Personal Advancement
Radio, like most industries these days, thrives on changeFrom dial to digitalI suppose I have become a wise old sage, although I'm not really "old" and some might take exception to the "wise" part. LISA BRANDT |
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 [ 2007-07-27 ] |
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But lately I've been privileged to see radio, the industry in which I have made my living for the past quarter century, through the eyes of those who are just entering it.
Broadcasting has shrunken significantly over the years. Stations have changed hands, frequencies and formats. Networks have developed. Small town stations, training grounds for many of us, now sometimes use piped in voices from another market.
My tour of radio duty took me on a path that isn't often taken by new talent today. My introduction to country music radio came via an overnight shift whose duties included taking live requests from an intercom set up for truckers to pull up to and shout out their favourite songs.
I worked the Top 40 format as a jock (or DJ, in layman's terms) on a shift schedule that graciously allowed me exactly 24 hours off every other week.
Sometimes I was the only woman announcer at a radio station or in the entire market. Once, I was overlooked for an all-staff raise because of my gender and told so to my face by my program director.
Today, that would be unthinkable and grounds for a solid case of discrimination.
When I tell that story to my young colleagues today, they look at me as if I used to beat my clothing on rocks and churn my own butter. It was a different era and yet not so long ago at all.
Today, announcers are expected to be major-market ready when they come out of school. Many of them are.
Back in the day, I was greener than Kermit the Frog and filled with panicked ambition.
I was allowed to make my biggest mistakes to the forgiving ears of smaller market listeners. Many of today's new announcers don't have that luxury.
They're expected to instantly keep up with their more senior colleagues. From what I've been hearing around the dial, they're up to the challenge.
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The current job market:
- Along with the economy and technological progess, the job market changes nearly on a daily basis.
- Regional, national and international markets create greater competition at home and abroad
- Jobs of the future will require greater levels of skill and knowledge and, in many cases, the ability to multi-task and adapt to new technology and emerging markets
- Many people will switch careers at least a couple of times in their life and will usually change employers up to six times during their career
- The contingent workforce (work that isn't full-time or permanent) makes up over 1/3 of the Canadian labour force, and it is usually a great way to gain experience.
How many hours a week do you work?