10 Questions with ... Nick Caplan

NAME:Nick Caplan LAST WITH:MOViN 100.3 PHONE:(315) 409-5539 EMAIL:ncaplan@twcny.rr.com

Please begin by giving us a brief career history ...

Began in Syracuse in 1978, left for WNYS in Buffalo, NY in 1983 and did mornings on the Hot Rockin' 104 WNYS. After being snowed in three winters in a row, I had to make my way to Florida. First stop was West Palm Beach. A sale knocked us all out, and I took a job in Naples, FL. From there I went to California, back to Naples/Ft Myers and then Utica, NY for nine years. Now I'm on the beach ... literally ... in Naples, FL.

1) What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay motivated?

It's been about 15 years since I've been unemployed and for the first time, I am not sure if the e-mail got there or, for that matter, where I sent it to. So that's a tuff one. You go back and forth. I'm trying to do the things I didn't have time to do when I worked every day.

2) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?

I'm learning Adobe, so when I get to the next gig, I'm on the money with my production.

3) What's the longest stretch you've had on the beach?

A month or two. You always take that little vacation. But for me, being a jock is not a job ... it's a way of life. So when you don't have a gig, you don't have a life. It's what I do. I knew I wouldn't stay in Syracuse when I lost my gig, so I sold my home right away and booked for my home in Florida to search from here.

4) What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?

All Access is the only one I am aware of this time. If there are others, please let me know.

5) How are you finding the "courtesy level" at places you've applied? (Callbacks, e-mails, rejection letters, etc.)

Nobody seems to want you to call, so that's a no-no. Once in awhile you may get the "we haven't made our decision; we will let you know" letter. Having been a PD, I know it's hard to get something out to everybody. When you run an ad, you hear from people who are sending everybody their stuff whether they can do the shift or not. You get flooded by everything and everybody, and that makes it difficult to do the courteous thing. So I understand, but you do feel like you are all alone some days.

6) Are you finding salaries/benefits lower than you ever thought, about the same, or have you seen some pleasant surprises?

Given the economy, you know that if it's slow. You are going to get the low offer. Hopefully you get a gig, things get better, and so it goes.

7) With consolidation there are definitely fewer jobs. How do you separate yourself from the pack?

I can do it all. I can program, do a shift, production, turn the station on or off and I'm dependable.

8) Are you spending as much time listening to radio as you used to?

Yes. Because I've done mornings for years, I didn't get much time to listen to what everybody else was doing.

9) Are you able to slow down and enjoy free time doing things with your family and friends that you probably did not have time to do while you were working?

I'm not married and don't have children. It's been nine years since I lived in Naples. My friends have moved on. But the beach and the weather here have all been very nice.

10) How will this experience change you when you get back to work?

I will think long and hard about leaving a place I like, in a community I like, at a good company with people I liked working with. Not every offer is a good opportunity.

Care to contribute a low-cost recipe to our "ON THE BEACH" cookbook?

I have returned to the charcoal grill (no more gas grill). Anything ... steak, sausage, chicken, pork. So make your salad, soak the corn in water still in the husk, then when the coals are right grab your beverage, start the corn, then toss the meat on the grill and stay with it until its ready and enjoy.