We learned the terrible news this week of massive firings at the New York Daily News. You can couch it any way you want it with terms like layoffs, staff reductions, cuts, etc. I think the shock that rang through New York and the rest of the media world was appropriately expressed by Yankees announcer and ESPN NY Radio Host Michael Kay.
An added insult was announcing the layoffs to the company before notifying the effected individuals. The email read, “With the exception of a few particular employees who are not in the office today, Human Resources will communicate with everyone leaving the Daily News by the end of the day.”
So they had the meeting, sent out the email to staff and then approximately 90 staffers had to wait to see if they still had a job. Look it’s easy to be a manager when things are going well. The true test of a manager is how you handle difficult situations or bad news for your employees.
What is the lesson for radio managers? Respect the dignity of your employees. Every employee from the highest paid talent to a part-time board op needs to hear bad news in person and face to face.
Some examples:
- When I was working in Kansas City I had to fire a developing young host in order to save money towards the budget. The host had done a good job for a year and had really grown in his ability to host solo shows which he previously hadn’t been comfortable with. His ratings were fine for a fairly new station. He had moved halfway across the country and had a girlfriend in Kansas City. So I called him into my office, thanked him for the job he had done and explained what was happening. I encouraged him to keep working on solo hosting and keep his head up. Needless to say, I hired him six months later to work for me again at XM Satellite Radio.
- In the summer of 2014, we had decided to make a change with our morning show at SiriusXM College Sports Nation(Now ESPNU on SiriusXM). Bill King had hosted mornings on SiriusXM since January of 2005—before we even had an all sports channel. Bill’s booming voice and vast college football knowledge carried the show every morning (I never saw Bill look at notes or look something up online—it’s all in his head). Bill worked in Nashville while I worked in Washington, DC. While it would’ve been easier to call Bill to break the news, it was important to me to deliver it in person. The guy had been on the network for ten years. The conversation was one of the most difficult ones I’ve ever had, but as a manager you have to show your employees the respect they deserve. Bill has gone on to have a very successful show in Nashville on WNSR and his great pipes and exceptional college football knowledge can be heard mornings from 6-9am Central Time on WNSR 560AM/96.9FM or you can check him out online: http://wnsr.com/live-shows/the-bill-king-show
Life Coach Hallie Crawford in US News and World Report talks about delivering bad news to an employee:
Bad news is best delivered in person, and how you deliver the message is many times more important than what you actually say. Think about how you would feel if you were the one receiving the bad news, and prepare your words accordingly. Be mindful of your facial expressions and body language. Make it apparent that you understand the person’s feelings, but don’t linger too long after speaking with them. Let the person leave the room when it feels like time to do so.
Delivering bad news to an employee is difficult, but if you do it right and deliver the bad news in person, your people will respect you even if they don’t agree with the decision.
Matt Fishman is a former columnist for BSM. The current PD of ESPN Cleveland has a lengthy resume in sports radio programming. His career stops include SiriusXM, 670 The Score in Chicago, and 610 Sports in Kansas City. You can follow him on Twitter @FatMishman20 or you can email him at FishmanSolutions@gmail.com.
