There were so many good points in these previous posts that I couldn't decide who to quote from! And I wish I'd jumped onto this topic a bit earlier in the discussion. Anywho...
(BTW- stop me if you've heard all of this before..........but)
As someone whose been out of the business for one too many years now, let me just say that as a childhood dream, having been on the radio for the years that I was, was a dream come true. To this day, I HAVE dreams (real dreams) about still being "on the air" and often wish I could go back & pick up where I left off. It was the increasing use of satellite programming that eventually killed it for me. Since I spent my career at small (to midtown) markets on both AM & FM, it was that tasty dish of automation that owners salivated over.
I loved being on the air. But I also realized I wasn't gettin' rich at it! I also began to tire of the hours, and the fact that vacations were limited, and 6 days a week were the norm. I'm sorry-- but having 2 days off a week is really important to me. Anyway, production became my favorite part of the job. I liked writing ad copy, and doing different voices on ads. I did some research locally, and got a few voice-over gigs at a local cable company, but soon realized that unless I was willing to relocate to the BIG markets, that trying to get work in production seemed useless. Several years ago I sent demo tapes to a production house here (in my UPstate NY city) but couldn't get to first base with them.
I started in the 80's, and left in the 90's. No it wasn't a lifetime... but it left impressions and memories with me that I'll sure keep for a lifetime! I just couldn't imagine trying to get started in it today. It just seems SO TOTALLY different. Nowadays you can't tell who's actually THERE or if the whole station is running from a hard-drive!
And one more thing. The quote which eluded to
www.am1340went.com. This station is in my (regional) area. Those guys have been there for years!! The talent NEVER changes there. Now I'm not trying to be rude or insulting, but I really don't know how those guys make a living for themselves spending most of their lives at a small-town station. I can't imagine that the pay would be enough to sustain a comfortable living! (I'm only comparing it to MY days on AM radio-- when I was making less that $10 an hour!!!) As I said...I don't want to be rude, but it always seemed to me that unless the goal is major-market... you'll starve!! God love `em at that station. It's small market all the way! And they've become almost a dying breed. They are the ONLY station of its kind in this entire region! ALL the other AM's are either automated or satellite.
Sorry- if you werre trying to stop me... I didn't hear ya! :-\
