I’m worth just as much as HE is!

I wanted to follow up on my Twice as Good or Four Times as Hard post from last week with a little story from my wild and crazy past. I say “wild and crazy” because when I look back on it I think things like “that was wild” and “was I crazy?” This post is the saga of my radio station career and how I got the shaft not once, not twice, but three times because I wasn’t a guy.

When I started college at Millikin University in the early 1990’s (1991 to be exact), digital recording techniques were just beginning to get noticed. Most recording studios and radio stations were still using good old-fashioned reel-to-reel tape for their broadcasts and audio media. During my senior year of college I landed a rather coveted job at a local radio station, DJ-ing on the weekends and splicing “jock shows” together for their new automated radio broadcasts.

A few weeks prior to my arrival at the station, the manager had purchased some computers and audio software to use in their production studio. I was like a kid in a candy store when I first laid eyes on it. The other employees were rather intimidated by the strange new box in the studio and clueless as to how the software even worked. Several folks continued to work from reels and then hand over the reel to be dubbed into the computer for the broadcast. Not me. I think I spliced one tape before I thought “to heck with this” and fired up the computer. After familiarizing myself with the new software, I recorded my first commercial.

Being a total computer geek, the entire concept of creating and editing audio files on the computer was quite fascinating to me. I dove headfirst into learning more about the new technology on my own since the university was not using it. I tried repeatedly to convince my professors that this was the next generation in studio engineering, but alas they nudged me aside and continued to splice their reel-to-reels with scissors and scotch tape, spending hours editing a commercial that I could put together in minutes back at the station. Perhaps my reputation as the crazy chick drummer preceded me and that’s why I was ignored. :-??

In the world of radio, I was the low man woman on the totem pole and I worked alone in the studio on weekends and evenings. My assignments for each day were written out for me and I typically had 2-3 commercials to produce and one show. After a few weeks of mastering the new digital production technology, I became extremely efficient at getting my work done. Out of boredom with all the extra time, I began creating 2-3 variations of each commerical to offer the client. My boss was rather stunned at my accomplishments and asked me how on earth I was getting so much work done. I said “it’s easy – I use the computer”.

He again looked perplexed, pointed at the silicon cube and said “you know how that thing works?”

I said “yup”. ;)

Next thing I know, I’m working the morning show and training the rest of the staff to do digital production. Sounds swell, doesn’t it? Did I get a raise? Nope. A promotion? Not really. They just wanted to pick my brain. A few months later when the main studio guys had learned enough from me to be proficient at using the software, I got “promoted” to the sales department. Let me tell you how much that sucked! I am SO not a “salesman.” Blech! And even when I did land an account, do you think I got to produce the commercial myself? Nope. The boys in the studio did. The boys *I* had trained. x(

A short time later, a new radio station opened it’s doors exactly two blocks down the street. Being the friendly person that I am, I wandered down that way to say hi. In casual conversation with the general manager, he mentioned that they were getting some new computers soon and would be switching to digital production. My ears perked up and I immediately explained that I knew how all that worked. He hired me on the spot, promising me that I would be given the title of “production manager” and a promotion when they got up on their feet in a few months.

Meanwhile, they also hired three other gentlemen to work as on air personalities and to create commercials. They knew nothing about digital technology, so my job was to teach them how it all worked. So I did. Next thing I know, the station promotes one of the new guys to be the “production manager” and I got moved to the front office to be the “office manager”. Well, that’s what they called me anyway. The job description they handed me said “secretary”. I kid you not. ~X(

It didn’t take me long to find job #3 at the station across town. This was the “big one” – the hottest Top 40 station at the time and they had the biggest, coolest promotions you could imagine. I started on the night shift which meant once again I worked alone. No big deal. At least I didn’t have to train anyone! Again the workload was too light, so I started making things up to pass the time. It got noticed rather quickly and I got called into a meeting one day to discuss my creative output. It turned out that the production manager was about to move out of state and they wanted me to fill his shoes. Day hours and a promotion. Finally! I thought I was going to be recognized for my talents. (insert sarcastic cackling here).

A couple days later as I was wrapping up the morning show and about to clock out, one of the morning show personalities struck up a conversation with me. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and she was just chit-chatting and asking me what my plans were after the baby was born. I mentioned the job offer and she casually mentioned that she knew about it and that it was an exciting opportunity for me. She also managed to “drop” the salary for that particular job into my ear. Looking back, I think she knew what I was going to be up against and she wanted me to have a little ammunition. ;)

About a month after I had my baby, the station called me up to offer me the job. I couldn’t believe the offer. Day hours, vacation, insurance, and the “Production Manager” title to go with it. Sounds like a dream, right? Oh yeah – I forgot the part where they tell me what the salary is…it’s almost HALF of what the previous guy was making! Immediately I tried to rationalize it…he’s been there longer, he has more radio experience, yada yada yada…and then I got mad. I told the station I would think about it and call them back. It didn’t take me long to “think”. I called them back up and when I got the general manager on the line I said something along the lines of “I’m worth just as much as HE is!” The manager said he couldn’t budge on the salary ( :^o ) and I said I couldn’t work there for THAT much less than the previous employee. He didn’t argue, so we parted ways.

Two weeks later I was hired by a computer training company owned by two women who paid me 3 times as much as I was making at the radio stations. I taught various levels of computer software classes for several months before being asked by my bosses to fill a temporary IT position for one of their clients. Temporary turned into well over a year. Not bad for a chick with a music degree and no formal computer training. :D

Oh and somewhere in the midst of all this drama, Millikin University asked me to come back to the school as an alumni guest lecturer in the music department. What did they pay me to teach? You guessed it – digital production. b-)