Robert Feder Exits Our Mornings

Robert Feder Exits Our Mornings

In his column today, Robert Feder announced he was going to be leaving the Chicago Sun-Times sometime in the next few weeks. In the column, he eloquently described his reasons for walking away from what has been his "dream job." You can read his goodbye letter to his readers at this link here: Feder: Columnist's 'dream come true' nears the end .

As a reader of his column probably from the very start, I was shocked. I really shouldn't have been. Newspaper cuts have been happening for the last few years, and especially in recent months, where staffer after staffer from the Sun-Times and Tribune have been shown the door. A couple of weeks back, the Sun-Times revealed that they would be offering staffers of 25+ years the opportunity to retire with a nice retirement package. That's a nice way of saying to the long-time veterans, "Thanks for your years here, but you are making more money that we want to pay you anymore. How can we get you to leave?" When presented with the opportunity to leave, Rob Feder thought long & hard on it and decided to take the Sun-Times up on their offer. When it finally becomes official, he leaves with an extra year's salary and paid benefits for that year. On the CRM Facebook page, I had one person mention that Mr. Feder was given a "golden parachute." That term gets used a lot lately with various CEOs ruining their businesses and then leaving with a multi-million dollar pat on the back. A one-years salary from a newspaper is NOT a "golden parachute." It not any kind of precious metal parachute. It's enough to live nicely for the next 12 months, but by no means does it mean that the man is suddenly set for life. It is a parachute, though. When getting pushed out of an airplane, like the Sun-Times is doing to its veterans, it's better to have a parachute than to not have one. One way or another, the Sun-Times was going to cut salaries and remove its veteran staffers. One way or another, they are all getting pushed out of the plane. Better to take the parachute now, then to take the plunge later with nothing to show for it.

They buyout was not the sole reason for his decision to leave. In his column he talked about how he has been doing the same job for the past 28 years. That's a very long time to be doing the very same thing day in and day out -- even a thing that one loves doing. The buyout presented him with a crossroads: Do you keep doing what you have been doing for so long or do you seize the opportunity to try something new? He decided to try something new.

I'm sure that the downturn environment of modern media played into his decision, as well. Newspapers are not exactly on the upswing. They are bleeding money with no clear way to stop the hemorrhaging. Some newspapers, like the Chicago Tribune are doing brave experiments to see if they can slow down or stabilize the dying industry. Some, like the Sun-Times, are just cutting every corner possible and hoping for a miracle that isn't showing up. The subject matter he reported on, namely the radio & television industries, are seeing similar declines. It must get tiring to constantly have to report on a talented GM being let go for budget reasons, or on large handfuls of staffers being laid off so a company can consolidate, or a personality losing his/her job to be replaced by a cheap syndicated show. For a man that adores the subject matter he writes about, it can take some of the fun out of the job.

After my initial shock of Robert Feder's announcement, I was struck by sadness. There is no real logical reason for this. The man had not passed away. He was not truly screwed over by the Corporation he works for, rather he was allowed a graceful exit, in lieu of being screwed over. Yet, knowing that I will soon no longer be able to open up my paper to the Sun-Times Business section or click that on special bookmark on my computer and read his column on a weekday morning, left me with a deep sense of loss. Granted, it's a selfish reason, but the emotion existed nonetheless.

I have to think that others all over Chicago, and all over the country, had to feel the same sense of loss this morning. There isn't a Chicago area executive, staffer, talent or even intern working in either the radio or television industry that didn't start their day by looking at his column. A mention in there was a badge of honor, assuming it wasn't a negative mention, and sometimes even then. Industry people all over the country looked to his column every day, too. He is quoted on a daily basis in All Access, Radio-Info, Radio & Records, Inside Radio, Radio Daily News, TV Newsday and almost every other industry website & publication out there. He is THE source for news on radio & TV for Chicagoland. His loss will be felt by so many more than most people can even imagine.

