Some Salaries/Markets Never Change

Subject: Salaries
From: Name withheld by request

I'm a 25-year radio vet, with lots of medium- and major-market experience. This includes a long stretch with a national network syndicator.

For several weeks, I've been engaged in phone conversations with a certain medium-market PD. I had sent him tape and resume in response to his classified ad, which stated that his successful station was looking for a new morning person/music director.

He called me last week and asked that I come up for an interview. In the course of that phone conversation, he said, "You understand, this won't be a 45- or 50-thousand-dollar-a-year job, right?" I replied that I understood this, based on the size of the market.

I went out Tuesday and spent over $80 on new clothes (even a tie!) ... Made the six-hour, 400-mile drive on Friday night ... the station put me up in a nice hotel, and paid for my meals ... Then came Saturday's interview with the PD and the GM.

Not only would the station *not* pay for my relocation, but ... The job pays $22-thousand dollars a year. (They later allowed as to how they thought they could bring it up to $22-thousand-five, just for me.)

It's been over twenty years since I've worked for that kind of money. My jaw dropped. I stood up, shook hands, and made the six-hour, 400-mile drive back home.