Sometimes Life Can Be So Uncomfortable

Recently, I was blessed to have an opportunity to speak to several students at the Howard University John H. Johnson School of Communications Annual Career Fair. I have been invited to participate at the career fair many times and the gist of the panel is helping to prepare the students for a future in radio.

Over the years, I have always tried to present a "hold on to your dream and learn everything" perspective. This year was really different because I know that several of the corporate companies are in a hiring freeze on talent. I wasn't much of a panelist because I don't like misleading students so I did not have much to say. The professional panelist did an outstanding job of talking about the great things that they have done personally in their respective career. While listening to the other panelists, I decided to just come out and say I don't know why anyone would want to be in "radio" today.

The job opportunities for talent are slim to none. An individual with that "special" gift of being an air personality has to really shine and be exceptional beyond measure just to get a fill-in board operator position. Maybe the best route is to learn the "sales" side. Radio belongs to the market and the advertisers. If anyone says different you are being mislead. The buzz word in radio is "branding." How many brands do you have? Talent behind the microphone means ZERO. Radio announcer positions/host positions are manned by people with an already established "brand." You can go down the list of persons on radio and find comedians, writers, singers, and musicians on the microphone.

Radio is in a "no risk" mode. The companies are dealing only with talent from other entertainment genres who already have a brand. The advertisers are comfortable with established names. The farm system that use to be college, small market and medium market radio stations are gone. I told the student on air staff at Howard. This is your last opportunity at personality radio. Make the best of it and do every show as if it were your last.

It use to be that a talent could graduate college or some broadcasting school and start a career and make a decent buck in a small market. And once that talent made a name for him/her the next step would be a larger market. That doesn't happen anymore. Especially in what is called "Urban Radio." Small and medium market stations air syndicated programs to stay alive in the market.

As I sat on the panel I wondered how long would it be before those folk on the panel would be kicked out of the game because of their age? The reality is "radio is a young man/woman's game. The present folk manning the stations today have a "limited" shelf life. There won't be another Hal Jackson 65 years and Herb Kent 60 years on the radio again. It's so bad for radio talent today that many seasoned professionals will volunteer at a non commercial station. When a station(corporation) replaces a number 1 rated show host for a syndicated program the business is no longer about local talent. Locally produced shows cost the corporate company too much or they are just too greedy.

So I did the wrong thing and tried to tell students about changing communications policy and seeking to own radio stations. Of course that did not go over to well. Most of the students thought that I was just a bitter old man and wanted to talk to the "professionals." And I understand but just remember I told you what the professional will not tell you because you are not a threat to me.

Are You Ready?

Energy and Commerce Committee
Unanimously Supports Local Community Radio Act

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Bill Moving Swiftly Toward Full House Vote With a unanimous voice vote, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the Local Community Radio Act this morning. By repealing restrictions that drastically limit channels available to low power FM (LPFM) stations, the Act will allow hundreds of community groups nationwide to access the public airwaves. The popular, bipartisan legislation is on the fast track to becoming law. Shortly after all five FCC Commissioners reaffirmed the FCC’s longstanding support, the bill passed out of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet by a voice vote. After today’s passage out of committee, the Local Community Radio Act heads for a floor vote in the House. In his opening remarks today, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) urged his colleagues to support the bill. “As a longtime advocate of expanding low power FM radio services and the dynamic contribution they make to localism, a bedrock of our communications laws, I am pleased that the Committee is acting on this important bipartisan measure. Low power FM stations provide diverse, locally-originated programming that serves the needs of the community,” said Rep. Waxman. Lead co-sponsor Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) noted that earlier concerns about potential interference with full power stations have been addressed. “We are proud to have the support of many incumbent broadcasters for our legislation,” said Rep. Doyle. “We made changes during the subcommittee's consideration of the bill to resolve concerns from other incumbent broadcasters, and we are especially pleased that National Public Radio expressed their appreciation of these changes.” The bill has recently gained the support of its former skeptics in Congress, including Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), the only former broadcaster on the committee. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), a lead co-sponsor of the bill that originally restricted low power radio in 2000, also now supports the legislation. Hundreds of groups across the country are organizing for the opportunity to have their own radio stations. One of the most active among these is the Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP). “Our goal is to provide Chicago with a showcase for the city's diverse music and arts scenes and to cover local news stories too often overlooked by bigger media outlets,” said Shawn Campbell, President of CHIRP. “Our 140 volunteers are true believers in radio that is live, local, and truly connected to community. We are ready to start broadcasting original content around the clock as soon we are given the chance.” Advocates say that today’s vote is a call to action for supporters of local media. “We are sounding the alarm,” said Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Campaign Director at the Prometheus Radio Project. “Passage out of full committee signals that Congress is finally ready to act on local community radio. Now is the time for everyone who wants a voice in their community to urge their Congressional Representatives to support HR 1147.” article originally published at Prometheus Radio Project.