Association of Music Personnel in Public Radio 
Fall 1999

CPB President Bob Coonrod’s words echo through my head in regards to an article of his that I read addressing public radio’s transition into the next millennium— “the status quo is not an option.” I hear another voice, this one of Capt. Picard of the Starship Enterprise from an episode in which he’s being assimilated into the Borg colony, stating, “Resistance is futile.” Somehow they seem to go hand-in-hand, for things are changing whether we want them to or not.

         How can we cope with, adjust to, and benefit from the changes that are being forced upon us through technological developments, through government control, and through other external influences? How do we deal with the additional competitive challenges facing our home fronts with internet and satellite radio broadcasts? Where do we get the training and the information to keep us up to date?
         I confess that my head is beginning to spin from the enormity of it all. I can’t seem to keep up with the terminology and technology, let alone understand it. Fear of the unknown is far more disconcerting to me than dealing with the known. I want to understand and I need to stay informed, both for myself professionally and for my colleagues and listeners.
         What can I do? The answer for me personally is through research and communication, combined with a positive outlook and a willingness to adapt.
         Research is the easy part, if you know where to look and if you have the resources at hand to do so, two big “ifs.” Time is also required, a precious commodity these days for most of us.
         Communication seems a natural, for we live in a world filled with mass communication, and most of us work in the medium of communications; but sometimes we’re overcome by just too much confusing information, or not enough. Betwixt and between, so to speak.
         The positive outlook is one with which I continually struggle, but it is worth the effort. Anytime one can turn a negative into a positive is a personal victory. There are times when I seek positive reinforcement from others, for caring, understanding people help make the world go ’round. There is comfort in knowing that you are not alone, and working together with someone on a worthwhile endeavor is most rewarding.
         That brings us to the willingness and ability to adapt. I’m sure that all of us would like to think that we can roll with the punches, but it’s not always easy. So much depends upon circumstances, life experiences, perception, and awareness. Again, it’s not always easy, but it makes life oh so much more enjoyable if you can.
         Why am I saying all this? It’s to reaffirm to each of you my personal support and love of public radio, to the medium of music on public radio, and to the future of this medium in whatever manifestation we need to present it. I truly believe that public radio will continue to endure as it evolves through the years, responding to the outside forces and influences at hand. I’m seeing us as one of those resistant strains of bacteria, a friendly strain, that grows stronger through time.
         I’m also here to tell you that the AMPPR Board of Directors is putting together one exciting Music Personnel Conference in New Orleans. It will be THE place to be next February. This is where I go to find answers and to gain insight from professionals and to get my heart and head back in alignment, to deal with all the changes and challenges that I posed earlier.
         This annual conference has become the single-most important event for radio music professionals to receive and conduct research and training, to communicate and network with colleagues, to be a part of something big and worthwhile, and to become recharged and remotivated. Invest in yourself and your future in broadcasting. You won’t regret it. As a certain Cajun gentleman says, “I gah-rown-tee.”

Beverley Ervine 
President, AMPPR 

Copyright 1999  Association of Music Personnel in Public Radio