Wherever You Go, There You Are

Nobody, after all, promised you that this career path was going to be smooth sailing forever. There are industries and jobs that you can comfortably assume will be around for your entire lifespan -- doctor, lawyer, plumber -- and some for which there are no guarantees.

You picked radio, and you're now wondering whether you made a horrible mistake. Let's dispose of that one first: No, you didn't, not if you chose to do something you love and someone paid you to do it. The only mistake in that case is if you assumed that this was permanent, that somehow radio would be impervious to the inexorable march of technology and changing consumer habits and taste. You can blame consolidation, you can blame private equity, you can blame management, you can blame the industry's tortured and flawed response to competition, and you might be right on all counts, but, ultimately, someone was going to develop technology to compete with radio and, even if the newcomers didn't win in audience figures, the radio industry wouldn't be what it used to be.

And that leads to Audacy's "reimagining" of formats, and iHeart's "centers of excellence," and a lot of radio people out of work and looking for what to do next. I can just FEEL your eyes rolling right now: yes, podcasting, sure, like anyone DOESN'T have a podcast by now. You listen to all the self-proclaimed experts tell you how you can become rich doing a podcast, and then you look at all the articles that indicate something else is happening. Podcasting began splitting into different camps years ago, and it's accelerating with another influx of celebrities and Hollywood production companies jumping on the bandwagon. This week alone, I read a column in The Guardian asserting that celebrities are "ruining podcasting," saw an article in The Hollywood Reporter noting that Stitcher's list of the top 100 new podcasts launched in the past year showed that 22 are hosted by celebrities, and sat through most of a daylong NATPE virtual conference on the intersection of TV/video and podcasting. They made it sound like you have no chance at all at podcasting success unless you go into it with a large following like Joe Rogan.

That, of course, is partially true. You aren't likely to have Spotify, or anyone else, hand you millions for your two-guys-and-a-mike podcast. Can you make money at all? Yeah, you can. It might not be the kind of money you hoped you'd be making at this stage of your career, and you might not make anything. There's little rhyme or reason to how this plays out. You can do that two-guys-and-a-mike podcast and have it hit big and make good money from ads and live shows and merch, or you could sink a lot of money into a slick, well-produced, quality show and find no audience at all. In podcasting, nothing is certain.

Nothing is certain in life, either (insert death-and-taxes reference here). Does that mean your next move is to launch another podcast into the crowded field, or cross your fingers and try to get another radio job, or just entirely walk away from audio entertainment and go do something else? It depends on your passion and your ability to assess your own talent. Here's what I mean: If you aspire to be someone who gets on the air and reads liners and jokes written by someone else, maybe a little time and temperature, too, you're not likely to find too many jobs available anymore. If you aspire to more -- if your passion is to create unique and original content in the audio medium, radio isn't the only vehicle anymore, but you're probably going to find more opportunity at smaller companies more willing to take chances rather than one of the consolidators. You can also do podcasting, and how you can make that work for you is the subject of countless conferences and Clubhouse rooms and webinars, none of which have a definitive answer for you. Or maybe you could become a TikTok influencer, if you're 16 and adept at juggling kittens while lipsyncing to some pop obscurity from a few years ago. Okay, that's unlikely, but it happens.

Or remind yourself that life can take you in directions you never anticipated. If you're intensely driven to do incredibly creative audio stuff, do it, but if you find doors closed and chances at remuneration scarce, there are other things you can do. I know radio lifers who are now mortgage brokers, Realtors, public relations representatives, retail managers... and happy. They thought they'd be in radio for a long time, radio disagreed, and they pivoted to other things and discovered that there's life beyond AM and FM. They can still do podcasts if they want to scratch that itch, but it turns out that you can have a happy life without broadcasting it. And if you miss the glamour of radio, just think back on all those parking lot remotes where nobody showed up.

All of this is to say that the old saw about when one door closes, another opens is true, but you don't know which door will open, and where it will lead. Just don't close yourself off to opportunity, whatever the business. wherever it might take you, and I'll stop now with the inspirational treacle other than to remind you that can't let your job define you. You're more than a talk show host or midday jock or sales person or Uber driver. What makes you special is what, I hope, makes you good at radio, but it can also make you good at other stuff, too. Keep an open mind and see what happens.

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And if you're looking for more information and guidance about making a successful move into podcasting, you should check out Podcast Movement in Nashville August 3-6, where I'll be moderating a panel for Audioboom on the value (or not) of podcast networks, with which I have some experience, and about which the panelists can tell you all the pros and cons. That's just one panel among... well, a LOT of panels, covering practically every aspect of podcasting from how to start to the most high-level business stuff. You can click here to register for either the in-person event (please, be vaccinated) or the virtual version. Remember, come to the in-person event and you'll be within Uber distance of hot chicken, a million bars with live music, the Country Music Hall of Fame (highly recommended), Jack White's record store, and Goo Goo Clusters galore.

Perry Michael Simon
Vice President/Editor, News-Talk-Sports and Podcast
AllAccess.com
psimon@allaccess.com
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Twitter @pmsimon
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