1 of 1- RadioActive
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TV News Vet Tells Broadcasting Students The Truth
A lot longer ago than I care to admit, I was taking one of those degree-level college courses in Radio & TV. I remember them bringing in guest speakers from time to time and one day, a woman from some long forgotten station came in to talk to us. At one point, someone asked her a question and she went into a long explanation, which culminated in her admitting, "it's not all that wonderful, you know!"
The stare that followed from the instructor made her pause and say "Oh, I guess I wasn't supposed to say that."
And that's when I realized the teachers behind the course weren't telling us the truth about the biz - both the good and the bad - and were simply presenting a reality that didn't exist of a sweet and rosy future in broadcasting where nothing ever went wrong, jobs were easy to get and everything was great.
As Bruce Hornsby so wisely noted, "That's not the way it is."
So when I came across this article about a news vet from WIVB-TV who recently told a group of young and innocent would-be future broadcasters the real story about the industry, I almost stood up and applauded her myself. The truth wouldn't have stopped me from being in radio and TV. But it might have been nice to know it before I went in to what turned out to be a lifetime of work.
From the Buffalo News:
Buffalo broadcasting icon tells students good, bad and ugly of working in local TV news.
- unclefester
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Re: TV News Vet Tells Broadcasting Students The Truth
RadioActive wrote:
I was taking one of those degree-level college courses in Radio & TV. I remember them bringing in guest speakers from time to time and one day, a woman from some long forgotten station came in to talk to us. At one point, someone asked her a question and she went into a long explanation, which culminated in her admitting, "it's not all that wonderful, you know!"
The stare that followed from the instructor made her pause and say "Oh, I guess I wasn't supposed to say that."
And that's when I realized the teachers behind the course weren't telling us the truth about the biz - both the good and the bad - and were simply presenting a reality that didn't exist of a sweet and rosy future in broadcasting where nothing ever went wrong, jobs were easy to get and everything was great.
Thanks for posting this RA
And of course it's worse now than ever
And getting worser all the time
Have great empathy for the many who have been waltzed out the door
Bloodbaths big and small seem so common these days
- Peter the K
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Re: TV News Vet Tells Broadcasting Students The Truth
When Stan Larke ran the Humber College radio program in the 70s, he would get up in front all the would-be radio stars attending the "cattle call" and deliver a speech telling it like it really is. You know, the fact that your first gig isn't likely to be mornings in Toronto, and that graduates will probably be living hand to mouth and making next to nothing for a while, that sort of thing. He was basically trying to scare people out of applying.
I remember because I was there. The young, wet behind the ears kid that was me and already knew everything didn't believe it. I suspect most others in their late teens who thought they were god's gift to the industry didn't either.
Once I left the biz a few years later for a gig on the other side of the mic, and travelling to places like New Liskeard and Kirkland Lake and meeting some of the jocks there, I started to realize just how right he really was.
The problem is that such sage advice is generally wasted on the young.