“I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’ve decided that today is your last day.”
“This conversation will not be pleasant.”
“We’ve decided not to renew your contract.”
“Unfortunately, the company has decided to eliminate your position.”
“I want to thank you for everything you’ve done and wish you the best of luck.”
If you’ve worked in radio long enough (or any media company, for that matter), odds are you’ve heard one or more of the above phrases. In my 28 years working in the audio content business, I’ve spoken and had those phrases spoken to me on more than one occasion.
As someone that’s been on both sides of a termination, allow me to share some valuable things I’ve learned along the way as we head into a very uncertain 2021.
MOST OF IT IS FINANCIALLY MOTOVATED
In every instance where I had to part company with an employee or an employer, I can look directly at the company’s finances or the economic climate as the primary catalyst.
Even in instances where I wanted to move on from a talent or a show, my GM’s eyes would often light up when I told them how much money the move would save as a result.
In that respect, there is some solace one can take upon learning they no longer have a job. Financial struggles are largely out of your control. That certainly rings true in 2020, where the pandemic driven recession has devastated the business landscape on so many levels.
For those that have been fired, there is a good chance that you’d still have a job if the financial health of the industry were better.
Try not to take it personally.
BE CLASSY…EVEN IF IT HURTS.
It goes without saying that you should never burn bridges. I’ll take that a step further. Find ways to reinforce that bridge with kindness, even if the people who let you go don’t deserve it.
Send a note to your boss (and their bosses) thanking them for the opportunity. Reach out to your colleagues and wish them all the best of luck. Send a statement to the trades that conveys your appreciation.
Its been said that you only have one chance to make a first impression. Well, you also have only one chance to make a last impression. Make it a positive one. Let the final thing your previous employer remembers about you is that you were the person who was classy on your way out the door.
Silence is not golden. If you go dark and say nothing, odds are the last thing your employer will remember about you is the reason they let you go. That won’t bode well when they eventually get a call from someone who wants to hire you. Being proactive to show your professionalism increases your chances of them saying: “You know, it didn’t work out for them here, but they are a good person and I appreciated them.”
UNPLUG FOR A WHILE
I remember when I left KIRO in August of 2019, one of my closest friends gave me advice I should have heeded.
“Take some time off. You have to give yourself a chance to get over this.”
Of course, staying busy has always been in my nature. So, I didn’t take that advice. It was a mistake.
Instead, I spent my days on the phone. Networking, applying for jobs, putting myself out there as much as I could. I wanted to move on to the next challenge and put my previous gig behind me.
All it did was make things worse.
I interviewed for seven jobs and was turned down seven times.
I sent so many texts and e-mails to my industry colleagues TRYING to shoehorn myself into a position that even some of my closest contacts stopped responding.
I was putting far too much pressure on myself (and others) because I had not allowed myself to get over the job that I no longer had. Moving on was the only way to put it in the rearview mirror.
I’m also thoroughly convinced that all this added pressure directly affected how I performed in job interviews. If there’s one thing managers can smell, its desperation…and it gives off a bad odor.
Depending on your financial situation, its not always feasible to go without a paycheck for an extended period. However, bills can always be paid later. Your mental well-being is far more important. Even giving yourself a week can make a world of difference for your sanity.
Do something you enjoy. Stay off social media. Don’t think about what’s next. You’ll have plenty of time to ponder that.
IT’S OK TO ADMIT YOU STILL LOVE RADIO
I was talking recently with a friend who was a long-time radio veteran and ran multiple stations in large markets. He’s been out of the business for several years.
“I’m done with radio,” he said. Then he went into a long-winded diatribe about the executives he didn’t like, the layoffs, how “local” is being vastly re-defined, etc.
What I didn’t tell him (but quietly thought to myself) is that he’d get back into the biz in a heartbeat if he was offered the right job.
Often, the words the terminated masses will tell themselves are “never again” with regards to going back into radio. Hell, I’ve said it on more than one occasion. Sometimes out of spite. Other times, it was an attempt to be practical given the current state of the industry. It’s no secret that there aren’t as many gigs as there used to be and what gigs exist don’t pay nearly what they used to.
However, as time went on, I knew that I was just kidding myself.
For me, it was never about the money, the awards, or the fame. Granted, I was fortunate to do well in all these categories at one point of another. At the end of the day, I went into radio because I LOVED it. My career choice has been and always shall be a passion project. Even as radio goes through its continued metamorphosis of consolidation, digitization, and regionalization, that passion has never waned. It never will.
Sure, radio is a fickle mistress. It has dragged me across the country, forced me to work long hours and endure sleepless nights. I’ve had those moments where I told myself and others that I was walking away. But deep down, I know I would never have the passion for doing anything but creating great audio content. That’s never going to change.
So, before you decide to get your real estate license, sell insurance, or dabble into public relations, have an honest conversation with yourself. Will you really have the same passion for doing something else that you had working in radio?
It’s not a sin to want to get back in.
Ryan Maguire is a columnist for BSM, and a longtime sports and news radio program director. He has managed KIRO-FM in Seattle, WQAM in Miami, 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, 610 Sports in Kansas City, and 105.7/1250 The Fan in Milwaukee. Presently, Ryan serves as the Executive Producer of Chicago White Sox baseball on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. Originally from Michigan, Ryan still holds out hope that the Detroit Lions will one day deliver a Super Bowl title. He can be reached on Twitter @RMaguire1701.
