Innholdsfortegnelse for August 14, 2017 i Radio Ink Magazine

NOTES FROM THE CHAIRMAN TO REACH ME, WRITE: B. Eric Rhoads, Publisher RADIO INK 1901 S. Congress Ave., Ste. 118 Boynton Beach, FL 33426 Phone: 561-655-8778 Fax: 561-655-6164 bericrhoads@gmail.com facebook.com/eric.rhoads Twitter: @ericrhoads change is all around us, every day. But you know that; people in these pages talk about it all the time. But what we don’t hear about quite as much is something that often comes along with change: fear. Nervousness. Uncertainty about the future. And those don’t have to be negative things. A little fear is natural when things seem to be changing moment to moment and it feels like it’s hard to find your footing. That’s nothing to worry about. And when digital and technology — fast-developing areas that aren’t always easy to understand — are becoming…

Buzz Knight VP of Programming for Beasley Media Group He can be reached at buzz@bbgi.com When summer arrives, it’s an important reminder to take a deep breath and savor the midpoint of the year. How aligned is everybody on your team with their key priorities? Is your organization affected by change, but not always able to see it? How open are you to hearing other viewpoints, from inside your organization and outside? At the Council for Research Excellence’s quarterly meeting, there was an important discussion regarding how our organizations need to deal with the incredible pace of change. One of the reasons I love being a member of the CRE is the opportunity it gives us to step out of our normal thinking and be challenged to think differently and…

President ENS Media Inc. Are you prepared for your local advertisers placing their budgets through so-called local ad agencies? Historically, locally owned and operated businesses chose to have their budgets administered by an agency for two primary reasons: To avoid sorting through all of the competitive and misleading claims and counterclaims from local media reps. To have “experts” create campaigns with higher ROI based upon their media knowledge — knowledge that multitasking business owners didn’t have. These reasons advertisers rely on agencies are now compounded by the confusing and evolving number of media choices and the quest to make media more “accountable.” More and more local advertisers are going to be compelled to seek the advice of local ad agencies. Stations that do not have strategic management plans at both…

Some years ago, tragedy struck my family when my brother died. Life stopped at that moment for us, even as it continued outside our shattered world. I had been in the middle of planning our stations’ grand opening. Among the many heartfelt callers in the days after my brother’s death was Gordon Hastings, then head of Katz. Expressing his sympathy, he offered to handle all the arrangements for Pete Rose to appear at the grand opening. He told me, “You have enough on your plate. We will take care of this.” It was a kindness I never forgot. Ten years later, Eric Rhoads approached me about launching the Hispanic Radio Conference. By that time, Gordon had moved on to the Broadcasters Foundation, which also served as my introduction to the…

President Wizard of Ads Inc. roy@wizardofads.com You hear a lot of talk these days about how no one listens to the radio anymore. Interestingly, the people who make these claims offer no evidence beyond the fact that commercial-free music can be obtained through online streaming. This reminds me of the famous words of Yogi Berra, “No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” If you want to see raw numbers, look at the Nielsen Audio Ratings. But I submit to you, as a supplement to those happy numbers, a few observations fueled by my investment of tens of millions of dollars in advertising expenditures each year for more than 25 years. Radio advertising is more cost-effective today than it has ever been, mainly because rates have been suppressed by the…

Owner /Managing Director RevKick gbarnes@revkick.com In 2017, advertisers are being required to get more creative (pun intended) when it comes to how they reach their target audience; and as competition continues to flood the market, radio stations are seeking to find new and attractive ways to sell these services — remember, people buy emotionally, then justify their purchases intellectually. With this in mind, many groups are turning to technology to help facilitate new ways to entice advertisers to continue to do business with them. A COMMON PROBLEM Imagine you own an auto dealership. It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and people are walking all around your lot taking a look at your inventory. Your sales reps are busy trying to touch each person and ask how they can help. As always,…

In July of 2015, Bill Hendrich — who was VP/GM of Cox Media Group’s Jacksonville radio stations at the time — was named CMG’s executive VP of radio and CMG Research. He was promoted to the top radio spot in the company after Kim Guthrie was catapulted to EVP for CMG’s National Ad Platforms and president of CoxReps. (In January 2017 Guthrie would be promoted to president of Cox Media Group following the retirement of Bill Hoffman.) Bill Hendrich didn’t plan to be in radio when he started his career. In his early 20s, he was running a travel agency in Mobile, AL, and the local radio stations would call on him to sell him advertising. He got to know the program director at WKSJ in Mobile, which led to…

One of the most important goals of Radio Ink is to help you become a more successful manager and leader. And there’s no better way to get you on the road to success than to hear from those in our industry who have blazed their way to the top. In this Managers Roundtable, we turn to four of Radio Ink’s Radio Wayne finalists and ask them to share their secrets on how to become a successful manager and lead the much larger staffs managers must work with today. Not just in radio, but in any business, I think you have to be in tune with your people, from the interns and parttimers all the way to your top employees. And lead by example. If your employees see you doing things,…

Managing Member AdLab Media Communications You and your client have done your homework. You’ve identified your audience’s interests, and how they align with your client’s products and services. You’ve structured a sound media schedule, crafted an attractive offer, and devised the best possible message. Somehow, you’re still not seeing dramatic results. Now what? Jump off the Eiffel Tower? The Sears Tower? The Empire State Building? None of the above. It’s time to promote, not just advertise. Promotion involves taking the client’s advertising campaign beyond brand awareness, and even beyond brand preference, with that extra juice — the rocket fuel that will magnify your results and drive traffic up to the level you and the client want. In short, promotion is larger-than-life advertising. Promotion may take the form of discounts or…

Since Mary Berner took over as Cumulus Media CEO nearly two years ago, one of the company's main goals has been to improve the ratings. After all, Cumulus owns quite a few of radio's most recognizable brands, including WPLJ and WABC in New York, WLS in Chicago, KGO in San Francisco, and WMAL in Washington, DC. Overall, Cumulus owns 447 radio stations in 90 markets, and the company says that before the CEO change, ratings had been in steady decline for four consecutive years. Radio Ink spoke with Cumulus EVP/Content & Programming Mike McVay and EVP/ Operations and Co-Head Office of Programming Bob Walker about the changes that were made and the progress they are seeing. Radio Ink: Talk about the iconic radio brands under the Cumulus umbrella and how…

What are your hobbies (outside of radio)? I enjoy long weekend vacations with my wife, Helen. Going to neat parts of the country, staying in lodges or historic hotels, hiking, being tourists, and enjoying the local cuisine. I enjoy playing golf, but don’t get to play as much as I would like. You would think living in Florida that it is golf all of the time, but it has never worked out that way. I really like reading great spy and espionage novels. Who is/was your role model, and why? Three different role models have influenced my life in a very positive way. My father, Bob Hendrich. As I have gotten older, I have realized more about the impact he had on my life. My father was a great family…