-
The Money Is Not Worth It …
August 4, 2020
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
COVID-19 has radio swimming in uncharted waters. Budget projections for 2021 are difficult because most 2020 budgets are still, pardon the pun, underwater.
Bring In The Cash …
Stations need advertisers to come back on air. But standards must be maintained, or short-term fixes will cause diminishing returns for the future. Work with sales but keep an ear out for commercials that normally wouldn’t air.The Miracle Salesperson …
I once worked at a station with a "superstar" salesperson who would break rules but was the "Top Biller." This person would prospect dead accounts of other salespeople and make a sale. Every time she did it, there would be memos, meetings, and discussions on sales etiquette. However, in private, the GM and Sales Manager would congratulate her on closing deals with clients that other salespersons could not get on air.Beware Of Bundle Packaging …
The same salesperson would bundle deals for clients for little money and flood the airwaves with the same frequency as many of our top billing clients. To make matters worse, the quality of these "special priced" bundled clients made the station sound like a radio version of craigslist.Working Within The Framework …
Bringing clarity and definition to the programming and sales departments are a constant chore on the part of an OM/PD. This kind of thing can be a source of irritation when budgets aren’t being met. Management sets the bar and defines the relationship between the sales and programming departments. However, it takes political savvy to maneuver away from wrong moves during times of crisis like COVID-19 and advertisers putting their ad dollars on hold.Questionable Advertisers ...
Bending a little is one thing, but don’t give in to airing commercials that either don’t fit your station, are questionable in taste, or came as part of a bundled package with lots of dollars attached to it. A GM once told me, “not all money Is worth the trouble.”I've always thought Rod Serling's opening monologue for TVs "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."
-
-