(By John Shomby) I get inspiration from various sources for these columns – books, movies, TV shows, etc. Primarily, they are usually sports personalities, musicians, or well-known business figures. I would have never thought that an idea would come from, of all, people, the FONZ, aka actor Henry Winkler. He was recently featured in the latest monthly AARP magazine (ok, cool it with the wisecracks!) and spoke about something that has been a very integral part of my broadcast life – reinventing yourself.
With the technological and generational changes happening in our business (and the onset of a new year), this is something we should all be prepared for at some point.
When you look at Henry Winkler’s career, it defines reinvention. He became well-known in the late 70’s sitcom Happy Days. When that ended, acting jobs were scarce so he started a production company. His biggest accomplishment was the hit 80s series, MacGyver. As things slowed in that field, he turned to writing children’s books and had some success there followed by a second crack at acting where he won daytime and primetime Emmy awards. I love his philosophy about all of this: “If you stay at the table long enough, good chips come to you.”
My broadcast career has also been a series of reinventions. My first success was as a CHR PD in medium, large, and major markets. I was part of a strong community of pop programmers and music people. As that began to slow down, I was forced into thinking of what else was out there and wound up helping launch one of the first FM classic rock stations in the 80s in Dallas.
After a short, unsuccessful run in short-form syndication, I had the chance to go back into programming but, this time, it was talk and sports talk radio again in Dallas. After almost a decade of that, I began seeing a new programming position emerging among the new large clusters of market stations and I became an Operations Manager – a position that I held for 16 years in three different markets, the last of which led to a format I had never programmed but decided it was time to learn. I became a country PD.
I have been associated with the format ever since moving to Nashville to oversee country syndication, and I now coach and advise talent and artists on my own. Like Henry, I had to reinvent myself more than a few times as I followed some of his core concepts:
- Be willing to learn. With constant change, it’s crucial that you are willing to learn new skills and adapt to new technologies.
- Self-awareness. Understand your strengths, weaknesses, values, and goals. Have a clear understanding of who you are and what you want.
- Stay at the table. No matter what you are doing, stay visible. Make sure your business colleagues are aware of your direction. Remember – out of sight, out of mind!
I’ve learned a few myself:
- Examine every opportunity. When my CHR programming career was sliding, I dug in for a while for fear of being “forgotten,” but once I was involved in Classic Rock, it was like a new adventure, and I was excited.
- Make sure you have a very small group of advisors/mentors in your corner. This may only be 2 or 3 professional and personal friends who, you know, will be brutally honest, when necessary. Without my very small group, I might not have made the moves I did.
- Be flexible. ALWAYS be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and explore new possibilities.
- Leave any fear you have behind you. Reinvention DETESTS second-guessing. You must be all-in and not be concerned with the “what ifs”.
- BE RESILIENT!! Be persistent and don’t give up. There will be setbacks but learn from them and keep moving full speed ahead.
With all the changes around us, you can only succeed if you stay in step. As Henry Winkler says in the feature, “Don’t talk about what you don’t have. Embrace and enjoy what’s in front of you.” Who knows? The chips may be falling in your direction right now.
Based in Nashville, TN, John Shomby is the owner and CEO of Country’s Radio Coach. He is focused on coaching and mentoring artists, radio programmers, and on-air talent to help them grow and develop inside the radio station and the industry. Reach John at [email protected] and 757-323-1460. Read John’s Radio Ink archives here.
