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.

Regina Belle "If I Could"

When you're about to lose your job, your brain switches into survival mode. In my case, I knew the radio station where I worked for nearly a decade was about to flip formats and, soon, I would be unemployed. My supervisor (who also knew he was losing his job) suggested I apply for a job at a radio station in Georgia. This position required extensive on-air experience which I lacked; I had been working in an off-air position as a morning show producer. My supervisor didn't see this as a problem. Instead, he suggested I take action during the short amount of time I had before losing my current job.

His instructions were simple: the show I produced started at 5:30 A.M., so show up at 5:00 A.M. and tell the overnight guy "Oh, didn't Harrison tell you? The show's gonna start at five now.". When the overnight guy double-checked with our supervisor, he gave the all-clear which resulted in: The Todd Show. I didn't call it this, but rather the host of the morning show I produced named it as such. He listened on his way into work each morning and started our show discussing The Todd Show. Fully expecting to be fired within a day or two, I figured my show had about four shows. Instead, The Todd Show lasted for nearly three weeks. I survived the World Series and then the Bush - Kerry presidential election of 2004. For three weeks, I showed up extra-early to pour what little energy I had into 30 minutes of The Todd Show before finally getting axed in the beginning of November.

That job in Georgia? I never applied for it. With opportunities in Milwaukee and Chicago, I (host of The Todd Show) stayed put and that decision paid off.

'N-SYNC "Gone"

Weeks of a rumored format-flip culminated into a staff meeting one afternoon at the radio station. Management told the sales and programming staffs to meet in the conference room at 3:00 P.M for an announcement -- some folks weren't as lucky. They were invited to an earlier meeting at 2:00 P.M. where they were fired. I mistakenly figured this out when I arrived early for the 3 P.M. meeting and noticed both desks of my colleagues were emptied. All the papers pinned to their bulletin board: gone. All their personal items (photographs, press credentials, and fan mail): gone. The radio station did flip formats that following day resulting in half the air staff being dismissed. The lesson I learned that day: it's never a good thing to be invited to the meeting before the meeting.

Aretha Franklin "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"

Getting fired actually helped open my ears to all kinds of vintage soul music. What? Yeah, it happened at the end of 2004 as WNND-FM in Chicago switched formats from an '80s & '90s hybrid to "Love-FM". Out went John Mellencamp, Duran Duran and Rod Stewart and in came songs from Stevie Wonder, Al Green, and Aretha Franklin. As my role of morning show producer was eliminated, I spent the next six months as the station's board operator until the new jocks joined Love-FM. While I already knew of Stevie, Al and Aretha, this transition exposed me to "deeper cuts" like "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" from the late-Aretha Franklin. The heartbreaking ballad was co-written and originally performed by Stevie Wonder.

Peaches & Herb "Reunited"

How did I know the soft rock radio station where I was working in 2002 jumped the shark? After years of branding themselves as "never lite, sleepy, snoring, or boring", the station took a left turn and added burnt-out soft rock songs to their music library. This allowed "gems" such as "Reunited" to see the light of day. The result: it didn't feel so good. Ratings at the station dipped and within a few months the Program Director was fired followed by a complete format flip to an "all-80's and 90's" format.