Yesterday’s blog post got the week off to a good start…sort of.
We highlighted a USA Today/CareerCast ranker of “The Worst Jobs In America.” This infamous list of 25 undesirable professions included three radio-ish jobs in the “top 10.”
Or should I saw “bottom 10.”
Advertising sales rep, broadcaster, and radio DJ all showed up on this gnarly list of jobs associated with low demand, even lower pay, high stress, and other undesirable conditions that make you wonder why there’s anyone left working in radio anymore.
To suggest that being on the air is a fun, fulfilling job, I quoted some of our best data from last year’s AQ study. But as we know, great storytelling trumps a bunch of PowerPoint pie charts every time.
And the good news – we got some great stories in our “comments” section, two of which I’m republishing here.
First, Lazlo, PD and on-air personality at Entercom’s Buzz in Kansas City:
I’ve hung drywall. I’ve been a cook. A bartender and myriad other jobs. Radio is the world’s best kept secret. Sure there are stresses and frustrations about ratings which at times you can’t control. But I’ll stay right here laughing and having fun as long as they will have me and try to wear out my welcome if I haven’t already. I’m well aware how lucky I am to have made a career of entertaining people.
And then on the radio industry spectrum, I heard from Family Radio (Oakland, CA) host, David Manzi. He’s combining his two biggest loves – family and radio – into his career choice. Here was his comment yesterday to the USA Today list:
I don’t see the researchers taking job satisfaction into account.” The fact of the matter is “fun,” “entertaining” and “fulfilling” offset a LOT of negatives–negatives that to one extent or another are in virtually every industry.
I don’t know one person doing full-time radio that doesn’t love it despite the challenges–or one person who even got into it to begin with because they DIDN’T love it.
It’s not for everyone, but for most who are in it, we wouldn’t trade it for anything.
And this tweet from morning driver Tom Mailey (aka Cashews O’Brien) from KNCI/Sacramento:
We love what we get to do. Yes it’s a tough business, probably tougher than ever, but it is fun and rewarding, and every once in awhile you actually get to have a positive impact and make a genuine difference. That’s pretty cool
— Tom Mailey (aka “Cashews O’Brien”) (@kncitom) April 22, 2019
I also heard from some people who question the work ethic of the Millennials in the business today, a common refrain from legacy radio pros. I was a twentysomething in radio when it was a profession that was all upside. Some even called radio an “easy business,” which is hard to believe through today’s lens. And it’s true – back in the ”70s and ’80s, you often couldn’t get out of the way of the money.
That’s not at all what the picture looks like today. And yet, there are legions of young people striving for radio careers. So, I dug a little deeper to determine if the USA Today “worst list” truly resonates with today’s radio professionals. And rather than speak with fellow “seniors” like myself who have had truly nice career runs, I wanted to talk to a few “freshmen” and “sophomores” – the next generation of radio’s workforce – to take the industry’s temperature.
And it turned out to be a wonderful rebuttal of the USA Today story which I will pass along to them, along with your comments.
Let’s start with PD/morning show host Trevor Morgan of Zimmer’s KCMQ/Columbia, Missouri. Trevor graduated from Southeast Missouri State University, and is a self-described “old man in a young man’s body.”
Here’s his story:
I’ve always loved making people feel better about their day.
As a kid, I’d wander around school, cracking jokes, get updates, and have fun with as many people as possible to help start their day on the best foot possible. And in turn, it helped me start my day on the best foot possible. I thrived on it.
That’s WHY I got into radio. To continue to do what I’ve always done, but on a mass scale.
As a Program Director and morning show co-host (The Morning Shag with Shags & Trevor). our driving force is FUN!
Fun also happens to be one of Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group’s Core Values.
This job requires a lot of hard work. Tedious music scheduling, creative problem solving, early mornings, long days, late nights. All to entertain, inform, and serve our listeners. But when someone tells me that listening to our station/ show turned their crappy day around, it reminds me WHY I got into this industry in the first place.
Articles like (the USA Today story) can distract from our WHY. To help with this, I’ve turned my “To Do List” into a “Get To Do List”. This (albeit: corny) change, reminds me how fortunate I am. I GET to work with a passionate team to come up with exciting promotions, craft compelling shows, help local businesses grow, and serve my community.
The challenges are real. The work is hard. But remember your WHY. Mine is fun.
If you’ve ever wondered what it is about broadcast radio that attracts young digital stars, look no further than WDRV’s Emma Rimsa, Social Media Jock for Hubbard’s WDRV.
