Dress for Success, the 10 Commandments

What you wear can make or break an interview or derail your career.  Here's what the experts have to say...

Excerpted from Career Builder:

In a 2010 national poll conducted by the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania, "appearance" ranked second only to "communication skills" when respondents named qualities most often associated with professionalism. "How an individual dresses for work can be a powerful extension of his personal brand," says Matthew Randall, executive director of the CPE. "Clothes, accessories and even the footwear an employee chooses to wear help to reinforce or diminish his skills and qualities in the eyes of his employer, co-workers and clients."

Universal dress rules can't be set in stone, because what is considered appropriate varies by workplace, field and what is happening on a given day. But if such a tablet were to be created, there's a good chance it would include the following:

1.  Modesty is a virtue.

Get noticed for your great work, not your tight pants, overdone makeup, short skirt or cleavage-revealing shirt.

"Nothing undermines how you are perceived in business as leaving nothing to the imagination," says Chris Hauri, founder of Mirror Image, a Chicago-based image and identity consultancy.

2.  Keep holy the casual Friday.

Yes, the workweek is almost done -- the key word being almost. "Casual Fridays are a recipe for fashion disasters," says Lizandra Vega, author of "The Image of Success: Make a Great Impression and Land the Job You Want." Don't jump the gun by wearing your weekend plans, whether that be catching some rays in a halter top and short shorts or cleaning out the garage in your college sweatshirt and cut-offs.

3.  Thou shalt wear the right shoes.

Your feet should look prepared for work. Vega suggests skipping flip-flops and other open-toe shoes, while Hauri notes, "High high heels may be fashionable, but not for actually working. Image conveyed: I can't pitch in and do any work because I really can't walk in these things. Want to be a team player? Wear flats."

4.  Honor thy leaders.

Not sure what is appropriate for casual Friday or a client meeting? Look around. "The wisest employees often observe and take cues from the most respected individuals within their organization on what is appropriate workplace attire," Randall says.

5.  Thou shalt not steal thy boss's tie.

Keep in mind that taking cues from those above does not mean replicating their wardrobe piece for piece. Instead of coming off as a lemming, find comparable styles, colors and accessories that work for you.

6.  Control thy festiveness.

Wearing seasonal colors is one thing, looking like Santa's elf is another. Randall recalls a story about a co-worker who exuberantly over-accessorized her outfits to fit the holidays. "Her overzealousness caused her co-workers to snicker, and she became unofficially known as 'the walking calendar.' Moral of the story: Your workplace wardrobe should enhance your professional skills and qualities, not detract from them."

7.  Remember the good book.

Whether you are questioning what constitutes an acceptable variation of a uniform or wondering about the company's stance on jeans, chances are the employee handbook has the answer. Still trying to decide if you should cover up a tattoo? Seek the advice of a trusted mentor, human resources representative or immediate supervisor.

8.  Thou shalt notice what year it is.

Congratulations on taking such good care of your clothing that items from 1983 are still "fine" today. Now put these relics in the Goodwill box where they should have landed years ago. While one need not be a fashionista, looking outdated can give the impression that you lack fresh ideas.

9.  Err on the side of caution.

Worried that your casual Friday outfit might be too relaxed or that a bright orange shirt might not be received well by a new client? Avoid the guesswork – and the corresponding nervousness – by making safer choices when in doubt.

10.  Dress for the job thou want.

A final tidbit:  "My advice for everyone, no matter what age or gender, is to dress for the job you want, not the one you're in," Hauri says. "Unless you're happy with where you are, which is just fine."

Vin Scully's Advice for Young Sports Broadcasters

Excerpted from LARadio.com:

When asked what advice he would give to the next generation of broadcasters, Scully emphasized the importance of bringing your best effort to every broadcast. “Never think about the size of the audience…when I was doing football for CBS and we would have production meetings and they would say this game you’re doing is going to 37 percent of the country or this game will go to 69 percent of the country, and I would always say to the producer please, don’t tell me the percentage, that minimizes my world. I just know that we’re going to do a ballgame, and we’re going to do the best, no matter who’s listening.” To those now broadcasting minor league games or doing play-by-play for a local college, Scully said it’s important to focus on the game at hand, regardless of the number of listeners. “Don’t think that it’s two last place teams and that there’s no interest, don’t think the pennant race is over, don’t think the game is absolutely meaningless…football, baseball, whatever it is…just go on and do the best job that you can. I think when you start thinking about the size of the audience, all of the sudden you might start thinking about the size of your production, and it should always be 100 percent effort no matter how big the audience may be.” 

