Everybody makes mistakes.  In days of old they would largely go away except for those who actually witnessed them.  Now in the age of youtube and social media, they can live on forever.  Surely you've seen at least one of the compilations of "news anchor FAIL" videos that's going around? 

Perhaps you've heard Casey Kasem's legendary rant brought on by an error as he transitioned from an uptempo record to a dog-death dedication.  Maybe someone you know has played Orson Welles' delicious little freak-out over a poorly written bit of radio copy.  Everybody makes mistakes.  The trick is not allowing them to ruin your newscast or your day.

 I remember hearing a well-known radio broadcsater say “two people were killed, one seriously”.   I once got into an argument with a fellow anchor that saying two teens were “speed racing” was redundant.  She was adamant that it wasn’t because that’s how an officer had put it.  I suggested he was possibly nervous and misspoke.  He meant “street racing”.  She wouldn’t budge.  How can you race if you’re not using speed? Isn't the object of a race to win it by getting their first, and therefore you have to be faster?  

I recently spoke to a police media relations officer about the use of the term "young offender".  So many broadcasters use it and CP sends it out in its stories seemingly without a second thought.  But the Young Offenders act was abolished years ago and replaced by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.  Not only that, anyone called a "young offender" belies a presumption of guilt.  The teen may not have offended; we are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  The officer had never even given it a thought.  It was a term he had used for ages.  Now he doesn't any longer. 

But most mistakes are much simpler.  It's a twist of the tongue or the accidental omission of a word. Beating yourself up for it will only prolong the moment.  Acknowledge the error, fix it and move on.  Don't linger.  Strive for perfection but allow yourself the knowledge that you'll never actually attain it.  And be a thoughtful colleague and apply that perspective to your coworkers, too.  Anyone - a supervisor, an owner or a peer - who believes anything less than absolute perfection is a failure, is going to be awfully disappointed. 

A fascinating bit of decision making by a major newspaper.

The publication has taken a stand as virtually the only big media outlet in Ontario that hasn’t dedicated a Twitter feed to its coverage of the Michael Rafferty murder trial. Rafferty is facing charges of first degree murder, sexual assault causing bodily harm and abduction in the murder of 8-year-old Woodstock girl Tori Stafford in 2009. It is huge news here.  His ex-girlfriend, Terri-Lynne McClintic, has been giving graphic and damning testimony about her version of what happened, that led to her confession and subsequent conviction on a first-degree murder charge.

The details are absolutely horrific.  Even McClintic, a young former drug addict whose violent outbursts landed her in jail and even partially blinded her own mother, broke down in tears while explaining what she says she did. Perhaps she has a bit of a perspective on it now that she’s clean and having to live in a box for a minimum of 25 years. The details of her life and the things she has done are beyond horrible. Some aspects of her story have been left out of media coverage because they are too awful. But the paper doesn’t get a firm footing on moral ground with this one.

Here’s what most media, including Free-FM, are doing.  Our Blackburn News Radio reporter Avery Moore is covering the story for us.  She does radio reports several times a day and puts out snippets of testimony on Twitter as they happen. She also updates our web story a few times a day, when warranted. The paper’s City Editor’s reasoning for not going with Twitter updates is that there is no editorial oversight.  In other words, the City Editor wants control.  The Editor also wrote that once a tweet has been sent, there’s no way to get it back.  Just like, oh, let’s say, something published on the Internet?!

On the surface this seems to be a protective and quality-centred approach but what it is, is antiquated. But I’ve said it before – people want information and they want it now.  Twitter and its 140-character cap are here to stay.  If people don’t want the instant info, they don’t have to follow the tweets and they can wait for website updates, radio reports, the evening news or the next day’s paper. But instant news is a service that a growing segment of the populations demands and unlike paper, we – and most other media – trust our reporters to do a proper job of it.

A manager recently confided to me that he was unsure about whether to hire a person for an opening he had on his on-air staff.   The candidate he thought was perfect for the job showed up for the interview looking like he was homeless.  He was dissheveled and sloppy and may have even been quite hung over.  So this manager wondered, is this the kind of person I want representing what we do?

Image is important if you want to make a good impression.  You can create an on-air image of a sophisticated rock genuis while wearing worn-out old sweatpants and a paint-stained T-shirt.   You CAN ... but I really hope you don't!  And the old I-don't-care-what-people-think-of-me might be adorable when you're 18 and let your jeans fall 7 inches below your underwear waistband - no, wait, that's never been adorable!  What I'm saying is, sometimes we need to take stock and assess what we're putting out there.  A lot has changed in broadcasting and in fashion over the years but one thing hasn't: it's better to overdress than underdress if you want to look like a pro.  

You might say, well I'm only going to be shut into a studio 5 hours a day, so what's the big deal if I don't dress up a little for the interview?  You're being judged by how you will represent the company, that's what.  Clients are sometimes brought through the radio station and when you're out on a promotion, you ARE the radio station.   Whoever is interviewing you wants to feel confident that you won't make a bad impression on the station's behalf. 

So leave the torn jeans for another day.  Ditch the worn out sneakers or the short, tight club-wear that's better suited to a bar on Saturday night.  By wearing a nice shirt and dress pants you're not saying you'll necessarily look like that every day.  You're saying you respect the fact that this is an important meeting.  And you'll get that point across without saying a word. 

