Barb’s journey…

I don’t know one person who doesn’t like and respect Barb Richards.

Last year, Barb left radio after a couple of decades running the best station in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was a difficult decision for her, and it hasn’t been easy — which is one of the reasons I am so grateful she agreed to write a monthly note to us this first year, sharing the good and the bad. Her courage and her honesty always touch hearts of readers of this blog. She continues to lead…

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Ten months later…what I miss about radio…

Sure, my transition out of radio has gone very well and I am grateful for all of it. It was a good switch for me. I grew the station with community involvement so it was a natural transition that I would work myself eventually into a community job.

When people ask if I miss radio, my reply is always ‘Yes! I will always miss radio.’

I will miss that ‘personality.’ It’s a special kind of job. It resides in my heart, always.

I miss being able to share my thoughts with the listeners and I know they held on to my every word. <ahem> Actually, it was always a great compliment to me when someone repeated something I had said on the radio. I really do miss that.

I miss the parking passes that let me soar through detours and closed streets, and allowed me to park next to the door. I miss not having to pay for parking because I was working the event.

I miss being ‘media.’ Now I’m just one of the rest of humanity. I don’t get to go to work when roads are snow-covered because I am not ‘essential personnel’ anymore.

I miss the free tickets to concerts, fairs, festivals, etc. I never let a ticket go to waste, so each Friday at 5pm left-over tiekcts went to whoever wanted them. Yep, I got to a lot of free shows that way.

I miss the opportunity to make extra money. Remotes, endorsements, voice-overs, MC gigs, etc. Right now, I still have several of those things going on but I imagine they will slowly go away. Believe you me, I am trying to grab what I can before people forget me. 🙂

I miss some people, of course. On Facebook the other day there was a post that said, ‘the hardest thing is not talking to someone you used to talk to every day.’ But the ones that are still most important to me, I reach out to and we get together on a regular basis. Still, it’s different. I miss my friends.

I say to people that have lost a loved one: “The best compliment you can give them is to miss them. That means they had a positive impact on you and your life.”

I miss radio.

And that’s ok.
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If you missed any of Barb’s earlier 9 posts, you can find them HERE.