Just a few comments concerning February’s mag…I read [the February] RAP with great enthusiasm, especially the interview with Christopher O’Brien. I sometimes wonder too where the spirit and drive will be coming from with the advent of such fast moving technology that we are all facing today. Christopher exemplifies tomorrow’s leaders.
When I chat with some of the guys I work with that are literally half my age, I find myself feeling like some old guy that strolled with Marconi and laughed about the advent of radio. Some of tomorrow’s radio people won’t know what a record was. A cart? What’s that? Splicing tape? What for? It just seems kinda strange. Know what I mean?
I find the mentor role that David Jay utilized was time well spent. And the best part? Christopher listened and learned. He will be twice the leader when he’s in his 40s, than we were, undoubtedly because of his early entrance into the broadcast realm and his accumulation of experience and technological advances for the next 20 years.
However, I would never give up the experience of “hand’s on” nurturing some of us had with razor blades and splicing blocks. Before 4 and 8 tracks. No fancy processing. Dragging one reel while running 2 decks to create a “phase” on our promo. No electronic “tricks” - only what we could come up with our imagination. THAT was the training field. And it still helps today when putting together a promo. Yep....sometimes “less IS more.”
My only advice to those of you just now coming into radio today – Be hungry... listen hard... find a mentor and suck their brains out... and like it or not - be willing to pay your dues (including overnights, weekends, long hours and lousy pay). It all pays off later if you really love RADIO. We did and still do.
Johnny George
HotSpots! Cretive Communications
Indianapolis, IN
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