10 Questions with ... Adam R Jacobson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I'm a 15-year veteran journalist and I've focused much of my career on covering the radio industry in the U.S. and Canada. I have also been highly active as a journalist, strategist and marketing consultant in the U.S. Hispanic market.

From fall 1995 until its acquisition by The Nielsen Company in August 2006, I held various editorial positions at Radio & Records (R&R), including Management/Marketing/Sales Editor, Oldies Editor, Adult Alternative Editor and "Classic Rock Guy." I also assisted R&R in the modernization of its Latin music division, classifying Spanish-language radio stations by format and expanding coverage of Hispanic radio in R&R.

My career includes editorial positions at HISPANIC Magazine, Latina Style Magazine, American Translators Association and, most recently, Senior Associate Editor of Hispanic Market Weekly.

As a freelancer, I have penned articles for Vista magazine, Latin Trade magazine and The Miami Herald. I have also authored a chapter on "Music In Radio" for the leading textbook on the music industry used in colleges and universities across the U.S. Media appearances include National Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio and ABC World News Tonight.

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

Some days are extremely difficult. The phone doesn't ring. Bills don't get paid. Money is short. It's depressing ... and you feel unwanted. You have no reason to leave your home office, and the days can get monotonous. But I am a three-time marathoner and I look at my medals. If I can run 26.2 miles three times, I know I can get through this. I work the phones and network with my peers, and call my immediate family members every day. As a single guy, it can get exceptionally lonely when things get grim with your career and your finances.

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

I expanded my freelancing opportunities by launching an editorial services and research consultancy a few weeks after I lost my job. At first it was overwhelming. Then the activity slowed to a stop. Having the extra money helped - my unemployment checks stopped in late June, as Florida is not as beneficial as states such as California when it comes to that safety net.

Luckily I started a full-time temporary assignment as a recruiter for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a charity I have been tied with since 2007. It is rewarding, and a wonderful opportunity to use my skills in a whole new way. In fact, I'll be doing a radio interview with the noncommercial Jazz station in Miami (WDNA) on July 27th on behalf of the Society since I'm the "radio guy."

3) Do you plan on sticking with the music/radio industry?

I'd like to ... It's my passion. I had a live, five-hour audition with WLYF 101.5 Lite-FM here in Miami in mid-January. It was a great learning experience, as it had been many years since I was last on the air. I messed up a couple of times, but PD Rob Sidney was wonderful and a great mentor. Perhaps I'll try again in a smaller market.

With technology rapidly making radio "irrelevant," my current temporary role has yielded yet another contrary fact to this statement. Team in Training just secured a huge radio buy in Tampa with CBS Radio, and in Miami with both Clear Channel and Cox Radio's WFLC (Coast 97.3). As the recruiter, I am pleased to report that MANY leads have been generated from people who were listening to the radio and heard our :30s or :60s.

Radio still matters!

4) What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get a job?

The story of how I got my job at R&R is legendary. Here's the short version: R&R posted a blind ad in the Washington Post that started off with the line, "Do you miss Wolfman Jack?" I replied, "No ... but here is what I do miss about an industry that's got some problems." This was in August 1995, and I was a substitute teacher in Arlington County, VA. I thought it would be great to show up at the company and hand-deliver my resume and cover letter and writing samples, and find out exactly who the job was with. I arrived at the address to find myself standing in front of a Mail Boxes Etc.

Angered at having to pay postage to the man behind the counter who promptly took my envelope and stuffed it in a box right behind him, I thought of what I was supposed to do now while staring at the non-moving traffic on K Street. That's when it dawned on me - the mystery business HAD to be within walking distance of this location, since driving and parking was impossible. I thought of what radio trades were within walking distance, and by deductive reasoning figured it was R&R's Washington Bureau.

I walked to their former National Press Building suite, and told my story to the woman at the front desk. Then bureau chief Randall Bloomquist overheard my entire story and basically lied to me, saying that he'd had no idea what company had posted the ad. I left a copy of my resume, because you ALWAYS have another on hand, just in case. Five days later, someone went to Mail Boxes Etc. and got my package. Two and two were put together, and I was asked to immediately come in for a first interview!

NEVER give up. There's always an answer, even if it is a bit unconventional.

5) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?

Director of Hispanic Programming Strategy and Research for a non-Latino radio broadcast company ready to attract Spanish-language listeners and advertisers ... and is serious about doing so.

6) How are you finding the "courtesy level" at places you've applied? (Callbacks, emails, rejection letters, etc.)

There is no courtesy level. I've applied for good jobs and have received no response. I had what I thought was a great interview. I even sent a thank-you note. I did not get a response.

Sadly, this is normal - because there are so many out-of-work people going for a job.

I had a great first interview with a company yesterday afternoon and was stunned when I was told that I was one of 8 to 10 people selected for an in-person chat with the CEO - out of 500 applicants. It's tough out there, so do not get discouraged when you don't get any response from applying for a job. I've applied to roughly 50 job openings. For 48, I either received a form letter, a form letter rejecting me or nothing at all.

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

I spend the same amount of time, if not more, listening to radio - especially local radio. In my temporary job, I share an office with two women and Coast 97.3 is their station of choice - mostly because they are running our spots and morning co-host Julie Guy does our live reads!

I find myself listening to a lot of radio over the Internet from all over the world. Yesterday it was Boom 97.3 in Toronto, one of the planet's best radio stations. Today it is XFM 104.9 from London, so I can again connect myself to new music and stay connected.

8) Is there anything specific that you regret doing while you were still working?

Procrastinating and making excuses on getting an advanced degree. Only now do I have the time (or so I thought) to get an MBA or Master's level education - at age 37. I could have done this 10 years ago if I wasn't so damn unfocused and preoccupied with proving myself at work, especially when I had already accomplished that feat.

9) Having been through all you have dealt with in this biz, what advice would you give people trying to break in?

RADIO STILL MATTERS. As companies continue to undervalue personality and talent, find a home where the owners and the program director understand why you are valuable and one of the most important people at a radio station. You are the connector, the companion and the warm voice that the listener can relate to. Even in a voicetracked world, a host can exude passion and truly resonate with those tuned in. But most programmers have forgotten how to aircheck, or don't have time to. I hear jocks (NOT air talent in any way) voicetracking on stations in South Florida that don't even tell you what station you're tuned to, or the tagline! That's embarrassing and another reason why people have turned to iPods and XM Sirius. Is it that hard to back-announce a record by saying, "96X, Miami's Remarkable FM, with Peaches and Herb wrapping up 40 minutes of South Florida's favorite music," or whatever is on the liner card?

10) Uh oh ... now you're on your own for getting new music. If applicable, name your three most recent purchases since leaving the biz.

• JUAN LUIS GUERRA y 440 Bachata en Fukuoka (single)
• ELLIE GOULDING Lights (full LP)
• MATT AND KIM Daylight