When I was in high school, I wanted to be Mason Lee Dixon. 

Mr. Dixon (this may not have been his real name) was a disc jockey on 630 KXOK Radio in St. Louis. I managed to get a job answering the request lines at crosstown rival KSLQ, and my radio career was born.

At KSLQ I met The Boogie Man (this may not have been his real name), the station’s Afternoon Drive jock. Mr. Boog had this advice for me: “If you want to make decent money and have some control over your career, go into sales.”

I ignored his advice and pursued an on-air career. It was a few years later at KBDF in Eugene, Oregon that I noticed  the salespeople had nicer cars than I did.

After a couple of career detours, I landed at what became Clear Channel Radio (and eventually iHeart Media) in Portland, and spent 15 years making more money than I ever dreamed possible — in sales.

My success at Clear Channel got me an opportunity to go into sales training with Jim Doyle & Associates. 

I’ve had a blast traveling the country working with television sales departments in 36 states.

But now I’m goin’ back home. To radio.

Photo by palidachan

In my absence, “radio” has become “audio”, and now includes streaming, podcasting, and all sorts of cool digital advertising opportunities.

Beginning Friday, December 28, I’ll be back on the streets as a combination Senior Account Executive/Sales Trainer with iHeart Media in Portland. 

It’ll be a chance to take everything I’ve learned, and taught, in the past nine years and put it to work. I suspect I’ll be learning a whole bunch every day, so this blog and newsletter will continue.

In addition, I’m planning to launch a separate blog aimed at advertisers some time in Q1 of 2019. Watch this space for details.

To all my TV friends and everyone at Jim Doyle & Associates: thanks for fabulous experience. 

To my radio readers: I’ve been away for a while. Feel free to educate me on what’s changed in the last nine years.

And to the Portland advertising community: 

Brace yourselves. I’m back.