A PD Caught In The Crossfire …

There's a reality TV show inside every station. It's not all music and contests. This programmer came to me for advice on a situation worthy of an intervention.

PD: It took me two years to decide whether to come to this station. I developed a relationship with the COO over the years. I met him at a State Broadcasters Association meeting. I'll tell you, but please don't mention my name or the station I work for to anyone. Anyway, I moved to this market from a smaller one where I was programming. I’d been with that company for eight years, but it's hard to say no to moving up in market size. Despite having visited and meeting everyone at the station, I had no idea how bad the relationship was between the Sales Manager and the COO. This is insane and I'm stuck in it.

Coach: My friend, been there, done that. What you’re dealing with sounds like that line from the movie classic, “Cool Hand Luke” when the warden said to Luke, played by Paul Newman, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”

PD: You nailed it. I don’t know anyone well enough around here to talk to about this. And I really don't want to talk to my programming buddies, for them to say, "I told you to stay where you were."

Coach: No problem, I’ll listen to you.

PD: The Sales manager and COO don’t get along. Three months into this job I found out that he gets back at the COO by going to the owner and complaining about things around the station. And since the COO hand-picked me to come here and program, the Sales Manager is saying I don’t know what I’m doing. The COO explained to me how it works around here, only he never told me any of this until after I came to work for him.

Coach: What’s your format? Tell me more about your COO friend, the owner, and the Sales Manager.

PD: We're a Hot AC. The COO used to own stations, once programmed, and did on-air work, too. He met the owner when he still owned stations. He had retired and was mostly traveling and playing tennis with his wife. The owner convinced him to come out of retirement to help him run the cluster. This is an independent owner with four stations in the cluster. Besides my station, there's a Top 40, a Country, and an AM Christian station. The sales manager used to work at an agency outside of Chicago and has been here since the owner talked him into coming 12 years ago. The COO has been here for 16 years. The Sales Manager had never worked at a station and had only worked at sales agencies. He handles all 4 of our stations.

Coach: You’re doing great so far, keep talking.

PD: I just received this three-page memo about the music we just put in after a music test. It was about a new list of songs that were put in after the last two PPM monthlies. It was a result of a research project. We cut down on our library. Now I did the work, but to keep the heat off my back, the COO injected himself as the person who made the adjustments. I said, heat, because as usual, the sales manager apparently complained about the sound of the station and questioned why anything was changed. The COO took the time to explain the reason for the songs we decided to add and subtract from our library. But the Sales Manager decided to address the issue in an email to me and copied the COO and the owner.

Coach: Really, what happened next?

PD: The COO emailed the owner to have the Sales Manager address any program complaints to him and not me. The COO stressed his 45 years of radio as compared to the sales manager's 12 years in radio sales.

Coach: Wow, you are in the crosshairs of a pissing match. Those two don't like each other and you are being made the whipping boy by the Sales Manager. Two more questions: What are the ages of these gentlemen and how are you treated by others around the station?

PD: The owner and the COO are in their 60s and the sales manager in his mid-50s. I've been here 2 years. Covid made things crazy last year. Most of the sales staff are okay with me but want to stay in the good graces of their boss and communicate with me only when necessary. I need to mention the PDs of the other three stations do not catch hell like I do.

Coach: Why do you think that is?

PD: I think it's because the Sales Manager wanted the owner to hire a friend of his for this job. The good news is that despite Covid and the craziness, the ratings have been good. I’m careful what I say around here because I don’t know who I can trust. For example, the Promotions Director always seems like she is picking my brain to report to the sales manager. I can never figure her out.

Coach: It sounds like you need to swallow your pride and continue to let the COO weather the storm for you. Unless the owner gets the Sales Manager to stop his foolishness or he leaves the company, you ‘re left with the obvious alternatives of leaving or staying. The Sales Manager must be bringing in money or the owner wouldn’t let him be so petty.

PD: He exceeds budget most of the time and even during Covid, our billing was only slightly off.

Coach: Well, follow the lead of the COO and avoid confrontations with the Sales Manager.

PD: That’s what I’ve been trying to do.

Coach: I do have one suggestion.

PD: Anything will be a help.

Coach: Get with the COO and try and coordinate your vacation so you’re off at the same time as he is. If you don’t there will be chaos if you’re left alone with the Sales Manager.

PD: Sometimes I feel like I'm a stepchild in the middle of an ugly marriage with two people who need to get a divorce.

Coach: Sorry, I don't feel like I helped much.

PD: Sam, it just feels good to tell somebody what I've been dealing with. I haven't even told my wife about some of the petty memos about me between those two.

Coach: Whenever you need to vent again, just call me, it’s no problem