Radio Adjacent

During a recent meeting, a Market Manager used the term “Programming Adjacent” when describing their role. Not directly involved in programming, but having influence and an important perspective. Being supportive and having the ability to assist the programming team in accomplishing their goals.

That’s how I interpreted the use of the expression… and I loved it.

Being important to the content creators’ success, but not there to interfere. Being available and helping if and when needed. 

That expression resonated with me. Perhaps because I’d never heard it expressed that way. More likely because of the ever-evolving media landscape. I am concerned about the number of individuals who are losing their jobs in media, specifically radio.

Every week, I’m receiving calls from friends, associates, and individuals who were at a station I may have consulted in the past or one I am currently consulting. The call could be from someone who is familiar with me, but we’ve never met. They express their concern. Their disappointment. Share fears. They ask, “What’s next?” They’re looking for answers.

A part of what I share with them is how my career has grown and expanded out of necessity. I continue to consult radio stations, but do many more things beyond that than ever before. Many are somehow next to or connected to radio. Coaching talent, working with podcasters and podcast platforms, digital, streaming, production & imaging, gaming, operating systems/tech, and content creation. These things are arguably today’s radio.

Those things and the work I am doing around broadcast syndication and networks, promotions, experiential marketing, and public speaking are all branches of The Radio Tree. In general, entertainment and information are my world. It’s more than “just radio.” These platforms all intersect with radio. Thus, I am confiscating the term from my General Manager friend and claiming the origin of the phrase “Radio Adjacent.” 

The reason I share the story of my growth and media evolution with those looking for advice is to give them encouragement, to make them aware that their skills have value beyond radio, and to suggest that radio is a great foundation from which to continue to grow their career. It isn’t to suggest that they should depart our business, but rather that they should do more than just our business. 

Advertising agencies look for storytellers. Clubs and entertainment venues look for personalities who can engage an audience. Producers look for those who can use audio and video to attract an audience. Public relations for big businesses is an incredible opportunity. Mega Car Dealers, as well as many other businesses, long to have their own in-house ad agency. The list is long as to where radio skills can be successfully applied.

There are Radio Adjacent opportunities where talent and skills are seen as valuable and in demand in businesses you may have never considered. That’s tough to remember when you lose your job. It doesn’t have to mean that it’s the end of a career. It can mean that it’s a time of transition and change that leads to greater success than you could have imagined.

And it doesn’t mean that you have to leave radio. It may mean that you can enrich your marketability by putting your wealth of experience on display by staying in radio and using “all the tools in your toolbox.”