I recognize elements of these characters, we've been some of these characters on several occasions, and Ian Shane has caught the flavor of the broadcasting business. Even if you think you've seen it all or done it all before, this is very much an essential text, regardless of which side of the looking glass you're on.
Todd Berryman – On Air Personality on Radio Radio
Radio Radio is the new novel by Ian Shane. The book takes a look at contemporary music, and how the music industry and corporate radio have seriously thinned the diversity of music featured today.
The book’s protagonist is Erik Randal. He’s an east coast guy working in a middle sized Midwestern town. He has a great taste of music, but is going through the motions of his job at the beginning of our story. He has big ideas of what radio should be, but never really shows the ambition to realize his dream. He doesn’t put “The Plan” into action until his locally owned radio station is sold to a large corporate group. He then realizes that his future may lie away from his current radio station.
Erik meets a singer/songwriter named Myra. He makes several clumsy attempts to win her over (which he already has, he’s just not bright enough to notice). Erik is a little gun shy since the ending of his last relationship because his ex relocated. As his relationship with Myra starts to develop, he is offered his dream job in his home state of New York. He must set his priorities to take the next step. Does he stay and cultivate his relationship with Myra, and work for a radio station that is becoming what he hates most about radio; or does he take the job thousands of miles away, and risk losing Myra as he did his last girlfriend?
