Well, here we are, sputtering into a long Thanksgiving Day Weekend.
I can’t speak for any of you, but for me, this is always a great opportunity to recharge and regroup over a long holiday weekend, eat some good food, and enjoy time spent with friends and family. Chances are, there will be some football watching happening over these late November days as well.
In many ways, it might be easy to just chalk this one up as just another Thanksgiving. But somehow, this one feels different.
There are two wars going on simultaneously in the world. And while the one in the Middle East will be experiencing a cease fire over this holiday – something to be thankful for – there is no questioning just how tenuous the global landscape has become. And then there’s all the other stuff – strife, anguish, angst, and hard times – experienced by so many with solutions seeming unattainable.
If you’re in the radio broadcasting industry, that feeling of unsettledness is palpable, whether you’re in the corner office, the air studio, or selling time from your spare bedroom. And the uncertainty of technology and how it may affect us overshadows every conversation. As I write this, Samuel Altman has somehow rejoined OpenAI in an obvious attempt by its board to re-establish those AI guardrails. Hopefully, Altman (and his hundreds of followers) will hang onto their old/new/old jobs through the weekend.
And to reassure that hell can freeze over and blue moons aren’t so uncommon, my Detroit Lions are on the precipice of…maybe a new precipice as they battle the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day. The Lions hosting this game on a holiday about gratitude has always struck me as a bit off-key. But this year may be different. If you choose to watch the Lions play at Ford Field, I hope you’re treated to an entertaining game – and one the Lions win.
Many football fans here are feeling gratitude about this team, its players, and especially its head coach, Dan Campbell. We may be finally getting the opportunity to experience what it feels like to have a truly successful NFL season in a town where it’s been long overdue. It is no stretch to tell you that pretty much everyone who lives in and around the Motor City, and across the state of Michigan, is feeling gratitude – if not a little paranoia – over this year’s Honolulu blue and silver squad. It may be proof that redemption is indeed possible if you put in the work, you play hard, and wait long enough.
But football aside, this is the time to be feeling gratitude, our lead emotion on this important holiday. Because many of us truly have much to be thankful for. Yes, the radio business is undergoing transformation, and it can be downright painful and even discouraging if you’re getting buffeted around by the winds of fate. For those of you who have had the opportunity to work in radio broadcasting over the years, I hope you can look back on the experience with a level of joy and satisfaction.
One thing, however, is for sure. If you’ve excelled in radio, you owe a debt of gratitude to perhaps a small but important group of people who provided help, guidance, mentorship, and encouragement when you may have needed it most.
It’s something we all have in common with one another, whether you’re Howard Stern, Bob Pittman, or Curtis LeGeyt. Someone along your path opened a door, gave you a shot, and believed in you – perhaps when no one else did.
This occurred to me not long ago when I had the chance opportunity to reconnect with a college professor who mentored me at a pivotal time in my career. It was the ’70s and I was a twentysomething grad student trying to figure out how I was going to break into radio. It was becoming abundantly clear I didn’t have the chops to be truly successful behind a mic, I wasn’t excited about selling radio time, and I was most certainly not cut out for management.
So, audience research became my path forward. But in those days, there was no LinkedIn or social media of any kind in which to network with others. Conventions were few and far between, expensive, and more than a bit intimidating for a kid who had no clue about how to work a room. I wasn’t a brand, I didn’t have a platform, I had no connections or network, and I influenced absolutely no one.
In those days, a letter of recommendation was a big thing. It was an intentional act of endorsement. It meant someone of importance cared enough about you to sit down behind a typewriter to write a letter on 
your behalf. And in some cases, crafted it longhand on a piece of stationery with a pen. Today, it’s as simple as clicking a “like” or banging out a supportive comment or recommendation on a smartphone phone while waiting in line at the deli. Nice, but nowhere near as meaningful.
So running into one of the people who helped me navigate those scary research waters a half century ago was fortuitous. I took the opportunity to thank him for all that he had done for me at a moment in my career when I needed it the most. And the cherry on top turned out to be he really had no idea how much I appreciated his counsel and attention. By showing him my gratitude, it made him feel good.
That’s a big part of what this day truly means. It is not just the start of the Black Friday shopping frenzy. It is a time when we have the chance to thank those who have truly mattered in our journey, as well as a chance for them to genuinely feel a sense of pride over what they did and what we may have accomplished as a result.
