radionekkid]

nashville hard to break into. you have to wait in line behind a lot of folks who are circling and don't want to leave. there also has to be an opening or start somewhere at very low pay and wait for opening. I tell everybody to get into another line of work where you can make a decent living and have something to live on when you get old. Many radio stations run on computer so not much weekend or part time work any more.
Good luck.

 

[Evangelist]

Yes, a lot of people are circling in Nashville. For some strange reason, there's also a premium placed on celebrity status when radio slots become open. Many radio hosts in this town aren't or haven't been broadcasters and for every gig they get, it means one less broadcaster isn't working in this market. Several years ago, for example, Webb Wilder was on 'KDF and I think is now on satellite radio. Not a knock on the man, but he's not a broadcaster--he's a musician. I remember my first stint at WLAC when staff were not allowed to fill-in as talk hosts; the policy was to have community leaders or notables substitute, thereby denying the opportunity to get talk experience because management wanted the president of the League of Women Voters to host that week. I think only one on the staff ever got to host a talk show solo when the regular hosts were away and she had to fight hard just to do that.

Keep trying for a gig, Jason. The opportunity may come when you least expect it.

 

[hammondo]

Radio is full of very talented, intelligent, high principled, articulate, motivated, sharp people.

HA! (trying hard to take tongue from cheek).

 

[smedge2006]

I think most young people have gotten the message about radio. A colleague in the business tells me the quantity and quality of applicants have both declined markedly over the years. When the current generation -- the last to truly love radio -- leaves,or is driven out, it may well be curtains for the medium as a whole.

 

[Zero Zagnut]

I think most young people have gotten the message about radio. A colleague in the business tells me the quantity and quality of applicants have both declined markedly over the years. When the current generation -- the last to truly love radio -- leaves,or is driven out, it may well be curtains for the medium as a whole.

Smedge is right on - the talent pool is drying up nationwide. As far as radio jobs in Nashville, you have to remember this - at any given time there are about 30,000 schmos trying to land a record deal in town. Of those schmos, you have quite a few that are ex-DJs and/or gherms with friends in Nashville broadcasting, so they pretty much steal the opportunity for truly gifted broadcasters that deserve the chance to perform their craft - broadcasters that have no interest in becoming the next Garth, Martina, Rascall Fat, or any of that genreric, talentless ilk.

 

[romer979fm]

t you have quite a few that are ex-DJs and/or gherms with friends in Nashville broadcasting, so they pretty much steal the opportunity for truly gifted broadcasters that deserve the chance to perform their craft - broadcasters that have no interest in becoming the next Garth, Martina, Rascall Fat, or any of that genreric, talentless ilk.
[/quote]

do you REALLY believe that a PD would pass on "truly gifted broadcasters" in order to hire no-talent friends?
who didn't hire you?
and Garth...Martina...et al...they have no talent?
can't imagine why you're not working.

 

[Tibbs4]

CR --- I have to agree with you on your response.
That has to be the dumbest post of 2007....
I give it a 0/10. Try again, Zero.

 

[amfmxm]

After being in a small market station for ten years. I decided to start looking into the Nashville market and all I get is the spill of "you've got the talent, but not the experience"...I've got ten years experience in radio. So why why why??

Jason, the on-air side of radio is a "talent business," not that much different from singing or dancing or carrying a football. Just like those fields, experience is important, but talent is... everything. But the people who are judging your talent--prospective employers--are very subjective. What sounds great to one, sounds awful to the next--and vice-versa. If you have narrowed your professional world to Nashville--and nowhere else but Nashville--tnen you are limiting your options to the judgement of a handful of people.

Remember, the Portland Trailblazers drafted Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan. If Mike had narrowed his choices of NBA teams to the Blazers, he'd have been devastated. As it happened, he did just fine in Chicago. It was Portland that was the loser, not Michael Jordan. In your case, maybe Nashville is the loser.

 

[Zero Zagnut]

t you have quite a few that are ex-DJs and/or gherms with friends in Nashville broadcasting, so they pretty much steal the opportunity for truly gifted broadcasters that deserve the chance to perform their craft - broadcasters that have no interest in becoming the next Garth, Martina, Rascall Fat, or any of that genreric, talentless ilk.

do you REALLY believe that a PD would pass on "truly gifted broadcasters" in order to hire no-talent friends?
who didn't hire you?
and Garth...Martina...et al...they have no talent?
can't imagine why you're not working.
[/quote]

Hmm, I never said I wasn't working. Oh well, on any given night you can go to the Bluebird or any other songwriter venue and hear talent that blows all of the current crap on radio away. The songs are stronger and the vocals are pitch perfect-no pro tools required (of course, there are always those folk-minded idiots that sing 7 minute tapestries of gobshite), but setting that aside, the real talent in Nashville (for the most part) is passed over for artists that fit into the latest cookie cutter trend. Sadly, we live in a world of corporate radio where talented, creative people are a dying breed. Formats are so divided and fragmented and spineless, uncreative, go-through-your-desk-&-your-competitor's-trash radio geeks that weren't born with a grain of originality or common sense are in charge of this business. With very few exceptions, we live in a radio world that relies on consultants and research instead of having PDs with the tools & talent within themselves to program the best music, to demand the best music from the labels, and to hire the most solid, creative air talent available. And in ever genre of music, the artists all sound alike. Modern rock all sounds like they're stuck in 1991's grunge movement, with a little more corporate polish and shine. Modern R & B is stuck in Hip Hop mode, a rut it's been in since the early 1990's. Today's country sounds like lame 80's rock with steel guitars & fiddles on it. It also sounds like that very lame, crappy contemporary Christian pop from the 90's. I always say that what killed country are "the 3 B's" - bean counters, the buddy system and Belmont grads. Face it, the music and artists of today don't hold a candle to the Beatles, Elvis, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Al Green and the list goes on. You knew who the artist was within the first couple of lyrics they sang. I just wish both radio and record labels would get away from the "what box do you fit in" mindset & get back to the creativity and originality basics. (and yes, I worked at a station in Austin where the GM from our competition was fired after being arrested for going through the trash in our dumpster.)

