Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Opinion.

I don't use this blog as a soapbox very often (in fact, never) BUT...there is something that came up and I need to get it off my chest.
You know the way the radio is industry is said to be suffering worldwide - layoffs, VTing and whatnot. Doesn't make for very encouraging reading if you are out of work and looking for a gig or just 'hanging on' to what you've got. The very last thing you need is someone else, who you have possibly never met, ridiculing or be-littling you in a public forum. I think you know the type of forum I'm talking about - those places where people can come online and say whatever they wish about a fellow professional and do it under an assumed name. We've all seen them and we've all read them.
They do no good. They only harm what we have and who we are, as individuals and as an industry. Radio is a great business, but it can be a tough one too. We get enough bad-mouthing from listeners and the media, I wonder why we have to attack ourselves too?
Maybe I'm naive, but I am a huge believer in each radio professional supporting the other. My idea is that if we all help each other along, then we get better on air as individuals and as a group. This makes radio better and makes radio more appealing to listeners. More listeners = more radio!
You can throw whatever you like at me for this comment (I'm well used to it), but can I ask that people think before posting be-littling or slanderous comments online for all to see about a fellow presenter. It's not nice for them, it serves no purpose other than to serve the poster's short term emotion and, in fact, is dangerous.
I have no sense of humour at all when it comes to unfounded 'slanging' on forums. Constructive stuff? Sure, no problem...so long as we all benefit from it.
That's why I try to keep this blog positive and look at the good stuff in radio - there's more good than bad and radio is filled with people trying their best everyday to be creative and forward thinking in a highly sensitive market and under a lot of pressure.
We're all just trying to make a living doing what we love.

End of rant (let the abuse begin) :-)