“Can you come down to my office for a meeting?”
It is a simple question with ominous implications. Not every meeting that begins with that sentence leads to you being laid off, but every time you get laid off, that sentence is how the conversation begins.
My heart truly goes out to all the now former iHeartMedia employees that heard those ten words last week. I know I am not alone in that sentiment, and trust me, I have been where those people are. I know my sentiment doesn’t do much to help them right now.
I have been laid off three times in my career, never “dislocated” though because I’ve never worked for iHeart. Each time I was scared, angry, and confused as I was escorted out of the building. I didn’t always think the people dropping the axe were the bad guys, but I also didn’t always realize that right away.
Last week’s layoffs employee dislocations at iHeart clusters across the country were not just devastating for the employees themselves. They had a real “writing on the wall” feeling for the whole industry.
I thought it might help this week to talk to some of the people on the receiving end of the dreaded sentence “we’re moving in a different direction.” Some folks wanted to put their name on it. Others wished to remain anonymous as non-competes and severance continue to be negotiated.
There was a wide swath of reactions in the folks I talked to. Some were sad. Others remained positive. Most were both depending on what was being asked.
“My co-host, Jake [Querey], actually called me as I was on my way in asking if I was fired. I told him I hadn’t heard anything, but I got an alert that morning that the social media passwords for the stations had been changed,” Derek Schultz, the former afternoon co-host on iHeart’s Indianapolis sports talker Fox Sports 1260, told me in an email. “He had be asked to come in immediately and we had always joked that once you get that ‘come in immediately’ text, that means it’s over. My SVP and Market President are great guys, who handled the situation very well. I talked with them briefly at the station, was given time to grab some things (they offered to pack up everything else) and was escorted out.”
Despite being on the chopping block, Schultz says he was treated fairly and didn’t hold ill-will towards his bosses. “It was a difficult day for [my bosses] as well because we had three other people in our cluster, which isn’t very large when it comes to staff, get the boot as well. It wasn’t a local decision, so that left me with some shred of pride as I exited for the final time.”
Len Martez, who covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for iHeartMedia’s WDAE, told me that he is thankful for the professional growth he experienced as an iHeart employee. “Even though I walked through their doors with years of experience, I’ve had some quality work experiences at WDAE, from lead hosting shows, to one on one interviews with players, attending community events, not too mention the development of relationships with colleagues, media members & a major city sports radio audience.”
There are two moments that stand out as the most emotionally raw when this kind of thing happens. The first is that moment you realize that you have to let people know what happened. Family members, listeners, friends, they’re all going to have questions. The other moment comes the next morning when you don’t have anything to get ready for and for the first time you realize you have to figure out an answer to the questions “what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?”.
“I knew the meeting was potentially bad so my mindset was somewhat prepared but you never want to hear the actual words. And I mention that because honestly other than a phone call with my former co-host I went on with my day, told myself I’m invoking my own 24 hour rule, before I address the layoff publicly,” Martez told me when I asked how he first reacted to being laid off.
“I told my wife, who works from home. She started to cry, which was easily the worst part of the whole day,” one host, who wished to remain anonymous, told me. “After that I just sort of zoned out for a little bit. After an hour or so I told the rest of my family, and then let the outside world know what had happened. I was so dazed the entire time that those first few hours feel like a blur.”
Shea Raftus, who was a producer with 97.3 the Game in Milwaukee told me that the toughest part of getting let go was losing an environment where he felt his career was nurtured.
“The hosts and producers I worked with such as Mike Heller, Scott Dolphin, Ted Davis, Jon Arias, Dan Needles, Dario Melendez and Armen Saryan were awesome to work with with. And that’s the sad part: You build all these shows, a chemistry with your hosts and growing following of listeners and boom it’s gone,” he said in an email. “It’s hard to get better at what you do and build your skills up when the plug gets pulled so quickly.”
So what comes next for some of these folks? I asked Raftus if he had a plan to preserve his mental health as he embarks on a new job search.
“The best thing for me right now is to head back home to Houston, which I’ll likely be doing here in a few weeks. I’ve got an incredibly close group of friends down there and being around the people I care about while hitting the reset button is definitely the best thing for my mental health. I would definitely like to stay in the industry as I really love producing, but everything is on the table at this point. If the best thing for me is to take a different but more stable career path that leads to a better and healthier lifestyle then so be it. If something in the sports radio industry comes up that’s a fit though I would love to keep producing.”
