We were sold a bill of goods. I sold you a bill of goods. Everyone sold that bill of goods, and bought it, too. I’m talking about the idea that we in the media all have to take on more responsibilities. You used to be just a radio host, or a news anchor/reporter, or a producer, or a salesperson.
Then you were told that you had to do videos, too, and social media in general, because, well, engagement. Voice tracking? Oh, certainly, and make sure you include plenty of local references for those markets to which you’ve never been. Wait, you haven’t launched a podcast? Do that.
And next comes writing for the station’s website, because digital, digital, digital. Digital? Digital. Can’t have too much digital. Extra pay for the extra work? Buddy, you’re lucky to have a job. Now, get back to generating content. That’s still the career advice you’re getting – gotta be a jack of all trades these days, giving your employer more value for money.
Except… are you any good at the additional work? Can you produce quality videos? Can you write up to the level of an actual professional writer? Are your social media posts having any effect at all, and has management communicated to you what it considers success in social media? You’re confident that you’re the right person for the main job for which you were hired, but are you the right person for the jobs for which you didn’t sign up in the first place?
That’s one of the fallacies of the Renaissance Employee theory of business, that and the idea that it’s okay to work people to the point of burnout because it saves the company a few salaries. I get it, management is under severe pressure to save money, whether it’s to cushion the blow of lower advertising revenue in all media (bright side: digital is up!) or to hold the investors and creditors (same thing) at bay for another quarter.
But having someone who was hired to do one thing pressed into action for a task they are not qualified to do, even if they manage to work their way up to something approaching adequate, is going to affect the product, which affects audience figures, which affects revenue, and the spiral continues.
(Note to the old hands who will undoubtedly be thinking, “Hey, when I was a lad, I signed on our AM daytimer at sunrise, stayed until past sunset, did a 12-hour on-air shift, was the entire production department — razor blades and splicing tape! — handled music scheduling, fixed the transmitter, worked the reception desk, did remotes, and slept at the station”: Sure, you learned a lot, but, news flash — you were exploited. And those days are over – you won’t find young talent putting up with that today, and they shouldn’t.)
It may be another of my pipe dreams, but I’d love to see the media find a way to find a way to hire the right people for the right jobs. It’s not just a quality issue; someone who, for example, does a radio show should be focused on, um, doing a radio show, not having to crank out a minimum of blog posts per week on things like the 10 Best Shoe Stores in the County. Hire the best possible podcast personalities to host podcasts.
Doing video? Hire videographers to work with the talent and social media people. Bring in actual social media people, and be clear about what results you want to get from your posts and how that will ultimately affect revenue. Get writers for the station’s website and social media – many news organizations, including cable news networks, use dedicated digital news staffers, and radio and local TV should, too.
And, yeah, like I said, I get it – these things cost money, and budgets are tighter than tight. If you’re an owner or manager, you’re looking at spreadsheets that argue for having everyone do more jobs, not fewer. But the media is your business, and to do it right costs money. If your business plan doesn’t factor in the cost of doing things right, then you’re doing things wrong, at least from a long-term standpoint. It’s not your employees’ fault if your business plan doesn’t work. Perhaps you need a new business plan.
Perhaps you can’t be everything to everybody, and you need to pick a lane for your brand, whether you decide you’re a linear radio station, a podcast collective, a video operation, or a digital news site. Or something else, but trying to do all of it because you can’t decide which business you’re in, or you think you need to be in all of those businesses, may not be way to go.
Or maybe it is, but if that’s the case, you need a staff capable of producing the best in everything you offer. One person can rarely do it all. And if you find that person, open the vault and pay them what they’re worth.
Perry Michael Simon is a weekly news media columnist for Barrett Media. He previously served as VP and Editor/News-Talk-Sports/Podcast for AllAccess.com. Prior to joining the industry trade publication, Perry spent years in radio working as a Program Director and Operations Manager for KLSX and KLYY in Los Angeles and New Jersey 101.5 in Trenton. He can be found on X (formerly Twitter) @PMSimon.
