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Where has all the talent gone? Easy answer. You pay peanuts you get monkeys. I'm seeing more and more people leaving radio and starting their own businesses outside the industry - Drex from 104.7, Joel from NXFM are two of the most recent ones. Make the pay better, make the job more enjoyable - get back to programming and making radio for the audience and not the shareholders.... rant ends now, rip me to pieces if you feel :-)
I think the real issue is regional programming, I don't think there are any quality regional programmers who have the knowledge skills or ability to help train up and coming talent, there are massive unwarrented ego's in regional programming, Having spent years in metro markets , then to step back into a regional was a great learning experience, which I recommend , u then might understand what the problem is. Cheers Campo
I agree with Mark, pay peanuts and you get monkeys! There is no incentive to stay in the job on a full-time basis while more owners are paying award rates and not a cent above. Announcers provide a valuable service to the community in more ways than we often realise.
Some other reasons a lot of the talent leave may be that those that have the talent and work hard are being pushed aside by a bunch of talentless try-hards from reality television add to this that many stations are run by bean counters or ex-sales people that have no real f*&%^#@ idea what radio is all about, and don't let programmers do what they know best, you have a great recipe for driving out talent.
Many tend to forget that radio is about people and being local. How can you nurture talent when so many stations network from 6pm or midday on weekends. When you don't provide the opportunity to climb the station ladder by learning your craft from the ground up and progress through the industry how can we expect talented people to stay. I feel better now.........
Mark Sales, you are absolutely correct by saying that shareholders (and executives) pull the strings on what happens in a radio station. Bottom line bean counting is, i think, destroying the radio talent for most (not all) radio networks/stations. There is little creativity seen these days, and most production/ programmes are just copied anyhow, because radio is a business not a passion. A great example is Austereo's "never playing more than a few ads in a row at work"... what a joke! Yet another rip-off from B105, stealing Nova's idea.
The biggest exception to this however, that i can think of, is Geoff Stagg a NZ broadcaster who used to be night-time announcer for ZM. In 2001 he had a brilliant dance show every friday and saturday night, non-stop, no ads, and it sounded perfect. It couldn't have targeted the under 40's dance/r&b audience better. However it was scrapped late 2001, and only last christmas the Sample Gee saturday night ClubMix was scrapped, for reasons unknown leaving thousands of dance music lovers very angry. What everyone else knows though, is there was a change in management at TRN (oweners of ZM) and increased competition in Auckland from a new station, The Eedge in 2003. It was a sad day for radio in NZ when the show was scrapped, and great talent going down the bin, for possibly financial or management decisions.
The result? Ratings for ZM have dropped considerably, and it has given a lone, locally owned station, Mai FM a massive gap at the top.
Alot of the previous comments are so true. Control freaks,networking, unwarranted ego's, lack of programming ability in regional areas. The talent pool is being eroded because of all this. There are people in big markets now who wouldn't have got a look in 10 years ago. Then you get experienced jox who are pushed aside to make way for "cheap non talent".
In some cases, the PD won't hire someone whose better on the air than they are. I think alot of people leave because there's a general lack of respect for the jock anymore....we've become the bottom of the food chain. Also, as a well established talkback PD was saying to me yesterday, music radio tends to play the same music over and over plus are too worried about offending someone. This can't be too inviting for a creative and passionate jock.
Then you have those comfortable in their positions.....as if some of them will want to help out someone else. Radio's competetiveness brings out this paranoia I feel. What's the old saying....never give a sucker an even break.
Where has all the talent gone? a good question, but where have all the standards gone. Instead of striving for brilliance, lets strive for mediocrity, seems to be the attitude.
Is it a problem with the people wanting a career behind the mike who are more interested in celebrity status than the passion of radio or is it that the passion is stamped out of our talent because of job roles that require someone to wear 6 different hats and work parttime as well.
Where has the passion gone and who's fault is it ? it is hard to say but it is one question that needs to be answered for all our sakes.
The frustration is there for us that want to be the best we can be and the only thing we can really hope for these days is that some PD somewhere sees talent and has the ability to pull, rip, push and ask for the best and and we as jocks demand the best of ourselves and hopefully,after you keep pushing you get that lucky break.
One solution may be to follow sports codes like the NRL and AFL and send our best coaches and talent bush to give coaching seminars and info days. Any one in the country who'd like some help give me a call
Campo
Well, nothing is more constant than change, and commercial radio certainly is no exception, but there are some constants. I remember my first pay packet as a rookie working for the then 2KM Kempsey. I grossed $45 ($39.80 after tax)for a minimum 6 day week of 6 x 6 hour "live shifts" in addition to getting the record library sorted, plus writing, recording & carting ads as well as some client service/selling in addition to OB's and sundry chores around the station. Yeah, after getting the on-air bug at the age of 9, here I was at 17 straight out of school doing what I loved and getting a solid grounding in "the business".
Now at 50 (where have the decades gone ?) I'm still in "the business" primarily on the Sales Management side but still loving the air work as much as ever, in fact the PD got me to fill for 4 hours of Night Talk radio a few weeks ago. For most of us performers the on-air side remains a real buzz, given the format and the opportunity.
Is it tougher now to get a commercial break on-air and to actually learn from a mentor on the job ? The answer is probably 'yes' on both counts 'cos as I said earlier radio has changed. However, whilst enthusiasm (I did 2 years of unpaid work experience with 2KM during the final years of my schooling), talent and a willingness to do much for little financial return (at least in the early years) was my template, the "live" on-air vacancies were around on a fairly regular basis. Now, we have far more radio stations with less "live" broadcasting pro rata and this unfortunately is a world wide trend.