You Are So Radio If...

Excerpted from reader submissions to Radio-Info.com:

The word “remote” means something other than located far way or distant in manner.                                      

You find hanging out a bar, without getting paid, a total waste of time.                                                          

You’ve stood in hundreds of new car dealership parking lots and yet you’ve never owned a new car.                        

You remember what album covers looked like.

You can’t remember the last time you paid for concert tickets.

Your high school friends know you by a different name than everyone else. 

You have that recurring dream—song ending, can’t get back to studio.

You’re listening to the radio and you hear dead air you start saying to yourself “push the button!” 

You can limit your bathroom runs to two minutes. 

Saying “nice cans” to a female co-worker is not considered harassment. Neither is requesting that she “keep it tight.” 

When driving, you talk up the intro to songs on the radio. 

Over 80% of your wardrobe contains a station/client/ or event logo. 

“Pot it up” is not a reference to drug use. 

You call them “spots” instead of “commercials” 

Only Humans Need Apply

What kinds of problems could they have possibly been having at this television station that would prompt them to write a "Help Wanted" ad that included this description:

Language Skills:  Ability to read, write and comprehend complex instructions, business correspondence, and memos.



Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to see, talk or hear. Employee must also be able to read text from monitor. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. Employee may stoop and/or bend. Employee must often use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision requirements of this job are equivalent to appropriate vision required for a valid driver’s license.

Work Environment:
The noise level is the work environment is typically moderate.
In this position, employees will be exposed to outside weather conditions.

Reading? Standing? Going outside? What kind of craziness is this?  Read the rest of the ad here:  http://www.wsaz.com/wsazjobs/headlines/WSAZ_NewsChannel_3_News_Director_123553859.html

It's Your Radio Station!

From Taylor On Radio-Info:

Mike Dougherty thinks it could be the most distinctive new radio programming tactic since Jack FM crossed the border from Canada six years ago – listeners to KVBE (94.5) and KHIJ (96.7) will call the shots for the music, practically in real time, from the Jelli website or iPhone app. Bay Area-based Jelli first tried out the technology on Sunday nights at San Francisco’s alternative “Live 105” KITS and the resulting expansion has mostly been in evening dayparts, branded with local station names. (Clear Channel’s WKLS “Project 961” dubs the 7pm to midnight block “Remote Control.”) Dougherty tells TRI that “Three months ago, looking at our 25 markets, we thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have a radio station, 24/7, powered by the social web?” He found not one but two, in the same market. The multi-year agreement with LKCM Radio Group and Aurora Media lets Dougherty brand both Vegas stations as “Jelli.” Mike says “one will have a rock flavor and one a pop flavor.” A couple of caveats - Nobody really knows what a fulltime social web-powered (and automated) station might sound like on the air. And these FMs (KVBE, Moapa, NV and KHIJ, Bunkerville) aren’t the biggest of signals. In fact, they both citygrade St. George, Utah and are rimshot signals to Vegas.

Good Advice!

Excerpted from LARadio.com, from the AllAccess.com Radio Summit:

On Power 106's Big Boy's start in radio: In his late teens during his time as security for Pharcyde, he was working as part of the Street Team at KPWR and one morning during the Baka Boyz show, they made visits to a series of barbecue restaurants and one of the stops was at Rick Cummings’ home, who was the programming boss at Power 106. “Everyone was in a good mood and the boss called me the next day and asked if I would be interested in doing a radio show one night. That one night became 17 years. He told me that he couldn’t teach me to be a personality, but he could teach me radio. One of the things he told me was to always say Power 106 and one time I said 107. The one thing he told me to say I screw up.” 

The panelists were asked for a description of their personality and what they do for their shows. Rick Dees said he imagines a mom taking her daughter to school. 

