The 5 Biggest Lessons I Learned Working In Radio

I get asked from people what advice I would give them when trying to get a job in radio. I usually say run…Not helpful.

I come from such an old grumpy “I didn’t make it” point of view. If I was to be realistic, I’d say I didn’t achieve any of my dreams I set for myself while working in radio. I’m not angry about it however there is a sense of resentment. I tend to offer advice that has a really cynical outlook. 

I had the best 9 years of my life at SCA, worked with some of the most amazing humans who I call close friends. The path I set for myself in 2009 was absolutely not the path I went on. If I could do it all over again I would do it so differently

Don’t Be So Humble. 

What I mean is I would go in fighting. I would announce to everyone what I wanted and make sure my bosses knew the direction I was heading in. Not in an arrogant way. When I first got a job with SCA I was just so happy to do whatever and not cause a fuss that I didn’t make it known what I wanted. I was under the impression if I put my head down I would be rewarded and get everything I wanted. BULLSHIT! 

Thats not fair to my boss they can’t read my mind. I waited to be discovered and I never was.

Get A Mentor 

Find someone at work who does what you want to do and politely ask them to help you. They can’t give you all of their time but they will be so beneficial. I had two unintentional mentors who were instrumental in my success. I didn’t realise it at the time but they helped me dramatically. 

Airchecks suck but they are good for you to grow.

It’s A Business First 

Radio is a money making machine. The goal is to make money. You will have to work your arse off and go unrewarded. You are owed nothing. Just because you have taken the initiative doesn’t mean that promotion is yours.

When ever you go into a meeting be prepared. What does your boss want from you and how can you convince them. Always have a solution and always back yourself up with numbers and facts. Remove any emotion.

I struggled with this the most, I became very entitled at times and thought I was more important than I was.

Experience 

Time in the industry is so valuable. If you’re making coffee or running the entire company any insight into the industry and how it runs is so important. I went from one weird job to the next and ended up building an insane understanding of the business. This experience has been so useful to me now that I’m running my own business.

“It’s Just Radio”

The amount of times I heard this was astronomical. However no one ever lived by it, everything was always so dramatic and the end of the world. If you spoke for 10 seconds more than you needed to the entire world would collapse. 

What “It’s just radio” really means is, “If you fuck this up you’re gone.”.

The first piece of advice I was given in radio school was probably the best and that’s to treat the IT guys with the most respect. They are they ones who end up fixing all the problems you’ve caused and you want them to like you.