It’s not easy being Jay Leno these days.
First, you know about the story where he took that salary reduction, along with the loss of many staffers.
Next, other big name talk show hosts are taking shots at him. Howard Stern has had a field day ridiculing Leno and his pay cut. Calling him a “spineless maggot” and a “scumbag,” NBC magnified the mess by apparently threatening Stern, warning him not to talk about Leno. You’d think NBC, of all networks, would know these tactics only makes it worse.
Then Jimmy Kimmel – who will now be going head to head with Leno – jumped in with his own reaction about the late night icon – “F**k him.” It should be a fun late night fight.
It’s interesting that the guy that Jay shoved out of late night, Conan, hasn’t weighed in yet.
Aside from the fact that it’s probably fun for these guys to bash Leno, the source of all the brickbats was the announcement that he took a salary haircut, along with slashing the Tonight Show staff by 20 people. According to the Los Angeles Times, Leno will now have to make do with only $20 million annually, so I’m not imagining that most of you have a lot of sympathy for him.
But the larger issue is about awareness. If Leno didn’t realize that the economics of broadcasting had changed before, he sure understands them now.
And that’s why when I run into radio personalities who still haven’t come to grips with the changing realities of the business and the diminishing compensation model, I don’t get it.
In most media markets, the advertising “pie” for radio looks like the sales chart for BlackBerry. It really doesn’t matter whether your ratings have held up in PPM. What counts is your sales team’s ability (or inability) to generate revenue.
That’s something that may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s true. The storied model – if you get the ratings, sales will follow – has been shaken by the weakened economy and the competitive conditions in the media business.
For DJs, shows, and teams, it should be a signal that retaining your job and some degree of financial stability has gotten more challenging. If these precarious conditions are impacting Jay Leno, you can be sure that jocks in Pittsburgh, Pensacola, and Phoenix are all feeling some degree of pain.
This is coming at a time when the radio business – whether it realizes it or not – needs its personalities now more than ever. As the music experience is duplicated, customized, and commoditized by any number of new players, the local personality has the ability to make a difference.
But not by doing the old “four and out the door” routine.
We have addressed these new keys to success multiple times in this blog, but the Leno situation should be a wake-up call to everyone on the air. If Jay got a haircut, you know that DJs, anchormen, and other on-air talent will be making a trip to the barber shop.
So in the spirit of self-determination, here are 10 actions to consider that are designed to help talent navigate through these challenging waters:
- Be indispensable – Become that person at the station that everyone counts on. Anyone can do this if you work hard enough.
- Be versatile – Learn how to do new things – voicetracking, production, sales calls, stand-up comedy. The more skills you have in your professional utility belt, the more you can accomplish #1.
- Be in sales – The salespeople need your help now more than ever (whether they realize it or not). If you have a big name in town, your presence at agencies and with clients can be a difference maker.
- Be in the community – High school speeches, advertiser breakfasts, and charitable activities all add up to great exposure and stronger personal brands. Plus, it will make you feel good to mix it up with real people outside the station.
- Be there – Show up, volunteer for appearances, become synonymous with your call letters.
- Be networking – Introduce yourself to anyone and everyone in your town – politicians, TV anchors, concert promoters, local team execs – the hot shots of your communities. These contacts will provide you access and exposure – and chances are good they all know each other.
- Be current – Look out the windshield, not back at the rear view mirror. Think forward, and stop reminiscing about the “good old days.” Plus, the whining and grousing with other radio vets will just make you bitter. Think positive and look for ways to energize your brand.
- Be social – Learn how to use and master the new tools. That’s where your new listeners (and your current ones) now reside. It’s your new marketing budget.
- Be in touch – Graciously acknowledge everyone on Facebook, answer the phones, return calls and emails, retweet/favorite/follow on Twitter. Yes, you’re going after thousands of cumers, but positive impressions can be made one at a time.
- Be realistic – Leno may have been surprised when NBC came to him looking for a multi-million dollar haircut. You shouldn’t be. Have your Plan B responses and options mapped out. Make sure you understand the numbers – ratings and revenue – in order to have an intelligent conversation about your future. If you have an agent, make sure he/she understands the realities of the situation so you don’t end up with a worse deal – or out of a job altogether.
Management may have the upper hand and the purse strings, but never has personality been more important to radio brands. Play your cards right, help the company, and help yourself.
Oh, and don’t be a spineless maggot.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Bonus Action: #11 – Be a Mentor. There’s no person of greater value in any organization that one who makes it his/her mission to learn and is willing and prepared to teach, share, and mentor, often outside of their ‘defined’ area of responsibility. When traditional ($$) resources are (even more) limited, the value of a selfless team player who helps other rise – to meet and exceed expectations – is both immeasurable and is viewed as an unexpected but welcome surprise by those above. “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein
Good one, Ralph. Thanks for contributing.
Would be a whole lot easier to swallow if CEO’s were now working for what they made 20 years ago!
Tom, the radio industry – as well as many American businesses – has its “givens.” They are not always pretty to be sure. Thanks for the comment.
