30 years ago, when I started in this business, I did what a lot of you probably did – I got an internship. I used a connection to get an interview at the local all sports radio station and got my way in. When they asked if I would mind helping on the morning show, which required me to get up at 4:15 a.m. because I lived 45 minutes away from the station, I didn’t hesitate and simply asked when I started.
As the internship went on, I realized the other interns and some of the part-time staff really didn’t put much effort into what they were doing, a lot of people just seemed to be checking boxes. This is what I wanted to do for my career, I was earning credit for the internship, but I would have done it no matter what, I looked at it as a chance to learn the craft, pick people’s brains, pay attention, ask questions. And, on the advice of a college professor who became more like a friend, I let everyone who worked at the station know who I was and what I wanted to do.
It wasn’t much after a year of interning at the station that one of the main on-air hosts remembered me telling him I wanted to do play-by-play. He said someone told him of an open job and that he would be happy to connect me. When I eventually talked to the Athletic Director, she flat out told me that his recommendation is what got me this interview and now will be what gets me the position. Oh, by the way, she said I needed to sell advertising for the broadcasts in addition to broadcasting the games, something at that point I had never done. I just smiled, said absolutely, shook her hand and left. I would figure that part out later – I was going to be broadcasting college basketball!
The point in writing all of that is to ask where the Dave Greene’s from 30 years ago have all gone? As I talk to Market Managers and Program Directors, one of the things I often hear about is how difficult it is to find good, young talent. Those that are chomping at the bit to get into the business, willing to work as hard as they can just to get a chance.
I had a conversation recently with a PD in a big market and he believes they are all online, creating content and trying to see if they can get in that way instead of working their way up the ladder.
Look, I get it, it’s easier today than ever to just start something, and I encourage that. However, at the same time, the experience of being around others, getting to pick their brains, getting real life experience should not be skipped over even if you are already creating content. Work on your craft, get better and better with reps you can do on your own. But getting out and meeting with and working with people who have been there, done that, is still an incredible education you don’t want to miss out on.
It appears that younger people want to skip steps. For some of them that is going to work out just fine. If they have the talent and create compelling content, they will get found and be followed. But that is like talking about a high school athlete who wants to play in the pros. Everyone wants it, few will achieve it.
I will say that one part of the internship experience that did seem to go away in recent years is the part where the older folks want to help the younger folks. A lot of the older people in radio and television have put such little effort into understanding the landscape and how it has changed and is changing, they would prefer to say how good it was in the old days and scoff at the new young pups.
We have to learn from each other. There are plenty of things older broadcasters can teach the new generation, and the new generation has a lot it can teach the older ones. That hasn’t always been the case, but let’s face it, a 30-year-old probably knows a heckuva lot more about what is good content for the first half of the 25–54-year-old demo than most people towards the back half. If you are over 40, when is the last time you asked one of the younger people in your building to sit down with you and show you how they consume content? For most, my guess is the answer is never.
It really is a unique time in our space, and whether you are young, old or in between, things have to be done a different way in order to move forward. Frankly, we need the younger generation to jump on board and get involved in our industry, otherwise that is when the industry could really die off.
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The Best/Worst Thing I’ve Heard/Watched/Read Recently
I will admit, before I did my eavesdropping column on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast, ‘New Heights’ this past week, I had never tuned into a full episode. Seen plenty of clips and have paid attention to what has happened with the show and the deal with Wondery.
I just really have had Kelce-fatigue for a while and figured if I tuned into full episodes, I wouldn’t be able to take much more. However, I was wrong. Yes, I still think they are overexposed and need to make sure they don’t eventually burn everyone out on them, but the show is really, really good.
I am a Chiefs fan and lived and worked in KC for a couple of years and have lots of friends in that area. So, I knew and was exposed to much more Travis than Jason. And with all due respect to Travis and his famous girlfriend, Jason is what makes the show work. He keeps it moving, he asks good questions, and he has the ability to reel Travis in a bit when he gets going too far out there.
I really enjoyed listening and now have a lot to catch up on. You can see my eavesdropping feature on the show by clicking here.
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In Case You Missed It
Every Market Manager or Programming boss needs to make sure they read Demetri Ravanos’ column from earlier this week titled, ‘Rethink Social Media in 2025.’ Then, they should have a meeting with their staff to discuss it.
Bottom line, some people are using a social media strategy from five years ago and folks, that isn’t working anymore. The game has changed. The main point is that you should be using social to show the great content you have, not simply to get people to click on something to then see the great content you have. The social peeps don’t want people to leave their site, so instead of trying to fight it, embrace it and use it for what it can for you today, not several years ago.
Demetri wrote, “What if instead of links, you prioritize content? Quit thinking of social media as the interstate and start thinking of it as the destination.”
You can thank Demetri later for the meeting topic and for giving you legitimate tips to make you better. I know most of you won’t listen because that’s what history says, but I promise you the six minutes it will take to read the article will be well worth it.
You can get to the full column by clicking here.
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Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
