Post by Flash on May 9, 2008 22:47:20 GMT -5
7 Reasons Radio People Die Younger
I think Radio might be bad for your health - at least if you work in it. Maybe you never noticed but I have: on-air Radio performers seem to die younger than they should. I've narrowed it down to 7 reasons why I think this business kills it's stars prematurely
I'm only working off of anecdotal evidence here but I have a feeling Radio isn’t the healthiest profession to work in and here’s why:
1. Sedentary – You don’t get much physical activity by sitting in front of a microphone 4 hours-a-day
# And it's even worse today than it used to be. At least when DJs had to cue up records or insert carts into cart machines they got a little exercise. In today's digital studio, the most physical activity a performer gets is clicking a mouse and making coffee.
# Cigarettes – When I first got into Radio, almost everyone smoked – including me. Sitting around waiting for songs to end gives a person a lot of extra time. Most radio studios I worked in up until the early 1990s allowed the on-air personalities to smoke. I think management generally felt cigarettes were good for calming their most "creative" employees. (See #7 below) This thinking was eventually pushed aside by the smokefree workplace movement. But, plenty of Radio people still light up during long music segments and newscasts.
# Alcohol – I’ve heard my share of stories about alcoholic radio personalities – and worked with a few choice ones myself. The alcohol-Radio connection goes way back. After a 1959 DJ convention in Miami, the Miami Herald ran an account of it with the headline, "Booze, Broads, Bribes". That kind of sums it up, now doesn't it? Famed DJ, Alan Freed (The man who named it "Rock 'n Roll") died of alcohol-related diseases in 1965. Notably, bucking the trend to wallow in liquor is successful talk show host, Glenn Beck, who admits to being a reformed alcoholic. Thanks for being a role model, Glenn.
# Drugs – In Radio? What? Please…! Drugs used to be a lot more freely passed around some years ago during an era when record reps used them to lubricate and ply the good graces of Program Directors and Music Directors who decided playlists. Of course, this was and remains highly illegal. That aside, I can only state it is an unstated fact that plenty of Radio folks have used drugs for plenty of reasons. Remember Rush Limbaugh’s admission back in 2003 of his use of prescription painkillers and his subsequent visit to rehab? If that was the top of the iceberg, can you imagine how deep it goes?
# Loneliness – I'm not sure loneliness can kill you outright but I'm sure enough of it can contribute to bad health and possibly even to one doing harm to themself. The Radio business is one which often requires moving either because you’ve been fired or because you wish to get ahead. Either way, there are only so many stations in one area and sometimes you just have to leave for your next opportunity. I can tell you first hand how difficult it is to put down any roots and develop a network of support friends when you’re packing a U-Haul every couple of years.
# Stress – They say stress can kill you and in this business, there’s plenty to go around. You’re always under-the-gun to do well in the ratings and there are monthly ratings and quarterly ratings.
# Psychological Issues – Without trying to sound cruel, let me suggest that some of the people in this business
just “aren’t right”.Youve seen their posts here. But, I’m not completely sure why. It’s like a chicken or the egg situation: does radio attract the weirdos and wack jobs or does Radio take normal people and spit them out a little nuttier? If I had to break it down to percentages, I would comfortably say that 70% of the on-air people I have met have “issues”. Ironically, it’s probably because they have “issues” they are so interesting to listen to. Unfortunately, people with “issues” easily fall prey to other weaknesses which could be damaging in the long run.
So, there’s my non-professional, non-empirical, anecdotal evaluation of what forces seem to contribute most to the early demise of Radio people. If you’re in Radio or plan to be, the best advice I can offer to you is know the pitfalls – and make sure your company has a decent health care plan.like who are you going
to sue for headphone deafness ?
I think Radio might be bad for your health - at least if you work in it. Maybe you never noticed but I have: on-air Radio performers seem to die younger than they should. I've narrowed it down to 7 reasons why I think this business kills it's stars prematurely
I'm only working off of anecdotal evidence here but I have a feeling Radio isn’t the healthiest profession to work in and here’s why:
1. Sedentary – You don’t get much physical activity by sitting in front of a microphone 4 hours-a-day
# And it's even worse today than it used to be. At least when DJs had to cue up records or insert carts into cart machines they got a little exercise. In today's digital studio, the most physical activity a performer gets is clicking a mouse and making coffee.
# Cigarettes – When I first got into Radio, almost everyone smoked – including me. Sitting around waiting for songs to end gives a person a lot of extra time. Most radio studios I worked in up until the early 1990s allowed the on-air personalities to smoke. I think management generally felt cigarettes were good for calming their most "creative" employees. (See #7 below) This thinking was eventually pushed aside by the smokefree workplace movement. But, plenty of Radio people still light up during long music segments and newscasts.
# Alcohol – I’ve heard my share of stories about alcoholic radio personalities – and worked with a few choice ones myself. The alcohol-Radio connection goes way back. After a 1959 DJ convention in Miami, the Miami Herald ran an account of it with the headline, "Booze, Broads, Bribes". That kind of sums it up, now doesn't it? Famed DJ, Alan Freed (The man who named it "Rock 'n Roll") died of alcohol-related diseases in 1965. Notably, bucking the trend to wallow in liquor is successful talk show host, Glenn Beck, who admits to being a reformed alcoholic. Thanks for being a role model, Glenn.
# Drugs – In Radio? What? Please…! Drugs used to be a lot more freely passed around some years ago during an era when record reps used them to lubricate and ply the good graces of Program Directors and Music Directors who decided playlists. Of course, this was and remains highly illegal. That aside, I can only state it is an unstated fact that plenty of Radio folks have used drugs for plenty of reasons. Remember Rush Limbaugh’s admission back in 2003 of his use of prescription painkillers and his subsequent visit to rehab? If that was the top of the iceberg, can you imagine how deep it goes?
# Loneliness – I'm not sure loneliness can kill you outright but I'm sure enough of it can contribute to bad health and possibly even to one doing harm to themself. The Radio business is one which often requires moving either because you’ve been fired or because you wish to get ahead. Either way, there are only so many stations in one area and sometimes you just have to leave for your next opportunity. I can tell you first hand how difficult it is to put down any roots and develop a network of support friends when you’re packing a U-Haul every couple of years.
# Stress – They say stress can kill you and in this business, there’s plenty to go around. You’re always under-the-gun to do well in the ratings and there are monthly ratings and quarterly ratings.
# Psychological Issues – Without trying to sound cruel, let me suggest that some of the people in this business
just “aren’t right”.Youve seen their posts here. But, I’m not completely sure why. It’s like a chicken or the egg situation: does radio attract the weirdos and wack jobs or does Radio take normal people and spit them out a little nuttier? If I had to break it down to percentages, I would comfortably say that 70% of the on-air people I have met have “issues”. Ironically, it’s probably because they have “issues” they are so interesting to listen to. Unfortunately, people with “issues” easily fall prey to other weaknesses which could be damaging in the long run.
So, there’s my non-professional, non-empirical, anecdotal evaluation of what forces seem to contribute most to the early demise of Radio people. If you’re in Radio or plan to be, the best advice I can offer to you is know the pitfalls – and make sure your company has a decent health care plan.like who are you going
to sue for headphone deafness ?