Handle It ..Radio Is Changing ...

This is an egocentric business with lots of diverse personalities. The common thread that runs through it is the desire to succeed. No school can prepare anyone for the reality of "money radio," as I call it. Success still boils down to developing our skills, being allowed to learn from our mistakes, and yes, human kindness.

Voices ...
I usually don't admit this, but the voices in my head remind me of the ongoing adjustments happening in radio. There's the push-and-pull, pros and cons, good cop/bad cop, glass half-empty/half-full, partly sunny/partly cloudy-type stuff rolling around in my head and in our industry. Thank heavens for all those who shrug off the "doomsday broadcasters" who continue to predict the complete demise of commercial radio.

The Beat Goes On …
Currently there’s more work, fewer decision-makers, smaller budgets, greater consolidation, less staff, and stations are playing the same music as their competitors. The competition is not just terrestrial radio, but includes digital platforms and social media. Hmmm, what to do? A colleague once told me, "We need to transmit passion that's received and documented by the listeners -- not by long-term listening, but by having them use our brand more than others.”

The Way It Is ...
The change began with deregulation in the 90s and has continued with consolidation, publicly owned properties, and private equity firms. Today the industry faces economic challenges no one could have forecast.

Insiders ...
Many companies today promote from within because it's cheaper and the employees have already been schooled in how things operate. In the age of the Internet, social media, and globalization, you need people in the system who can handle the complex issues that arise around culture, race, gender, age, and tenure.

I Hope ...
Most aren't prepared for the reality that even though they may be well prepared, ambitious and focused, they're lucky to still be employed. Hopefully, they will have many years of hard work to grow into what they can be. I say hard work because those left standing are often overseeing and responsible for clusters of stations and regions. Radio has never been an easy profession to get into, and it's not any different now.

Keep Your Head In The Game ...
It's important to recognize that the climate in radio is ripe for change. It's time to find innovative and improved ways of accomplishing our goals. We can no longer sit and complain about the way the game is being played. If you're going to be a "true player," you need to study the game and watch where change might take place, be ready to pivot, and keep moving forward. Certain things may seem to be progressing at the pace of a tranquilized turtle, but slowness has always been a real time thing. To quote my late grandmother, "A slow nickel beats a fast dollar."

Embrace Change …
The new bogeyman that has infiltrated our lives quickly is AI (artificial intelligence.) No matter how it's going to be used in radio, someone will have to implement, update, and make sure it's operating correctly. That someone could be you. Just like everything else in society, radio will continue to evolve in directions no one could’ve dreamed of years ago. That just means there’s more for you to stay aware of and respond to. It may be that your skills and heart are exactly those needed for this moment in time.