Wow, Fred, what an inspiring article. Parts of this are things I’ve known for a while now, but needed this kick in the pants to get me really moving on them. It makes me sound very “get off my lawn” but I feel kind of sorry for the “kids” in the business today who don’t get that it’s just that – a business. Not a beer fest, not a free concert, a business. I also agree wholeheartedly with the comments about sales staff – every jock should make certain (if the sales manager hasn’t done so already) that the sales staff knows the format, listens to the jock’s show, and knows how to sell the show’s strengths. I’ve seen firsthand what happens to good stations whose sales staffs can’t be bothered to learn and sell the format. When they don’t sell anything, it’s the format’s fault, and more often than not, it’s flushed along with the air staff.
Thanks, Eggman, for the insight. Glad today’s post had a little inspriation behind it. We all have adjustments to make. Appreciate you weighing in.
I read your blog today and it made me think about listening to the radio this past weekend. Yesterday-Labor Day-I took a couple of my kids to the pool at the Country Club we belong to. The teenage lifeguard had a boombox set up and had a local station on. I was sitting near it…and for 2 and half hours I listened. No live jock. No voice taped jock. No jock at all. In fact liners that aired stating: “You told us more music and no talk…”. I realize this is a tactic a number of stations take on the weekends and nights (some even during the full week like the “jack and Charlie” formats. So what differentiates these stations from Pandora/Slacker? I suppose the spot load and maybe some imagining/promos. If we/radio go this route or stick to this route why would we be the choice over a pure-play that airs music when/how we want it without commercial interruption? Having strong air talent that’s part of a community-that talks to and with the community…that can now listen to the community (social media) and fully interact is a tremendous advantage. I asked the teen/lifeguard if this was his favorite station and he shrugged his shoulders and told me he forgot his iPod.
So your blog was great (as usual) but it only applies to media groups that have talent, teach and coach them not just in the terrestrial world of radio, but the digital and social media world as well. Keep up the great work guys!
James, definitely a loss opportunity to connect with you, your kids, and the community while we’re all engaged in similar activities – in this case, relaxing, playing, grilling over a holiday weekend. But you have to be there with real people who are connecting with an audience and a town. Thanks for some great perspective and an important story.
You can try but no one, NO ONE, is ever, EVER, indespensable. There is always someone to can take over what you do, maybe not as good, to fill in the gap.
As an old GM of mine used to say, “No one is bigger than the radio station.” But I have also sat through many budget meetings where a jack-of-all-trades employee who did multiple jobs had advantages over those who didn’t. Thanks, Curt.
Great article Fred. It’s a good list for any hardworking employee to think about.
The tough thing for a lot of people is that they will work harder, show up earlier and do all the extra crap jobs – and still get fired.
Here’s how to avoid this fate (or at least reduce the likelihood)…
NEGOTIATE your expectations in ADVANCE.
For example, how much does the station value a speech at a local high school or business? How much is it worth to the sales department? How much are your time and speech skills worth personally to you? What about all the other things you do.
If you are doing a lot of ‘extra’ work for the station, it’s a good idea to get an estimate of its value.
So, ask your boss.
When you go to your ‘boss’, be polite and frame intent … ‘I’m a hard worker. I want to help the station. I seem to be picking up a lot of work that wasn’t it my original job description. I’m just wondering if what I’m doing has value. And, if it does have value, I’m curious about how you value it?’
If the ‘boss’ is evasive or doesn’t want to talk about it or says ‘we’ll figure something out later’, ask them when they would feel comfortable talking about it. After they tell you how much time they need to figure out the ‘value’, schedule a meeting for that day to discuss it.
This will help later when they decide to ‘make a change’. They will know what the work was worth and, as Fred mentions in his comment, the ‘value’ is no longer a random gut call by a manager when they are cutting staff. They know how much more you are worth than before.
You may think it’s risky to raise the issue of what ‘extra’ work is worth (very few of us like ‘confrontation’ with someone else and you might think of this as confrontation even though it’s simply a professional business question).
However, it’s more risky not to raise the issue.
Here’s why … if you get known as a jack-of-all-trades, you may survive in the short run but in the long run the company has no job description called ‘jack-of-all-trades’, which means that it’s always going to be a subjective call and few people survive more than a couple of those.
Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t step in and pick a few extra things up when they have to be done. We all need to do that from time to time. No need to negotiate that.
Here’s what you need to watch out for…
When you do something 3 times, it becomes a ‘recognized’ pattern of behavior and when you do it 4-6 times, it becomes ‘expected’. By that point, you might want to ‘negotiate’ your expectations of what you’ll get for the extra work.
Or, at least ask someone you trust to tell you what it’s worth …. to you … and the company you work for.
John, appreciate the comment. We’re going to run it as our post tomorrow and hopefully, it will elicit comments. Thanks.
GREAT article Fred. Excellent points for old pros, and Generation Y broadcasters who miss the point of it all. I’ve copied and Memo’d our on air staff.
-w-
Thanks, Bill. Appreciate you reading our blog & utilizing for your staff.