Feeling Siloed, and When Is it Time to Go?

In a webinar presented by Greater Public’s Young and Young-at-Heart Professionals (YAYAHPS), three career-long public media professionals shared their insights into moving around the industry. Their experiences point to the possibilities for career development within public media, as well as individual strategies that can be applied to industry challenges.

The panel was hosted by J.R. Rudolph, Engagement Marketing Specialist at WFYI; and moderated by Stephanie Rio, Corporate Support Associate at Vermont Public and Matt Blanchard, Account Executive at Radio Milwaukee.

J.R. Rudolph: Someone in attendance is feeling siloed at their station; their supervisor is not helping them move up in any way. How would you advise them?

Sachi Christine Kobayashi: Back-channel it. Ask anyone for coffee and say you just want to be friends with them. Invite everyone to a happy hour and maybe it just so happens you end up talking to somebody in another department about what they’re doing. If you get in trouble for that, that’s the time it’s time to move on. Then you know you have a boss with serious control issues.

Public media is a hard industry because it’s so small. There’s probably only 10,000-20,000 people that work in this industry across TV, radio, and community. In most markets, there’s only one game in town. You need to be prepared to move across the country, or you need to be prepared to leave public media for a while with a plan to come back. If you’re not comfortable with either of those, you’re probably going to feel stuck in this industry.

J.R. Rudolph: When is it time to abandon ship?

Jenn Jarecki: When your driveway moment is crying, or when you found the “cry room” at your organization, it’s probably time to go. I say this in jest, but I think a lot of people might know what I’m talking about. If you can’t be yourself there, it’s probably time to go.

Gavin Dahl: I hope this is not because of being a white guy, but if I’m not going to be respected or given an opportunity, I’m just going to go find something else. I’ve moved a lot of times. I’ve also had great experiences and that’s the biggest reason you should all get into management, is so you can treat other people better than you were treated.

Sachi Christine Kobayashi: 100%. Give yourself the permission to want power just so that you can do better.

Finish reading the rest of the conversation here.