I went back and forth about mentioning this, since I don't often like to talk about my life away from the CRM sites, but I decided to go ahead with it this time... I shared many e-mails with Robert Feder. That's nothing too special, though. Anybody can e-mail him and he quickly emails back everybody who wishes to communicate with him. His approachability has always been one of his many qualities. What I really wanted to mention was my one personal meeting with him. Less than a year ago, I had the extreme privilege to have lunch with the man. Now I can tell you from experience that often when meeting celebrities, famous people and personal idols, it can be a letdown. I've been lucky enough to meet hundreds of these people in my lifetime. Quite often, you will walk away from those encounters feeling a big disappointment. They can sometimes run the gamut from awkward to aggravating. Not so with meeting Mr. Feder! He exceeded my wildest expectations. I'm pretty intuitive when meeting somebody and I get a feel for who they really are pretty quick. He is as kind and as genuine as they come. He has a huge heart and truly loves what he does. A true class act. It was an honor to spend that time with him and get to know him, even for that fairly brief time.

His columns were rarely negative. Occasionally, there may be a story that paints somebody in a less than attractive light (Joe Ahern's recent stint at WBBM, Diann Burns & Felicia Middlebrook's racism charges during contract negotiations, Clear Channel/Westwood One firings, etc.), but overall his columns were either upbeat or full of news & information. He avoided the low road. There reason he did this is simply because this is who he is. He is a positive person who sees the best in others. The kindness of his columns came from the kindness of his heart.

He has many fans, but the fact is HE was the fan of that which he wrote about. He writes about Chicago media because he loves Chicago media. He always has. He grew up here, went to school here, and like most of us born from the late 50's on up, he was raised with a TV & a radio nearby. Media has been part of his entire life and he dedicated himself to it. His columns brought the behind-the-scenes information on local media to the forefront. No longer was it just barroom talk between industry insiders. Now it was printed in black & white and in the news. Still, he avoided the rumors & envious talk of those barroom conversations. He focused on the brighter side of the industries, like promotions, new events, exciting changes, and items that would interest the general public, not just insiders. He give a printed voice to industry pros who were treated unfairly by management (Bruce Wolf for example) or Mother Nature (Eddie Schwartz come to mind). His columns would shine a light on an industry that made a light shine within him. The rare times he would have to bring up less than positive comments about a situation were usually because somebody was embarrassing the industries he loves. However, he would be the first to mention something positive about that same person, if a new positive event occurred down the road.

There is no pretension with Robert Feder. No ego. No power trips. No arrogance. He easily could have taken that path in his life. His column's popularity could easily have given him cause to get that way. Certain predecessors of his developed these unlikable quirks. However, he did not. He is the same happy soul who started at the Sun-Times in 1980 as an assistant. He is a genuine gentleman who never lost his love and admiration for Chicago media and those who work in it. For over 2 decades, he has been Chicago media's greatest champion & cheerleader.

I guess I could get into his education at Northwestern's prestigious Medill School of Journalism or talk about the many dozens of awards & accolades he has consistently & deservedly won over a long period of time. The fact is none of that really matters. All that matters is the thousands of quality columns he has faithfully turned into his employer over the great many years for all of our mutual enjoyment. That mountain of tremendous work speaks mountains about the tremendous man.

I was going to originally title this blog "Robert Feder: 1980-2008." However, this isn't an obituary. Despite my initial shock and sadness, this isn't a time for either. His career at the Sun-Times may be coming to an end, but this won't be the last we will hear of him. His talents, his industry knowledge, his ideas, his abilities, his connections, his friendships, and his heart will take him far. I will be happy to spread the word about his new ventures, whatever they may be.

Many people do their jobs in the public eye day in and day out -- some out of habit, some out of necessity, some out of love -- but rarely do we get a chance to give that person true feedback on their job. Rarely do we get a chance to give thanks for all they've done for our entertainment.

I'm taking that chance now, though.

Thank you very much, Rob Feder, for all you've done for us. You are appreciated and you will be missed.