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Scott Alan |
His morning show attracted between 50,000 to 100,000 listeners a day, he said, putting him in the same league as much bigger stations. With a little hustle on the side, Alan was solidly middle class. He took his wife, a part-time dietician, and two kids on a vacation every year, to places like Florida and the Bahamas. He saved up enough to pay for his oldest daughter’s first year of college.
“The salary I made on the radio wasn’t top-notch, but it was decent,” Alan said. “But the perks I got were incredible. I ate at restaurants that right now, if I walked in, I would have to be the dishwasher.”
The work was also fulfilling. He interviewed Robert Redford, the late Paul Newman and then-state Sen. Barack Obama. And Alan’s shtick was blue collar: anti-corporate, pro-little guy. He gave weekly spots to local struggling musicians. He helped an ex-con listener get a job. His audience peaked during the worst of the recession.
Then, in October 2011, a new manager came in, more of a “bean counter,” Alan said. After 12 years on air, they replaced him with a nationally syndicated host’s show. He said it was clearly a money-saving move.
“It devastated me,” Alan said. “…And that’s where my depression came in. You know, I’ve been battling depression since then.”
Alan's situation is the subject of a Al Jazeera America documentary 'The Other America'.