Five Things Your PD Isn't Telling You

I learned a lot when I was first promoted to program director for a radio station. The first thing I learned is that I had a lot to learn.

It's still true today,

If I'm doing it right, it's a job that is bigger than me. When I feel like I can do it all on my own, and I'm fully capable? That's a sign that I'm underperforming as a PD in Christian radio.

I'm only speaking on my own behalf, by the way. There are people in our industry that probably do have it figured out, and really are fully capable. I'm not there. I need God's help, the help of my team, friends and colleagues.

It truly is a big job. I'd like to offer a few perspectives that shifted for me when I was first handed my PD stripes.

"I've stood up for you and vouched for you in times you never knew about."

An effective PD has a unique role. They should be able to 'manage down' for their team members, but they also need to be able to 'manage up' for their bosses. This puts them in the position to be something of a buffer between upper-management and air talent.

There have been quite a few times in my career when my manager was ready to fire somebody, and I was the one who talked them off the ledge. Far more common were the times I gently pushed back on criticism of a team member's performance. Or, I've taken the full heat of an angry GM, and then translated it into a relatively softer (but stern) warning to the offending team member.

To be clear: the job of a PD is to turn the GM's vision into a programmed reality. At the end of the day, allegiance is to the boss, not the subordinate. But a really good PD knows how to 'manage down' and 'manage up,' which means they've probably taken some heat for you, vouched for you, possibly even saved your job. And you have no idea.

"Sometimes I disagree with the ideas/policies I defend."

Sometimes the GM's vision isn't going to completely overlap with the PD's. This does not change the role of the PD, which is to turn that vision into a reality.

The PD's opportunity to voice disagreement ends when they leave the GM's office. Once their feet hit the hall, their job is to implement.

Remember that policy decision you disagreed with, and voiced your frustration to your PD? There's actually a decent chance the PD was silently agreeing with you.

They will not, however, throw their GM under the bus by voicing their agreement to you. They may instead help you re-frame the situation to make it more palatable, or they may work with you to ensure the smoothest compliance possible. The really smart PDs know how to genuinely honor the GM's vision in a way that also accomplishes their own programming goals, but that's another article for another day.

"I listen more than you think."

How much does your PD listen to your show? More than you think they do.

There's a fine balance to be achieved here. If your PD makes you feel like they are listening to every syllable that comes out of your mouth, you may become a little less inclined to be artistic on the air. Intense scrutiny rarely produces great art. On the other hand, if your PD makes you feel like they never listen at all, you start to feel like maybe your show isn't worth listening to. Even your boss, who gets paid to do this, doesn't want to hear you.

So, a lot of PDs listen as much as possible, but choose the best times to mention something that happened on the air. General rule of thumb: they're listening more than they let on.

"I don't clock out when I leave the office."

Remember what I wrote about the PD job being bigger than me? Well, that didn't stop me from trying really hard to do it all anyway. PD's stay up late writing copy. They write show-prep notes on their phones around the clock. They attend banquets and civic events that require decent clothing and a high tolerance for boring chit-chat. They're listening to your show. They're on conference calls from home. They're at station events on the weekends. Somewhere in the midst of this, most of them still have their own radio shows to do.

You don't need to feel bad for the PD. This is what the job entails. But it's helpful to be aware of it. When the PD leaves the office early, it doesn't mean they're actually clocking out early.

Incidentally, it also means that when my PD goes on vacation, I try everything in my power to not bug them with a phone call, or even an e-mail. Vacation is the only time a PD has been given permission to totally unplug. Protect their time, and they'll come back refreshed and full of great new ideas.

"Things look different from this chair."

On a perfect day, where nothing bad happens at the station, the stress level of the PD is still much higher than his or her subordinates. Why? Because the PD is the Chief FireFighter, and the next fire is always right around the corner. And if that fire gets out of hand, it's the PD's fault. When there is a victory to be celebrated, the PD gives the credit to the team. But if there's a disaster, the PD shoulders the responsibility.

Again, you don't need to feel bad for them. This is what the job entails. But it's helpful to be aware of it.

There are a million different reasons your PD could be in a bad mood, and you're probably only aware of one or two. And it likely has nothing to do with you.

Personnel issues, budget crunches, missed deadlines, broken negotiations with outside parties, tech problems, the list is nearly endless. Your PD may have spent weeks developing a promotion that has completely fallen apart through no fault of his or her own, and you haven't even heard of it yet.

So, next time you ask a simple question and you get a sharp response, keep in mind that things look very different from that chair.

Program directors, in general, deserve respect and support for doing one of the hardest jobs in the building. And as much as we can, we should give them the benefit of the doubt, because they're probably dealing with stuff they aren't telling us about.

And rightfully so.