If any industry reflects the capitalist ideal of free market forces driving productivity through a natural harmony between bosses and workers, then Commercial Radio should be a shining example. But judging by the response to an article on these pages entitled, ‘Where have all the real radio people gone?’ submitted last week by Darwin PD Phil Brandel, not everyone is singing four-part like The Jersey Boys. Ostensibly Phil was bemoaning the fact that there used to be a sizeable pool of bright-eyed bushy-tailed young radio hopefuls who would be willing to take on an entry level job at a far flung station to learn the craft and diligently work their way to the top. These were Real Radio People (RRP) who would happily work for less pay than a shelf stacker at the local Woolies just to suck up to a Sennheiser. Like the Murray River Cod this prized breed seems all but extinct, its place taken by the ubiquitous and aptly named Carp that expects instant stardom and makes outrageous demands, including a serious wage, offering little in return.
Of the many comments posted, not unexpectedly, those who agreed with Phil tended to be PDs like him. Others, mostly announcers, some of whom had left the industry, put the blame at the feet of owners and management for taking cheap networked shows rather that investing in and nurturing fresh talent.
This is not a new argument, it has bobbed up sporadically over the 15 or so years that this site has been in existence. Yet the volume of response to last week’s iteration shows that it is far from settled.
There are two issues. Firstly, what is a Real Radio Person (RRP)?
RRP tend to define themselves as those who, as a kid, dreamt of being on Radio, perhaps went to a Radio school, started young at a small regional station and paid their dues on lowly wages while slowly working their way up the ladder. They have a thorough understanding of how the business works from music to scheduling, copy and even sales.
These people, rightly or wrongly, resent the queue jumpers, made up of ex-Big Brother contestants, sports stars and stand-up comics, who are parachuted into the plum on-air jobs that deservedly should belong to the RRP and that they have been patiently waiting for sending out scores of air-checks every month.
Worse still, even the regional and provincial stations who once could not afford the sports stars and comics of their metro counterparts are increasingly taking networked and syndicated programs, robbing RRP of precious time slots.
Surely, though, a Radio Person, Real or otherwise is anyone that can connect with listeners.
If audiences respond better to comics than RRP then that is what mangement will hire. And as soon as audiences get sick of them they’ll hire someone else. Maybe RRP will make a comeback. But only if they offer an audience something fresh and exciting that results in more advertisers. More advertisers usually equates to more pay.
On the positive side, RRP should take comfort in the fact that, as far as we know, no station yet has appointed a Big Brother contestant or stand-up to the position of Program Director.
The second issue of ‘pay and conditions’, to attract and keep RRP, should, like the first issue, be left to market forces. It’s simply a question of supply and demand.
There’s no point whinging about the attitude of kids today. It has been an unproductive pursuit for every ruling generation since the dawn of civilization. It is unlikely to yield any better purpose today.
Radio, like every other industry, must adapt to survive in every facet of its business, including the way it handles Human Resources.
It is not that radio isn’t still a great career if you’re willing to work hard at it. It is just that there is so much more competition for staff in a post baby boom age with near full employment and less people of working age.
The bottom line is that if Phil continues to have trouble finding staff at the rates he’s offering then eventually he’ll have to bite the bullet and offer more.