On the positive side, newcomers today have some excellent initial opportunities on-air with Australia's community broadcasters, again if you have commercial aspirations here is a way to do your unpaid work experience whilst holding down a paid "job" before tackling the commercial radio market. Who knows, you may love the formatics freedom the community sector offers and be contented to continue on air as a regular contributor and earn a living elsewhere.
On the other hand, this initial taste of broadcasting may encourage you to take on a commercial gig where the remuneration can grow substantially if you have the talent & drive to cut through in a cut throat business peppered with 8 capital city surveys a year, industry politics, intense competition for your on air shift and an employment jigsaw often affected by ownership changes.
My final point is, not everybody will be a star earning mega dollars on-air. If you find you're not cutting it, perhaps radio can offer you a solid future within the environment of the product, i.e. in Sales, Promotions, Production, News, Creative, Technical, IT, Admin etc. If you are hell bent on an 'on-air' career make yourself a multi skilled 'must have' employee who the station can turn to in various situations of demand.
Remember, from the station Receptionist to the Cleaner we are all SALES PEOPLE in Commercial radio like it or not. Whether your station plays 8 or 18 minutes or more per hour, the revenue is in the advertising which maintains the SHOW and the BUSINESS that is Commercial Radio. Enjoy the challenge and find your niche. Regards, IAN WRIGHT, 5DN Adelaide.
Just to clarify my recent post on 10/7 - it was Mike Young, not Geoff Stagg who produced the entertaining dance show on ZM. My Mistake! Excellent job Mike if you're reading.
Look If you are not prepared to do what it takes to get to the top, stop what you are doing and get out. Guys who have been sitting in the same regional markets for 20 years are not what i would call experienced I would call that lazy. Get off your arses give totters a call and tell him you want the gig. He's telling you he wants a clown don't take it as an insult, be a clown. And the guys who use this forum for personal messages and to find things that have nothing to do with the topic. it is no wonder you are where you are..
regarding Campo's message to people who stray from the (supposed) topic: might I suggest you read what is written below carefully Campo?
"It’s your Forum. You can choose your own topic or respond to others."
Perhaps reedin and riting aint necesarrilly Deejaay requirements!
Back to my job now - being a good paper journo (or trying to be)! :-)
Please don't use this forum as an egotistical attack on others who are posting valid messages campo, if you don't like what you read, keep your comments to yourself - and don't take offence too easily. Isn't that the prerequisite of a commercial radio personality?
Focus, search for people to work with who have something to offer you.Before you accept a role ask the question what can I learn from you, don't be led by the blind and narrow minded.Look for great opportunities and persue them relentlesly.Be Egotistical and obssesed with your vision,brand yourself well.
does anyone know if 2sm is still a hub for the carales group heard 2sm now takes programming from newcastle , tamworth and tweed coast.so a lot of it is not local anymore.does anyone know if it is on the market?
I disagree with the suggestion that radio schools are a waste of time and money. I have spent time in regional markets and community radio, where I learnt to back announce the last four songs, by title and artist, forward sell the next four tracks and talk about the weather. The PD's I encountered in regional markets had very little vision for radio and were very poor announcers themselves. I attended AFTRS last year and thanks to the help of people who "know radio" now have a great job in Brissy. Others from the same class are now employed in Cap City jobs and strong provincial markets. I believe we have real issues in regional markets with PD's not keeping up to date with radio trends. In saying that I am certainly not bagging all regional stations I am just stating that there are some very poor PD's out there.
thank you andrew andrews for letting me know about 2sm. it was a great radio station it could still be . i feel like you do sydney has forgotten the old girl.
There's no lack of radio schools putting forth talent in to the industry. I myself over the past four years with the Media Training Centre and Now the Australian Radio School based in Adelaide have placed over 60 students including the likes of Channel 10's Leah Mcload to Triple M's Sam Mac who came straight out of my radio school in to Cap city radio.So if the other schools are doing as well something is going wrong once they get out there.
To me it's as plain as day: the traditional areas of developing talent, allowing talent to experiment and evolve no longer exist. Once 300 jocks would have been blurting away on regional radio at night making fabulous mistakes and 'learning' by each and everyone of those 'mistakes'. There were 300 mid-dawners experimenting with creativity.... sometimes magical, some times ... well! But it was all a learning curve. Give that role to just a handfull in a hub and you are going to have 280 very ordinary jocks who will never have the chance to evolve past a quick 20 minute voice track of a four hour shift because announcing is no longer the major focus of most regional stations.
Then the Cap's have done the same thing and taken away mid-dawns. The greatest traing ground ever. All I can suggest is that if your current radio station is not allowing you to grow creatively get in to the off air studio as often as you can and make 'fake radio'. The way you want to do it. And send that out as your talent tape.... not your voice tracker. David Day
i agree with brian i for one will be listening.
I've been applying for radio work willy-nilly all over - I'm a new graduate from radio school, and I'm a kiwi, so there's two strikes against me to start with! I'm keen to get in and start my radio career - just need that elusive first break. It makes me happy to think there's a shortage of talent there though - it makes my chances better! But please, even an automated response, or form-letter acknowledging receipt of applications and skites would seriously be appreciated. Cheers guys ... I just wanna be like you!!
A PD once told me that the reason why radio hires celebrities, (either stand-up comics or television personalities), is simply because it makes it easier for the sales team to sell advertising within those slots. Is this a driving factor at stations in general? I'd love to get some opinions on this.
1. is it fair to suggest that in recent years, many ex-reality tv contestants have actually been offered jobs ahead of industry talent, simply because they've got higher profiles?
2. our industry award rates are lower than many standard professions, including basic and entry level public service positions!