Charlie Cook On Air: How To Move Up In The Business

Many years ago in a land far away, Ypsilanti, Mich., I packed up my Camaro and after giving away many things, including a dining room set, I drove to Denver and went to work for KLAK. There I met a fellow disc jockey who would become a lifelong friend and also a future and ex-wife.
This was my first really good job and I learned a great deal about being a disc jockey and the friends I made there are still people I talk to every week. That little AM station in Denver spawned three Country Radio/Disc Jockey Hall of Famers by the way. Not many (if any) single stations can claim that.
Years later, that then current and now still ex-wife and I, packed up, gave away furniture again and headed east to another radio job. This time Wheeling, W.V. There I met a competitor who would become my 30 year business partner in McVay Media.
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. (That represents many other car packings and belongings purgings.)
The radio business is very similar to the record business in that there are always other opportunities that appear more attractive in the minute. The difference is often that the radio guy must put miles on his car when he changes jobs. In the record business, the new office in just a block or two away.
Well, on Dec. 22, 2013 I packed up my car, gave away a TON of stuff, and left Morgantown, W.V. for Nashville. It seems like I have been doing this for decades because I have. This is the last time. With that knowledge, I am truly excited about working with the great staff at Cumulus/Nashville. I’m even thinking about selling my car so that I won’t be tempted.
As I look back, I must say I made two great friends those many years ago and coincidentally I am back with both of them here in Nashville. The ex-wife…not so much.
Many young broadcasters ask me how to move up in the business. I have three suggestions.
1. Buy a big car.
2. Be willing to give away a lot of your stuff.
3. Make friends at each stop.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)