Most out-of-office messages are pretty straightforward. Unless you’re in the radio and music business. Every week, after sending out the Ross on Radio newsletter, there’s at least one that makes me smile.
When the column was saluting “Radio’s Best & Worst” every week, I usually set aside one of the week’s best OOOs as a kicker. Over the summer, though, I’ve accumulated enough of them for a column.
I appreciate how your OOOs keep us in touch if we don’t communicate regularly. With Labor Day just wrapped, they also provide a pretty good cross-section of how you spent your summer vacation, and sometimes station concerts and promotions.
Here’s a small cross-sampling, reprinted with their senders’ permission.
“I’m currently floating down a river with thousands of the best listeners on the planet! Should I survive, I’ll be back in the studio on Monday. I just pray I don’t hear the sound of banjos off in the distance” – Billy Greenwood, iHeart Media, St. Louis, on his way to KSD (The Bull)’s 20th annual Float Trip, featuring Riley Green and Dylan Scott. (“I survived, by the way.”)
“I am out of the country. However, if you need me in an emergency, please call the Carrick-On-Shannon, Ireland, harbormaster Declan O’Sulliebhain. Ask him where the feckin’ eejit from Philadelphia is” – Razz, WXTU Philadelphia.
“I’m out of office for my annual ‘try to get the kids off their phone and hike in the mountains’ trip. I’ll be back online July 24 unless I get eaten by a bear” – Kevin Becker, PD Stingray Media, Red Deer, Alberta.
“I’m currently in a series of top secret workshops on the top of Machu Picchu, with the world’s greatest radio consultant, Phil Dowse.” – Travis Bussiahn, East Coast Radio, South Africa.
“The 88.7 myFM team is out of the office for our annual All-Hands-on-Deck Food Drive. If you’re able, stop by one of three locations and make a donation to our local food banks” – Sara Johnston, PD CKYM Napanee, Ontario. The station collected 9,200 pounds of food and $8,500. “We had similar results across MBC’s stations from Niagara to the Ottawa Valley,” she says.
“Do you lobster with an ‘H’? You do in the Northeast. I’m on vacation, doing my best to teach my two-year-old that sand is not for eating, and also attempting not to check my e-mail” – Nathan Mumford, Director of Sales Engineering, RCS, and regular sender of funny out-of-office messages.
“I am out of the office for a family holiday escape. I need to learn to paddleboard again, so chances are I won’t be checking e-mails” – Blair Sullivan, Australia’s Create Consult Research (who now says “it was all true — well, the paddleboarding”).
“Movin’ the fam down south. Be back in the office on Sept. 5.” – Anna Widmer, Columbia’s newly appointed southern Country regional.
“I am currently out of the office in Wisconsin eating more cheese and drinking more beer than any human should. But that’s what you do in Wisconsin. I’ll get back to you when I can physically move enough to get to my computer” – Ryan McCredden, Townsquare Media, Quad Cities.
“Most likely if you are sending me an e-mail, you are a wonderful person (most of the time) and a terrific partner. Please feel free to contact Summer Horvath with any immediate concerns. As you most likely know, she is awesome” – Brian Corona, Atlantic/Elektra.
“I’m sure you will be happy to hear that I will be a little MIA this week. We all know my husband basically works for Big Machine for free (dealing with my mailers and with me), so the least I could do is take some time off for his birthday! If that wasn’t enough this week, I’ll be heading to New York to check another bucket list moment off for mama – the U.S. Open!” – Brooke Diaz, Big Machine Label Group.
And here are a few from before summer 2023 that I held on to:
“I am currently out of the office watching my son compete at state wrestling!” – Jill Masek, director of sales, NRG Media, Lincoln, Neb.
“I am out of the office Oct. 27-31 due to an intense family mediation between my mother, Joshua Allen, and my father, Aaron Rodgers” – Shanna “Quinn” Cudeck, PD WMIL Milwaukee.
“On a personal day celebrating a 25th year of marriage. Frolicking in flowery fields, soaking in shining skies, riding rainbows. Imagine the happiest Care Bear riding a My Little Pony (mine is Scootaloo) thru the land of Smurfs. Why would you want to interrupt this pure joy? You can call or e-mail Jen Zeller” – Robbie Lloyd, VP/Alternative Promotion, Interscope/Geffen/A&M/DGC, and another regular OOO creative.
