I always have been tough on columnists. They’re not original, they’re not creative, they’re not insightful news media members, and they’re not funny.
Then, I became one – and one is the keyword.
I didn’t have to write three a week – just one.
One.
And it was not easy, especially as I continue to grow a morning AM radio show, do some television work, raise three kids, and support a spouse with a rather big job as well.
My point is that I’ve gained a healthy respect for anyone who writes a column, whether it be once a week or three times. You cannot be a good columnist in any segment of media — be it sports, news, politics, or media — without doing some real reporting.
I say this as I write my final column (for now) for Barrett News Media.
It’s simple: I don’t have the time to do it right, and I don’t want to go on record with half-assed stuff.
So for now, I am stepping back as a writer on this site. But what I am not doing is stepping back as a consumer.
What Jason and his team are building is so much fun to watch, read, and share. I think it proves to me – as it does to most of you – that I like the industry itself as much as I like what I do in that industry.
Our business is changing all the time, and if you’re not trying to learn from others and what’s trending, you’ll be doing something else … soon.
That’s another thing that I’ve learned: Perhaps, we are all on borrowed time.
I love my radio job, but resources are thin, people get laid off seemingly every quarter and there’s no sign of a shift in the other direction. I used to think that all I had to do was have good interviews, bring a fresh perspective, and deliver some legitimately interesting information. The ratings, advertisers, and money would simply follow.
Not true.
How do we grow enough to feel more secure?
That may not be an answerable question, but it could be syndication, TV simulcasting, or getting on the FM dial. It might have to be all of those things, and that may not be enough, either.
The scary part is that only one of the three aforementioned expansion ideas is even available to me right now.
I think about these issues all the time because I cannot imagine doing a job outside of media. My cocktail party joke when I speak to friends and family who have no idea what I do and often have wondered why I still do it (They seemingly think that working in media is equivalent to not growing up): I am like an indoor cat. Put me outside (i.e. another job), and I die.
So, most of my effort in life goes toward avoiding that fate.
Beyond those avenues for potential growth, there’s another where there is zero near-term ROI but I truly feel I need to figure out.
Yes, it’s social media. Duh.
I have written extensively on the fact that I am old school and have no real interest in TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram. But I fear if that does not change, I will be in real trouble.
I don’t have any facility for it and very little interest in it, yet somehow, I feel like it’s my most pronounced blind spot.
Perhaps, I will try and swap the time spent on this news media column for legitimate efforts at making videos and taking pictures – with the proper captions, algorithms, and hashtags, of course.
But I doubt it. What can I say? I’m an indoor cat.
Brian Shactman is a weekly columnist for Barrett News Radio. In addition to writing for BNM, Brian can be heard weekday mornings in Hartford, CT on 1080 WTIC hosting the popular morning program ‘Brian & Company’. During his career, Brian has worked for ESPN, CNBC, MSNBC, and local TV channels in Connecticut and Massachusetts. You can find him on Twitter @bshactman.
