In the immortal words of Jimmy, the cracker of corn, "I don't care." #RandomThoughtThis is the sum total of how I'm feeling today. Let me tell you why...
When you work in radio, you get used to change. My current boss recently announced his resignation. That wasn't a complete shock. When he took the job six months ago, he made it very clear that his heart wasn't in the running of an out-of-control radio station. However, the chain of events that took place after were mind-boggling indeed.
The person they named to take his place has been with the company all of 20 days. Yes, that's less than a month. Even though New Guy was just named head of programming, his background is in sales. So how did he get the job, you ask? Well, according to the stories I heard, New Guy and the big boss have been friends for years. In fact, their wives are BFFs. It really goes to show that when it comes to getting ahead, it's not what you know, but WHO you know.
Even though I think it's absolutely horrid that they're not trying to hide the nepotism, I'm not particularly bothered by it. I've been in radio for almost twenty years, and I've seen people get used and abused, then kicked to the curb like they never mattered. I've had my heart crushed and my dreams derailed. And I haven't trusted a soul since my friend told me, "This business is full of cutthroats, liars, and thieves." When I asked which one she was, she told me that she'd been all three at one time or another.
My direct supervisor, however, is a different story. Producer Girl came from Corporate America, and this is her first foray into radio. From what I can understand, she started off as a segment producer, and eventually moved up to being an executive producer. Bless her heart, she thought that career advancement would follow hard work, and that the sky was the limit. When it was announced that New Guy would be taking over our department, she was crushed. She immediately dissolved into a river of tears. And when she finally was able to pull herself together, she decided that she could no longer work for a company that didn't value her.
I applaud Producer Girl's resolve. I really do. There was a time almost ten years ago when I was almost in the same position she's in. I was working overnights as an entertainment news writer, and my bosses had promised me a nine-to-five position dealing with music. I was working as hard as I could to prove that I was up to the task. In the end, they told me that the funding fell through. I was so hurt that my job performance started to suffer. Eventually, I was asked to either shape up or ship out. I chose the latter because I knew my heart was no longer in it.
So the question you're probably asking is what does that have to do with the Macklicious One. Well, if Producer Girl leaves, her position will be open. Since I currently assist her, I might be asked to step into her shoes. That's fine. What would hurt me is if that bump in responsibility didn't come with a bump in salary. I want to believe that this company would be fair, but trust is hard to come by these days.
Honestly, I'm tired of hoping for the best, but secretly expecting the worst. I'd love to believe in fairness, truth, and justice...but it's hard when your eyes have seen the things I've seen.
And that, people, is why I'm feeling like Jimmy...the cracker of corn.
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