For thirteen years (1984-1997), I was the general manager of WFPG AM/FM in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The stations were successful. I was active in Rotary, the local chambers of commerce, and community social programs in addition to running the radio stations.
We did the state’s first LMA (Local Marketing Agreement) adding a third radio station to our operation.
We had a print division that did zoned coupon mailers and produced an annual calendar for local advertisers.
I was in the zone, my comfort zone.
Success Is a Poor Teacher
When new ownership took over the radio stations in my 13th year of managing them, one of the owners was to be the “managing partner.” He didn’t have the equity stake to invest, so his contribution was to move to Atlantic City and manage the stations for the group. That meant that everyone in the radio stations were needed, but me.
As I set out to find a new radio general manager position, I would be faced with something new that the broadcasting industry had never had to deal with before, consolidation. Consolidation was like a game of musical chairs, only in this game when the music stopped, you were out-of-a-job.
I thought that my long period of success would be a plus in finding my next position, but kept hearing, “you’ve been at the same place for over a decade?” I would soon learn that this wasn’t perceived as a positive.
My Road Trips
Eventually, I would land my next GM position and move to a new state which would lead to a series of moves every two to three years. At that time, consolidation kept changing the landscape of the radio industry as we knew it, whereas today, it’s artificial intelligence and the internet.
Delaware, Maryland, Iowa, Pennsylvania and back to New Jersey a couple of more times would be my life over the next decade.
While I never would have chosen this path, what I would realize was that I learned more over this period of time than being in the same place for the previous decade. That being successful and in your comfort zone is a poor teacher.
College Professor
In 2010, I made a career change. I went from market manager of a cluster of radio stations for Clear Channel to a broadcast professor at Western Kentucky University. I was moving out of my comfort zone BIG TIME.
That first year was a lot of heavy lifting as I created every course, every lesson, every test for each of my classes.
Eventually, I grew to a new comfort zone at the university. I was on university senate and several committees. I graduated from the university’s master advising certification program and advised around 100 students each semester. I graduated from the university’s police academy and my office was a campus “safe space” for students, faculty and staff. And I was active in state broadcast associations along with founding and directing a radio talent institute on campus.
Why Comfort Zones Are Bad for You
Staying in a comfort zone feels peaceful and relaxing. Comfort zones are not challenging. They become limiting and confining. They can produce a sense of boredom.
I know I certainly had the feeling of “Is That All There Is?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sWTnsemkIs during my long tenure in Atlantic City.
Change is the only constant you can depend on in the world. Nothing stays the same. If you’re not growing then you’ve “gone to seed.” https://painintheenglish.com/case/27
WWJD (What Would Jobs Do?)
When I look at some of the last thoughts of Steve Jobs,* I find it illuminating. Jobs said that in the eyes of others his life had been the symbol of success. However, Jobs found that apart from his work, he regrets how he raised his children.
Steve had stayed in his comfort zone of his business to the sacrifice of his family.
Retirement
In 2017, I retired from the university, moved to Virginia, got married and through marriage found myself in a family of 14 children, 38 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.
I continued to write this blog and volunteer with a non-profit radio station (now in my 10th year for both) and feel very blessed.
Once you’ve accumulated enough money for the rest of your life, you need to change your focus to pursuing objectives that are not related to wealth.
Looking Forward to 2024
The new year is traditionally a time when we all look in the mirror of our lives and contemplate where we want to go next.
If you want to grow in 2024, my best advice to you is to decide to get out of your comfort zone.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
-Steve Jobs
*12/3/2023: A correction was made about Steve Jobs “final words;” to read some of his final thoughts. Steve Jobs finals words were: “OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.” Some of his final thoughts expressed regret in how he raised his children. “I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did,” he told his biographer, Walter Isaacson. Thank You Steve Ross for the correction.
DickTaylorBlog 
Hear, hear!
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Western Kentucky University is in a beautiful part of the state, I’m just up the road a piece closer to Louisville. Hope you enjoyed your time in the Bluegrass State.
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Absolutely loved my time in “My Old Kentucky Home” for seven years.
-DT
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It seems you missed out on the period at Western Public Radio (WKYU-FM) when Bill Hanson hosted an late evening program called “Moonlight Serenade” a mix of light classical and semi-classical music. He was a true professional and died in Apr 2000. I made a few cassettes of his show and they have given me many hours of listening pleasure.
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Yes Paul, I didn’t arrive on campus (and in Kentucky) until the next decade.
