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10 Questions with ... Jill Olsen
August 11, 2009
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NAME:Jill OlsenTITLE:Marketing DirectorSTATION:KAZR LAZER 103.3MARKET:Des MoinesCOMPANY:Saga CommunicationsBORN:Small town, IARAISED:Des Moines
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
Promotions intern for all six stations at the Des Moines Radio Group. My first day I spent three hours putting stickers on condoms that were a promo item for LAZER. I learned quickly that promotions was not the glamorous side of radio ... and try explaining how that is a "real job" to your parents.
2) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now what you didn't then, would you still do it?
Definitely. I'd do some things differently, though. I'd raise my hand more, get as much experience as I could early on. I'd also keep in touch better; radio turns out to be a small industry and Des Moines can be a small town, so you never know when you're going to run into that person who you interned with or met at a remote.
3) How do you feel terrestrial radio competes with the satellite radio and Internet these days?
Terrestrial radio's ability to be local and make connections with our listeners will always set us apart. Whether it is through cool contesting, local events we support and meet our listeners at, or just the fact that someone can pick up the phone and talk to a jock, we have the ability to build loyalty and actually be a part of our listeners' lives.
4) What can we be doing with our station websites to better our stations as a whole?
Make them more interactive and give listeners a reason to come back. People check their MySpace 10 times a day because there is something different; we need to find that addicting quality with our own sites. We can also use them to brand our station and contesting more. The website should reflect and complement what is on the air; it needs to be a consistent message.
5) If you could add any one full-time position to your budget with no questions asked, what would it be?
A web designer/graphic designer just for my station. Our web person is responsible for six sites right now ... and is stretched very thin. We have so many great ideas for things we want to do with the site, but there just isn't the time or the resources to do it all.
6) Please describe the best or worst promotion you've ever been part of?
LAZER 103.3's $40,000 Rock Girl Search is the best promotion I've been a part of. We did casting call events to find girls who wanted to be our next Rock Girl and win our $40,000 prize package. We narrowed the entries down to 10 girls and put them on the streets for a month go get votes. It was the best street presence you can imagine for a Rock station; we had 10 hot and outgoing girls out talking about the contest and the station to every single person they saw. We got a great buzz from the contest and ended up with one awesome Rock Girl for the station.
7) How often do you do remotes and which work best for the station?
We do two to three remotes a week during fall/winter and four to five a week during the spring and summer. The best remotes are the ones where the station doesn't have to be the whole show. It works great when we are adding to something cool that is already going on. We take Guitar Hero to every remote that we can; it gives us a reason to interact with listeners and can make a three-hour car dealer remote a little less painful.
8) How do you market your radio station?
With ever-shrinking budgets for external marketing, we try to get ourselves in front of a crowd in whatever way we can. We do things that take us to the hottest bar in town, or align ourselves with local sports teams, etc. to get exposure at the games. We are in parades and part of community events -- anything to get the station logo out there more. We also try to make sure the jocks and our Rock girl are out there shaking hands and kissing babies at every chance, subscribing to the "retail" marketing idea.
9) How do you stay in tune with your audience?
Going to events and talking to them. I'll be the first to admit that in most cases I think very differently than our audience, so I try to go to shows, etc. and see what they are thinking these days. Just get a gauge of what they think about our promotions and the station in general. I also try to ask the opinion of people who listen to the station; they'll usually be very honest with me and tell me if something we're doing sucks or if they love it.
10) What is the best advice you would give to young programmers/promotion people?
Volunteer for everything and make contacts. The more you are around and the more people you know, the harder it will be to kick you out later.
Bonus Questions
Favorite artist you have met?
John Mayer -- he always walks into a meet-and-greet with a lame joke.
Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Coffee, my cell phone and my TiVo.
What do you like best about working in this format?
There is no idea that is automatically off-limits. We have a lot of space to be creative and fun with our promotions, weekend contests, events, etc. We also have a very active audience, so it is great to be able to get in front of them so much at concerts and community events.
What do you like best about your job? Least?
Best: That I get to do something different EVERY day. I may be researching hybrid vehicles, planning a rock concert, buying 1,000 lbs. of M&Ms or broadcasting live from Las Vegas ... there isn't a typical day. Least: Having to be the middle man between programming and sales; there is a lot of pushing and pulling from both sides, and getting everyone to play nice can be a challenge.
What is your biggest challenge working at this station?
Getting past the "black T-shirt" image. We still have to prove to our sales department, clients and others that our listeners have jobs, went to college and have high incomes. We have a big stereotype that we fight every day.
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