Half Life: Advice To Anyone In The Biz
Today marks my 17th anniversary of working in broadcasting. I am also 34 years old. I’ll let you work out the slightly depressing math there.
Having spent half my life in the local broadcasting business, however, I feel like I’m qualified to off you a little bit of advice, especially the youngsters out there (assuming any of them are reading this). And I think it’s fairly sound advice.
To get right down to it: it’s great that you’re brimming with ideas and want to excel. Maybe you even want to buck the rulebook and change the way things are done where you work. That’s great. More power to you. Just don’t give them too much.
Here is what I have learned the hard way. You want to raise the bar of how things are done. You want all your spots to look and sound like it’s sweeps all the time. You sacrifice a lot of your free time and family time to do that. You’re giving 150%. But sooner or later, everyone is so accustomed to your best work that the scale gets recalibrated by management, and your 150% becomes their 100% - they want more from you, and you’re already busting your ass.
It’s always good to put your best work forward and show them what you can do, but don’t become too useful, don’t set your sights on making yourself indispensible, and don’t become a 24/7 resource for them. Sure, the news never sleeps, but most promo producers I know, including that guy in the mirror, aren’t paid enough to be on call 24/7. If you’re not the manager and aren’t trying to prove your management chops, don’t take on a management-sized burden. You’re not being paid enough for that. And if someone’s trying to permanently drop stuff in your lap that should be the responsibility of your department head, call them on it.
Broadcasting can be a fun business, but I’ve become less fond of it as bottom-line-watchers and people who are hell-bent on delegating their entire jobs to their underlings are becoming the norm. Don’t set yourself on a path to burnout, and you just might enjoy it.
January 20th, 2007 at 6:11 am
You have imparted some excellent advice Earl. If anyone does read this, heed his words. However, I would like to add one simple caveat to these musings. When you realize the game is stacked in their favor and you do pull back, be prepared to face the wrath of those you have been holding on your back. They can get mean when you drop them off. When you do give 150%, do it for yourself and capitalize on your own efforts. Be true to yourself and make sure that resume and “tape” are everywhere. To each and everyone, good luck and enjoy a great career.