Rickey Smiley, famed comedian and long-time radio personality, made an unforgettable visit to the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication and spoke wisdom, humor and helpful career insight to the students this past Tuesday.
Smiley stopped by while he was visiting Tallahassee for his book tour for his new book “Sideshow: Living with Loss and Moving Forward with Faith.”
The event kicked off with an on-air interview with Smiley and 90.5’s radio personality Jasmine Jefferson from Soul Sessions w/ Jasmine J.
From there, students were allowed to ask their prepared questions in a Q&A session that started with many laughs, but quickly got to business once the first question was on the floor.
Smiley’s contagious energy and larger-than-life personality spread through convergence as students went through different questions ranging from his career and personal life to his book and resilience.
As a radio host of over 20 years, Rickey emphasized how the radio scene has changed so much over the years.
“Radio has moved into syndication, companies cutting budgets,” Smiley said. “Let’s say it would cost an average station $400,000 to have a local morning show, as with a syndicated show, it would cost you about $15,000. “
The difference in the cost is causing many stations to push for automated shows instead of actually paying talent to be radio hosts.
Though radio cuts are happening, he encouraged students to create their own lanes and platforms.
“I want to encourage everybody to get outside of the box, and in order to grow, you have to get out of your comfort zone,” Smiley said.
Smiley stressed that his journey to get where he is now depended on hard work, sacrifices and personal resilience. His new book highlights his grieving journey after the death of his oldest son and how his faith helps guide him through this difficult time.
“My job is to be funny, so imagine being funny after you lost one of your kids,” he said. “Even when I did my book, I did the audio version … I had to separate the emotions from the material.”
While his words of wisdom had the audience hanging on to his every word, his humor brought the room to life with his anecdotes and funny remarks.
As the event came to a close, he tasked the room to “dare to be different.” He also noted that the “difference between someone being ordinary and extra-ordinary is only the extra,” so go hard in everything you do. Students were left with inspiring mindsets and determination to do what it takes to reach any goal that they may have.