A former co-worker, despite his penchant for sportscasting,
reluctantly agreed to try selling ads for a radio station briefly. He
joked with us that he would ask prospective advertisers, "You wouldn't
want to buy this, would you?"
Although he said that
in jest, I can understand why he was tempted to take that approach.
Sales are necessary for any commercial radio station to survive, but if
your true desire is broadcasting, you can't expect to be happy selling
ads. A broadcasting school instructor once said, "A sales job is
similar to being on the air. After all, when you're on the air, you
sell yourself."
Nice try, but...no. Trying to whip up
an audience's enthusiasm for a new song as a DJ is far different from
asking them to buy commercial time on your station. I have yet to hear
anyone say, "I just can't decide. Should I work in sales or on the
air? I could go either way."