I thought about that while reading an Axios newsletter written by Mike Allen, Erica Pandy, and company head Jim VandeHei (pictured). It was all about gratitude (yes, there’s a science behind it). When we take the time to consider our own gratitude, it can actually make us more optimistic about our lives, our careers, and the road ahead. And expressing that gratitude helps both the receiver and the giver of that valuable gift.
VandeHei suggests thinking about three individuals from your past for whom you’re grateful. While Axios asks their readers to send them those names for highlighting in their newsletter, I’m not asking for that. Your “Big 3” may be personal, and it’s not necessary to share them with me or JacoBLOG readers – unless you’re compelled to. Your call.
But I would suggest this: once you’ve identified the people for whom you feel much gratitude, take the time this holiday season to thank them – with an email, a note, a phone call, or in person – if you have the opportunity.
At a time when many feel helpless to change the world around us, a show of thanks may seem like a small gesture. But it’s hugely important when civility and kindness aren’t exactly in abundance.
And thank YOU, for reading and sharing our blog as you do, and for playing a role in our companies’ success these past 40 years.
I’m grateful.
I’ll be back Monday with a fresh post. No leftovers.
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.
- In 2024, The Forecast Calls For Pain - December 23, 2024
- Old Man, Take A Look At My Ratings - December 20, 2024
- In The World Of On-Demand Audio, How Do We Define Success? - December 19, 2024
Thank you and Blessings to you.
Donna, may yours be a happy and healthy holiday!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving
Joel, and to you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Fred, Thank you for daily insights and inspiration. Thanks to ALL who continue to make radio the wonderful, accessible, powerful & caring communication connection it is.
Thanks to you for reading them, Clark. The best of holidays to you!
If you’ll indulge me, here are my three, and I’ll actually try my best to keep this relatively brief (but you know me well enough to not count on that!):
My mom, who passed away one year ago this month. A widow the day I met her–my father having died before I was born–she took me to more remotes and down to radio stations to pick up prizes than I could count. She even drove me back and forth to my first job before I had a license, meaning taking me down at midnight and picking me up at 6:00 a.m. — while working full-time herself. Despite a very small household income, she never denied me once when I wanted this or that component for my home built radio station. And just recently while cleaning up at home, I came across cassettes I didn’t even know she had recorded of me the in those earliest days. How do you not love someone like that? How are you not thankful for someone like that? And I’m thankful for all 102 years, 321 days of her life.
Dick Warren, the extremely talented midday jock and engineer at the local country music giant, who invited me to “come down some night and see how everything works.” I was hired that night, and from that time on would never be without one, often two, and on occasion 3 different radio jobs for the next several decades.
Arden Lawrence, who gave me my first full-time job. Not having all the confidence in the world in my own abilities, when he made the offer, I wasn’t really sure I could do it . But not wanting to lose the opportunity, I took it despite my insecurities. It was probably the single most key phone call of my life. And it went on to be my favorite job. (I actually say that about all of them, but this really was my favorite of all my favorite jobs.)
Above all, of course, to God Almighty for the very gift of Life and making all things possible.
And I would be remiss to not thank you, Fred, for being my fun and entertaining morning companion for these many years discussing our favorite subject, radio. (And for giving me an adopted football team to root for! It was either that or my Chargers–yawn.)
Have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving, friend.
You had no trouble with this exerciswe in gratitude, David. And thanks for the shoutout for these online missives. I so appreciate you reading them and engaging here. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
David did you remember Dick Warren was our engineer at KMJC.
Oh, of course! Yes, I should have mentioned that not only did he really get me into radio, I had the pleasure of working with him at three different stations. Shotgun Tom shared wonderful stories about him at his service. I’ve been beyond blessed to know and work with so many dear and wonderful and talented people, including you.
Fred (and company) they say this is the time to be thankful -but truth is on a daily basis we’re thankful for what you and your crew does. I’ve never had the pleasure of working with you directly, but I know many who have and your daily contributions to what we do is sooo appreciated. Hope it’s a great “re-charging” weekend. We look forward to more of your leadership in 2024.
Appreciate that, Dave. We also appreciaate you and the opportunity to strike up a friendship in this space. Happy holidays to you and yours.