Emma’s a creative Millennial working the digital path with a bunch of Boomer DJs and Classic Rock listeners. She could be plying her skills for a techie start-up, but instead her jobs – in her own words – is “posting on social media, making videos, and acting as a nuisance to the people around me.”
Here’s her radio WHY:
The data determining this (USA Today) list was based on median wages, projected job growth rate, environment and stress level. Knowing that, I think using the description of “worst” job is taking some major liberties, and passing judgments on what people value in a position.
Objectively, these jobs could be referred to as the riskiest, or most uncertain, or even the most challenging – but many people would never equate those characteristics to “worst.” Suggesting that potentially low pay and high stress means that it’s “bad” just discounts the various ways in which people find fulfillment in their career.
Speaking specifically about jobs in radio, I don’t think I’m going out on too much of a limb to suggest the average person does not go into radio for the money. Hardworking and talented people do end up making a lot of it, but the initial desire is usually deeper than that. Something to do with expression and creativity and art.
It’s also safe to say the average person understands that participating in a lifestyle with deadlines and ratings and mass feedback can produce stress. So maybe this list could have been called “difficult jobs, not for the faint of heart,” but speaking as somebody starting out in the radio field, the exact characteristics that were used to label it as the “worst job” are why I think it’s one of the best.
I actually like knowing that my career isn’t on a fixed path, and that I really need to push myself everyday. I like that I have to always be learning and evolving to keep up – and it may feel risky, but that’s why it’s rewarding at the end of every day. To me, that’s a great job.
That bring us to “Irish Dave” O’Connor, morning guy on Artistic Media Partner’s CHR in South Bend, U93. A native of Dublin, Dave has only been in the States since 2014. (It’s appropriate he’s on the air in a market that’s the Home of the Fighting Irish). Here’s why Dave has chosen one of the “worst jobs” in America:
Local radio has an amazing way of connecting with the community. When you tap into and become part of that, it’s one of the best jobs in the 
world. If your primary drive is money, your base radio salary will rarely make you happy, but if you’re creative, successful and active in the community, you will discover lots of fun ways to supplement that.
Recently on our morning show, we were launching a promotion called “Half a Grand in your Hand” and we asked people what they would do with the money if they won. The first caller said, “I’d buy my neighbor a washing machine because she doesn’t have one.”
We were taken aback by this answer and immediately started a search on air to find this person a washing machine. Within 10 minutes, five people were willing to donate one and we were able to connect them.
The power of great radio will fill your heart more than it will ever fill your pockets.
And finally, our Gen Xer, Ben Ponzio, a radio account exec for Hubbard in Chicago. Ben got his start at WPGU in Champaign, and has also worked with Emmis and CBS. Here’s why he’s a happy camper in the cubicles of his stations’ offices in the Prudential Plaza:
“Why would you get into radio ad sales? There’s no future. It’ll be dead in five years.” I remember hearing those words shortly after I started my 
first radio job in Champaign, Illinois in 1993. Twenty-six years later, that five year timeline continues to be thrown in my face. After 26 years in radio, mostly on the sales side, I couldn’t imagine a job that I would enjoy more.
As in any industry, efficiencies and economies of scale mean that there are less of us selling advertising than there were when I started in radio. On the same note, the reps who are working in radio love that we have more things we can sell – multiple radio stations, promotions, digital platforms, etc – and therefore more opportunities to make money.
When I started in radio, most reps thought it was a stepping stone to TV, which is where you can really make money. Now, most good sellers would never make the jump because there aren’t as many opportunities to find new business as we have in radio. In fact, I stepped away from management and returned to selling because I think it’s a better job, a better opportunity, and a better lifestyle.
While all jobs have new challenges, and ours is no different, selling radio advertising is still a very fun and lucrative career. It will continue to change. There will continue to be new things to learn. I am very confident that in five years, if you ask me this same question again, I will still be loving my job in radio ad sales…and someone else will be proclaiming that radio will be dead in five years.
So, there you go USA Today and CareerCast – a totally unscientific, statistically useless study of why radio professionals who are on the air, online, and selling on the streets wouldn’t trade their profession for anything.
People like Trevor, Emma, Dave, and Ben are likely wandering around the halls, studios, and cubicles at your radio station. Take a moment to talk with them, find out what moves them, and why they took the leap into radio at a time when everyone is screaming at them to look elsewhere.
