Sometimes it's hard to be nice!

I have been doing this a long ass time. Often I run into amazingly helpful Media Relations folks, PR people and Sports Information Directors/staff. But, once in a while, I come into contact with no contact at all. I call, I email, I fax (in the old days) and I send snail mail (in the really old days). Usually, it's an interview request, a meeting idea or hopes for tickets for myself or a listener giveaway. Most of the time I get through to the right person within a day or two. when I was a full time producer in the 90's I got people on the same day, that was awesome. Now, it's a little different, harder to get a live voice, for sure! Then there are the times when I want to pull my hair out or say what I really feel. Two of those instances have come up quite recently. One with an SEC college Sports Information Department and the other with a major player in the communications department of one of the "top four" sports. This second incident also included two professional team media relations departments. I don't like to throw people under the bus or talk crap, but I've come close. If you read my book, you'd see that, because I changed people's names to avoid calling out a few of the jerks in this business. Today, I am frustrated, it took me three weeks to book an interview that happened too late to air on my show. Then it took seven weeks to get a live voice and an answer to a simple question. The answer was 'no.' And now it's too late for me to find other options for my plan. Do I go on my show and rip these people? Do I ignore being ignored and continue to move forward with my career? Do I stop engaging with these teams or businesses and focus on the helpful ones? After writing this and finding it quite cathartic, I will breathe deep and let it go. But, this experience gives me just one more reason to dislike the...