Phil Collins, Elton John, and Gloria Estefan dominated Adult Contemporary radio back in the 1980s and '90s, yet have disappeared from modern radio. Seemingly, the only time you ever hear them is at the grocery store or your local CVS. This blog remembers the music, the stories and the quirky characters from my days working in Adult Contemporary radio.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Sheryl Crow "The First Cut Is the Deepest"
Decisions on job cuts in radio happen every November and December as annual budgets get set. My first experience with this happened in 1997. The station I worked changed owners three times over a couple of months leading to rumors of an impending format switch. After months of rumors, word on the street was that the entire on-air staff would be fired by the weekend. That Thursday evening, the afternoon host was first to go. On Friday, the morning show and midday hosts also got axed. Having no idea if I still was supposed to work that Sunday morning, I phoned my boss that Saturday night and left her a voicemail. She called me back to share with me that she didn't know if I was still working on Sunday morning....because she got fired. I was only nineteen years old and had no idea what to say. I simply thanked her for all she did for me and followed her advice to introduce myself to the new Program Director and keep a low profile. I achieved my goal of keeping a low profile because that December, I was nearly kicked out of the company's Christmas party -- because no one knew who I was.