POST TOASTED:
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Friday is D-Day in the world of Merlin Broadcasting and its wizard Randy Michaels, as two of the company's newest acquisitions—the intermittently successful Q101/Chicago and the #1 cume-ing Modern Rock WRXP/N.Y. face near-certain decimation. Yes, gang, the format is losing stations in markets #1 and #3. Ain't that a kick in the heart? It's Randy's prerogative to do as he wishes with his new stations, just as it was Emmis' option to sell him a majority stake in three of their properties (WLUP is the third). It's business. The toughest blow is the loss of WRXP. PD Leslie Fram and MD Brian Phillips tirelessly devoted themselves to making the station a success. The proof is unequivocal: A cume of over 2 million and an endless succession of sold-out shows for the bands they supported, like Spoon, The Airborne Toxic Event and Arcade Fire (based on personal involvement), among countless others. The reality of the situation is eye-opening and sobering: No matter how devoted, passionate and talented you are, and in the case of Leslie Fram, absolutely beloved by everybody, the living, breathing organism that is your job, and hence your identity, could (and likely will) come to a crashing end sooner than expected. So what can we do? 1) Be realistic. If you are not making your employer money in a tangible way, he or she will not keep you around for your sparkling personality (although access to a medical marijuana card may enhance job security in some offices). 2) Be loyal to your employer (even after the writing is on the wall). They are also feeling the heat. Be a team player. 3) Diversify. Are there other jobs you could be doing within your company? Pay attention to everything. Ask questions. Take on more work, even if it seems "beneath" you. Become the go-to person for those above you AND under you. 4) Network within your field and beyond. Everybody thinks what we do is so glamorous. Perpetuate that myth to gain access to people outside your immediate circle. Start a blog that presents your unique (and marketable) point of view and share it on Facebook. 5) Be grateful and gracious. Your reputation precedes you. If you made mistakes or let your ego run amok, fall on the sword and seek forgiveness. 6) Seriously think about your fallback plan and your five-year plan. Manage a band. Get your MBA. Spend your off hours enhancing your skill set. 7) Be kind to yourself. You know more than you think you do. Take a mental inventory of everything you've accomplished. What you do does not define who you are.... I just had a long talk with Leslie Fram. I pointed out that she and her team took a station in its infancy and, with minimal marketing, is leaving this chapter of her career with a 3.6 share with 25-49 persons and #6 rank with 18-49 men, and an all-time high cume of 2.3 million. NOBODY can take that away from her, despite our collective disappointment over its premature demise. Leslie, who always takes a big-picture view, responded with, "I can't believe there won't be a station in NYC that will premiere the new Chili Peppers and Bush singles next week!" We can't believe it, either. So I will end this with the lyric I warbled to her, from my fave, "Closing Time": "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."