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For fear of appearng xenophobic about radio, I would have thought it was a trite question!!
NZ went though the "manager is a manager" thing back in the 90s, with some spectacularly disasterous results. There was at one stage, a former smallgoods factory manager running a hub!! Radio is probably the most unique profession in that to really understand it, to feel the pain of dead air, to know the scrotum-tingling feeling on ratings result day, to drive/walk around and hear your station sounding bloody hot - you have to be a true radio person. And they are becoming increasingly rare.
A lot of the generic management stuff applies for sure - it is after all a business - but to take that business out of the realm of the average and into the area that kicks butt, serves the audience and is innovative and huge in the marketplace - you have to have a very special understanding. Understanding of your air talent, your sales talent, copy talent and production talent - all of 'em. You must be able to speak the language if you're going to communmicate with the team - and external managers just wouldn't know what to say at Friday night drinkies.
So in short - radio is only for true radio people. It is a lifestyle choice. Why else do so many poorly paid but great managers hang in?
A station will sog along under an external type manager, who will try and be super cool, but they will seldom develop in the job beyond being grey-faced managers, and will never lift that station into super-station status - because they simply don't understand what it is that radio does and its very raison detre.
That takes a radio person!
I would not ask a Doctor to rewire my house nor would I ask a Butcher to cut my hair (although looking at it some days…) you would think the same for Radio. Yes der, that's obvious, but is it? On the ground it doesn't make sense to appoint a Carpenter to manage a Radio station and then try to guide the PD on how to program, although it has been done and the station is still making money but is it at it's potential?
At the higher end of town Executives are sought after for their business prowess. The smart ones are aware they don't possess the skills to handle the tools and won't tell us how too, but they know how to measure, analyse, research, plan Oh and most important of all ask questions lots of questions. Those who ask question (the right questions) of the people they entrusted to do the jobs (handle the tools) will usually take the business to a higher level but are they still at a handy cap?
Now take a person who has spent a solid part of their working career working in a particular industry. They have bettered themselves through promotions, career changes within the industry, studied, gained relevant credentials and are now in the same league as the big corporate executives. Would this person be better suited to an executive role than someone from outside the industry? History shows provided they have the business credentials they are a better choice. So why don’t we see more of this? Do we have a shortage of people with the credentials? Do we nurture the aspirations within our own industry? And most importantly does the Board of Directors see any advantages to breeding our own? Rob Colligan (earlier posting) is echoing the thoughts of many. Perhaps the Communications Minister, FARB and AFTRS could hold a forum and invite a cross section of commercial Radio to discus the possibilities to include Executive courses through FARB/AFTRS.
How far do we go though, should the Board of Directors have relevant media experience?
Finally I would like to ask successful people like Paul Thompson (dmg) if you would like to share your thoughts on this subject. And Paul Bartlett who has recently been appointed to General Manager of FIVEaa (congrats Bart) from a programming background what skills do you think are need to move further in the corporate executive?
It depends. A good general manager is someone who understands a station and it's market. I have worked for 2 GM's, one from a non-radio background and one with radio experience spanning 18 years. Each has their own way of handling situations and improving station morale and progress. I like the idea of a radio person running programming department.
A radio person programming knows what is good, I think it comes with the territory.
I think 3AK is an isolated incident. It should not be used in case studies when referring to this issue.
I've always said to people there was a time when the manager was someone who had been everything from an office boy, then jock, PD, sales and finally as a manager. Nowadays, alot seem to come from other sales backgrounds and no radio experience whatsoever. Personally I think it's damaging because most of them have no idea how to connect sales and programming so therefore the station suffers.I know of one current manager who hates jocks because they get the "public recognition" and he dosen't. So he does things like hold client dinners and gets his jocks to act as "waiters". There's another who thinks he can tell his jocks how to sound on air yet hasn't spent a minute on the air in his life. All it does is create bad morale.I guess it's up to the owners of respective stations to pick radio people for these positions and hopefully advice from those like Peter Quattro will be heeded. The industry needs more of it badly because there has been a very sad decline in overall standards of the industry over the past 10 years. As Rugby League supercoach Jack Gibson once said..."winning starts in the front office". In other words, it dosen't matter how much talent you have at your disposal, it won't gel unless you have good management.
A radio person is like a person in most other media outlets and most other careers generally - he/sge is a person who entered the "profession" with stars in the eyes, and gradually became fully aware of what radio really is, not just happy chatty people but a whole intricate web of broadcast sound, music, brand and product development, marketing and promotions and sales etc etc etc. Radio is one industry that always has a "buzz" - its always nice to hear the comments of listeners and receive feedback either directly or indirectly from your target market. A radio person needs to be aware of intricasies of the radio market, know the adience, understand from where the advertising dollar comes and why, and KNOW where and when to make changes in direction either personally or for the radio station at which he/she is employed. There is more to the one liner, time and weather it is a multifaceted media form, and a good radio person is adaptable to work within most parts of the "matrix" that has the end product of broadcast radio. So a radio person is... part of the greater professional collective conciousness, how else can this be answered to make reasonable sense ? You dont need to know everything - only most things ! If you dont know something about radio and you dont want to know - you're NOT a radio person !
What type of animal is a radio person? Very interesting. I believe, a radio person must possess an inherent nature of difference. That is, they must be, in their very nature, wanting to explore things that are outside of the relms of thought of most people. An attitude of 'nothing is impossible' and 'everything must be tried' is of absolutely paramount importance.
A radio person WILL challenge. A radio person will FEEL what is right for their audience. A radio person will KNOW how their audience feels.
This can be introduced into a persons life, after all, we all started somewhere, BUT this CANNOT be taught.
Radio is a medium that reaches in and touches your soul. No matter what you do, it will always be a part of your life. You cannot teach intuition. You cannot teach your soul passion. It is something that exists in each individual for different areas of expertise. Mine is radio, as is yours.
Anthony Maley