Some Hires Work ... Some Don't

We try everything possible to hire the right people and despite our best efforts to do background checks, talk to former bosses, hold auditions for on-air, conduct countless interviews, and fly candidates in, sometimes we still miss the mark.

The Apple Can Fall Far ...

I was working evenings and while driving in I heard our new afternoon news guy (yes, music stations once did news). He sounded like a first-year broadcast student. When I walked into the main studio, the PM drive personality turned around looked at me and threw up his hands, he knew what I was thinking before I said anything.

The PD who shall remain nameless, had hired this young man based on his resume and the fact that his father was a local TV news fixture. He hadn't lied on his resume, but his previous duties had not been thoroughly checked out. Based on his tremendous voice, listed work history, and news-casting father, the PD assumed "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." However, in this case a tropical storm must have blown the apple into another zip code. Wonder boy's audition demo had been an editing marvel. The PD caught hell for not fully checking the gentleman out and the young newscaster was let go after only one day.

I Took My Eye Off The Ball too ...

During my programming days, I had to replace my morning man who took a new job right in the middle of planning for an annual station event. It was the one time in my career I did not follow my usual steps to find a replacement. Instead I relied on our consultant to help. He had an ear for talent but had been years removed from dealing with office politics.

What I Tried Avoiding ...

Being a former air personality, I understand the idiosyncrasies and quirks of the talented few. However, I drew a line in the sand with anyone detrimental to a station's reputation or constantly leaving me in an undefendable position.

I Should Have ...But Didn't ...

I took the consultants advice and hired the air personality he suggested. His demo was awesome and several PD peers of mine gave a thumbs up; but they left out his tendency to cause havoc in the workplace. Again, I should have known better and slowed down from the event planning to go through my usual way of finding an air talent.

Sounded Great ...But

You can tell by what I've been saying that the new hire turned out to be a disaster. He sounded great, but almost cost me an established morning co-host, conned the sister of a fellow air talent out of money, and caused problems with sales. In other words, he was more trouble than he was worth. Timing is everything, so I kept everyone calm until after our event. Immediately following our gala and before his 90-day probation period was up, I let him go. A lesson learned, never be so busy as to not follow your own hiring practices.

To Sum Things Up ...

The importance of team chemistry is sometimes undervalued in radio. A few bad apples with narcissistic tendencies can ruin a station's ratings, revenue base, and morale. Before you hire someone, find out as much as possible about them. Never second-guess yourself if things still don't work out with a new employee; there is the right of free will, you can't anticipate or plan for everything.