Over the past two days, I had the pleasure of speaking with different air talents who are aggressively looking for work. For the purpose of this conversation, it does not matter what company they worked for or what round of layoffs they were part of. What matters is a specific phrase that came up during all of the calls.
In our business right now, everyone is time starved. We are all wearing three or more hats, managing multiple clusters, and trying to keep up with an endless inbox. However, the single biggest gift you can give to another human being right now is remarkably simple: your time.
As author Rick Warren famously put it, “The greatest gift you can give someone is your time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back.” Psychologist Philip Zimbardo echoed that exact sentiment, writing, “The greatest gift that you can give to others and to yourself is time. Embrace the gift of time whether you give it or receive it.”
The Silent Inbox
During my conversations this week, the personalities said something to me that stuck:
“I’m just happy you responded to my request for your time.”
They shared stories of sending out dozens of emails that disappear into the corporate void. They left voicemails that go unreturned. And they reached out to industry colleagues only to be met with total silence.
Now, I know we are all doing more than we ever have before. I know your calendar is packed from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. But taking just five or ten minutes to talk to someone who is out of work and trying to find a path forward is incredibly easy. Furthermore, it carries immense weight.
How to Give Time in Easy Ways
Giving your time does not mean you have to offer everyone a job. Nor does it mean you need to clear an entire afternoon for an in-depth career audit. Sometimes, giving your time simply means validating another person’s value in a moment when they feel invisible.
Here are a few simple, low friction ways to give your time to colleagues and pros looking for their next step:
- Acknowledge the Message: If you get an email or LinkedIn message from a talent looking for work, do not ignore it. Instead, send even a three-sentence reply saying, “I don’t have an opening right now, but I received your demo, appreciate your work, and will keep my ears open.”
- The 10-Minute Sanity Check: Offer a brief ten-minute phone call. Let them bounce an idea off you, ask about market trends, or get feedback on a fresh aircheck. That short conversation can reset their confidence for the entire week. Above all, let them do most of the talking.
- Pass the Line: If you know a PD or GM in another market who might be hiring, take thirty seconds to forward the talent’s info with a quick personal note. Connecting two good people takes almost zero effort on your end. Yet it can completely change the trajectory of someone else’s career.
- The Courtesy Pass for Sales: Outside of unsolicited, automated sales pitches on LinkedIn (I do not answer those either), taking five seconds to reply to a real vendor saves everyone time. Try responding with a simple, “That’s not something we can use right now,” “I couldn’t possibly get budget approval for that,” or “Check back in six weeks to see if our needs change.” This lets them move on without endless follow-ups.
Answering the Call
We talk a lot in this industry about family, mentorship, and preserving the future of local radio. But culture and community are not just built on stage at industry conventions. Instead, they are built in the everyday moments when nobody is watching.
The next time a message pops up in your inbox from a personality looking for a hand up, will it go unread? Pick up the phone, write the quick email, and share a small slice of your day. Time is finite. However, using a tiny piece of yours to help someone else is the easiest gift you will ever give.
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As the Executive Director of Programming & Operations for Pamal Broadcasting, Kevin Callahan oversees 25 stations across five markets, including the company’s four Country brands. An award-winning brand specialist, Kevin is a passionate advocate for talent development, dedicated to mentoring personalities and restoring our medium to its most vibrant, high-impact form. His career is highlighted by 12 years as Audacy’s West Coast Regional VP of Programming for the Country format, where he managed premier brands across major markets including San Diego, Seattle, Phoenix, Riverside and more. Today, Kevin balances his corporate leadership with his role as President of Sonic Maple Media, serving as a fractional executive advisor to broadcast leadership and fractional programmer and talent coach to broadcasters nationwide. He can be reached at kevin@pamal.com