4/5/1996
For those of you who bit hook, line and sinker on our April Fool’s cover and article about the Network 40 convention in 1997, don’t feel like you’re all alone. Most of the radio and record community fell for it with you…no matter what they say now.
Suffice it to say that the Network 40 convention outlined in last week’s publication was an April Fool’s joke…in so far as the specific events and dates are concerned. However, since we got your attention, it’s time to tell you that Network 40 will be scheduling a convention in 1997. The truth is, we have been working on a convention for the past two years and 1997 will see the culmination of those efforts.
It is too early to excite you with the specifics, but Network 40 will be hosting a convention in 1997. Not joke. I promise. Really. I swear.
One of the most exciting elements of Network 40’s 1997 convention is the pre-convention get together this year. The Network 40 Summer Games (scheduled for later in the summer) will be announced in the next couple of weeks. It will be a small, select gathering held in a special place with a great atmosphere.
Keep reading Network 40 to find out the exact dates. You won’t want to miss it.
On another note, for all of you who read last week’s Editorial on golf and called to complain that I had written about you…relax. I wouldn’t continue playing with you if you were as bad as those I wrote about. It was kind of funny. I wrote the article before I played with Scott Shannon last week. While we were playing, I even told him that he would like the Editorial. But he was quick to complain afterwards that I had written the article about him.
And he wasn’t the only one. My phone was ringing off the hook. Todd Cavanaugh told me he had taken a bunch of lessons and was really a lot better than the last time we played. Craig Lambert called from a plane to say how glad he was that I had written about “other†people. He was sure he wasn’t guilty of any of the things I had described. (Read it again, bud.)
Burt Baumgartner has ridden in enough carts with me to know what I was talking about. I got calls from Greg Thompson, Bill Richards, Joe Riccitelli, Bruce St. James, David Leach, Kevin Weatherly and Justin Fontaine.Â
Rich Fitzgerald said he hadn’t read the article. He was too busy telling everyone about his last round of golf and the different shots he hit.
Les Garland and Bill Pfordresher knew exactly what I was talking about.
The most interesting call was from Andrea Ganis and Danny Buch. Neither plays golf. After reading my article, both have vowed if they ever did take up the game, they certainly would not to play with me because I am such a snob. They missed the point, but I guess the article worked. I’ve kept at least two people from gobbling up future tee times!
I must admit, however, that the Editorial would have been much more biting (and certainly a lot funnier) if Network 40 publisher Gary Bird hadn’t gotten involved. In my years here at Network 40, through all the brutal, condemning and sometimes borderline bad-taste Editorials I have written, Gary Bird has never changed one word. Until last week. Using a red pen so much that the page looked bloody, Gary managed to excise many of the “funnier†stories that could be attributed directly to him. I only got that, “Gimmie a six,†comment in just before we went to press.
I will point out one positive among the many that come to mind when members of our industry get together for a round of golf. There are no industry egos on the golf course. If you’re two down on a press going into the 18th hole, we don’t give a damn how many records you added last week, you better hit that four iron into the wind, across the water, over the sand trap and stiff to the pin.
And in answer to the criticism I’m sure to hear next week, I know the majority of you don’t care about golf. I’ll put it in the “rest†category for a while.
On still another note, is it just me or are things a little ugly in the real world right now? Tension seems to be higher, tempers are quicker to flash and egos are reaching the boiling point at the drop of a hat. It’s got to be the weather. It has been a nasty winter for the majority of the country. Hell, even in Los Angeles we’ve had the thermometer dip into the 60s a time or two and and it’s rained four times since January 1st. I’ve got to tell you, we’ve really had it rough!
And just when you think it’s time for the weather to break and spring to be here, another cold front blows in, bringing a bite to the air and even snow in some parts. What’s going on?
As leaders (and I use that term loosely) of our industry, it’s important for us to keep these outside forces in mind when dealing with those in the workplace. The end of winter brings out the worst in all of us. We’re all on point, waiting for the sun to begin shining every day and wondering what’s taking it so long. We’re tired of our winter clothes…especially the overcoats. We’ve been inside too long and most of us don’t take vacations during the winter months…we wait for summer. This can cause all of us to get more than a little bit stir crazy.
Give your co-workers a break. Maybe it’s time for a company picnic or some kind of outing. We’ve been yelling at each other in these confined spaces for the past few months and a little lightening up might do us all good.
Our industry is quick to criticize when things go wrong and rather reluctant to praise when things go right. Now might be the perfect time to take a deep breath, push back for a second and positively acknowledge those around you for a winter’s work well done.
That goes double for those on the other side of the fence. Whether it is golf, tennis, pool or whatever, it’s important that we all spend more time together outside the office environment. The stress of our jobs makes it difficult for us to see the forest for the tress…and those trees are really important. Getting to know your peers in a neutral environment can give you insights that will help you do your job better…and, who knows, you might find a real person out there.
Then again, we don’t care what kind of a person you are as long as you can hit that four iron into the wind, across the…