“Before I turn on my mic, I always ask, ‘What’s in it for the listener?’ I think the listener likes to hear stories and feel good about themselves. I would like people to feel better,” Dees said enthusiastically. 

Big cited the fact that a number of LA stations play Snoop Dogg music, not just his Hip-Hop station. “I’ve got to give the listener a reason to listen to Snoop Dogg here and that’s the role of the personality. I can’t sit here and tell you what radio will be or how it was. It doesn’t matter. You can’t win today’s game by yesterday’s playbook. We play by the standards of today.” 

An Outsider's View of a Radio Station

From TechNet Blogs by Harold Wong:

Every once in a while, I get a chance to visit a facility that can be categorized as “pretty cool”.  A couple of weeks ago, I had such an opportunity and thought I would do a quick blog post on it (meant to get this out sooner).

I had a chance to visit Blake Handler (an MVP in Los Angeles) on Monday, April 11^th at his work. Blake happens to work for CBS Radio and he was able to give me a quick tour of their facility. I’ve always wondered how things worked in the radio business and this was definitely an eye opening experience.

In the “old” days, music was stored on cartridges that were inserted into the DJ’s console and so the DJ actually had to do some work during the show. Today, everything is pretty much computerized so the songs are all stored on a server and then streamed out. The DJ has a computer screen that shows the list of songs that will be played as well as where commercials will be aired. Other than acknowledging the next song to be played, there really isn’t a whole lot for the DJ to do. To be fair, this does depend on the format of the program. If it is a talk show, then the DJ is definitely responsible for hosting guests that are there in person or on the phone and guiding the conversations that take place. For non-talk shows or news programs, it didn’t seem like the DJ had that much to do.

Also, for news programs, I found that most of that is somewhat scripted and approved before the newsperson reads it over the air. I say “somewhat scripted” because it is usually the news person who writes the initial piece and the editor may make minor changes before it is approved. Ultimately, it is still unique information, but I always thought it was totally ad-lib and off the cuff. Now, I know it is highly regulated.

Another interesting thing is that the FCC has strict rules on how many times in a given period a single artist can be aired. Example – it Is not allowed to air all 60 continuous minutes of songs from Phil Collins. There are rules for how often a song can be played as well as how often different songs from a single artist can be played.

Since a lot of radio stations are also being broadcast over the Internet, the coordination of commercials seems like a science. As an example, if the franchise owner of a McDonalds paid for a commercial in the Los Angeles area, but not in the Irvine area, then the station has ensure the commercial is only aired for the area in which it was meant. This also means that a different commercial would air over the Internet since that could be heard in Phoenix and therefore the commercial would mean nothing to me here in Phoenix. This is definitely a lot more complicated than I thought it would be.

I really enjoyed the tour and am glad Blake was able to take time out of his day to give me the personal tour.

Job Interviewing Strategies

Excerpted from Cynopsis Classified Advantage: 

It's The Little Things That Can Make A Big Difference.
In past editions, I have covered many strategies concerning the interview.  This week, I'm going to write about the small things, the things that people often forget.  

One of the few things you have complete control over is what you wear.  Make it good.

Make sure you know how to pronounce the name of the person you're meeting and the receptionist.  Thank the receptionist, by name, on the way out.

Mind set: What can I do for you and your company...

Understand what you can specifically bring to the company, and sell it.

Understand what makes you unique, and make sure you communicate it clearly to the interviewer.

Know the mission statements of both your past and prospective employer.  If not asked, you can reword and work their philosophy into yours.

If asked, accept water.  It gives you something to do with your hands, and if you need time to think, take a sip.

Ask for the interviewer's business card.  After leaving the office, check to make sure all contact info is on the card, if not, ask the receptionist for the address so you can send a thank you letter.

Don't try to fake it, ask for clarification if you don't understand something.

Ask about why the last person left, but if the interviewer side steps the question, leave it alone.

Be patient in answering your questions, it's better to be smart than fast.

Are you nervous? No, I'm excited.

Blog, blog, blog.  This is your portfolio.

Exercise beforehand or whatever makes you calm.

Though difficult to decipher, understand the hiring manager may not be looking for the most qualified, but the best fit.  Sometimes they are not the same thing.  Use this knowledge to your advantage.