-DT
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Dick, did your training materials at the campus live on in an accessible fashion? There is always timeless wisdom in your posts. And what station do you help in Virginia? I bet they have some intriguing initiatives and programming thanks to you influence and contributions. Sign me “naked in MD”.
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Systems at the university changed, Departments merged and changed. Time marches on, Mike. I doubt anything remains of my time there.
I volunteer with an LPFM in Rochester, NH and have been doing that since 2013. I do middays on a tribute station to the “Famous 1510 – WMEX in Boston.” I have a really good time doing it and we play “the music of my life.”
-DT
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I have very mixed feelings about your message. While it is the reality, not in just your business but many, I’m not sure it’s good for humanity. Why can’t we be comfortable if we wish? Why does someone else’s desire to be rich(er) have to over-ride our quality of life? I’m sure you’re familiar with Radio World. An article like yours would work well there.
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Terry, getting out of your comfort zone doesn’t have to mean getting rich or moving or even necessarily changing jobs.
While working in radio, I took roller skating lessons and went to two national championships representing my age/category for the state of New Jersey.
I learned to fly a plane and solo’d.
I have one son that has challenged himself by moving and taking on new and bigger assignments, and another son who has gotten out of his comfort zone by coaching soccer, developing computer programs that were needed but didn’t exist (and were not part of doing his day job), all while staying in the very same place and raising a family.
Being a curious person, I always felt that every year I needed to learn something new, go someplace different, experience something I had experienced before.
I hope that clarifies today’s blog.
-DT
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Well that wasn’t my takeaway from the blog. I embrace learning new things (and especially the benefit to senior minds) but what I read was the necessity to change and leave something that made you happy (your original radio career) as a result of consolidation. I think that’s what is destroying radio and many other businesses. I have worked for a number of companies where the interest of the owners was to just make money and more money. They didn’t give two hoots for the product we made, the customers, or the employees. I’m sure some will say that if it wasn’t for the “giants of industry” we would still be driving buggies with horses…and I don’t agree with that either. The creative people will create. The engineers will engineer. And I’d like to do the job I love and then have the time to be able to go home and have a peaceful life in my chosen community instead of every job being crammed to the wall with more sales, more hours, more hours, more stress, etc. And I wonder about the effect that job-chasing around the country has on spouses and children. And just to throw in a wrench from left field…I think all that industrial churn has destroyed the environment in the process. IMHO, the concept of quality of life is not seen as a priority here. I’m being brief but I am a military brat (so lots of places) and had three major careers and some smaller ones so I’m not against change…just change for the purpose of someone else getting rich. Thanks.
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Well, my degrees in higher education were all in the area of teaching. My next goal, after working in radio, was to teach and mentor others in the field of broadcasting, broadcast management, sales and the history of broadcast industry.
While it was my goal, I had to make the hard decision of accepting another GM position OR moving to the university to teach. One was my comfort zone and the other was an unknown.
Making that change taught me more about the radio industry than I could have learned simply working in it. The old saw, the best way to learn something is to teach someone else, is certainly true. And teaching pays in rewards that are NOT monetary.
Cameron Coats, for example, is the online editor for Radio Ink. He was one of my students and I could not be more proud of him.
The bigger challenge for us all is A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). The more you learn about this technology, the more concerns you have about both its potential for good and bad. It’s a global concern, like climate change.
-DT
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I love this .. I love the comments … when I was turning 55 (a few years ago) I realized that I was getting ‘stuck’ in my comfort zone … so, I jumped out of an airplane. The best! And a good reminder to myself when I find myself saying “I can’t do that” whatever “that” is. yes I can! And life continues to be interesting and varied …. Great blog!
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Now THAT’S getting out of your comfort zone!
While I had no ambition to jump out of an airplane, I did want to solo one…and DID.
Thank You for being a loyal reader of this blog and for your kind words.
-DT
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Dick Taylor’s brief biography, his career arc and life highlights, add to knowing him as a virtual advisor all these years.
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Thank You Robin.
-DT
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So true about boredom setting in. The only job I could have stayed in longer was GM of WBRK AM/FM in Pittsfield, the context in which we met, Professor Dick. I loved that station, the people, the market, and the job. We had nowhere to go but up, so we did that. However, a year later a superior opportunity and tougher challenge came along. I believe in living life so as to never look back and regret what one could’ve done but didn’t. That’s another reason not to be stuck in a comfort zone.
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I agree with you Dennis. It’s a wisdom that one realizes with age, unless they listen to the advice of their elders.
-DT
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