Innholdsfortegnelse for August 12, 2019 i Radio Ink Magazine

Thoughts of summer begin to fade as September starts to rise on the horizon. And shortly after the pool has been closed for the season, so, too, third quarter ends. In what seems like the blink of an eye, the first nine months of 2019 will soon be wrapped up and in the history books. And we start to move on to the final three months of the year. There’s something about the fourth quarter that brings about a high-charged rush, adrenaline pumping amid the scurry of activity as wrapping up one year melds into planning the next. It’s a time of both assessment and forward thinking — one eye peering behind at sights past and the other focused on the visions beginning to emerge over the crest of the…

One of the easiest ways to prospect for new accounts is by calling advertisers that are running schedules on your competitors’ stations. Why not? After all, somebody else has already done most of the work, convincing a business owner to advertise on broadcast radio or TV to begin with. What could go wrong? I’ll tell you what goes wrong. These clients eventually become spoiled, playing one rep against another, demanding lower rates, better times, free remotes, bonus spots, and free online schedules. Then, more times than not, the direct account’s decisionmaker is hypnotized by one of those small, predatory “advertising agencies,” and you can never contact her directly again without being threatened by the agency. Once the agencies have hijacked enough local business, then the real rate-grinding begins. And this…

There are two different specialties within the world of the radio station account executive. No doubt it is possible to become proficient at both specialties, although I’ve never met an AE who was. And that includes me. The first specialty is the selling of dedicated media buyers. Every advertising agency has at least one media buyer, as do many privately owned companies. Media buyers are like jewelers. Every jeweler believes they have a perfectly balanced understanding of “The 4 C’s” of a diamond: color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. But every diamond wholesaler knows that every jeweler has an unconscious preference. One jeweler will sacrifice a little of the color, cut, and clarity of his diamonds to get a heavier carat weight. Another jeweler will sacrifice carat weight, clarity, and…

Selling radio is almost like a religious experience. It requires faith, commitment, tenacity, and above all, integrity. That said, the following comes straight from the Radio Advertising Bible (the other RAB”). Picture yourself standing on the mount, ready to receive the Word. You may not find it etched on tablets, but here’s how it reads… The First Commandment: Thou Shalt Put Thy Clients First Without question, you will be put to the test daily, as your manager tells you to sell the package of the week, to get that remote sponsored, to sell out next week’s broadcast of the ball game. A Philadelphia station rep called me at my friend’s media-buying service, suggesting that our vitamin client sponsor their “Scrapple Fest.” Not happening, I explained. The woman has devoted her…

Townsquare CEO Bill Wilson is well aware of how important it is to motivate from the top down. He knows how powerful it is when employees in markets like Texarkana, Grand Junction, Rockford, and Owensboro hear from and see the CEO of a massive public company. That’s why he spends a lot of his time traveling to Townsquare’s small and medium-sized markets, sharing the Townsquare vision and telling employees how vital they are to the success of the company. Wilson has been with Townsquare since its founding in 2010, when then-CEO Steven Price asked him to consider bringing his digital expertise over to radio. When he saw the connection radio’s on-air talent have with their local communities, he was hooked. Before making the move to Townsquare, Wilson was president of…

This ain’t your father’s WKRP in Cincinnati. The story Turi Ryder tells in her new book, She Said What? (A Life on the Air), has all the personalities from the late-’70s sitcom, but magnified, in a no-nonsense, glaring, warts-and-all reveal of this radio journey-woman’s rock and talk radio career. Cleverly using a technique known as roman à clef (French for “novel with a key”), Ryder portrays the real people and real places that have been part of her life on and off the air. The reader is drawn into the blur between nonfiction and fiction, and will be trying to recognize these people and these places. The TV-friendly composite characters of Dr. Johnny Fever, Herb Tarlek, Arthur Carlson, and Andy Travis are replaced by very real people sporting the noms…

We’re in sales, and our income depends on how much our clients spend with us. Sure, we need to retain and grow our current clients. But let me ask you a question. How much time do you spend prospecting for new clients? More importantly, what’s your reason for calling? Picking up the phone is the fastest way to get on a client’s calendar, but too many of us fear the phone, versus viewing it as the lifeline to our business. Most of our fear revolves around the potential of being rejected or being hung up on. Every great seller has been hung up on, but those who had the courage to push forward likely found all sorts of long-term rewards for the temporary disappointment they may have experienced when the…

The old saying “A sale is never complete until they sign on the dotted line” is true, to a point. In reality, the sales cycle is never really complete until — you get paid! As a media sales rep, collections are part of the responsibilities, but for many, it can be a very difficult and stressful task. And when not handled properly, it can cost everyone involved — the sales rep, the radio station, even the client — a lot of money, time, heartache, and reputation. So how can you become a better collector and make the process easier and less stressful? Step number one, the collection process should take place before your client commits to your proposal, or immediately after they say yes. Getting the first few months paid…

Podcasting is hot. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent in podcasts by advertisers, and the IAB projects that figure will hit $1 billion by 2021. Investors are throwing millions of dollars into podcasting startups. Big brands like Spotify are gobbling up podcasting companies left and right, hoping to be the number one player in the space and the number one choice for consumers who listen to podcasts. Everyone from comedians to actors to politicians to three friends in a garage is starting a podcast. Radio is trying to find its way when it comes to podcasting. The biggest questions are: is it worth the time invested, and is there money to be made? Some companies have a podcasting strategy and are doing quite well in the space. Some…