OK, I'll admit you can't truly become lay-off proof.  We work in an era where broadcasting companies report their biggest profits ever in the morning and do sweeping layoffs across the country that very afternoon.  When your owner is a slave to shareholders that are demanding consistently high returns, no matter what's going on economically, this is how they will choose to respond.

Depressing? Maybe.  The way it is? Yup.  So what can you do to help them decide you're worth keeping? 

1. Do your best.   Sounds pretty simple doesn't it?  But jaded or arrogant or lazy broadcasters who phone it in while socializing in the hallways aren't seen by management as necessary to the operation. I once saw it unfold before my eyes.  In a meeting to discuss some changes to the station's lineup, an upper manager was adamant that a very sociable sportscaster was not going to move ahead.  His loud laughter and jokester behavior in the newsroom while others worked, truly held him back.  There were other things he could have and should have been doing.  Have a little professional pride and put extra effort into your work.
2. Don't be a Debbie or Dennis Downer.  Attitude is such a big part of whether they'll want to keep you around.  Yes, there are problems with every company and every situation.  You're right, they really should fix that - whatever - but repeating it with frustration isn't helping anyone.  Budgets have limits and managers have to juggle several priorities at once. State your case and then move on.  Repeat after me: "Not my pig, not my farm."
3. Learn something new.  Maybe scheduling music isn't part of what you do but wouldn't it add to your skills to know how to use Selector?  Imagine if a flu raced through the building, taking out the programming personnel, and you were able to put together the next day's music log.  How valuable would that be? Plus it's another ability you can add to your resume. 
4. Offer to help.  This doesn't mean "be a doormat".  It means that when there's a challenge, you can become part of the solution.  Anyone can stand on the sidelines and watch the barn burn down.  Be the kind of person who grabs a bucket and tries to put out the fire.
5. Be an ambassador for the station.  Speak at school career days.  Say yes when you're asked to MC a community event.  Do it because it's what we do.  We are privileged to have these cool jobs in this exciting industry.  Give back and then make sure everyone knows.  Tweet it, FB it, blog about it. Respond to listeners to email or tweet you. Expand your fan base.  When you win, the station wins and you're more likely to be seen as essential.

Everything you need to do is within your power. It takes more energy but if you're not willing to do these things you are in the wrong business! Ultimately you are working for yourself. Even if you are ever unfortunate enough to be let go, you take your skills and work ethic with you. And in this business, switching jobs is a way of life. Sometimes it's our choice, sometimes it's not. We are here to communicate and avoid having to get real jobs! So many people get up every morning hating their jobs. They dig holes in bad weather. They wear paper hats and ask, "Do you want fries with that?" They do all sorts of dangerous and uncomfortable things while our butts are perched on padded chairs and we express ourselves for our pay. Never forget that.

I hope I've helped you stay employed through 2012.  Happy New Year!!

Everybody needs a little guidance.  After 30 (gulp!) years in the business I know I can still use a trusted colleague off whom I can bounce an idea and get feedback. When I was coming up in radio there were no women for me to consult so I went to men I admired.  My first mentor was the afternoon drive host on a very successful station where I did overnights.  I've never forgotten how nervous I was when I asked if he would listen to my airchecks and work with me.  To my surprise he agreed, on very strict terms including: stand me up once and we're done!

Your friends and family are great for venting and sharing frustrations but unless they're familiar with broadcasting they can't likely offer assistance with an on-the-job challenge.  

That's where a mentor comes in.  A mentor can be anyone whose work you admire, hopefully within your own organization.  It doesn't even have to be a formal arrangement as long as you develop a two-way trust and can be assured that honesty will be job one when it comes to their feedback.

Give that person a call and ask if you can take them out for a coffee. The very worst they can say is "no" and be prepared for that.  If they say "yes" respect their time and don't waste it. Know the difference between asking for guidance and asking someone to do the work for you.  Don't be afraid to say "I don't know".  People love to help others and they love to be asked their opinion.  Listen.  And grow. 

October 2011

What is your online presence like? Do you blog, comment on public websites or post YouTube videos? A quick search by a potential employer will show it all. I did searches for three people who recently posted “work wanted in broadcasting” ads. Candidate number one cannot seem to tweet about anything, from concerts to road construction, without using four-letter words. Conclusion: He’s not very mature or clever.   Anyone can spout off with an expletive.

Candidate number two posts a daily blog that leans toward the negative on everything from labour issues to dealing with the public on a personal level. He makes fun of people who are overweight and simply comes across as cynical and intolerant. Conclusion: He’s a negative person I wouldn’t want to hire or work with. Candidate number three has a private Facebook account and tweets about local events. His persona is positive and inclusive. He can be negative without being personal or mean.

Conclusion: He doesn’t scare me off as a potential hire.

November 2011

The Mother of a recent broadcasting course graduate emailed me to ask for my advice. Her son apparently had great marks but despite applying to a morning show in his hometown a half-dozen times, he couldn’t get hired. All of his friends had jobs, why didn’t he? In essence, she wanted to know why radio was being so mean to her boy. She had even contacted the Program Director herself and got no satisfactory answer.