Day #29 - 11/13/97 - 6:40PM
Put 5 more tapes and resumes in the mail today. Isn't Radio great? When you get fired you can do all your job-hunting from your family room dressed in sweatpants and bunny slippers. Toughest part of my day is deciding when to walk to the mailbox.
The problem Jay and I have now is the level at which we're looking. Gee, if we were just starting out, we could be working tomorrow....as long as we were willing to earn $150 bucks a week and travel to the first small market that called. Don't get me wrong: that's not a slam on small markets. Both Jay and I worked our way up from them. But, with family, responsibilities, Jaguar payments (yeah right!), you gotta' apply for jobs that you think will be able to provide you with the income you're accustomed to.
A word on small markets: why aren't more young broadcasters willing to start in them? When we were in Cleveland, you wouldn't BELIEVE the newbies we talked to who had no CLUE that they had to PICK THEIR BUTTS UP and MOVE SOMEWHERE if they REALLY WANTED TO BE IN RADIO. A lot of these poor shleps were coming out of BROADCAST SCHOOL and expecting to land $80,000-dollar-a-year gigs the day they got their "Radio Diploma".
I learned so much working in small markets. One of my first jobs was at WCLT-FM in Newark, Ohio. I did everything there. I started at Middays and then went to Mornings. On Saturdays - since there wasn't a news guy - I'd have to get up extra early and go to the Police Station and read the log to see what happened overnight. Then, I'd have to get to the radio station - write the news - do a show - play the records - read the news - and even read the obitiuaries (I loved that part. The station got $1 dollar from the funeral homes everytime an obit was read. The mortuaries used to call them in because it was good publicity for them!). Anyway, The General Manager was a fella named Bob Pricer. Here was a sweet guy. He hired me when I desperately needed a break and then let me rent an apartment he owned at a very low price. I was pretty broke at the time. Mr. Pricer always gave me opportunities to make a little extra money when he could. I think I started there making $150-a-week and left making about $185 a year later. Why did I leave after only one year? Because Bob Pricer recommended me for a job in Columbus, Ohio at WRFD-AM. He knew I wanted to move up and didn't stand in my way, knowing full well he'd have to find another person to train and hire.
He gave me opportunity. He showed me kindness.
In 1988, when I was driving up to Chicago to start afternoons at WFYR-FM (no longer in existence), I was passing near Newark, Ohio and decided I would stop and thank Bob Pricer. Although it had been 11 years, he remembered me and smiled. I walked into his office and told him he was one of the kindest, most gracious people I had ever worked for. I told him if it wasn't for him, I might not have moved up as fast as I did. I told him I was heading for Chicago. I thanked him.
I'm certain thousands of people have passed through the doors of stations like WCLT-FM over the years. That's what small markets are for. They are a training ground. I'm glad I drove back to thank Bob Pricer. The good people deserve to know they made a difference.