Without the use of pom poms, make sure the interviewer knows you're enthused about this opportunity.

If you are unemployed and the interviewer asks why, tell them in an honest and brief manner.  Do not over explain.

Talk with passion, or lose the job.

Don't forget to smile.  Nervous people often don't smile, a smile may make you stand out.

Finish the interview with three good reasons why you should be hired, and thank the interviewer for their time.

Where in the World is ARB Graduate Mike Powell?

Motivated videographer/editor Mike Powell has been busy the past few years since leaving the Academy. Freelancing on both local and national productions, Mike's latest has been working on the "Transformers 3" movie and editing a trailer!  You can watch it here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150103819075772&comments

Keep up the good work Mike!

An Inspirational Broadcaster

Excerpted from Radio-Info.com (bold emphasis is mine, ed.)

It’s remarkable enough in today’s transient radio industry that WSOC Charlotte, N.C., APD/MD Rick McCracken just celebrated his 25th anniversary with the station last month. Even more noteworthy is what he’s been able to achieve in the business, despite being legally blind.

His story is an inspirational one, and demonstrates the importance of remaining flexible and adaptable in the radio business, even for those with perfect vision.

“Look what’s happened in the last few years,” McCracken says. “We’re all going digital. We’re all having to learn to blog and do all the social networking simultaneously with being air personalities and programmers. We’re having to learn completely different communication skills. If you don’t embrace that, you get left behind by it.”

Around the office, he’s found a way to do everything he needs to do. And other than some magnification software on his computer, he hasn’t asked his employers for any special equipment. He buys his own magnifying glasses, and uses the same Braille writer he’s had since he was 14 years old.

In addition to his programming duties, McCracken also regularly fills in airshifts during other station personalities’ vacations and sick days, and is responsible for a few weekend shifts as well. For on-air reading, he says, “I need, obviously, really large print, or I need to Braille things out.”

In many ways, the always-improving computer technologies have made things easier for McCracken, who says, “A computer is like a library card to me. I’ve been able to read things that I’ve never been able to read before.”

At the same time, however, the shift in recent years to everything in the studio being computerized has actually added challenges for McCracken. “Computer screens and keyboards have replaced just about everything that I learned how to manipulate starting out in this business,” he says. “Luckily you can still feel a console, but cart machines are gone, turntables are gone. All that stuff has been replaced with just a keyboard and computer screen. So, in some ways, it makes it a little more difficult. It certainly messes with your instincts. When you’re a jock and you’re segueing records, there’s so much that you feel. You don’t have that anymore with today’s technology.”

On his longevity, McCracken says the key has been to “learn to adapt to situations. Don’t think ‘This is the way I’ve done it for 20 years and it has to be this way.’ You just have to learn to make any situation work.”

Tune In for Entertainment

An examination of talk radio content, and an "aha" moment from author and self-described liberal Orrin Onken... excerpted from Salon:

“I have noticed one thing about conservative talkers.  Glenn Beck and our local man, Lars Larson, have been in the radio business since they were young men. Neither is educated in anything other than broadcasting. Their lack of formal education often shows, but their entertainment skills and their ability to respond spontaneously to almost any situation make up for it. Like Oprah, the successful right-wing talkers seem to have been born for entertainment. I don't listen to radio in my car to educate myself; I listen to ease the drudgery of driving. Perhaps I don't care what's being said as long as it's on a subject I know something about, and presented in an interesting manner. I wonder if Air America didn't fail because it depended too much on policy wonks and true believers.

If I'm right about this, my addiction doesn't really have all that much to do with politics. I like politics, of course, but mostly I like hearing people talk.” 

Where in the World is ARB Graduate Stacey Kumagai?

Stacey Kumagai has turned her time from a student at The Academy of Radio & Television Broadcasting into a career as one of the busiest Creative Consultants/Media Marketers working in the business today!

A 1986 grad, who was encouraged to attend the Academy by the actor Louis Gossett, Jr. and then soon-to-be "Lovesongs on the KOST" host Karen Sharp,  Stacey has worked in both radio and T.V. but has found her true calling in guiding other people's careers in the media.