 

[SwissVol]

Back in the old days, it was possible for someone who just had a good quality speaking voice, along with good communication skills and some degree of good grammar to get into radio. Is that still the case or are stations more picky about having a vast amount of experience or college education backgrounds to break through this field?

I have a cousin who walked right up to a topt rated radio station back in the eighties and got himself a weekend slot as the midnight man. He did not have One day of broadcast experience. I wil NEVER say who he is because of respect for his privacy, but I can tell you one evening he called me on the phone and asked me to come down to the station. I spent his midnight shift with him that morning. The station normally plyed hits, but that night we played "You don't love me by the Allman Brothers. That gem from Live at the filmore East album. We were playing some obscure album rock stuff on a teeny bopper radio station. LOL

I later asked if he got fired? He said no!! lol

I remember some black chick morning DJ came in and said: What in God's name are you doing? And who is this guy? Meaning me. My cousin said: None of your beeswax and you can go now. LOL

 

[scottwmro]

After being in a small market station for ten years. I decided to start looking into the Nashville market and all I get is the spill of "you've got the talent, but not the experience"...I've got ten years experience in radio. So why why why??

Jason,

You better be glad your at that small market station. My advice to you is to learn all you can, and find a 250-1000 watt little AM that is either dark, run down, or a corporate group doesn't want it and buy it. I have worked in the major markets, all the way down to the smallest station, the one that I own. It would be better for someone like you to learn to own a small station, than to do all this runinng around like I did for 20 years, hopping from station to station, from market to market. Corporate owned radio stations mistreat thier empolyees for no reason and that's why I got out of the rat race!
Radio has changed in the past 15 years, lots of stations voice track or are on satellite. The internet & PC's have change the way the radio operates and 1 computer can run an entire station! Years ago, when I started, talent was a must and announcers were inportant to the audience, but these days, who cares. When I saw XM coming in the 90's, I knew radio as we knew it was going away.
This merger with XM and Sirus will happen and people will buy into it, I hate it, but I see it coming, and AM & FM's will die off, unless they do nitch programming just to the community they are in. Having 10,000 watts or 50 KW on AM will mean nothing. Hell, I'm happy with just 250 watts, programming to myself.

 

[SwissVol]

After being in a small market station for ten years. I decided to start looking into the Nashville market and all I get is the spill of "you've got the talent, but not the experience"...I've got ten years experience in radio. So why why why??

Jason,

You better be glad your at that small market station. My advice to you is to learn all you can, and find a 250-1000 watt little AM that is either dark, run down, or a corporate group doesn't want it and buy it. I have worked in the major markets, all the way down to the smallest station, the one that I own. It would be better for someone like you to learn to own a small station, than to do all this runinng around like I did for 20 years, hopping from station to station, from market to market. Corporate owned radio stations mistreat thier empolyees for no reason and that's why I got out of the rat race!
Radio has changed in the past 15 years, lots of stations voice track or are on satellite. The internet & PC's have change the way the radio operates and 1 computer can run an entire station! Years ago, when I started, talent was a must and announcers were inportant to the audience, but these days, who cares. When I saw XM coming in the 90's, I knew radio as we knew it was going away.
This merger with XM and Sirus will happen and people will buy into it, I hate it, but I see it coming, and AM & FM's will die off, unless they do nitch programming just to the community they are in. Having 10,000 watts or 50 KW on AM will mean nothing. Hell, I'm happy with just 250 watts, programming to myself.

Scotwmro, as much as I like my XM radio, I think the way things stand as of 2007, satellite radio is not close to ending regular radio.

That being said though, I know there are many of us out there that crave programming that goes beyond the consulted tested songs. I know people who are stil lpefectly satisfied with the local radio stations, even though some those stations will seldom play a song beyond "Sweet Home Alabama". Not too bad mouth that song. I love that song, but radio has beat that song to death!!

I see great potential in satellite radio because of the mobilty of todays radios, the creative programming from XM and Sirius and so on.

But do you ever see the day when local stations might say: Hell, lets just let it rip and see what happens. Just like that WKDF Lone start thread that some of us posted on. The powers that be might say: Turn it lose. Do you see that day coming back again?

Also back in the late sixties when progressive rock radio was just getting started, FM was a a new frontier. There were a few lonely outposts out there, but it was a frontier. I remember in Nashville, we had WSM FM, WSIX FM, WLAC FM and WKDA FM. There was af ew outskirt FM stations, but other than that, FM was a lonely outpost. I guess there was more room for deeper programming.

Do you see that day returning to FM radio? If not, then FM might be in trouble one day, but not anytime in the next 10 years.

But I think regular radio is pretty safe for now!!

 

[more_gin]

Hey Jason...is that your current email address on your profile?? I want to shoot you an email with my response other than on the boards here. (sorry boys, not that i'm above putting my 2 cents out there for all to see, just felt like I'd give him a more personalized answer being someone who is really pretty floored to be lucky enough to be on the air here in Nashville.)

Thanks!
morgs

 

[jason99]

more_gin yes that is my email on my profile...i would be glad to hear from you and get your take on why it's so hard to get into large markets and medium markets now.

Thanks
Jason