Suddenly Jobless

We got such a strong reaction to a recent editorial dealing with employment - or the lack thereof -- that I promised to do a follow-up. Anyone who has been in this business for more than three years and who has not moved at least once should consider him or herself extremely fortunate. Relocation has been a way of life for most of us in the radio and music industries in 2007.

Torn Between Two Loves

Some of you may remember an earlier editorial about a dedicated, passionate air personality, forced to deal with the dualities of life. He had two passions. The first, naturally, was his family. The second, of course, was his career. He was on his way to becoming a superstar night jock. He had talent, been lucky, worked hard and played the game of radio politics extremely well.

Early in his career, he decided to make himself a company man. He had seen great air personalities come to his Midwestern market and he had seen them go. Unfortunately, he didn't know about or pay attention to ratings -- things such as Arbitron, average quarter-hours, cumes and Time Spent Listening seemed like foreign languages such as Greek or Russian.

He got his first break in a smaller market, moved up from being an intern to part-time to full-time and then back to his home town. It became obvious that those who won't move, often won't work. They certainly won't move up. Even staying in one spot is no guarantee of steady employment in this age of mergers, downsizing and multi-tasking.

Being Good Is Not Always Enough

During his 14-year career, he uprooted his family (a wife and two young kids) a half-dozen times to take assignments in various markets, each time gaining more experience and building his career. He felt that doing so made him a highly regarded "killer night slammer," one who hoped to catch the eye of his superiors, especially his current bosses. He felt this was his gig security. After all, he was tight with his program director, who also did a midday airshift.

Originally, he had been recruited by the station's former operations manager, who had himself moved on during the station's changeover from another format. He had managed to last through two format adjustments and three ownership changes.

His story is an all too familiar one. He came in specifically for the night shift, one he was familiar with and was successful doing. During the station's early struggling days, he hit the ground running, jamming the boxes, getting in the streets and applying his talents. It seemed to be working. His request phones were always lit. His listeners were "shouting out." His ratings were rising, as was his popularity. It resulted in some very fruitful, paid outside appearances. The "ballers" and "shot-callers" in the clubs all knew his name. He was major.

Or Was He?

He lasted about 14 months before a combination of dwindling Arbitron numbers, philosophical clashes and feeble format execution spelled the end of his reign. Naturally, he thought it was unfair. He was taken aback at how quickly he was expected to eclipse his heritage Top-40/Rhythmic competition. When he failed, his program director decided to shake things up and sent him packing once more.

As he looked back, it was like he failed to represent. At one time, he was on a fast train going 90 miles an hour on twin rails. Suddenly, he was standing at the station and the train was whizzing by -- without him.

If you're an air-personality who wants to avoid being "suddenly jobless," and you're looking for some longevity, try to find a team that makes winning investments. Take the time to research your potential employer's operating history. A couple of bad moves and you could be wrongfully labeled a loser, carrying someone else's baggage with you for an entire career.

Word.