Sometimes I just wonder "Why bother?"

Generally speaking, I don’t like airing out my frustrations online. Yes I’ll leave the occasional snarky comment or insight, but I usually refrain from anything of substance simply because frankly, my frustrations are mine, and mine alone. I don’t like burdening others with them. But sometimes, situations arise where I just cannot help myself.

This particular situation involves the way I conduct my radio show. I have been working in radio for around 11 years and have hosted my own show for the past six years. For the most part, my show has been an exact carbon copy of everyone else who works at the radio station. Devoid of any sort of feature or outstanding characteristic that sets it apart and perhaps might make someone want to tune in.

About a year ago, I decided I had enough and wanted to bring a bit of life into the show, and by extension, the radio station. Not much, mind you, but try some new things, or a different way of saying things that might set my show apart from everyone else. It’s an effort to be different, sure, but also an effort to breath a bit of life into the programming that we offer, because I am of the opinion that this is needed.

However when I’ve done this, my efforts have been met with criticism much akin to what you would expect from individuals who don’t like change. “You need to tone it down” or “Why would you do something different than everyone else? It isn’t uniform, and makes us sound bad.”

Forgive me for trying to stand out a bit, but I always thought that if every show or newscast were exactly the same, no one would care what they watched. Apparently I was wrong.

Really, what brought this on was I heard recently that people in our community took exception to the way I delivered the news. Not so much the content itself, but my method of delivery. It was also brought to my attention that those to have this wonderful insight also, apparently, don’t understand the difference between me or the station itself. It isn’t “Andrew Flinn sounds bad.” It’s “That Kenton radio station sounds bad” and because of their failure to know the difference, I am told that I need to refine my delivery.

Look, I get protocol and procedure, and for the most part, I agree with it. But a person also needs to have a bit of personality, however slight, in order to make something their own. Otherwise they are doing nothing except copying someone else. Apparently I am the only one in the community who thinks this.

So, to that end, I will refrain from my attempts to distinguish myself or my show from everyone else. I will do my job as I am required to, and go out of my way to make sure I deliver the news in the exact same manner as everyone else, because apparently, that’s what this community wants. More of the same, and no personality.

I am sorry if anyone has been offended by anything I have done or have tried to do, but I only wanted to make the show sound different, and hopefully, better. Apparently, I was wrong, and it will never happen again.