Recently, I received a call from an employer who wanted to vent. He was deep into the process of hiring a broadcaster and even had a clear-cut favorite. However, that favorite was starting to heavily annoy the employer because of all the references he had calling on his behalf.

Another time, the director of broadcasting for an NFL team shared with me a similar story. He was being inundated with calls from references on behalf of a particular applicant. Again, it was becoming annoying. That employer told me that one or two calls from credible references could certainly help a person’s candidacy. Any more than that, though, can quickly become counterproductive.
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You can always do more to prepare yourself in the sportscasting job market. I was reminded of that in a phone call from a friend this week.

This person has an upcoming job interview. He thought I might be able to provide some helpful background info on the employer.
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Many years ago, a college basketball and minor league baseball broadcaster learned that an NBA team was seeking a new radio voice. He quickly assembled his demo and resume package and sent it off to the team. Days later, he received a reply, “Thank you, but the application period has closed and we’re already down to our finalists.”

At this point, what would you do if you were this broadcaster?
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When veteran college basketball coach Josh Pastner was a high school senior, he mailed letters to every NCAA Division I basketball coach. He wanted to be a coach and he was looking for a program that would accept him as a player/coach-in-training. He heard back from just a small handful of folks, but one of them was Lute Olson at the University of Arizona. Pastner went to Tucson, spent four years as an end-of-the-bench player, became a graduate assistant, and the rest is history.

A lot of sports broadcasters approach the job market much like Pastner approached looking for a school. They send demos and resumes to countless employers hoping to hear back from someone. What works for aspiring basketball coaches, though, almost never works for sportscasters.

You might be working hard in the sports broadcasting job market, but are you working smart?Read More

In September 2014, The Beast 980 went on the air in Los Angeles. Just 16 months later, it was announced that the station had been sold and the sports format was being dropped.

That sucked.

It sucked for Tom Lee who had just moved to LA 10 months earlier to take over as PD. It sucked for Jeanne Zelasko and Bill Plaschke who had just started their new morning show the previous October. It sucked for Chris Myers and Wes Clements, who had just started hosting an afternoon show the month before. It sucked for Fred Roggin who had moved to PM Drive a few months earlier. It sucked for Sam Farber who had just become the Clippers radio network host that season. It sucked for Pete Arbogast whose AM sports anchoring schedule fit nicely around his gig as voice of USC Trojans football. It sucked for everyone who lost their job, whether they were on or off the air.

Losing a job stinks. What do you do now?
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Peyton Manning played 17 seasons in the NFL. At age 39, he had to work even harder than when he was 29 just to stay in the league. No detail was too small for Manning to overlook.

Experience didn’t guarantee him employment.

As a veteran sportscaster, you have to take the Peyton Manning approach to your sportscasting career.

Having considerable experience doesn’t mean you no longer have to work hard in the job market.
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Anyone who has applied for sports broadcasting jobs has experienced some degree of frustration.

If it makes you feel any better, the things that annoy you are annoying to other people as well.

Here are three common job market frustrations (and how to make the best of them):Read More

Years ago I played a night of pickup basketball with Danny Ainge. He was the best player on the floor even though he had been retired for decades.

Unfortunately, just because I once played ball with Danny Ainge doesn’t make me an NBA-caliber player.

Many sportscasters regularly make that same kind of inference on their resume. Here’s the problem:
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