“If you haven’t been fired at least once, you haven’t worked in radio”

“If you haven’t been fired, you haven’t been in radio long enough” has been cited in print since at least 1982. Radio and television broadcasting are driven by ratings. Format changes frequently occur and firings are part of the business.
 
The “if you haven’t been fired at least once, you haven’t really worked” saying has been used in many other professions. Sports managers and coaches are fired frequently when their teams don’t win. The “fired” saying has also been used in publishing and in marketing/advertising.
         
   
Google Books
How to Break into Publishing
By Roberta Morgan
New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books
1980
Pg. 151:
In fact, the industry joke is that if you haven’t been fired by this house, you haven’t really worked in publishing.
 
7 June 1982, Seattle (WA) Daily Times, “Bailie students seek resonance above all,” pg. B2, cols. 3-4:
His teachers tried to prepare him for a career in which “if you haven’t been fired, you haven’t been in radio long enough,” but Schlewitz is unafraid of the life currents beyond his control.
     
Google News Archive
3 July 1983, Milwaukee (WI) Journal, “The true confessions of a Hollywood craftsman” by James Auer, pg. 7, col. 1:
“There’s an old saying in the industry that if you haven’t been fired, you haven’t made it. The director is the kingpin.”
(Cinematographer Owen Rolzman—ed.)
 
Google Books
Dare to Change Your Job and Your Life
By Carole Kanchier
Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works
1995
Pg. 114:
Being responsible for important marketing decisions leaves him open to both praise and blame. As he says, “In parts of our business, you aren’t considered to be good if you haven’t been fired at least once.”
   
18 November 1995, Atlanta (GA) Journal-Constitution, “The Ray Golf Firing,” pg. F2:
“All I know is this: If you haven’t been fired in coaching, then you haven’t been in coaching long enough,” he said.
   
1 May 1999, Detroit (MI) News, “Fired! Axing of ‘The Edge’ staff is a radio reality: Brutal business makes being let go a right of passage”:
There’s a saying in radio that you’re nobody if you haven’t been fired at least three times.
 
Google Books
Sports Talk:
A Journey Inside the World of Sports Talk Radio

By Alan Eisenstock
New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
2001
Pg. 189:
“If you haven’t been fired, you’re nobody. Best advice I give young guys starting out in this business? Never buy a house.”
(Jim Renshaw—ed.)
 
Google Books
Hire Me? Fire Me! Hired Myself:
How to make the most of the looming unprecedented demand for productive workers

By David Michael
Sydney, N.S.W., Australia: Wondu Business and Technology Services
2005
By David Michael
Pg. 23:
In the advertising business they say you can’t be any good if you haven’t been fired. I’m obviously very good.
   
BlogsSanDiego.com
KGB Legend Jim McInnes: There Goes The Last DJ by Jay Allen Sanford 6.18.7
(...)
McInnes elaborates: “There’s a saying in broadcasting; ‘If you haven’t been fired, you haven’t worked in radio.’ ”
     
RestonWeb
Novatom
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:18 am
As for Chris, speaking as a former radio guy myself, it’s oft said in that business, that if you haven’t been fired from a radio station, you really haven’t worked in radio.
 
Radio Imaging Blog for Voice Over Artists
How to Go to Work, Knowing it may be your Last Day.
September 19, 2009 – 10:37 am
I guess that’s the epitome of being a professional? Or it’s the product of having it done many times before hand, and it’s the ‘numb factor!’  Being in radio, they say, ‘if you haven’t been fired 5 times, you really HAVEN’T been in radio.’  It’s still so difficult to not take it personally, even if it’s a simple format flip, economic saving, or downsizing.  We as artists, still hurt when it happens.  We all have ‘value.’ It’s awful when our value is abused.
 
Albany (NY) Times-Union
B95.5 fires Ric Mitchell as it remakes morning program
May 17, 2010 at 4:19 pm by Chris Churchill, staff writer
(...)
COMMENTS
44.Unfortunately, this is the nature of the beast when it comes to radio. There is a saying among radio talent, if you haven’t been fired at least once, you haven’t worked in radio. It’s happened to all of us who worked in the business at least once. Ric is a veteran and will bounce back.
Comment by Marleen Blair — May 17th, 2010 @ 11:52 pm
 
WANE.com (Fort Wayne, IN)
Pat White to be back on the air at WGL
Will host morning talk show starting Monday

Updated: Tuesday, 08 Jun 2010, 11:24 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 08 Jun 2010, 4:11 PM EDT
Aishah Hasnie
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Longtime radio talk show host Pat White confirmed to NewsChannel 15, he will host a morning talk show at 1250 AM WGL.
 
After 14 years with Newstalk 1190 WOWO , White was fired in April. He hosted an afternoon talk show from 3 to 6 p.m. WOWO officials said they wanted to go a different direction.
 
“I was stunned,” White said in an interview with NewsChannel 15. “Anybody who gets this is gonna be stunned. But you know what? In this business, if you haven’t been fired, you will be…. And it happened to me and I hold no animosity whatsoever.”