An author, activist and savvy creative businesswoman, Stacey has had an enviable career... with way too many achievements to mention here. We hope you'll read up on all of Stacey's adventures on her website www.braingasm.com.

Congratulations on all your successes Stacey!

A Not-So-Stern Schedule...

Excerpted from Taylor On Radio:

Howard Stern's new cover-of-Rolling Stone interview has him saying this – “Right now my schedule is pretty much the same as it’s always been”, which is the live morning-drive shift on Monday through Thursday. Then Friday off. But he wants more – more time off. Stern tells interviewer Neil Strauss “…as time rolls on, I’ll probably do about three shows a week.” Will it matter to Stern’s fans, or affect Sirius XM subscriptions? Probably not much.  Does the shrinking number of workdays mean Stern’s getting less money under his new five-year contract? Maybe not. Maybe Mel Karmazin gave a little in the negotiations in terms of airtime, while keeping Stern’s pay about the same.

A Look at Clear Channel by the Numbers

Excerpted from Taylor On Radio:


• 892 stations, $2.9 billion in radio revenue last year. Clear Channel now holds 260 AM and 632 FM stations in the U.S. (all the pieces of this statistical portrait refer to the U.S. only, and not CC’s 50% stake in Austereo, operating in Australia and New Zealand). 149 of the stations are in the top 25 markets.

• Radio overlaps outdoor in many markets. In New York, market #1, Clear Channel has five radio stations and 2,607 displays owned by CC Outdoor. In L.A, it’s eight stations and 9,984 displays. In Chicago, 7 stations and 11,709. In San Francisco, seven stations and 10,104. And in Dallas, six stations and 17,571 displays – the most in any single market. Even in markets 51 through 100, Clear Channel has 236 stations and nearly 14,000 displays. In markets 101-150, it’s got 95 stations and nearly 3,900 displays.

• Clear Channel-owned Katz Media reps 3,900 stations – 80% of them owned by other groups. Katz is also active in TV, though Clear Channel sold off its TV station division several years ago. Katz reps about 600 TV and digital multicast stations.

• Clear Channel Radio has 15,036 employees in the U.S. – about 400 of them in unions. A higher proportion of staffers outside the U.S. are in unions – 342 of them out of 5,247 international staffers.

• Premiere supplies programs and services to more than 5,800 stations. Its list of more than 90 offerings includes Rush Limbaugh, Jim Rome, Steve Harvey, Ryan Seacrest and Delilah.

• Clear Channel owns 13 state networks. Those are a combination of sports, news and ag networks in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.

Prepare for Many Interviews...

Excerpt from Mediabistro.com:

Job openings are up, but hiring’s taking forever, reports the Wall Street Journal. Why is that?

Maybe because hiring managers keep thinking there’s something else out there.

Managers invited an average of five to six candidates per position for second-round interviews, which is twice as many as in 2007, according to a survey of 1,500 recruiters at large companies by research organization the Corporate Executive Board.

“Nowadays, if managers speak to a really great candidate, instead of hiring him, they take it as an indication that there must be 10 even better people out there,” Todd Safferstone, director of CLC Recruiting, a unit of the Corporate Executive Board, told the WSJ.

The logic is: if the unemployment rate’s so high, maybe the “perfect candidate” is out there somewhere, and hiring managers are now preferring to try to find the perfect candidate than settle on the perfectly great one right in front of them.

Your Commercial Could Smell Like This!

Think the Old Spice commercials are created exclusively from special effects done in post? You'll be surprised how much is done in real-time, and in one take! Watch this behind-the-scenes look at the latest...

Information Please!

From Cynopsis Advantage:

An Information Interview is where a job seeker asks for career and industry advice from a known person within a particular field.  The interview is used for several reasons:  to learn about the industry, learn about a company, learn about a job, seek advice on how to better prepare yourself for the short and long term for the job and to network.

Informational interviews can be difficult to arrange because the job seeker is the one who asks for the interview.   Some think that most executives have no interest in spending their time with someone they don't know, answering a slew of questions.  But if asked with proper etiquette and respect, you'd be surprised at how many are actually willing to help, either by phone or by meeting for coffee or a drink.

