Why am I on Rock 95.5 today instead of our regularly scheduled rock radio personalities? It's a union thing.
Sag-Aftra has well over 160,000 members, and in many cities like Chicago will negotiate the minimum pay and vacation days for on-air personalities like those of us who work at Rock 95.5. It's pretty cool actually, because had I not joined this union some 15 years ago, I would never have had a retirement plan. Radio careers are not exactly known for their job security, fair pay, or regular work week.
President's Day is just one of the many holidays that the full time Rock 95.5 personalities get to enjoy off. This means that the guys much lower on the totem poll.. that would be me these days.. get to fill in those shifts. So, I'll be on from 4-9 pm cst today... but only today.. the regular full time jocks will be back as usual tomorrow.
It is a little weird to me, working part time. My first job in rock radio was as a full time morning show personality on 98ROCK in Tampa Florida. I had never done the traditional work your way up from weekends career path. I went straight into major market morning drive and stayed there for 15 years until I moved back up to Chicago. The LOOP didn't know me from Adam, or of my incredible rock radio track record of having taken every show I have ever done to #1. I was put on weekends.
I worked weekends at the LOOP for a very long time. I was the guy you would hear on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I worked Easter, President's Day, Memorial Day, and pretty much any day the regular world had off.. I was working it. I had to cut my hair and get a real job in the corporate world to pay bills, and so my work week was almost always 7 days. It is just the way it works. Eventually, they took a chance on me for middays. I brought the ratings from 13 to #1 within 6 months.
Stations come and go.. even heritage rockers like WLUP. This is the way.
So, here I am once again. Working weekends for a kick ass Chicago rock station. It's a good gig and the people who work at this station are very very cool. It's an amazing crew from the top all the way down and I'm proud to help out, even if in only a very small way... which means working President's Day... again.
As I was once told when I started off in Radio back in 1990 "You never ever stop paying your dues in this business".
and it's true. you never do.
Written by Patrick Capone