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View Full Version : radio careers: dead or dying?

laschutz
May 17th 2009, 05:38 PM
hi everyone! thought i would start a message about radio?

being that it seems everyone on this board whether currently or in the past did television (whether news, production, anchoring, etcetera) and very few seems to have anything good to say about it and the majority say news and tv journalism is way too hard to make a decent living at and that it's dying what is the deal with radio and a radio career ( dj, talk show host, etcetera)?
TVMattNYC
May 17th 2009, 07:11 PM
If you can manage to syndicate your own radio show (or get hired by a radio network as a host), the future is bright. Basically, everything else in radio sucks.
Spike
May 17th 2009, 09:05 PM
Radio might be for you. Obviously a writing career is out of the question.
adam & doctor drew
May 17th 2009, 09:46 PM
radio's got a worse future than TV, if that's possible.
it certainly pays less.
Spike
May 17th 2009, 10:33 PM
radio's got a worse future than TV, if that's possible.

I don't know about that. Radio has already gone through its automation phase and its corporate consolidation phase. Staff has pretty much been cut to the bone as it is, and at this point the corporate owners really wouldn't save any money by shutting down transmitters. Satellite and internet radio were threats to terrestrial radio, but the damage seems to have been done at this point and a sort of market equilibrium has been reached.

Radio is certainly not a growth industry, but I don't think we'll see the kind of decline in radio that we'll see in television, simply because we've already seen it. Radio has already hit bottom. Television still has a long way to go to get there.

But you're certainly right about the pay. Radio pay is a joke.
Mighty Dyckerson
May 18th 2009, 02:48 AM
If you can manage to syndicate your own radio show (or get hired by a radio network as a host), the future is bright.

It's even better if you gain 100 pounds and develop an addiction to painkillers.
wx or not
May 18th 2009, 04:36 AM
hi everyone! thought i would start a message about radio?

being that it seems everyone on this board whether currently or in the past did television (whether news, production, anchoring, etcetera) and very few seems to have anything good to say about it and the majority say news and tv journalism is way too hard to make a decent living at and that it's dying what is the deal with radio and a radio career ( dj, talk show host, etcetera)?

I think radio is good for you. Run-on sentences can't be seen over the air.
east coast producer
May 18th 2009, 04:41 AM
Openline, ladies and gentlemen! We don't like new people!
Spike
May 18th 2009, 10:41 AM
Openline, ladies and gentlemen! We don't like new people!

It's not that we don't like them. It's just that we don't cut the stupid ones any slack simply for being new here.
The Mockingbird
May 18th 2009, 11:45 AM
Yeah, think of it as an internship with less coffee runs.
The Mockingbird
May 18th 2009, 11:46 AM
Which is actually not a bad way to think of a career in radio, now that I think about it, although I was talking about MediaLine posting.
ISTHISTHINGON?
May 18th 2009, 02:58 PM
Mgt. yanked our free coffee a couple weeks ago. Apppppaaaarrrreeennntttllllyyyy it wasn't in the 'budget' stars.:(
News Is Broken
May 18th 2009, 03:06 PM
Mgt. yanked our free coffee a couple weeks ago. Apppppaaaarrrreeennntttllllyyyy it wasn't in the 'budget' stars.:(

Well, if you'd quit hitting the keys on your keyboard so hard they might be able to afford to spring for the coffee again. ;)
The Mockingbird
May 19th 2009, 05:12 AM
Now, if only we had a "face for radio" tie-in... :eek:
ISTHISTHINGON?
May 19th 2009, 09:22 AM
Now, if only we had a "face for radio" tie-in... :eek:
http://www.wiredvideo.net/images/screen%20grabs/alecwoods.jpg
wx or not
May 19th 2009, 09:38 AM
Glamour Shots?:eek:
SamG
May 19th 2009, 10:16 AM
Mgt. yanked our free coffee a couple weeks ago. Apppppaaaarrrreeennntttllllyyyy it wasn't in the 'budget' stars.:(
Why does management ANYWHERE provide coffee for workers, but us soda drinkers need to pay for all of OUR drinks?:(
wx or not
May 19th 2009, 10:19 AM
Why does management ANYWHERE provide coffee for workers, but us soda drinkers need to pay for all of OUR drinks?:(
'Cause soda drinkers always get it in the can!!!;)
ISTHISTHINGON?
May 19th 2009, 10:25 AM
Why does management ANYWHERE provide coffee for workers, but us soda drinkers need to pay for all of OUR drinks?:(
You know, that's a good point......I smell discrimination now that I no longer smell my fresh brewed coffee!:)

(sidenote:My guess would be coffee is cheaper....but not cheap enough to be safe from the budget cutting axe)
The Mockingbird
May 19th 2009, 11:44 AM
'Cause soda drinkers always get it in the can!!!;)

You've been saving that one for months, haven't you? :cheers:
DoneThatToo
May 19th 2009, 12:05 PM
You know, that's a good point......I smell discrimination now that I no longer smell my fresh brewed coffee!:)

(sidenote:My guess would be coffee is cheaper....but not cheap enough to be safe from the budget cutting axe)


When was the last time you bought a liter of coffee for 99 cents???
ISTHISTHINGON?
May 19th 2009, 12:08 PM
When was the last time you bought a liter of coffee for 99 cents???
That's waaaay too expensive.
I buy a $10 bag of coffee that last two weeks or longer when mixed with hot water.:cool:
DW
May 19th 2009, 12:18 PM
When was the last time you bought a liter of coffee for 99 cents???


When was the last time you bought a liter of coffee period? At the petrol station?
News Is Broken
May 19th 2009, 02:37 PM
Why does management ANYWHERE provide coffee for workers, but us soda drinkers need to pay for all of OUR drinks?:(

Actually, that's not true. I worked tech support at a call center once that provided FREE fountain drinks. The only catch was you had to bring your own spillproof cup. Awesome perk! Too bad the rest of the job sucked ass and paid squat. ;)
Spike
May 19th 2009, 03:26 PM
The only catch was you had to bring your own spillproof cup.

What, like sippy cups?

https://www.aristo-tots.com/merchantmanager/images/uploads/pp%20sippy%20cup.jpg
News Is Broken
May 19th 2009, 04:07 PM
What, like sippy cups?



No. More like IV bags.

http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1614/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1614R-9885.jpg
scotman1
May 20th 2009, 12:31 AM
No. More like IV bags.

4 bags?

http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/4bags.JPG
The Mockingbird
May 20th 2009, 04:49 AM
http://nymag.com/images/2/daily/intel/08/04/10_mccain2_lgl.jpg
wx or not
May 20th 2009, 04:56 AM
Gloriously played, Mock. Absolutely glorious!:thumbsup:
Kace
May 20th 2009, 06:00 AM
I'm one of the few who's managed to make it through the slicing and dicing of radio jobs here in my area of the world. How things got this way pretty much depends on who you ask, meaning you could get explanations involving the economy, internet and satellite radio, being more coporate and less local, mis-management and so on.

I worked for Cumulus for a couple of years and then got out in 2003 just before the slow, agonizing deterioration of the place seeped in. Left there and went back to my original radio station that's closer to home. I became one of only two to survive that station's sale in 2006 and after much tinkering with the format of the AM side, we've finally appeared to hit a good stride. But really I'm one of the fortunate ones to have made it through the quagmire here where I live (at least so far). So many others weren't so lucky.

For what it's worth though, I wouldn't recommend being in radio right now, unless it's something you love the idea of being a part of (it won't be for the money).