Radio: A Labor Of Love

Did you hear Congress is thinking of renaming Labor Day? The proposed new designation is Great Resignation Day, and the idea is the holiday will be extended to a 30-day weekend.

(OK, where’s your sense of humor?)

History.com reminds us Labor Day got its name from the labor movement in the United States back in the late 19th century. We celebrate workers and what they’ve achieved over the years.

Of course, things were pretty grim back when the holiday became legalized. In the late 1800s, the Industrial Revolution became synonymous with 12-hour works days, no days off, and dreadful working conditions.

There were no child labor laws, and immigrants were especially abused by an America that favored rich industrialists whose monopolistic business practices defined the country.

I took my fair share of American history classes back in college. And the Labor Movement proved to be one of the most defining chapters in this country’s story. Nothing typifies it better than the gigantic Diego Rivera mural here at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

It was commissioned during the Great Depression in 1931. Rivera was Mexican, and had a lot to say about labor conditions. You can tour the enormous mural virtually here.

Isn’t it ironic? It wasn’t that long ago when many Americans were concerned immigrants would take our jobs. Now we can’t give them away.

This week, I spent time chatting with public radio’s impressive group of programmers, several hundred strong. Even in the largest markets, the common thread is how many long-time workers have cashed in their chips and moved on.

The pipeline of fresh young faces out of college, willing to work long hours to earn their radio chops has dried up. Seemingly, every station is short-staffed with no easy solutions waiting for implementation.

In another bit of irony, their commercial radio counterparts are wringing their hands over another round of RIFs, the painful designation for staff cuts.

Earlier this week, I touched a nerve with a blog post that is already one of the most-read of 2022 – “There’s No ‘Quiet Quitting’ In Radio.”

While many of you generally agreed with my position that a true “work-life balance” is generally unattainable in radio, some pushed back – loudly.

Ryan “Elwood” Bjorn, Ops Manager at Mid-West Family’s Springfield, Illinois, cluster let me have it with both barrels. In a well-written rebuttal – “‘Take Your Blog…’ – an open response to Fred Jacobs’ article on ‘quiet quitting,'” Ryan suggests I indeed direct my post in a Johnny Paycheck motion toward my underside.

Notably, he describes himself as “striving to create an equitable, collaborative workplace with realistic expectations and fair compensation for its people. You know…a place someone would WANT to work.”

Bob Bellin, a former broadcaster and frequent commenter to JacoBLOG, suggested that perhaps I had things a little backwards:

“There’s an argument that radio’s top brass are the quiet quitters here. Fred, you referenced more RIFs – is there a lazier or easier way to address problems than just reacting to every one by firing people? Imagine what radio would be if all of those all-in people with little work/life balance applied that level of problem solving to each challenge they faced?”

It’s an emotional issue, as we well know – our work and our careers, and how they define our value and ultimately, our lives. We can call it a Great Resignation, but it might be better known as the Great Reevaluation as millions used the pandemic as a time-out to rethink their work and home lives – and in the process, everything.

We saw this loud and clear in AQ4, our (mostly) annual research study of commercial radio air talent. Many are underwhelmed – to say the least – by their parent companies, often living in fear the next communiqué will be of the pink variety.

The stress levels are palpable. In fact, we learned nearly half (45%) are uncomfortable asking for a raise.