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Ratings Non-Subscribers & Sales ...
February 19, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I caught up with a PD friend who transitioned into the sales side of radio. He's a GM for small cluster of stations in a small market. His ownership does not buy Nielson Audio ratings and the station manages to keep billing in the black. My friend explained he didnĂt think ratings were as important to sales as they were for programming. I still remember a Sales Manager once telling me he always stressed qualitative over rating numbers because there were too many variables with ratings. Because of that, he never wanted to put all his hopes and dreams on results from a rating period
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From time to time, I call industry friends I haven't talked to in a while to see how things are going. Since these people are friends and I tend to multi-task, I tape these conversations so I can go back and listen for anything that might have gotten past me. It's all good because I tell them I'm going tape our conversation.
That's What Friends Are For ...
After phone tag, I caught up with a PD friend who transitioned into the sales side of radio. He's a GM for small cluster of stations in a small market. His ownership does not buy Nielson Audio ratings and the station manages to keep billing in the black. My friend explained he didn't think ratings were as important to sales as they were for programming. I still remember a Sales Manager once telling me he always stressed qualitative over rating numbers because there were too many variables with ratings. Because of that, he never wanted to put all his hopes and dreams on results from a rating period.
Hmmm ...
So, I wondered, how my friend was doing in that small market and I wanted his suggestions on what a non-Nielsen subscriber could do to compete.
GM: Sam, I borrowed from an independent owner I saw talk about his non-subscribing station back in the '90s when it was still Arbitron. He used a 24-page booklet in his market and with agencies to sell time. He called it Our Ratings. He divided his brochure into sections and included a station profile, a coverage map with a list of neighborhoods and communities, and quotes from people about his station. The brochure had statements from local leaders, politicians, educators, policeman, business leaders and listeners on the street. He even passed around the brochure. It included a brief description of programming and the rates. The idea was for him to show off how connected his station was to the community. I was still programming then, and that gentleman opened my eyes to things I never thought about before.
Coach: It made you think, didn't it?
GM: It sure did. I introduced myself to that owner and had lunch with him. He told me all any station needed to sell was community engagement, sales promotions and specialized packaging. I never said anything to you back then, but it was the first time I ever thought about anything other than programming. Six years later I was out of a programming job and on the advice of another friend, I went into radio sales and here I am today a GM. And I've put to use what I learned that day at that conference.
Coach: What he said was sound advice for any station. Funny, you never told me that story before, I'm glad I called.
GM: I know how your mind work; you called me to get fired up to write about something.
Coach: You know me well, thanks for the conversation. I assume you want me to send you a copy of what we talked about.
GM: Of course.
The Best Definition ...
I've always believed Rod Serling's opening monologue for the TV classic "Twilight Zone" best
described radio sales."It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."
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