Re: Talk Radio

["Sean Smyth" <Sportswriter@dejazzd.com>]

Adam writes:
> You know I'm not the ordinary 13
> year old, does anyone know a radio station director
> that might give me a shot for a trial talk radio show,

As some on this list may know, I got my start in radio at a very young age
(13 to be exact) working first for WBZ's Kid Company (which, honestly, would
have been the perfect outlet for you were it still on the air) then later on
WESX as a sports reporter. While I benefitted from the on-air experience and
I'm forever grateful for the on-air opportunities I received from folks like
Don Boyle (then WESX's sports director), Rachel Berg (then Kid Company's
executive producer) and others, I really -- how do I say this
diplomatically? -- lacked the proper interpersonal skills to mind my
business at some times and said some rather stupid things, both off-air and
on, which haunt me to this day.

A couple years later, believing I was talented enough, I leased time from
WJIB (thanks to a rather generous Jibguy) and had my own half-hour weekly
show there in 1995 and 1996. Talk about a mess. While I loved doing the
show, I proved quite inaedquate at script-writing and production skills.
It's not fun when you mess up dumping out of the news or something else and
making the station sound like crap. I proved to be an even worse live talk
show host when I took the show VERY briefly to WADN in Concord after my
stint on Concord Avenue.

The moral of my rant here, Adam, is when I was your age I thought the exact
same thing, that I would rock the broadcasting world. (Yes, I was
delusional.) I went out and did it and found out myself that, just maybe, my
future lied in print journalism, not hosting a talk show. Yeah, I learned
that early, but it probably would have been a little painless to wait until
I went to work at a college station.

So, don't rush yourself in the broadcasting business. Something you may say
off-the-cuff in response to a nasty comment or what you believe is
mistreatment or even bias based on age can stick on your ledger for years,
and it'll be hard to wipe off. If you're going to do anything, take
Richard's advice and try to hit up some college stations out there for
shifts, especially during semester breaks. (If they're not automated, maybe
they'll give you a shot in front of a mic at that time.) Trust me, I wish
the best for you, but having been in your position, I advise you to just
watch your step.

-Sean