Wondering What it's Like to Work in Radio

[NIXSONISBACK]

I take it alot folks who post on here are not neccessarily working in radio anymore, (myself included). I worked in the business for 22 years, but haven't had a radio job in a long time.

But, reading the trade websites such as this one and others I wonder if the business has changed any at all over the years? Is it still fun? Does it pay any better? Can anyone actually make a living doing it anymore? And, does an employee still have to manage 5 different jobs for the price of one?

In the past I've sent out tapes and gotten offers for jobs with pay somewhere between the low and mid 20's, no moving expenses, no help with living accomadations and no contract. But, clearly the business is still thriving, and lots of people are still employed in it.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

There is an old, old bit of folklore from the days when people moving west in wagons pulled by horses or oxen. There was a man who sat on his porch very near the road and when a man or a man and his family would pass his porch, some would stop to ask: What are the people like in the next town? The old timer who respond: What were people like where you came from.

No matter the response, the old timer would say: "Well, that's pretty much what people are like up in the next town."

That is not a really accurate way to explain radio, but my experience is that it does paint a pretty good picture. We each present ourselves in a certain way which causes certain employers to "invite us in" and for others to ignore us. If you have "good vibes" then the class-act station want you and treat you reasonably well. If you are ho-hum, you may always find yourself negotiating with "bottom-feeders".

My experience was that radio people often got type-cast and always attracted a certain caliber of potential employer. If you started young, and you received some good coaching along the way, you could move your "type-cast" image on up the ladder over time. I went up like a bottle-rocket for several years. When I found the trajectory ceased, I bailed out.

All of that to say: there is no general answer to your question. For those who can turn their bottle-rocket careers into an intercontinental ballistic missle, the picture looks a bit rosy. But for those who cannot seem to even reach the bottle-rocket stage, the tea leaves tell me the industry can be a very, very miserable place to work these days.

GRC: never accused of being world's most optomistic person ;D

After-thought: Some regions of the country have been more fertile for radio careers. I don't normally put the Southern states at the top of the "soil quality list".

 

[sflaboy]

Low pay, long hours, wear multiple hats, and live out of moving boxes. But if you love it, it's the best job you can find.

 

[ray-d-o]

Good luck breaking that "magic" 30K salary range unless you're in a larger market or are sleeping with the boss.

 

[NIXSONISBACK]

Good stuff. Yea, I can't do the moving from town to town thing anymore, hated it. And, yes there seems to be a lot of jobs in the Mid-West, but they pay no more than 24 - 25 K. How does a man with a family pack up and move a 1000 miles accross the country for that kind of money. It's litterally not enough to live on.

 

[secondchoice]

How does a man with a family pack up and move a 1000 miles accross the country for that kind of money. It's litterally not enough to live on.

Just like Walmart employees, put you children on Medicaid, if the station has no medical coverage. You might even qualify for housing assistance, and food stamps. Unfortunately, I am not being sarcastic.

 

[radio programmer]

Good luck breaking that "magic" 30K salary range unless you're in a larger market or are sleeping with the boss.

If you are a PD you can make more.

And if you aren't striving toward management, you should be.