Schultz told me he took a day to digest everything before he started thinking about what comes next for him professionally. “After the first 24-hour period, I’ve spent some time each day talking to contacts and shaking trees to see if there are opportunities for me out there, both short-term and long-term. I’m grateful for 8 1/2 years at iHeart Indy and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, so that’s helped my mental health. I have the full support of a terrific family, friends, and colleagues, and annual passes to the Children’s Museum and Zoo for my three-year old, so I’m good.”
Seth Harp, program director and host for iHeart’s 97.3 the Game in Jacksonville (look at this beacon of creativity when it comes to station names!) feels good about his time at iHeart. “I’m proud of what we created in Jacksonville. The station is as strong as it’s ever been. We just completed the best back to back best months ratings wise in the entire decade. Very proud.”
That pride though doesn’t come without concern. When I asked Seth if he has thought about the possibility that he may never work in radio again, he is quick to answer.
“Of course. It’s a fragile business right now and has been for about a decade. I have been a part of two cluster sales in my career and have seen ‘irreplaceable’ people let go.”
It’s the reason that he is not messing around when it comes to his mental health. Seth Harp told me that he isn’t just thinking about how to prioritize it as some sort of abstract concept. He has an actual plan to work through.
“Your mind turns into a blender after something like this,” he says. “Balance is everything when you are in this situation. I employ the T.H.I.N.K method:
- Talk to the people that you love, love you, and that bring you happiness and joy
- Healthy Habits – Find one or two. Do it everyday. Structure while away from structure.
- Indooritis – Get out of the house or apartment. Accomplish something daily.
- No Second Guessing – Save that for your autobiography down the road.
- Kindness – Chances are people that are trying to help have great intentions. Thank them.”
“A handful of potential employers have already reached out, which is promising, but the prospect of shuffling through all of that and trying to pick out the situation that’s going to be the best for me and my young family is daunting,” said a host who chose not to give his name. “This has all been a massive wrench thrown into my life at the worst possible time. Thankfully, I have a significant other and a support system that have been beyond fantastic in cushioning the blow.”
Certainly some of you are reading that with a level of contempt or jealousy. How can that guy complain when it’s clear everything will work out fine for him?
Look, even if you were successful enough in your last role for other stations in the market to treat the news that you are suddenly available as a reason to put their best foot forward, being unemployed is never easy. Empathy and compassion is always more helpful than the alternative. Sports radio is a competitive business, for sure, but right now is a time we all need to be supporting each other and willing to listen when someone that needs it reaches out for help or to talk.
Bomani Jones of ESPN always said something interesting when Kyler Murray was trying to decide between reporting to spring training with the Oakland As or declaring for the NFL Draft. “If you can make millions of dollars doing literally anything other than playing football, do it. Don’t put yourself through what you don’t have to.”
That quote is about the physical toll football takes on the human body, but maybe you could replace the word “football” with the word “radio” in that quote and it works just as well. Now might be a good time to ask yourself “Can I be happy doing something else?”.
This is a highly competitive business. Most of us experience rejection or disappointment way more than we experience major wins. It doesn’t make you a failure or weak to decide that isn’t what you want out of you professional life.
If you’re reading this because you’re one of the people that just lost their job or you’re reading this because friends did and you don’t know how to help, know that I have been there before. My email address is below. You can always reach out for a sympathetic ear. I don’t know if I can do much more for you than just listen, but having gone through this myself a few times, I can tell you that one thing that helps a lot is having someone just listen and not try to offer answers.
It’s a scary time for a lot of people in this business, so if you’re a pray-er say a prayer. If you’re not, figure out a way to do something good for these folks. It’s easy and fair to point fingers at iHeart and say the company is ruining a great industry, but blame only gets you so far. Ask what you can do to help, and then follow through on whatever your friend, who is in a land of fear and confusion requests…within reason, of course.
Those of you that lost jobs are not alone. Make a plan. Work your contacts. Only an asshole wouldn’t be rooting for you right now or be willing to help.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
