Time again for Drew to put on his “Old Radio Guy” hat and wax nostalgically about something we all knew and loved back in the day. The “Opportunities” section of Radio & Records magazine was where all the job openings were posted. As my friend Rob Walker said, “it was always the first page you flipped to.”
Unless of course your PD or GM kept it locked in his desk. Many did, including a few whom I worked for. This is where being the night jock proved advantageous. Since there was rarely anyone in the offices after 5PM, the night jock was able to devise ways of opening the desk and retrieving the R&R. As a wayward youth who was always searching for a better radio gig, I must admit I became an expert at jimmying locks which supposedly protected the contents of managers’ desk drawers.
R&R Opportunities could also serve as a vehicle for assorted dirty tricks against your competitors. Did anyone ever post a fake “Situations Wanted” ad for a competitor and then make sure their PD or GM found out about it? How about responding to a job posting by sending an aircheck of the guy across town because he was good and you wanted him out of your market? I plead the Fifth on both of these questions.