This past week, Fred Jacobs shared the latest research about radio air personalities and how they view the future of this profession. Here’s what struck me about the presentation.
The Radio Talent Pool is Shrinking
Jacobs Media Strategies has been producing this research for Don Anthony’s Morning Show Boot Camp since 2018, and during COVID, no research was done in 2020. So, from the first survey in 2018 to the latest one in 2023, the number of participants shrank 62%; from 1,168 to 442 people.
COVID, with the resulting Work From Home (WFH) operating model, has greatly impacted radio station cultures and has not returned to anything like pre-pandemic days.
Less People, More Hats to Wear
Not surprising, with fewer people working on the content side of radio, those that remain “wear more hats” than ever; 54% of radio personalities now say they are responsible for more than four different areas.
No Talent Farm
When I began my radio career, it was board operating Sunday morning church programs. That first radio job would give me the opportunity to land a nights/weekend part-time air shift. This was pretty much the norm for baby boomers in broadcasting. In fact, Jacobs research shows that 78% of us started in radio this way.
Today, those entry level radio positions are gone, with only 14% of today’s up and coming air talent having those same opportunities.
Talent Development
One of the concerns expressed by today’s air personalities is believing their radio station and/or their company is not working to discover or develop new air talent. Radio’s biggest companies are blamed most, with medium and small companies being exceptions.
Would You Recommend Radio as a Career?
When today’s air personalities were asked how they would respond to the statement:
“I would absolutely recommend [that] a high school student pursue radio as a career,”
- More than half, 52%, said they would disagree or strongly disagree.
- A quarter of the sample was neutral.
Possible reasons for this negative attitude might be:
- Four in ten air personalities are in debt or struggling
- Few air personalities expect to make more money this year
- Three in ten air personalities are now involved in a second business
- A majority of the air personalities feel they are taken for granted
- 76% are personally concerned that Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) will lead to many more on-air radio jobs being lost
- Four in ten of those air personalities currently “on the beach” say they won’t be back
Welcome to Consumer Choice
Gone are the days of the gate keepers of music; those people being the radio program directors, record store owners and record companies. Consumers are now in charge and define the characteristics of the media world we live in.
Any solution to the problems we confront must understand our audience’s needs, wants and desires, and put those first.
“People don’t by what you do, they buy why you do it.”
-Simon Sinek
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