Stuck in the middle: the demise of middle management

I'm told there was a time when people spent their entire careers with one firm. When new talent was mentored and experience was respected. When the competition you most feared wasn't sitting in the office next to you. When loyalty was rewarded.

There is little in the broadcast (or advertising) industry more vulnerable than a middle management, middle-aged man. He's stuck in the middle. He knows only too well that when he is ultimately set adrift, there is no telling when and where he will land.

We live in a world where a bad "book" or two can spell your demise. Of course, if you are related to the owner, you get a personalized set of "get out of jail free" cards.

Think back to firms like Moffat that fostered talent and brought them up through the system. If you found yourself at little CHAB in Moose Jaw, you knew you were on your way. It wasn't a question of getting ahead at someone else's expense. These days if you get a pat on the back you better check for a knife.

Don't get me wrong. There has never been a more exciting time to be in the communications industry. Developments such as DAB, streaming audio/video over the World Wide Web, e-commerce and computers more powerful than imagination keep your pulse pumping. We find ourselves constantly challenged and growing at an incredible rate. Senior citizens who grew up without television are spitting out computerese with unbridled delight. Broadcasters need not be simply local when the whole world is only a modem away. For those that can adapt, there are new revenue sources that we previously wouldn't have dreamed possible.

Many of us are adapting. For some, losing our laptop would be like losing an appendage. Spreadsheets, databases, word processing and executive CD-ROM games are part of everyday life. Digital production released us from the prehistoric practice of tape splicing using razor blades. Music, commercials and voice clips are called up from hard drives. An announcer can send in his show without ever visiting the station. All of these things give us increased flexibility and allow us to be more creative.

As wonderful as all of these things are, there are some things missing. Loyalty. Genuine goodwill. I know that I run the risk of sounding like a Christmas carol. But look around. So many radio people obsess over competing with one another, that the radio industry ends up cannibalizing itself. Just imagine what could be accomplished by pulling together to maximize the benefits of new technology.

But, of course, I'm talking about much more than profit. It's sad to see someone once seemingly so popular be virtually ignored after being laid off. It strikes me as a variation on the old adage. If you sit and listen to people backbiting and say nothing, be prepared for the day they come after you. As a protection mechanism, your close circle of friends becomes so small that it tightens into a noose.

Goodwill shouldn't come with a price. God help me if I can't remain loyal to those who have shown me kindness. In the end, who is remembered for revenue or ratings?

My door will always be open to those who were there in good times and bad.