I was chatting with one of radio’s heaviest heavies in New York over the weekend, and we were noting one of the many self-inflicted wounds radio has given itself is grossly underpaying most of the few who continue to survive the constant grim reaper of corporate RIFs lurking around every turn.
Without solid compensation, how could radio possibly expect to attract and maintain the content creators and personalities needed to compete in a fragmented media environment, I wondered. This luminary came back with this: “radio talents are not the haves and have nots, there is no radio middle class.”
I’d never heard it put quite that way, but much like this country’s politics, “it’s the economy stupid” in radio too, where most expect to do well enough, many don’t do well at all, and a few do terrific.
Again, like our current political environment, in radio there is an upper crust at the top reaping what benefits of the changing ecosystem exist while most aren’t doing very well at all or outright badly (which still beats being laid off).
Radio has historically poorly compensated talent from the beginning of the music radio era in medium and smaller markets and stations, but the allure of a career path leading to big city, big-time fame and fortune always seemed attainable for the talented, hardworking, and ambitious.
Today, not so much. It’s just another reason many in radio will whisper “radio is dying a slow painful death”. Don’t tell that to the hundreds of college and broadcast school students I interacted with at the IBS conference presented by Talkers in the Big Apple.
More so than even the past two years I attended, I met young hopefuls after another, not worried about job opportunities, big bad corporate radio, or low salary, but rather filled with ideas of covering local sports, creating fresh morning shows, broadening the music format offerings available, and even logo design and marketing.
I watched students exchange business cards and handshakes with each other and media pros alike, and most enjoyed hearing them talk about hearing radio at a young age and wanting to pursue it.
It also occurred to me that as I begin my 32nd year in commercial radio this week, I am at the mid- to down slope of my career in this current doldrums, but I am part of the bridge between the old guard of legends I got to work with at my start and this new generation of digital natives fully entranced by a medium born more than a century ago.
Maybe just maybe, if we can get the current robber barons out of radio, and for private equity to cut their losses and sell those of us still in it, and these new hungry rebels looking to break in can finally set this good ship radio right.
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Robby Bridges works for Press Communications where he serves as the VP of Programming for 99.7 and 107.1 The Boss. He also hosts the morning show ‘Robby and Rochelle’ alongside his wife, Rochelle. He’s been with the company/stations since September, 2021.
Prior to arriving in New Jersey, Robby spent decades working across the country in many top markets for many highly successful brands. Among them include Z100, WPLJ and Q102. He has also worked in Detroit, Boston, Providence, Portsmouth, NH, and served as an exclusive guest host for Scott Shannon on the True Oldies Channel.
To get in touch, reach Robby by email at RobbyBridges@hotmail.com.
