The world I grew up in was one where people stayed at the same job for a lengthy period of time. My father dedicated nearly twenty years of his life to being a member of the New York police department. Many of his partners did the same. School teachers spent decades inside the same classrooms. Your postal worker was someone who spent years stuffing your mailbox and getting to know you on a first name basis.
In media circles, the story was similar. Newspaper writers covered the same teams in the same locker rooms, and had their stories featured in the same section of the same newspaper for decades. Broadcasters talked to the same audiences on the same radio dials in the same timeslots. The relationship between employers and employees were favorable and built to last.
But then something changed.
The internet took off, causing a ripple effect on the way we consume media today. The FCC allowed big banks and corporations to buy up local radio stations, creating consolidation, and the elimination of hundreds to thousands of jobs. Radio groups started focusing on the growth of their stock prices and shareholder satisfaction, rather than the quality of their programming and the connection formed with their communities.
As a result, trust began to erode. Companies became less interested in paying top dollar for the best talent. Instead, they sought people who would do the work for less, even if it meant sacrificing quality in the process. Being profitable was more important.
Those weren’t the only reasons that change began in the radio business, but that mentality certainly caused a large number of people to reevaluate their situations. Suddenly untouchable commodities who had enjoyed large levels of success were open for business, and the radio industry as we knew it was different.
And it wasn’t just in radio either. The same was becoming a bigger issue in society. People became less patient and developed a win-now mentality, and as distractions increased, further changes were necessary. Whether it was switching cars, houses, friends, or marriages, the thought of sticking with one thing became less appealing.
I started thinking about a number of the media stories that have hit the newswire over the last few weeks, and it made me realize that loyalty is not what it once was in this industry. Every company and individual now strikes while the iron is hot or when they have an advantage to better their own situation. Becoming attached is less common, and people are now willing to say goodbye to what they’ve previously known if it helps them enjoy a better tomorrow.
Companies do the same exact thing. If money can be saved, and ratings can be increased, change is going to happen. Whether you’re a good employee or not isn’t as important as the way you impact the bottom line.
In less than one year, Mike Tirico and Heather Cox have left ESPN. They spent more than twenty years with the network. Colin Cowherd, Skip Bayless, Robert Smith and Chris Spielman all left Bristol University after more than a decade there. Even local personalities like Roger Wyland in Albany, NY, who was a fixture on Fox Sports 980 for the past fifteen years, agreed to join the competition.
When I analyze the current climate for sports media, any situation that lasts longer than five years is considered a success. If you’re accepting a position and expecting to be in it long-term, I’d encourage you to have Plan B in your pocket. The goal may be to establish a long-term relationship with your employer. You might even find yourself signing multiple contracts with the company. But understand that the odds of it happening are unlikely.
The more you’re willing to test the waters, relocate, and adapt to different situations, the better your chances are of making a better income, earning bigger opportunities, and extending your career. Your paycheck and ability to influence decisions may increase, but with those advantages comes instability. You may have to rent an apartment rather than buy a house. Driving down the road to see your family could be replaced by catching flights to visit. Even friendships and working relationships that you consider positive parts of your life, may need to be terminated or altered every couple of years.
I don’t blame any individual who leaves a place of employment for greener grass and brighter sunshine. In most cases, they’re just doing what many American’s do – accepting a position that pays more, provides a better opportunity, and offers a stronger commitment. I also don’t blame an employer from moving on if an individual isn’t meeting expectations or has an unrealistic view of the way the business world works.
But what does cross my mind, is why situations fall apart when both sides are enjoying success. If an individual commits their lives to your organization, does exceptional work, builds an audience, satisfies clients, and conducts themselves with class, shouldn’t they be worth going to bat for? If a company pays you well, treats you great, and gives you a big platform to perform on, shouldn’t that matter?
Budgets do come into play, but any smart corporate executive can figure out how to play with numbers to assure that a brand’s best talent remains in place. A talent should also be willing to get creative and work with their boss to find a suitable middle ground for both sides.
If a person leaves because the dollar value and position being offered elsewhere is impossible to replicate, that’s a different story. But in some cases, I’ve seen people leave for different opportunities over a few thousand dollars. A couple of companies not only demanded that some of their best people accept deals that were below market value, but they also wanted a long-term commitment to go with it. Most broadcasters are not going to accept those terms. It’s that type of disrespect that leads top talent to shut down negotiations and move on.
A signed agreement is the result of a strong relationship between the media company and the individual. There is no winner and loser in the deal making process. Each situation may present its own unique challenges, but if you enter into a negotiation with the mindset that you’ve got to beat your employee or employer, it’s not only going to fracture your relationship, but it’s probably not going to work.
If a few thousand dollars is going to stand between retaining your best people or watching them walk, don’t be foolish. That type of short sighted thinking has a way of coming back to haunt you in the future. That said, sports programming is not cheap. If an employer is willing to extend to make a deal happen, the employee should be appreciative and offer to help the company find solutions to offset the additional expense. That shows that you care about the company and aren’t only focused on your own personal gain.
Equally important for the company to be conscious of, is that everything that gets created through the speakers is the result of human effort, passion, and creativity. Those who deliver compelling and entertaining radio content on a daily basis, provide more of an experience for an audience than any other form of media.
Let that sink in for a second.
Writers don’t provide ten daily columns. Television shows usually run thirty to sixty minutes in length. Even podcasts, videos, and social media activity doesn’t fill up three to four hours per day for five days per week. Besides, the radio host invests themselves in those areas too. Too often talk show hosts get taken for granted, but the great ones are hard to replace. If you have a good one under your umbrella, make sure they don’t get rained on.
The biggest area of weakness for many sports media talent when it comes to this subject is that they’re insecure. Receiving a contract makes them feel safe, important, and untouchable, but in reality, most companies have the flexibility to get out of the agreements that they sign. It may calm your nerves, but the feeling you get when you sign on the dotted line is not the same one you’ll experience in the future if you’re locked into a long-term deal and being dealt a bad hand inside your workplace. In those cases, you’ll start to feel trapped.
This is why it sometimes pays not to be under contract. Sure there’s the risk of the company having the ability to drop you like a bad habit anytime they wish to. But if they do, you’ll likely be collecting unemployment while chasing your next opportunity.
The good news is, if you find a new position, you can usually get started immediately. Some situations are different and include a non-compete. Most of them though involve some form of compensation which is always positive when you’ve been let go from a job.
In the end, a contract is a piece of paper. It outlines the terms, prevents both sides from hurting each other professionally, and can be enforced inside a courtroom. But the one thing you won’t find inside of it, is a promise to care. If either party has an emotional disconnect from the other, you’ll be headed down the road to ruin. It won’t matter if you’ve been together for two years or twenty at that point.
To create an environment that everyone wishes to remain in takes hard work and clear communication. If respect is given, expectations are met, and each side wishes to extend the relationship, there’s a good chance that it’ll come together. Just remember though, the odds are not in your favor. A signed agreement won’t change that.
When the book on your career is finally written, unexpected opportunities will pop up, offers will be made that you never expected, and you’ll have multiple home addresses and business cards to show for it. Finding stability in an unstable media industry is expecting too much. But, if you’re willing to roll with the punches, and keep moving forward, you just might find yourself enjoying a great career, and looking back one day with one heck of a story to share. Just don’t expect it all to happen inside the same location.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