They all think they have the best job in the world.
They are the future of the business.
You can reach this group of radio “job lovers” on Twitter:
Emma Rimsa @rimsicle
Trevor Morgan @nerdontheradio
“Irish” Dave O’Connor @iamirishdave
Ben Ponzio @BenPonzio
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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Fred, I don’t have to tell you (and please forgive me if this sounds like a sales pitch) but just have any doubters come to Morning Show Boot Camp – IMO there’s no more passionate, inspiring or fired up gathering in radio. Like all industries, we have our highs and lows – but talent remains our adrelalin!!
Don, you are spot on. I come away inspired and reinvigorated by the spirit, vibe, and energy at Boot Camp. It is contagious and something that every radio executive should take in.
Radio is dead. Greed killed radio. Music repition, clutter, and zero talent. I do enjoy the MY PILLOW and ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION commercials. The dead air and automation malfunctions are still enjoyable.
The broadcast home for the terminally groovy will be a place for many with the minds and pipes to train, inspire, curate, entertain and produce outstanding audio delivery. Radio is a life skill service and so much more. Thank you, Fred.
Back at you, Clark.
Fred, wouldn’t trade a day of my life for anything. The friendships made have lasted a lifetime.
My hope is still that radio will revert back to investing in the marketing and product end — and realize to grow a business and industry you cannot continue to ‘save your way’ to prosperity.
From your lips, David. Thanks for the nice note.
Thanks for the nice mention, Fred, what a TREAT!! (How annoying am I gonna be showing THIS to all my friends!)
I couldn’t help reading today’s blog and thinking about the tons of amazing comments I’ve received through the years, perhaps the most poignant from a listener who had been struggling with depression for years, who told me I taught her to “smile again.”
Goodness knows there are a million different kinds of work and workers in the world–and they’re ALL important–but how many people get the satisfaction of knowing (and hearing) that they’re work caused someone to “smile again”?
Trade that? NEVER!!
Another reason why I quoted you, Dave. You always bring it. Thanks for reading our blog and commenting.
Nice stuff, Fred. I lamented just the other day what someone said to me in the elevator. He hit his “fourth floor” button-I asked him to also hit “six”. He said “radio station eh?” Proudly I said “we have five up there”. He said ” I can’t tell you the last time I listened to the radio”.
That’s kinda what people are like these days. Those people who claim that “radio is dying” don’t realize the time and effort that many people put into their radio product each day. Their “pureplay” apps are run on a cold, heartless computer. Maybe that’s what makes them cold and heartless. Maybe I should have asked what HE did for a living and could have responded “well I don’t like lawyers” or “graphic artists” or “people who would be happy to see all of us on the streets begging for our next meal”.
Someone called a person like that “someone who would cut off your head so they could appear taller”.
I work with a bunch of talented people-and there are countless more in our company who are meeting the challenges we face everyday with a smile and a swagger that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in most industries today. Are we crazy? I don’t think so. I’ve been doing this since 1966-and also have been a mechanic, soldier, telephone repair person, fish fryer, internet creator, hot air balloon pilot and more. I learned some of that while listening to the radio. I learned the rest because I AM on the radio.
Maybe it IS time to resurrect WKRP in Cincinnati or “Frasier” and add some of the drama to the script as well as the weird, wonderful comedy we experience everday.
Dave, thanks for the heartfelt comment. Today’s blog post addresses some of these issues; specifically, the ways in which broadcast radio must stand out against those “cold, heartless apps” you talk about. I also think it’s incumbent on radio people to not only work hard (which most certainly do), but to work smart – to strategize what the medium can bring to the table these other options cannot.
We can continue to remind people like your elevator buddy that during the next tornado, hurricane, or out of control fire, when the cell towers and Internet go down, we may be all he has. But of course, that missses the point about what radio must do in order to maintain its edge during these overly competitive times.
By the way, I’m betting that guy is a frustrated dentist.
Fred,
As usual, you have found a way to introduce a topic that could be a dead end, and turn it into a fascinating way for all of us to reflect, look at others and their lot, and our overall economy and future.
Skills and gifts – we all bring these to work every day. Life goals, happiness, fulfillment, contentmen – we all hope to acheive these every day, but many times they are derailed by immediate demands.
