Nobody Died

There have been massive layoffs here in Silicon Valley over the last 18 months.

AI has changed the game for many companies. Folks I know in the tech industry who have worked for the big companies have announced that they are leaving for new opportunities.

It's been happening in my sector, too. So many people have lost their jobs in radio in that same time frame. It's heartbreaking to read an industry newsletter and see that 60% of it is who lost their jobs that day.

It's a scary time. My job as the morning show host at KRTY-FM came to an end because our 98-year-old owner died, and his board, most very elderly themselves, didn't want to continue. At the time, we were the #1 rated station in our area, and I had the most-listened-to morning show. We employees tried to buy the station, but another broadcasting company wanted the signal and significantly overpaid for it.

They didn't care about the programming; they had their own syndicated format and just wanted the signal.

Change happened. There was no rhyme or reason, nothing I could have done differently that would have kept me employed. It was scary, depressing, and overwhelming.

My wife brought me back to reality. Nobody died. We are all healthy. You can adapt. We as a family can, too.

We had a great brand, and we still believed in it. My partners and I started an internet radio station. We found advertisers willing to bet on us before we'd proven anything.

We created live events that put us back in front of the people who'd followed us for years. I began a podcast, not knowing if anyone would listen. I started a media platform. None of it came easy, and none of it came fast, but piece by piece, I adapted.

I haven't replaced my salary yet, but I have more opportunities for financial growth than I have had in my entire broadcasting career. I have grown my creativity to the point it gets annoying sometimes. Yet my wisdom, which for me is knowledge PLUS experience, lets me temper some ideas and water the ones that are feasible and practical. I have learned to not expect immediate results.

It's hard to look at a seed and see the end product.