Before contacting anyone about an informational interview, you have to do some homework.  Research the individual, the company, and the industry. 

Always remember the executive is doing you a favor so try to arrange a time and place that is convenient for them and set an amount of time such as 20-30 minutes.  

Dress as if you were on an interview, prepare your questions but don't get anxious if you are running out of time.  

If you are meeting for coffee or a drink, always pay the tab and offer to end the meeting at the agreed time, if they want to continue, great, but by you mentioning the time, you give the executive a graceful way to exit, something that everyone is always grateful for.

After the meeting is over, ask if you can keep in touch in case you need further advice and give them your business card with all contact info on it.

Make sure you write them a thank you note, and since speed is not a factor, a handwritten note might be more appreciated.

It's okay to take notes, but never, ever ask for a job or job leads.  You will put the executive in an awkward position plus they will feel ambushed.

Start the interview with thanking them for their time.

Be a good listener and ask good questions.

If you ask someone for an informational interview and they say no, don't ask again.

The informational interview can be a tremendous tool in gained knowledge and networking, as long as you keep your personal need for a job out of the conversation.  If you do ambush them, the executive will most likely shut it down and you will lose, what could have been, an exceptionally useful experience.

Rules are meant to be... changed!

Once again flaunting the no sandals rule at The Academy, ARB Co-Owner/Founder/Chief cook and bottle washer Lindy Thurrell regaled radio students this week with engaging stories of "FCC Rules and Regulations."

Here, Lindy displays an early draft of rules & regs. Now they take up their own federal building in Washington, D.C.

Thanks for the up-to-the-minute info, and for sharing your experiences with us, Lindy!

Frightening Moments on Live TV

The smile fools you...

Serene was examined by paramedics at the scene and was taken home by a friend. She says she's feeling fine a day later.

Update: Tests concluded that she suffered a migraine, the symptoms were very much like a stroke.

Asleep at the Switch?

From Mediaite:

Eminem and Rihanna performed their song “Love the Way you Lie” at the Grammys and, well. Let’s just say someone at CBS is going to have #%&@ing difficult conversation with his boss tomorrow for not censoring all of the @#$%ing song. The censors let slip an instance of an “F-bomb” during the performance.

And no, I'm not posting the actual moment in this blog... I'd like to keep my job!


FYI: CBS could be fined up to $325,000 for Marshall Mather's ummm, creative use of freedom of speech.

Hand Cramp Alert!

ARB Instructor Manny Pacheco was recently the guest lecturer for radio students on the topic of music directing.  


Manny will be busy this next month with a slew of book signings promoting his work, "Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History." Here is the rundown:

Barnes & Noble - Corona, Montclair

Rotary Club - Los Alamitos/Seal Beach, Van Nuys

Flintridge Books and Coffee Shop - La Canada

Gatsby Books - Long Beach

For a complete rundown, check out his blog atwww.forgottenhollywood.com. 

Forgotten Hollywood is also available on Amazon and Southern California Borders Stores.

The Non-Interview

The late comedian shows us how NOT to conduct an interview on a classic SNL clip:

Who's That Girl?

Academy of Radio and Television Broadcasting PI and Vocal Coach Michelle Merker was the guest lecturer for radio students on the topic of "News Journalism" this week, and she stressed the importance of being professional at all times.

So we asked her about this....

No judgement, it was the 80's.

"The Search for Animal Chin" starring Tony Hawk (whatever happened to him?) and Michelle Merker, available on amazon.com and through your favorite skate shop. Because when you think of extreme sports, you think of Michelle!

Michelle's actual bio can be seen below in a previous blog.

Advice for the hunt!

Excerpted from an article by John Cox, editor of Classified advantage for Cynopsis Media:

Anyone who says practice makes perfect is a bad job seeker.  Write all the bad resumes you want, it isn't going to help.  

Perfect practice makes perfect.  If you can't write the perfect resume, show it to your friends. You have friends that are better writers than you, you have friends who are better business people than you and you have friends that are just plain old smarter than you.  Show each and everyone of them your resume and cover letter.  Show them each new copy you write, incorporate their suggestions, write it again, and show it to them again.  This process can take a while, be patient but understand, your finished product will be much better than what you started out with, and you'll learn to be a better writer.

