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10 Questions with ... Jim Walsh
February 19, 2008
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
NAME:Jim WalshLAST WITH:KFYR/BismarckPHONE:(701) 226-8449EMAIL:jimwalsh2001@yahoo.comAIRCHECK/PODCAST PAGE: www.jimwalsh2001.podomatic.com
Please begin by giving us a brief career history ...
Working backwards from the present day: House voiceover for the ABC-TV affiliates in Bismarck/Dickinson, ND; PM drive, KFYR/Bismarck; talk host and swing announcer, WILM/WIlmington; news anchor and talk host, WDEL/Wilmington; swing work, WPLY/Philly; mornings, WMGM/Atlantic City; various jock shifts at the following legendary stations: Q100/Allentown; WPST/Trenton; WJDX/Jackson, MS; WAMS/Wilmington. In addition, I've done commercial and industrial voiceover in several markets and worked as an extra in the film "Ocean's Eleven."
1) What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay motivated?
The main thing is that I have a life and even a career independent of radio. I'm married now (for the second time) and we just passed our first wedding anniversary. My wife has been a great source of comfort and support when I start getting bummed out.
2) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?
Reading, working on my weight (I'm on The Three-Hour Diet; down 15 lbs. so far), spending quality time with my wife, honing blues licks on my Fender Stratocaster and more reading.
3) Some people get discouraged or enlightened with the business when they actually step out of it for a while. Tell us your observations from the outside.
Despite the bleakness of recent years, there are signs that things are turning around: 1) With PPM, we'll know a lot more quickly what really works and what doesn't; 2) as Clear Channel (and presumably other companies) go private, fewer stations will be in the hands of the Wall Streeters, with their quarter-to-quarter mentality; 3) An army of creative, Young-Turk type communicators stand poised to enter (or re-enter) the biz and kick some serious booty when the time is right.
4) What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?
Well, beside All Access, there's what I call the "Six Degrees" technique (this actually comes from my pal Peter Thiele). The premise: Yu are only six degrees, at most, from someone in the business who can get you where you wanna go. Call someone you know and ask two questions: 1) Do you have an opening? 2) Who would you recommend I contact? If someone is an asshole, hang up and move on; just keep working the phones.
5) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?
I'm not interested in what passes today for Talk radio, which generally translates to "totally predictable conserva-clones talking about national political stuff." On any given day you know exactly what they're gonna talk about and what their "spin" will be on the subject. No, thanks; the future of personality radio is LIVE & LOCAL; it's the one advantage you have over the syndicated shows. Some of the stations that are doing it right: New Jersey 101.5/Trenton; WTDY/Madison; WIBC/Indy; KMOX/St. Louis.
6) Are you finding salaries/benefits lower than you ever thought, about the same, or have you seen some pleasant surprises?
It's bleak. Many of the current crop of GMs (and the Wall Streeters who bankroll them) don't really understand the importance of talent; to them, air talent is just another expense to be trimmed. If GM ran their business the way radio is currently run, we'd all be driving Yugos! We need to get back to thinking of talent as a long-term investment.
7) What's the most unbelievable question you've ever been asked in an interview?
Any time I contact a Talk station and the first thing out of the PD's mouth is, "Where do you stand politically?" I know that's NOT a place where I want to work. Those folks clearly don't get it.
8) With consolidation there are definitely fewer jobs. How do you separate yourself from the pack?
I make it clear from the get-go that I'm NOT a Rush clone. My focus is on lifestyle, pop culture and the local social/political scene.
9) If you were offered a similar position to what you were doing for considerably less money, would you seriously consider taking the job just to stay in the biz?
No! The reason the suits get away with this crap is that there are too many guys who will settle for less just so they can be a star on the radio. I'd rather be part of the solution than part of the problem.
10) Having been through all you have dealt with in this biz, what advice would you give people trying to break in?
Billy Joel said it best: "Don't take any shit from anyone."
Bonus Questions
Care to contribute a low-cost recipe to our "ON THE BEACH" cookbook?
The Newman Sandwich (a low-rent version of the Monte Cristo):
Prepare a sandwich with gourmet turkey breast, Lorraine Swiss cheese, and Miracle Whip on untoasted bread.
Pour some Paul Newman's Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing in a saucer.
Soak the sandwich in the dressing and wrap in a paper towel.
Microwave until the cheese melts.
Eat with a fork. -
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