Social media hostility, corporate restructuring, and layoffs have become extra pressures in an already pressurized business. The emotional weight can be heavy for many in the radio business, and sometimes the warning signs of struggles are missed until it’s too late.
Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Month, Radio Ink continues our conversation with workplace mental health expert Cal Beyer to talk about what broadcasters are up against and what can be done about it. From spotting early signs of emotional distress, to handling layoffs with care, to helping colleagues shift the mindset that asking for help is a weakness, Beyer offers hard-earned insights that couldn’t be more timely – or more urgently needed.
Radio Ink: A stressor for many on-air talent and journalists is the social media sphere. It’s essential to the job, but not always the healthiest place to hang out, mentally. How can talent balance that out?
Cal Beyer: Yeah, I think many people will say they question the validity of a lot of social media. What I see for journalists right now – there’s a lot of pressure, a lot of hostility. There’s that “fake news” mindset and mentality. So I think that makes it hard. There’s marginalization that’s occurring, particularly for people in historically underrepresented populations as well.
But I don’t think you can avoid it if you want to have influence. It’s about finding your place on social media, building your own voice, staying true to yourself, and building a sense of community – that can be powerful. But I am seeing some undertones as well of generational shifts: people leaving social media, recognizing the challenges, the pressures, and the possible downsides.
Many people, myself included, have become jaded toward social media. That jadedness comes from the fact that there are a lot of sources we don’t trust today. If anything, in my mind, I think it’s built credibility among the real journalists – the people who are fact-based, the people who are researching. And even those who give opinions – at least they’re true to their opinions, and they identify their beliefs, their bias, and the lens from which they’re writing.
Radio Ink: So many broadcast groups of every size have been going through layoffs or major restructuring. Unfortunately, that’s become accepted as a part of life in radio. What should leadership keep in mind to support both those exiting and those staying?
Cal Beyer: So I think it’s important to understand this has an impact on everyone, whether your position was eliminated, maintained, or restored.
What’s really important is: What resources are we providing? And what’s the method we’re using to communicate? Are we avoiding gossip? Maintaining confidentiality? Making sure some people don’t know while others are left in the dark?
I see examples in the corporate world where this is handled well, and where it’s handled poorly. Having support available at a group meeting where the announcement is made, having personalized packets of information that explain if severance is involved, what benefits continue, what EAP services exist – that makes a difference.
Those organizations demonstrate a caring culture. Even if someone is being laid off, they still treat that person with dignity and respect and help them with the transition.
Compare that to an organization that calls people in for a Zoom call, makes a public announcement, and offers no support. No personal touch. No counselors on-site to help staff. That’s a huge difference.
And I realize some organizations are complex, operating in multiple locations. But that personal touch still goes a long way in maintaining trust and a caring culture. So I hope that helps.
Radio Ink: Let’s dig in on something sensitive, but extremely important. You’ve worked extensively in suicide prevention. In light of some recent losses that have deeply affected our industry, what are some of the early warning signs that someone may be struggling? How can colleagues or friends recognize when it might be time to reach out?
Cal Beyer: To me, it’s understanding that suicide is complex, and there’s not usually one cause. It’s myriad factors. And different individuals will manifest different changes. But changes in behavior – a person who has been positive and optimistic becoming cynical or jaded, a person who used to be inclusive becoming isolated and choosing to withdraw – those would be some early warning signs.
A person using more substances, choosing different substances, appearing to be agitated, frustrated, and lashing out in anger may be showing clues. People cocooning or breaking away from scheduled events and activities—without saying “Hey, I’m going to sit this week out, I just need to recharge”—but instead pulling back over time and isolating… When someone cocoons, that could be a sign of stress we’d look for.
But really, it’s the pronounced behavioral changes. When we look back sometimes, we say, “Wow, we might have missed some of those early warning signs.” There are so many. You could probably identify 20 different risk factors.
It’s when you see that the person is struggling to be themselves, and you recognize those behavioral changes appear to be problematic. You’ll see signs of relationship stress. It could be financial pressure, a legal matter, changes in punctuality, changes in appearance, changes in language. Those are the things you would look for.
And yet, despite our best efforts, there are times when people will seemingly defy all those possible risk factors. They’ll be able to put forward the image of, “Everything is fine. I’m just busy. Nothing’s going on. I’m good.”
So I don’t want people to walk away feeling guilty if they’ve missed signs. We do the best we can do. We ask that person, “Are you okay? I care about you. I care too much to not say something.”
And then I’d want people to know that sharing information about mental health support, about crisis and suicide prevention is not going to put that idea in someone’s head. That’s a myth. It’s been disproven. Share information. Let people know help is available.
Those are powerful things each person can take away. Things like 988, the three-digit hotline for crisis and suicide prevention. I encourage people to make a call to 988, so they know what to expect. Then you can give a person in a time of need guidance. Make that call with the person. Stay with that person.
Rarely has a person said, when I’ve offered to step away, “No, I’ve got this.” They usually say, “Will you just stay as I make this call?” We worry too much sometimes about providing privacy and confidentiality. What that person wants is support in that moment of need. And that’s powerful. Then you feel like you’re a bridge to that person getting help.
Radio Ink: On the flip side of that, many in the industry are used to being the entertainers or “the strong ones” – telling stories, helping communities, being the voice of reason and calm in a crisis. How do you help people shift that mindset and realize it’s okay to ask for help?
Cal Beyer: I think if you’re accustomed to being that strong person, it’s easy to adopt that persona, right? That demeanor. And to kind of joke it off. But I think we all have mental health. Mental health affects everyone, and there’s still so much stigma around that.
We have to recognize mental health exists on a continuum from well to unwell, and it can be very circumstantial, very situational. What we need to do is learn how to process and manage our mental health.
So many times, a therapist will help you identify what those stressors are and then give you strategies to defuse them. Many people with a mental health diagnosis describe learning those behaviors and routines. That might include hydration, sleep, eating, power napping, supplementation, medication, therapy. But it’s about finding a set of disciplines we can embrace to live our best, most productive life.
That mental shift is hard. In some families, therapy has been so stigmatized and conditioned against, but in those situations, I’ve seen more people ask a spouse, a partner, or a friend to go with them to therapy. I see that with recovery meetings, too – people saying, “Hey, I’m happy to go with you.”
Radio Ink: To close, what’s one thing you wish every newsroom or radio leadership team knew when it comes to mental health?
Cal Beyer: Yeah, I think what’s really been important—and I didn’t say this earlier, Cameron—is that with safe messaging, there’s a balance. Having the voice of lived experience as part of a story is really powerful. It’s an opportunity to let people know, through safe messaging and safe reporting, that recovery is real.
If we avoid negative stories and instead highlight positive stories—of people successfully transitioning through mental health challenges or substance use into recovery—that breaks stigma. That voice of lived experience is important. And so much good can come from safe messaging, safe reporting, and showing that recovery is possible.
So that would be the one thing: Where possible, amplify the voice of lived experience and of recovery.
This is the second part of our Mental Health Awareness Month conversation with Cal Beyer in Radio Ink‘s daily headlines. The first part is available here. We appreciate the assistance of the NAB in organizing this interview.
More Mental Health Awareness Month coverage will appear in the May issue of Radio Ink Magazine.