Find the meanest friend you know as ask them to mock interview you for a job.  Why the meanest, ask a sports coach.  Most good coaches want game day to be the easiest day of the week.  Every practice should be harder than any game.  Its what brings the joy and the enthusiasm to the game, or the interview.  Plus you'll be ready for anything.  Isn't that what a good coach does?  Prepare you for everything?  If you have a nice person do the mock interview, what have they really prepared you for, and won't your nerves be just as bad?  Have a son of a b**** mock interview you, not only will you be better prepared, but your poise and confidence will be evident.

And what if the interview starts out badly?  What would the coach tell you?  Keep doing what you're doing. Companies interview for a reason, the same reason why athletes play games.  Because paper can never tell the whole story.  So stick to your game plan, keep plugging away, never give up, you may have to throw a Hail Mary, you might not get the job, but if went down swinging, and even if that means nothing to the interviewer, it should mean something to you.

All coaches run drills to improve your skills, but great coaches keep this at a minimum, great coaches fill their practices with game situations, at game speed.  Great coaches never need to run sprints at the end of practice, because their athletes have sprinted in every drill, during every practice.  Why would you walk through a drill, when you have to run during the game?  Same with looking for a job, you cannot lack the intensity needed, just because you're not in an interview.  You want an interview? Write, call, talk, email, network and work with all the intensity you can muster.  

Nobody wins every game, nobody gets every job they interview for, but the secret to both, is to never quit, not for one second.  Every second you're in the running, you have a chance, so you give it your all, especially when it seems pointless.  And make an impression on those who can make important decisions about your life.

The greatest thing a coach ever told me, and the best piece of advice I have for job seekers is this, "What did you do today to become better at what you do, that your opponents did not?  When you can answer that question in a positive manner, day after day, good things will come your way."

Dan the Cameraman!

ARB TV students received some hands-on experience during the Hands on Camera module this week.  Guest lecturer Dan Donley is an award-winning DP/Director who has been working in Southern California for over 20-years, shooting a wide range of productions including commercials, broadcast TV, features and corporate videos. Just this last week Dan worked on projects for a major car company, an international upscale hotel chain, and something with Betty White.

Here's a few of the things Dan covered during lecture: how to join the cameraman's union, filters, pedestal tripods, grips vs. gaffers, prime lenses, depth of field, the Golden Globe awards, film vs. tape, directors who don't look at monitors, camera assistants and operators, "24" and shooting Jack Bauer, aspect ratio, why he loves Tom Cruise, different types of focus, matte boxes, zooming, and the definition of "upstaging."

And then he covered what he was supposed to from the book.

Here, Dan demonstrates one of his cameras, a Sony F-900.

The Further Adventures of Ken Anthony!

Ken returned to The Academy this week to talk Ratings and Research with Radio students.  Here's a continuation of his bio from a few weeks ago...

Ken came back to Southern California in 1991 to take on the number one rock programming job in America at KLOS, directing the station to number one in adult demos in several books during his two year tenure. For his work at KLOS, he was named Radio's MVP of the year by Album Network magazine and Billboard Magazine's Major Market Program Director of the year in the Rock category.

Ken the moved to St. Louis, where he created and launched alternative station KPNT (The Point,) which has since become a franchise radio station in the midwest.

Returning to L.A., Ken programmed Classic Rock KLSX until they switched to talk in 1995.

Ken has since worked as Rock Editor for the trade publication Radio & Records, and now concentrates on his own consultancy firm, Radio Think Tank.

Thanks for sharing your varied experience with us, Ken!

Lisa Brings the 411!

ARB Radio students enjoyed hearing from this week's guest lecturer Lisa Osborne on the topic of "Owning Your Own Business." 


She's familiar voice to many in the Southern California area, having been on the air in Los Angeles for more than a decade. She can currently be heard as a news anchor on KFWB, and previously anchored weekend newscasts on KFI.

She has also been a traffic reporter, talk show host, program director and deejay in Southern California. Lisa is also a host on a ‘60s & ‘70s music network, airing on more than 300 radio stations across the USA.

