Innholdsfortegnelse for May 21, 2018 i Radio Ink Magazine

I have to admit. I am frustrated. Frustrated by hearing “Radio doesn’t tell its story.” What, pray tell, is the story we’re not telling? And why aren’t we telling it? Several years ago, I posed that question to a radio executive. He paused, and with God as my witness, said, “I’m not sure I understand myself.” We all know the story. And we know how to tell it. Radio works. It really, really works. Hundreds — no, thousands — of case studies can be cited about radio’s ability to drive consumers directly to the point of purchase. How radio creative inspires listeners to action — to stop for that burger, apply for that loan, or adopt that homeless puppy. Indeed, radio gets results. If there is still any lingering doubt…

“Radio is dying.” “Radio is dead.” “My friends and I don’t listen to the radio. We (blah, blah, blah) instead.” “No one listens to the radio anymore, especially in high-tech places like San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley. That’s right, isn’t it?” Isn’t it? A few paragraphs from now, I’m going to tell you exactly how many people we’re reaching in San Francisco each week and precisely how many times the average San Franciscan hears our radio ad. But first, let’s look at why we can trust those numbers. You’ve heard of the Nielsen ratings. You’ve heard of the Gallup Poll. And of course you understand scientific survey methodology and statistical analysis. Nielsen measures San Francisco’s radio listening habits continuously, using a sample size of about 2,400 adults.…

Remember when you were a little kid and somebody said to you, “I know something you don’t know”? In my case, a statement like that would get my full, undivided attention. Why? Did they know something that would get me in trouble? Did they know something that would help me in some way? What did they know that I didn’t know? I wanted to know, and I wanted to know it now, dammit! I still do. I still want to know what I don’t know. I’m crazy for information that would make my life and that of my family better, more luxurious, safer. I like learning things that give me more of a competitive edge in life. And so do most other people, including local direct decisionmakers. We’re curious by…

What are your hobbies? Travel/exploring, golf, music. Who is/was your role model and why? Winston Churchill. He understood the importance of staying focused when everyone around you is losing their minds. A true Renaissance man. What are you reading right now? Michio Kaku, Physics of the Future — how science will shape human destiny and our daily lives by the year 2100. Favorite movie? Almost Famous. Twitter handle? @BruceMittman Who are the three most interesting people you know (outside your family) and why? Ernie Boch Jr. — friend, client, billionaire auto entrepreneur. He attempts to experience as much as possible of what life has to offer in music, travel, people, politics, and business. He brings his friends along for the ride. Steven Tompkins, sheriff of Suffolk County Boston. Came from…

A couple of decades ago I wrote a story in these pages about what the radio industry would look like in 20 or 30 years. We were beginning the process of local marketing agreements, which soon led to companies consolidating and buying up everything in sight. The article discussed advantages and disadvantages. Yet the biggest takeaway was that once radio owned most of its competition, it would significantly reduce its level of promotion — and that would have a devastating impact on the industry overall. Why would you need to promote to get listeners if you own all the stations that matter in your market? Why would you possibly need to do billboards, TV, and other outside promotion? My premise was that most would conclude they didn’t need to do…

I decided to plan a vacation to Florida with my sister Tracy. As in many places, it’s been a long winter here, filled with rain. We were ready to get away from the madness and embark on a getaway to the Sunshine State. To do that, I had to complete my to-do list. The first step was booking the trip. The next step was preparing and making sure my business was in order so I could get away for a few days. I often discuss with co-workers how amazing it is that we can be late for work or a meeting due to traffic or other setbacks, but we could never imagine missing our vacation flight! In some cases, we even make sure we arrive early. When a vacation is…

Good news! You have a successful, well rated morning team on your station. Bad news: They do not get along off the air. With so much emphasis on post-show events (promotions, events, appearances, social media), what’s a PD or GM to do? I think we could all agree that on-air staffs and drama are synonymous. But what happens when there is real-life conflict? Here are some suggestions from programmers and managers who either currently have or have had this kind of problem. Let’s start with a guy who works with morning shows all the time: morning show coach/consultant Steve Reynolds. He says, “Of course they need a relationship off-air. That’s crazy to think they don’t. The respect they have for each other, the trust they build, their ability to communicate…

“Things are looking up. The economy is getting better, which has given retailers a renewed sense of optimism, and that frees up some additional ad dollars.”— Larry Fuss Every year Radio Ink finds a handful of small- and medium-market operators who are running radio stations all over the country, ringing cash registers for local clients, delivering top-notch content to local listeners, and providing great service to their local communities. Radio is not only about the biggest companies trying to reach scale so they can compete with Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Even small- and medium-market operators are feeling the pinch from those big tech companies. Since our last Independent Operator issue, a year ago, radio’s two largest companies filed for bankruptcy, and as you’ll read, that has had a trickle-down effect.…

Think about your top-producing salesperson for a moment. Now imagine what you could achieve with an entire team of similar top performers! Recruiting top performers is job one for any sales manager today. Selling new candidates on a radio sales career is the most important sale you can make — and the recruiting process must be treated like a sale. Why is it so difficult to attract great salespeople today? Like any sale, you need to overcome the objections: Who wants to be in sales? No one goes through college champing at the bit to graduate so they can become a salesperson. You’ve probably seen the Pee-wee Herman skit where the doorbell rings, Pee-wee looks through the peephole, and he starts shouting “AAAHHH, salesman!” The unscrupulous tactics of a few…

If you want to be a great leader in radio today, it’s vital you seek out successful people and pick their brains. Luckily, our industry is very good at giving back. Many of radio’s best leaders say they never would have made it to the top of their careers without being mentored. We reached out to several of radio’s best leaders to get their input and opinion on being mentors and providing mentorship. Here’s what they had to say. “Mentors are so important. I have been blessed with many pioneers in the industry. Tom Stoner, who sold me my first radio station and gave me the courage to follow my vision; Wayne Cornils, who taught me to embrace radio for the good it brings; Eric Rhoads, for being willing to…

Bruce Mittman and Jim Leven are partners, complete equals — they wanted to be sure we emphasized that — in Community Broadcasters. They met in 1986, when Mittman was visiting a station where Leven was working as the manager. Mittman eventually purchased that station, just before midnight on December 31, 1986, and the two have been close friends ever since. Twenty years after they met, and several jobs and recessions later, Mittman and Leven launched a new radio company and called it Community Broadcasters. As you can imagine from the name, they set a goal to superserve small and mid-sized markets by being live and local as often as possible. The vision of Community Broadcasters is to be “a voice for the community.” They’ve committed to local programming in all…