Monday, August 02, 2004
MONDAY, MONDAY...
Well, I've decided to re-produce and upload a newer version of my demo tape. It again, is a compilation of more than 2-years of solid work...compressed in that all too common format of 10-minutes...you can find it on the home page and audio page.
Hopefully, it's enough to give someone a sample of what I sound like, the way I approach my craft, how I conduct a show, and my production capabilities. Like I've said before, it's a very difficult thing to do - take the highlights and extraordinary spontaneous brilliance over 2-years - and give someone enough information to decide whether you're the kind of person they're looking for in an employee. It's nerve-wracking really...because I'm much better than what is on that 10-minutes.
I have to admit today, I caught myself scanning the employment section of the newspaper yesterday. As I read through them, I tried to imagine what else I might be qualified for...it was all really an exercise in the possibility of related fields. Things like public relations, marketing, management, and human resources. The things I have experience in, can actually do someone pretty well for the right job. A while ago, someone sent me a job posting for a media relations position at a major company here in the area...I thanked them, of course, and put it aside. The only thing that got me thinking is what virtually every college student (outside of medical fields) have to look forward to...getting theoretical instruction, and hopefully making it work in the real world. I've met a few of these college students...especially in media and journalism programs...and they all have great theoretical understanding, but they are rather surprised to find out how it actually works in the real world...here's a few examples:
News - it's not journalism as a student would understand...it's speed, the ability to tell a story with as few words as possible, describing events, and developing compelling content. Most students who come to me from the journalism aspect see themselves as Woodward and Bernstein types...taking all day to develop that one story that's going to change the course of someone's life. Baloney. Get the story done for the next newscast and make it sound snappy...uptempo and informative. Then get the next one done.
Digital Production - it used to be done on reel to reel machines with white grease markers and tape...now it's computers and the hard stuff is done for you most of the time with production libraries (CD's full of pre-produced music beds and sound effects) that stations purchase in order to speed the process along. It's not sitting there all day at a computer screen and coming up with a brilliant 30-second commercial. That happens, but most of the time, it's getting copy from a newspaper ad that the salesperson drops off on your desk after lunch...and oh, by the way, the commercial plays at 3-pm this afternoon so have it done for them by 2pm.
Announcer - well, it's more than sitting there for three hours a day listening to great music. First of all, you don't get to choose the music...ever. Secondly, all you do on the air is pre-recorded so you can be doing other things...like washing the station vehicle and visiting with groups as they tour the building to see how radio is done. Multi-tasking is the big thing today...the ability to do more than two things at once.
Management - sorry, you gotta start somewhere else...pay your dues. A lot of college kids I've met have expected they'd be able to start at their local big town radio station as a manager...but most have been told to take out the trash for a couple of years first...then be willing to do about nine other things before someone will ever give you a chance at management. You should see the looks on their faces when they request 60K a year as manager because they have a business degree...and they're interviewing with a guy who never went to college and earns 50K after being in the business for 20-years.
But radio is still what I love. Despite all the crap you deal with...I couldn't do anything else and be happy with myself.
So looking through the paper yesterday for other positions in the area here was really more of an exercise in trying to avoid the difficulties we're currently having (selling the house, moving, finding employment, wife giving birth, etc) than it was anything else.
Well, I've decided to re-produce and upload a newer version of my demo tape. It again, is a compilation of more than 2-years of solid work...compressed in that all too common format of 10-minutes...you can find it on the home page and audio page.
Hopefully, it's enough to give someone a sample of what I sound like, the way I approach my craft, how I conduct a show, and my production capabilities. Like I've said before, it's a very difficult thing to do - take the highlights and extraordinary spontaneous brilliance over 2-years - and give someone enough information to decide whether you're the kind of person they're looking for in an employee. It's nerve-wracking really...because I'm much better than what is on that 10-minutes.
I have to admit today, I caught myself scanning the employment section of the newspaper yesterday. As I read through them, I tried to imagine what else I might be qualified for...it was all really an exercise in the possibility of related fields. Things like public relations, marketing, management, and human resources. The things I have experience in, can actually do someone pretty well for the right job. A while ago, someone sent me a job posting for a media relations position at a major company here in the area...I thanked them, of course, and put it aside. The only thing that got me thinking is what virtually every college student (outside of medical fields) have to look forward to...getting theoretical instruction, and hopefully making it work in the real world. I've met a few of these college students...especially in media and journalism programs...and they all have great theoretical understanding, but they are rather surprised to find out how it actually works in the real world...here's a few examples:
News - it's not journalism as a student would understand...it's speed, the ability to tell a story with as few words as possible, describing events, and developing compelling content. Most students who come to me from the journalism aspect see themselves as Woodward and Bernstein types...taking all day to develop that one story that's going to change the course of someone's life. Baloney. Get the story done for the next newscast and make it sound snappy...uptempo and informative. Then get the next one done.
Digital Production - it used to be done on reel to reel machines with white grease markers and tape...now it's computers and the hard stuff is done for you most of the time with production libraries (CD's full of pre-produced music beds and sound effects) that stations purchase in order to speed the process along. It's not sitting there all day at a computer screen and coming up with a brilliant 30-second commercial. That happens, but most of the time, it's getting copy from a newspaper ad that the salesperson drops off on your desk after lunch...and oh, by the way, the commercial plays at 3-pm this afternoon so have it done for them by 2pm.
Announcer - well, it's more than sitting there for three hours a day listening to great music. First of all, you don't get to choose the music...ever. Secondly, all you do on the air is pre-recorded so you can be doing other things...like washing the station vehicle and visiting with groups as they tour the building to see how radio is done. Multi-tasking is the big thing today...the ability to do more than two things at once.
Management - sorry, you gotta start somewhere else...pay your dues. A lot of college kids I've met have expected they'd be able to start at their local big town radio station as a manager...but most have been told to take out the trash for a couple of years first...then be willing to do about nine other things before someone will ever give you a chance at management. You should see the looks on their faces when they request 60K a year as manager because they have a business degree...and they're interviewing with a guy who never went to college and earns 50K after being in the business for 20-years.
But radio is still what I love. Despite all the crap you deal with...I couldn't do anything else and be happy with myself.
So looking through the paper yesterday for other positions in the area here was really more of an exercise in trying to avoid the difficulties we're currently having (selling the house, moving, finding employment, wife giving birth, etc) than it was anything else.
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