Lisa also has a voice over business that creates marketing on-hold messages, podcasts and audio prompts for talking websites and transit agencies. She is the founder of Traffic411, one of the first web sites to deliver real-time traffic information.

Thanks Lisa, we really enjoyed your insight!

More Mandiie!

2009 ARB Radio graduate Mandiie (Amanda) Martinez has checked in with her latest venture, she's working at the startup No U Aint Radio! The site overs celebrity gossip and entertainment news, as well as the latest in pop culture and music.  Mandiie's bio can be seen here http://nouaintradio.com/meet-the-crew-2/mandiie-martinez/



Congrats Mandiie!

How Time Flies!

Want to make an interesting video? Have you got a year? Then how about two minutes to watch this?

Norwegian media professional Eirik Solheim created this video time-lapse from more than 3,500 high resolution images that were shot from one location in 2010.

His camera clicked away every 30 minutes for a year... leaving him with more than 16,000 images to work with.

Add a little music... and a viral video is born!

Where in the World is ARB Graduate Jason Nast?

Well, last week he was at CES in Vegas.  This week, he dropped us a line to let us know what he's been doing since leaving The Academy:


I graduated back in '97 I'm pretty sure. Loved the program, cherish the friendships I made many of which I still maintain today.

Since graduation I went on to work at 3 of the greatest radio stations in Phoenix. 
Kool -94.5
100.7 KSLX
93.3 KDKB

And now I travel the world as a professional speaker, trainer and develop new product ideas for infomercial TV.

I LOVE my life... thanks ARB











Thank YOU Jason, and congratulations on your successes!

Programmed for Success!

ARB Radio students enjoyed hearing from guest lecturer Ken Anthony this week on the topic of Alternative Programming.

Ken's career as one of radio's premiere rock radio programmers started at KSJO/San Jose, took him to KISS/San Antonio, then to KLOL/Houston, arguably one of the most famous rock stations in the nation.  For his hard work, Ken was named one of the "Ten Best" PD's in the nation by Inside Radio, as well as Billboard Magazine's Major Market Program Director of the Year in the Rock category.

Ken then returned to California... read more about his successes in two weeks!

What Did You Watch in 2010?

Excerpted from TV Newser:

So which stories received the most coverage from the network evening newscasts in 2010?

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was by far the most covered story of the year, drawing 1,410 minutes of coverage from the three newscasts, though “NBC Nightly News” led the way with 549 minutes, nearly 100 more than CBS.

The oil spill was followed by the earthquake in Haiti, which drew 426 minutes of coverage, and the war in Afghanistan, which drew 416 minutes. “ABC World News” and “Nightly” dedicated more time to Haiti, while CBS spent slightly more time on Afghanistan.

Rounding out the top five stories was coverage of health care reform legislation, which drew 307 minutes of coverage, and winter weather, which drew 249 minutes.

The 2010 midterm elections, which so utterly dominated the cable news cycle, placed seventh with 193 minutes of coverage across the three newscasts.

One other story of note was the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, which received only 17 minutes on ABC and 18 minutes on CBS, as compared to 84 minutes on NBC. That probably has something to do with the fact that NBC owned the rights to the games, and as such broadcast “Nightly” from Vancouver.

Crystal Ball: 2011 TV Gazing

Here's a look at what will be making news in the TV world this year:

Ratings king "American Idol" and the new judges

Ratings queen Oprah ends her daily syndicated show, and launches her "OWN" Network

The NBC Universal-Comcast merger

3-D Television

Increased use of mobile TV



Can you think of any more?

Sunny Skies for Local TV

Excerpted from rbr.com:

They may have cable channels out there devoted to nothing but weather reports, but a poll from Rasmussen recently found that the majority of Americans still rely on their local television station when they want to know how the weather may affect their plans.

As it turns out, cable didn’t even come in second.

Here is how the results shook out from Rasmussen’s survey, which asked respondents to identity their primary source of weather information:

* 54%: local television

* 20%: internet


* 19%: cable television

* 5%: radio

* 2%: newspaper


According to Rasmussen, 51% of respondents believe the media makes the weather sound worse than it really is, compared to 37% who think the media plays it straight and 12% who don’t know or have no opinion.