Thanksgiving is this week and I thought it would be good to reflect on some things we should be thankful for working in radio. Now before you roll your eyes, I realize the last 18 months have been really tough with downsizing, cut backs, programming options forced down our throats and more. This is not just something radio is dealing with, it's everywhere. All businesses and industries are suffering. Radio is still a great gig and here are a few things to be thankful for:
• We work in radio. We play music and connect with people for a living. Pretty cool.
• We get to go to concerts for free and many times meet the artists backstage.
• We don't have to get up at 5am in the pouring rain to collect people’s trash.
• We get to talk to thousands of people each day that think of us as a friend. We have thousands of friends!
• We get to create magic (or at least you should be creating magic).
• We get to listen to music and get paid for it.
• Many of the biggest stars in country music know us by name.
• The chicks (Just kidding. Seeing if you are still paying attention).
• Our office environment is unlike any other place on the planet. Try working for a lawyer or CPA. Their offices are boring and stale. I've never worked in a radio station where someone didn't have a guitar in their office and played it often.
• Most of us are doing what we've wanted to do since we were kids. I bet most of your non radio friends can't say that.
• Over 90% of all Americans listen to radio each week. That's an impressive number. Very few media outlets connect with that many people each week.
• Each day we get to make people laugh, cry and think.
• Every day is different. Perfect for radio people that have ADD...which is most of us.
• We get free tickets to nearly everything.
• Competition makes us all better and radio has a lot of it.
• If you are unemployed right now, know that 2010 is going to be a great year for radio. When some of these big companies break up, we'll see more locally focused radio programming. The pendulum will start swinging soon.
Again, I know it's been a rough year for everyone. Stay positive and take this weekend to think about all the great things that come with working in radio. There are many.
