Career Opportunities

The idea of The Conclave, which is wrapping up as I write this Friday, is to help young aspirants get into the radio business, and that's something the industry needs more than ever. The paradigm has changed: When most of us got into this racket decades ago, radio didn't have to do much of a sales job to convince anyone to be assimilated into the Radio Borg. There was -- and Fred Jacobs did a much better job than I can do when he spoke about this in his presentation Thursday -- a certain glamour to it, even if that glamour was caked with nicotine and coffee residue and cloaked in faded station t-shirts. There was a mystique in sitting in a studio, pressing a few buttons, and instantly talking to hundreds, thousands, even millions of people. It may have been, as Howard Stern often pointed out, the lowest rung of show business, but it WAS show business, and in some ways, it was the most fun part of show business.

It doesn't have that feel anymore. It was clear at the panel on which Marc Chase, Paige Nienaber, Justin Chase, and Tony Coles traded stories from the outrageous old days, when one of the job requirements for some staffers, as a panelist said, was the willingness to get arrested. You can't get away with that stuff anymore, and that's probably for the better overall, but "it's really fun" is no longer a primary attraction for working in radio. It may still be fun, but it's not THAT fun.

So, once again, I have the same question I have at every conference, every time someone brings up the need to bring a new generation of people into radio: Why should someone looking for a career pick radio? Or, more verbosely: Why should someone who's creative and has something to say do it in radio when he or she can do it themselves on video or podcasts or streaming without anyone telling them what to do or how to do it?

I think there are answers to that, but I'm concerned when, at a conference where the audience includes some of the most motivated young people looking for a foot in the door of this industry, executives on panels bemoan the lack of young talent available while lamenting the news in the trades of layoffs, firings, RIFs. Some even seemed to be seeking sympathy for having to fire people -- as if firing people is more to be pitied than being among the freshly unemployed -- and suggesting that, well, maybe we were overstaffed in the first place. Hey, kids, come work for us so we can fire you and tell you we didn't really need you in the first place! It's cool to be right-sized!

That is not the message we want to send.

But the news of layoffs isn't even necessarily a deal breaker. I think the industry could still attract more talent if it addresses what those people are really looking for. You might be surprised that security isn't necessarily on the list, but think about it: You got into the business yourself knowing that one of the traits of the radio veteran is the Dr. Johnny Fever Memorial Long List Of Call Letters on your resume. You, yourself, told friends that you aren't really in the radio business until you've been fired once, twice, three times. It didn't stop you, and it won't stop someone else if there's another motivation to work in radio.

What, then, can radio offer a fresh young talent? Creative freedom is one. Radio's never been that big on that -- read the liner cards and stick to the playlist, kid -- but that's high on the list for the kind of talent you want for the business. But can you give someone a few hours on the weekend and tell them to do what they want as long as they don't lose the license? Yes, yes, you could. You won't, but you could. You could also take your unused HD3 or HD4 channel and do the same thing.

And you could stress that even if someone's goal is to do podcasts or videos, radio can help them do that better. You have studios that might be unused for long stretches because you're voice-tracked all weekend? Hire young talent and train them to use those studios and do production with the promise that it'll help them do their own things better. Track down kids doing good podcasts and offer to put the shows on the air and train them to sell spots, because someone has to show them how to monetize what they're doing.

Oh, and Fred made a suggestion that I'll echo: Your studio shouldn't be buried in the back among the sales cubicles. It should be the first thing you see when you walk into the building. I know, there are security issues these days, but that hasn't stopped TV stations and network morning shows from building street-level, storefront studios. It's the same as when I complain about radio remotes that consist of a couple of street teamers, a van, and a canopy. If you want to be in show business, you have to put on a show. Nobody's impressed by anonymous office space, and nobody's impressed by interns handing out stickers and key chains, and that goes for aspiring media professionals, too. It's easier to get people to apply for jobs when your business looks less like a business and more like Hollywood.

I'm spitballing here. (Does anyone say "I'm spitballing" anymore?) But we need to do that, because the days when radio could just sit back and have countless job applicants come to them unsolicited are long gone. You're not only competing with industries with more obvious benefits, but you're competing in a world when "you can talk to thousands of people" is a joke, because anyone with a USB mic and an Internet connection can do that for free without you. It used to be that job applicants needed to sell themselves to radio; now, radio needs to sell itself to potential job applicants. The Conclave is a good start. But radio needs to do a better job of answering the question job seekers might ask: What do I need YOU for?

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It's been nice to see everyone here at The Conclave, and if you didn't come this year, you should next year. It's a gathering of some of radio's best. But you know that. Maybe, if you know some new talent who may or may not be considering working in radio, you should bring them along, too. Couldn't hurt.

Perry Michael Simon
Vice President/Editor, News-Talk-Sports and Podcast
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