The media industry loves to talk about innovation — AI-powered workflows, digital transformation, audience engagement, revenue diversification, multi-platform strategy. But let’s ask a less glamorous question: when did hiring become so impersonal? If you talk privately with candidates across broadcast television, digital media, streaming, radio, ad tech, and corporate media groups, there’s a recurring theme that keeps surfacing: the recruiting process often feels less like relationship-building and more like surviving a bureaucratic obstacle course designed by software. And candidates are noticing.
The Applicant Tracking System Black Hole
At some point, corporate recruiting departments became overly dependent on applicant tracking systems, automation filters, and keyword-matching software. In theory, this makes sense — companies receive hundreds of resumes, recruiters need efficiency, hiring managers are busy, and technology helps organize the chaos. That’s the positive side. The problem is that somewhere along the way, efficiency started replacing humanity. Today, candidates spend hours tailoring resumes, rewriting cover letters, answering repetitive online questionnaires, and navigating systems that sometimes look like they were designed during the dial-up internet era. Then what happens? Nothing. No acknowledgment, no update, no rejection email, no human response whatsoever — just silence. Candidates increasingly refer to it as the “ATS black hole.” You apply, your resume disappears into the cloud, and you’re left wondering whether an actual person ever even saw your background. And here’s the uncomfortable truth many professionals in media are saying privately: some highly qualified candidates are likely being screened out before a hiring manager ever reviews their resume. Not because they aren’t capable, and not because they lack experience — but because software didn’t like a keyword.
AI Recruiting: Powerful Tool or Dangerous Crutch?
Artificial intelligence absolutely has a place in recruiting. It can improve efficiency, identify patterns, reduce administrative burden, and help companies process high-volume hiring needs. Used correctly, AI can be a valuable tool. Used carelessly, it becomes a corporate shortcut that filters out nuance, personality, leadership ability, and transferable talent. The media business especially should understand this — it’s an industry built on relationships, communication skills, creativity, leadership under pressure, storytelling, revenue instincts, and adaptability, and those qualities do not always translate neatly into an algorithmic scoring system. A great Director of Sales candidate may not use the “approved” wording in their resume. An elite newsroom leader may have unconventional market experience. A talented digital strategist may not check every automated software box. Yet increasingly, candidates suspect software is deciding their fate before a meaningful human conversation ever happens. That perception alone should concern corporate leadership, because once candidates stop believing the process is fair, companies start damaging their employer brand whether they realize it or not.
Then Comes the Ghosting
This is where candidate frustration really escalates. Let’s say someone actually makes it past the automated gatekeepers. Now they’re invested — updating resumes, preparing presentations, researching the company, taking PTO from their current job, rearranging family schedules, paying for airport parking, navigating delayed flights and hotel stays, and sitting through marathon interview schedules that are sometimes brutal: five, seven, ten interviews. Some interviewers are excellent and prepared; others clearly glanced at the resume 30 seconds before entering the room. Candidates often describe running a “gauntlet” where multiple people ask identical questions because nobody internally coordinated the process, or worse, interviewers have no meaningful questions at all. Then after all of that effort? Nothing. No call, no email, no closure — even after the candidate sends a professional thank-you note expressing appreciation and continued interest. Radio silence. That’s not just frustrating. It’s damaging. And candidates talk. The media industry is smaller than many executives think, and word travels quickly between stations, groups, agencies, networks, vendors, and leadership circles. A poor recruiting experience today becomes tomorrow’s LinkedIn post, private industry conversation, or reputation problem.
Professionalism Works Both Ways
Corporate professionalism is not a one-way street. Recruiters and hiring managers should communicate clearly, respect candidates’ time, and close the loop even when the answer is “no.” But candidates also carry responsibility in this process. Showing up unprepared, disappearing mid-process, accepting counteroffers after verbally committing, or ghosting employers after interviews only adds to the dysfunction everyone complains about. The media industry is ultimately still a relationship business. Reputation matters. Professionalism matters. And in an era where technology increasingly dominates recruiting, basic communication, honesty, and mutual respect may actually become the ultimate competitive advantage for both companies and candidates alike.
Corporate Recruiting Has a Branding Problem
Here’s the irony: many media companies spend millions building consumer-facing brands while neglecting candidate experience entirely. But recruiting is branding. Every interaction tells candidates who you are. Fast communication says, “We respect people.” Transparent timelines say, “We value professionalism.” Prepared interviewers say, “We take hiring seriously.” Ghosting says the opposite. And candidates are becoming less tolerant of it, especially experienced professionals who already have jobs and are taking personal risk simply by exploring new opportunities.
What’s Actually Going Right?
To be fair, not everything is broken. Some media companies are doing this exceptionally well, and the best organizations today tend to share several traits. They move quickly, because top candidates rarely stay available long and strong recruiting teams understand speed matters. They communicate consistently, since even a simple update email goes a long way. They prepare interview teams, so interviewers know the candidate’s background, understand the role, and avoid redundant conversations. They respect the candidate’s time through efficient scheduling and streamlined interviews. They balance technology with human judgment, letting software assist the process instead of replacing real evaluation. And they understand recruiting is relationship-driven — especially in media, where relationships still matter and always will.
The Industry May Be at a Crossroads
Corporate recruiting in media feels like it’s sitting at an uncomfortable intersection between technology and professionalism. The technology itself is not the enemy — poor execution is. Candidates understand companies are busy. They understand not everyone gets hired. They understand recruiting at scale is difficult. What they don’t understand is investing substantial personal and professional energy into a process that sometimes treats them like a transaction instead of a human being. And frankly, many hiring managers privately agree. The companies that win the talent war over the next five years probably won’t just be the ones with the biggest compensation packages — they’ll be the ones that create hiring experiences people actually respect. Because in an industry built entirely on communication, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify not communicating with candidates. And perhaps that’s the biggest irony of all.
Ty Carver has over 30+ years of recruiting, HR management, sales, and leadership experience…including the last 15 specific to the broadcast media industry. He is the Founder/CEO of Carver Talent, a local broadcast media management recruiting firm. As the former Head of Recruiting for Raycom Media, he has deep industry relationships. Have a media corporate executive/management or television station management recruiting need? Contact ty@carvertalent.com for more information.