If you were to believe everything you read on social media from those who have been in broadcasting for forty-plus years, you’d think we all work in the worst industry ever. One in which media companies are the big bad wolf or the wicked witch of the west.
The constant barrage of attacks and denigration of the state of the business is truly disconcerting. There are so many posts across multiple social media platforms that I come across that speak ill of the industry I have loved for decades.
A few things dawned on me. Maybe – just maybe it’s not such a bad thing that those with such strong venom and disdain for what we do every day are no longer in the business. But then again, the truth is that it isn’t really contempt or disrespect for the current state of radio. It’s likely simple frustration from the many whose passion and love for a time, when, as Billy Joel wrote, we all “wore a younger man’s clothes.”
The world is constantly changing, leaving behind all those less able to adapt. Was the broadcast industry honestly better 40, 30, 20, or even just 10 years ago? Maybe–maybe not, but it certainly was vastly different.
When I decided I wanted a career in radio, I was a youngster growing up in New York City listening to some of the best radio stations and best talent anywhere.
I remember meeting a very young jock from WXLO (99X) at a remote. He was in his early 20s, and I was all of 16 years old. He would become one of my early heroes as he invited me up to my favorite radio station in NYC to sit with him while he was on air.
That was it! That was the day that sealed it. I also met Jay Thomas that day, who was doing mornings. He called me a schmuck for just wanting to get into the business. I laughed, of course, but I don’t think he was joking at all.
Erica Farber was the extremely young GM running WXLO back then, and I would be lucky enough to one day work for her at the RAB. The young jock who invited me that day and literally, changed my life was Dick Sloane and today we are still friends. Dick (aka Mitch Morgan) is still working and living in Wisconsin.
For me, radio was different then, and it was most assuredly more difficult. It seemed very incestual and was very tough to break into. I knew there was no way I would ever get my start in the #1 market in the country.
So, at 20 years old, I packed up my car and took a job at a 500-watt daytimer in southeast Georgia. If the wind blew, you could hardly hear it. When we had a contest, very often, no one would call in, so we dialed up someone we knew just to get a winner on the air.
Today, the tables have turned on us. The difficulty lies with those of us in management. When it was simpler to find talent then, it is clearly much more difficult today. Heck, back in the day, I would’ve worked for free just to be on air and get experience. In reality, it may as well have been free since I only made $110 a week.
So, what has changed? Why is it challenging to find young people who want to climb onto this exciting coaster and take an incredible ride? I believe it’s because we have fallen victim to a lot of noise from outside sources, those threatened by our success.
It’s the same thing we see from all sides in politics today. Just say it long enough and it will become the truth. We have allowed a false narrative to take hold and become the truth, like a child who is told long enough that he or she is not smart or pretty enough. We have allowed technology to convince the world that we are not worthy, when in truth, we know that more people use radio every week than any other medium.
What we CAN all control is educating, empowering, and inspiring young people through job fairs and visits to high schools and colleges. We are not their dad’s or grandad’s radio.
We need to let them know that we are still cool and capture 83% of the population each week, more than any other form of media. They need to know that we offer careers in podcasting, production, journalism, video, promotions, marketing, business, sales and digital marketing.
We need to create compelling promos on the air that talk about careers in radio. We need talent on the air who believe in what we do by creating compelling content on air and online. We need to have salespeople touting the strengths and power of local radio to our local businesses.
My suggestion is to no longer listen to the noise. My hope is that we all feel our way into the action and act our way into the feelings of passion that first led us to this business. Let’s not allow inevitable change to confuse us with anything other than our love for the industry.
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Bob Lawrence writes weekly columns on radio leadership and business. He most recently served as market manager for MacDonald Broadcasting in Saginaw, Michigan. Throughout his career, Bob has held virtually every position in the business over his 40+ year career, from being on-air in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco to programming legendary stations including KHTR St. Louis, KITS Hot Hits and KIOI (K101) San Francisco to serving as the head of all programming for Saga Communications and working for the Radio Advertising Bureau. Before landing his current role, Bob helped lead Seven Mountains Media’s cluster in Parkersburg, WV/Marietta, OH. He can be reached by email at BGLawrence@me.com.
Bob also honed his research skills over ten years as Senior VP of Operations at Broadcast Architecture, eventually launching his own research company and serving as President/CEO of Pinnacle Media Worldwide for 15 years. Bob spent five years as VP of Programming for Saga Communications before joining New South Radio in Jackson, Mississippi as GM/Market Manager. Prior to joining Seven Mountains Media, Bob served as General Manager for the Radio Advertising Bureau, overseeing its “National Radio Talent System”.
