I had several Labor Day column ideas, but none of them wanted to work a full shift on a holiday weekend. So welcome to the Labor Day Rock & Roll Garage Sale: five unused columns, a few missing parts, priced to move. No reasonable offer refused.
Rock has always carried a working person’s mentality. Think jeans, sweat, long days, and longer nights. Punk came from garages; Rock came from the alleys. Grunge wore work boots. Moreover, Alternative chronicled dead-end jobs and the grind long before workplace burnout became a LinkedIn topic.
Work isn’t merely a lyrical theme. Instead, it’s part of Rock’s DNA. But does RockTernative radio still sound like it knows what a workday feels like?
Morning shows hit their stride at 7:30am when plenty of workers clock in much earlier. In fact, afternoon drive is treated like one universal commute. Meanwhile, night and overnight workers barely exist at radio—even though millions of listeners take “lunch” at 9pm. Additionally, “listen at work to win” requires someone operating equipment or serving customers to give radio their full attention.
These are easy critiques. I’m guilty, too. Furthermore, programmers can defend every one of them with ratings and revenue. However, work still starts early and shifts still run late.
So this Labor Day, don’t just play “Working Man”—sound like you know one.
The Hardest Working Songs in Rock
Some songs are stars; others load the truck.
Programmers may be sick of “Man in the Box.” Similarly, talent may struggle to find something new to say about “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Wonderwall,” or the other immortal hits they’ve introduced 500 times. Nevertheless, listeners don’t always hear them that way.
Those songs hold generations together. They carry entire decades and genres. Importantly, they rescue questionable music sweeps. While they may not be the sexiest in 2026, they give brands stability while newer songs fight to earn permanent jobs.
Programmers should identify the songs doing invisible labor on your station. Note that they aren’t always the ones in the top percentile of research—sometimes they’re image tracks. Then protect them from becoming wallpaper. This doesn’t automatically mean more spins. Instead, give them context and fresh imaging. Also, scrutinize what’s next to them.
The hardest-working songs make programmers’ jobs easier. Therefore, return the favor.
Long Weekend, Same Old Clock
By the time you read this, weekend plans are set. Most shifts are already recorded.
Some brands will do something different. Others will follow a familiar strategy: run Friday clocks through Tuesday, sprinkle in some “Happy Labor Day Weekend” between songs, and call it an event.
That may have worked when radio’s competition was a CD binder rolling around under the passenger seat. However, today’s weekend victory is getting Mr. Saturday back again next Saturday.
Weekends do remain valuable—sometimes more so than weekdays. Importantly, people move and think differently. Cities feel different on weekends. Great stations recognize that by making noise, being present, and creating something that belongs on the weekend—not just Tuesday’s log.
Don’t drive into the ditch. Discipline matters. But if Saturday sounds exactly like Thursday, the “Labor Day Weekend” is just a regular clock wearing a koozie.
Who’s Really Doing the Work
We all see the headliner. Few see the crew building the stage, hanging the lights, and loading the truck.
At radio, the engineers, producers, promotions coordinators, board-ops, and overloaded local leaders keep the show moving while staffing shrinks and expectations grow. They fix what breaks. Moreover, they cover open shifts, load the van, answer texts, execute the promotion, and make the impossible request appear effortless. This all happens before anyone notices there was a problem.
A Labor Day salute is nice. Better yet, proper staffing, fair compensation, and a legitimate career path would be even better.
Companies can keep cutting the road crew. But don’t act surprised when the stage stops going up.
Everything Must Go
Every garage sale has a pile nobody wants to drag back inside. There’s that hub cap you don’t remember claiming. Or that scratched version of Dookie. This one is no different.
What belongs in that pile at your station? What stuff do you finally need to part ways with?
Consider a benchmark no one would miss. Think about imaging that’s developing rust. What about image tracks that are no longer “oh wow?” Additionally, consider meetings that only create more meetings.
Labor Day is the end of summer. Before the new year of Fall begins, identify anything eating up time, attention, or inventory without much return. Get rid of it.
Here’s to a clean garage, a happy Labor Day, and the start of Fall.
This column will be moving to its new day, Mondays, starting after Labor Day.
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