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Radio Can Be Messy ...
April 11, 2023
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There is a saying, "I can make my own mistakes without any help, thank you." This is exactly what happened to an air personality who found herself stuck in the middle of a difficult situation. A fellow air talent disregarded procedures and tricked her into filling in for him on the air. While this doesn't excuse the air personality for falling for deception, it's important to understand that it's never acceptable to put a colleague in such a position. Here's a recent conversation I had with the person this happened to.
Air Talent: I just started working part-time on air here, and there's a good chance I'll catch on full-time at one of the cluster stations. I hope what happened won't hurt my chances. I got a call last weekend from the midday person, and he asked me if I could work for him on Saturday. I agreed to do it and never thought anything about it because the guy is also the APD.
Coach: What exactly did he say?
Air Talent: I was half asleep and don't remember. He made it sound as if he got the okay from the Operations Manager (OM). I don't need management thinking I'm a screw up. On Monday I had a meeting with the OM and explained what happened. But I was careful to not say anything bad about the APD.
Coach: It sounds like a misunderstanding. I'm sure the OM knows you didn't intentionally go against the rules. Besides, it was his second in command that was responsible. It sounds more like they need to get on the same page.
Air Talent: He's still APD and acting as if nothing ever happened.
Coach: Whatever it is, it's between them. Who knows, maybe the APD had an emergency, tried contacting the OM and couldn't get him. But it sounds like everything is fine. So, stop worrying.
Air Talent: At the end of our meeting, he gave me a copy of paperwork I'd signed off. He had highlighted the passage that said, "unless it comes directly from me, or a designated person in charge, no one else can assign a shift."
Coach: Well, there you go. I'm sure at some point that you and the APD will talk about it. Good luck on getting full time status.
Air Talent: Thank you.
It Was a Reminder…
Many of us have experienced the challenges of working at a new place. In my experience, it's important to try to understand the nuances of one's new environment. There are always some things that cannot be anticipated. Normal behavior at one workplace may differ from what you're accustomed to, so it's important to be flexible and adapt as best you can." -
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