As a teenager I held jobs newspaper delivery (press to delivery kids), ice cream, mover, oil factory worker, and janitor. I was grateful to have work, but I also kept my eye on the future with the goal of getting into radio. I knew people who were pros, and I knew I fit into their insane world. Things change, and after 1996, corporate radio consumed most all of the commercial landscape. Yes, there were Norm Winers out there, but they were few and far between.
In 1998 I told my PD that one of the chairs broke in the office, and he said that I was free to buy one if I was really concerned about it. My mistake was thinking that was a product of only one corporation – that others wouldn’t be so lame. Boy did I learn some lessons, and the hard way as well.
Today there is no farm team, but this could be considered a plus, as so few younger people regard radio at all, and so a hustler can possibly take some risks and get some real rewards. When young people tell me that they want to be in radio I advise them against it and question them about goals. I recommend better options based on their answers, but if they still insist on radio I believe they are cut out for what could be wonderful – provided they know the reality. This reality must be completely up to date, 100% 2019, and not some romantic notion from the past.
Trend articles on employment issues ought to always have an asterisk. Radio is show business, and both the show and the business need to be evaluated by the applicant. Some will find their way to a lifetime career, and many will simply use it as a bridge to better fitting jobs.
Best,
Tai
Tai, thanks for the kind words. And I love your perspective – something you could only acquire from real world experience. You have hit on exactly what makes radio a fascinating business, and a frustrating one at the same time. Your advice to young people is probably generally accurate, with the proviso that if you really want to entertain, connect, and impact people’s live, you can do it. But you’ll likely pay a price – with no guaranatee it will all work out. I was struck by how our Millennials in yesterday’s post were totally undaunted by the headwinds. Good for them. I wish there were more like them.
Fred – Those types of stories annoy me greatly.
I have been in radio for 45 years and still am on the air daily.
Sure, I didn’t make a lot of money when I first got in…$80 bucks a week, in fact. And I had a long trip up the ladder…working in some really crummy jobs in poorly run stations with low pay and no benefits. Finally got out of that about 14 years in the business…and went to a small town with a great station and company (Brewer Broadcasting). From there, it was back to my hometown and a company with a station I grew up listening to…they would send me to a sister station in a bigger market. Before long, Nationwide Communications bought the station, and my career was launched. I surely do NOT make $35,000 a year as such articles frequently suggest…I make considerably more than that and have worked for my present employer for 15 years…and will retire in a few years, with a nice 401k, pension, and everything else. I own a home, a new car and have a generally happy existence. Today’s young people have it the same way I did. Not all of us wind up making “Limbaugh/Stern Money”. But, you can make a decent living in radio and broadcasting. It merely takes time, effort and desire.
Kevin, your comment echoes a conversation I had with a couple of radio veterans last night at dinner. Radio, for most of us, was not an easy road. Back when I got in, just gettingn in was the challenge. But once you’re in the door, so much of what ends up happening comes down to you – your talent, your perserverence, your ability to overcome setbacks, and of course, luck. Thanks for the perspective – you speak for many radio broadcasters who have made a nice life from this great business.
Well, I have a different view of the industry. I started out during the recession in 2007. Worked at a local station out of college that had no money and paid no one. I then got into a bigger station, paid little, and fired me after 6 months WXLC. I went back to the nothing station WRLR. I worked my ass off every day and programmed a great show each week and eventually programmed the station. I had an absolute blast. I interviewed a few famous people, I got to listen and break songs no one has heard before, which is one reason I loved the business, and I got to show up wearing whatever I wanted and no one cared. Sure I had other jobs to pay bills, most of which sucked. but it was a lot of fun. I’ve since worked in retail, teaching, census, automotive, a factory, acting and maybe a couple others. nothing really compared. The business unfortunately seems to be in another downward spiral, my college job board hasn’t posted much and even my advisor says the industry is decimated. I’d love to get back into it if anyone will let me. but till then, I will just find some other junk job.
Your experience is similar to many, Daniel. Those of us who have somehow found a way to make it a lifelong career are blessed, and we know it. As up and down as it can be, it is “an absolute blast.” Thanks for sharing the story.
If you’re stuck in Small Town Radio the best thing that can ever happen to you is to get fired I was in that b**** for 25 years and I could have made more delivering pizza f****** psychotic boss just a bunch of b******* every f****** day thank God I got fired what a bunch of s*** if I ever see that mother f***** again I’m going to beat the s*** out of him
You never get paid what you are worth. The anger level in radio is off the dial my stupid mother fucking boss never got the ass whipping he deserved