Off-Mic is a special 5-part series, created by Corey Dylan for Barrett Media. This series examines how to adjust if faced with unexpected job loss. Corey becomes a radio free agent later this month and is exploring her new way forward. Interested groups are encouraged to reach out by email at Contact@CoreyDylan.com. To submit ideas to Barrett Media for future considerations, please contact Jason@BarrettMedia.com. We can’t promise we will publish what’s turned in but we do review all submissions.
When you work in radio long enough, you learn to expect change. After all, you haven’t “made it” in radio until you’ve been RIF’d, right? But you’re never really prepared for the day it’s your turn.
Even as I write this, my contract is ending December 31st. I’m grateful for the chance to prepare, but it’s still overwhelming because change is hard especially if it’s not on your terms.
If you don’t have a heads up, it typically happens fast. The email comes, or your boss asks you to step into their office after your show. Suddenly, you’re surrendering your card-key, company laptop, and erased from the station website with the boss wishing you well in your “future endeavors.” Or it can be a long time coming, with the quiet awareness that the business isn’t growing or healthy. Either way, the ground shifting beneath you can be destabilizing.
Layoffs are now a familiar part of the radio landscape. And for every public announcement, there are dozens of quiet departures. But knowing that doesn’t make it easier.
I know. I’ve been there. A few times. My longest stretch “on the beach” was for more than two-and-a-half years.
1. File for Unemployment Benefits Immediately
Filing as soon as you are eligible will help you avoid any potential delay in payments. Wait to file until your last official day of work but file ASAP because benefits typically have a one-week waiting period and they are not retroactive. Information about how to file can be found here.
2. Give Yourself Permission to Feel the Loss
Layoffs are not just professional events, they are emotional ones. You’re losing rhythm, purpose, and a work-family. Let yourself grieve.
Author Laura Brown calls losing a job “a violent act against your sense of self.” But she also reminds us: it’s often the beginning of the truest kind of reinvention. In my experience, that’s true.
I spoke with Julian Nieh after his exit in Las Vegas. He told me he took himself out for ice-cream and a breather after getting the news, and kept things quiet for a few weeks to process what happened before posting on social media. He also reached out to friends and colleagues for direction.
Many people reached out to him. One of them is a friend and fellow sneakerhead who runs his own branding and marketing company. He suggested Julian start a fresh social account and post updates doing mundane things to build a following because you never know where that daily conversation with your audience will take you. Chances are it will lead to new opportunities. Remember: The algorithm feeds on consistency so you may want to start fresh too if your current platform is a hodgepodge to focus on one passion.
The first few days, resist the urge to jump straight into job boards or panic networking. Sit still. Feel. Don’t react in the moment. Then remember that it’s just a moment in your life and career and it’s not a reflection of your worth. It’s a pivot in your story.
3. Protect Yourself Financially and Legally
Ask your boss for a letter of recommendation and your personnel file. Review your severance agreement carefully and, if possible, have an employment attorney look it over. File for unemployment immediately. Depending on your state and the state of our political climate, these things can sometimes take days or weeks.
If you get a lump-sum payout, don’t treat it as “found money.” Create a bare-bones budget. Stretch your runway because you never know how long you’re going to be on the tarmac. And remember a large lump sum will be treated as income in the year that you received it at tax time.
“Protect your confidence. It’s the first thing a layoff tries to take and the last thing you should give away.”
4. Control Your Narrative Early
In radio, your absence is public. People will notice. Listeners will reach out and want to hear your side or an explanation. Take a day or two to collect yourself, then post your own statement: short, gracious, and forward-looking. Even if you don’t plan to work in radio again, your social media is a billboard for the world to see (or someone to grab a screenshot of). No future employer wants to see you bashing a former employer.
You could write something like:
“Like many in the media industry, I was recently part of a round of layoffs. While it’s never easy to say goodbye to a team and work I care about, I’m choosing to see this as a chance to reset, learn, and grow.”
Own your narrative before rumors fill the gap.
5. Reconnect With Your Support System
Layoffs are isolating. Reach out to former coworkers, mentors, clients, and peers – not to ask for a job, but to reconnect. Accept the offers for a free lunch! Some of my best opportunities started with coffee conversations during downtime. People will want to help so let them by connecting you to people in their circle that you can cultivate new relationships with.
6. Shift From Panic to Purpose
Your skills still have value – storytelling, producing, connecting, selling. These are transferable across so many industries. There are amazing jobs out there in all sectors that pay well. The layoff didn’t erase your talent; it just redirected it.
7. Set One Small Goal Every Day
Make your bed. Update a demo reel. Send one networking email. Journal. Volunteer. Do something. Momentum cures inertia.
8. The Rule of 55: The Safety Net You Didn’t Know You Had
This doesn’t apply to GenZ or Millennials, but “the Rule of 55” is an IRS provision that allows you to withdraw from your most recent 401(k) or 403(b) without the 10% early withdrawal penalty if you leave your job in the calendar year that you turn 55 or later (age 50 for public safety employees). It is not available for IRAs or 401(k)s from prior employers unless the funds have been rolled into the current account. The distribution is still subject to regular income tax.
Not all employers allow for this early distribution. It’s optional for them to offer this benefit, despite the universal IRS provision. Talk to your benefits administrator and the people managing your company plan.
Takeaway
It can be difficult to stay optimistic or positive especially when your termination is fresh. I get it. I had been unemployed from radio for about a year or so when I ran into a woman who comes from a famous pro-wrestling family but worked in radio briefly. I’m sure my attitude was less than optimistic about my situation and I’ll never forget what she said to me because I now live by this mantra. “People don’t buy negativity. They buy enthusiasm.” Are you selling something anyone wants to buy?
You’re not broken. You’re in transition. Radio is so unpredictable, but your talent and skills are portable and transferable. The same storytelling, branding, and communication skills that made you successful on-air can make you indispensable in digital media, voiceover, podcasting, non-profits, government and beyond.
The creator economy alone is projected to surpass $400 billion by 2027. It thrives on the exact skills radio people already possess. You can – and will – make a great living using your voice and creativity in new ways. There are opportunities out there. Some of them you just have to create for yourself.
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