Oh yeah, radio.

That poor, unloved, bastard child of an advertising medium.

I don't know why it is, but radio advertising gets remarkably little respect. When looking at a writer's reel/portfolio, how many creative directors take the time to listen to the radio reel? About 1 in 10. A radio assignment comes up in an agency, and the prevailing attitude seems to be "give it to the junior." Who, not knowing any better, proceeds to try to cram all 6 copy points in the brief into a 30 second spot.

Geez, is it any wonder that most radio commercials suck?

Which is a shame. Because radio is the biggest sandbox a writer can play in. And usually without adult supervision :-) You rarely have the CD and account people breathing down your neck. And odds are that the client has enough other concerns-like that big new TV campaign-that s/he's not going to feel the need to have his fingerprints all over the thing.

Which means it's all resting on you, the writer. You and your pen or keyboard or cocktail napkin or whatever your weapon of choice is. If it's great, the credit's all yours. And if it's terrible, there's no art director or cinematographer or special effects to cover up the fact that you blew it.

If you're a writer, radio is the ultimate test.