(By John Shomby) To read the radio headlines is to notice all the staff downsizing happening within most broadcast companies – large and small. What continues to stand out about these moves is that the largest percentage of those eliminated have been tenured employees with 10 years or more at their station.
Saving money by eliminating the highest paid in favor of the less experienced. There’s a whole other column coming about this so-called “company direction and growth” but now, I do want to address those who have experienced the shock of being downsized after years in the same building. Many with lots of broadcast life left. How do you navigate a situation you haven’t had to deal with in more years than you can remember?
Being one who has been on the receiving end of one of these, I can offer several steps that will lead to some important future decisions. (By the way, if you’ve been downsized at all, this is also for you.) There is no right or wrong answer here but there is a process that I will divide into various steps:
Immediately After:
- Allow yourself some time to grieve the job loss and the change it brings. In my case, I remember my first “free” day waking up to sunlight for the first time in years definitely assisted in my perspective. Get the anger and sadness out of your system before you move forward. I decided to do absolutely nothing job-related for an entire month to clear my head. Both will only hold you back.
- If you have a severance package, and you should from any respectable broadcast company, review it closely – severance pay, health insurance, etc. Might be a good idea to get a quick attorney’s view, too, just in case, and if you can afford it. The employer doesn’t care about you. Only you care about you.
- File for Unemployment. This gives you a little financial “security” while you figure out what’s next.
Career Exploration
- Consider your options. Do you want to stay in radio? Are there any other media fields that intrigue you? Whatever it is, use this time to really determine what you’re good at and what your peers say you’re good at. If things line up, get moving. If not, keep exploring. Once I knew I wanted to mentor and coach, the rest fell into place for me.
- Update your resume, LinkedIn profile, etc. Wherever there is professional information about you, get it up to date. Nothing is worse than seeing dated information when a prospective employer/client looks you up.
- Avail yourself of any freelance work that will get some attention – voice tracking for stations, writing a column for a trade publication (that sounds familiar!), or maybe teaching a course part-time at a local college.
- When you decide what you want to do, network with those who can help in various forms – mentoring, job search, opening proverbial doors, etc. I reached out to radio and label friends to help get the word out. I made sure to be visible as much as possible at various events like Country Radio Seminar.
- You may also want to consider taking some courses/joining some webinars that can enhance your media knowledge. I participated in several website development seminars that helped me get my own website rolling.
Assemble a Plan
- Create specific goals – short and long-term – which will keep you motivated. I had one big long-term goal (mentoring) supported by a few short-term goals that would lead in that direction (individual talent coaching, recording artist training)
- Just like your radio station, decide on what your brand should be and follow that path relentlessly. Whether it’s another radio job as a personality, voiceover talent, podcasting, etc, get on that course and do everything you can that supports that.
Use this as your template in case it ever happens again, or if you’re still working but see this might be happening in the future. It’s your career. It’s your life. No one will take care of you, except YOU! Be ready for what’s next.
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.
