Re: Low Blow & Uncalled For
"Foul. Argumemt over. I am the one who lost 12 radio stations and a dozen CPs because one of my stations was the "voice of opostion" to a military government. And I was fortunate. My counterpart at an oppostion newspaper was killed. You have no right to make assumptions such as those you have made."
And I've been in arrested in a former totalitarian country for a while. I was also on my way to join the demonstrators at Tianamen square when my visa was revoked in 1989 (long story). That said, my rhetoric was over the line and for that I apologise. I just always have a problem with the "it can't be done, it is the way it is, it will never change, that's the system, don't fight it" argument. I have heard those excuses from people who co-operated with totalitarian regimes. The argument just rubs me really wrong BUT THAT SAID, I shouldn't have personlized and directed my anger at you and for that I sincerely aplogize. Sorry.
"And, ulinke those in AA who learn their steps, you don't seem to recognize what can be changed and what can not."
I'm not in AA but one of my best friends is. I know what you're talking about and referencing. The thing is, you and I disagree as to whether it can be changed. My point is, I think it can. You disagree. Fine. I say you're wrong. Would it be difficult? Oh yes. Impossible? Hell no.
"That is a Quixotic statement. In a more pragmatic world, one has to know what is practical and what is a waste of time where the amount of efofrt is not accompanied by any gain or benefit."
See above. Tough, yes. Impossible, no. Pragmatic? Practical? Yes, if you care about the format and your stations.
"Most radio sellers have no access to AEs... only the media department. the gain on trying to change a client-specified demo dictate are generally not worth the effort."
And I gave you a specific example of how it can be done with effort. You think my pal had access to the Busch rep? Heck no. He worked to get it. Takes effort. But, of course, it's easier just to wait for another email to come in with another order for traffic. I'm not dispagine all AE's by any means. I know many are very hard working. I wish some of them worked for me! LOL! But TOO MANY would prefer all their stations would be a nice Hot AC that they could tell their friends they work for and slam dunk on sell and tells.
"That sounds like a lot of effort for minimal, short term gains."
No, they signed two 13 week flights after that. He bought a car with the cash, he calls it his "bud-mobile" after the beer. Short term gain? Hardly.
The thing is, this leadership effort should be undertaken at the management, not AE level. A poster (not me - credit goes to someone else LOL) on the New York board had a great idea. Buy a rolls royce and drive it around town in Chicago or New York, paint it gold and take media buyers out to luch with it. Call it the rock and "rolls" and say you're showing how oldies is "the golden oldies format for the golden oldies demo". Take them out to a club with a 45 plus crowd on a Friday night and ask, "you think these people don't buy anything". Take out agency reps. That you can do at a station/AE level. I know buys come down via dictat from the client so on a national level, work with other oldies stations (call it "The oldies alliance") to sell the demo to national clients. How many GM's have been to a non-radio seminar or convention? How many have been to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods shin-dig that happens twice a year in Orlando where you can often collar the Marketing VP's of hundreds of companies for a one-on-one? Few. Go there. Get a booth. Sell the demo. Have some "golden foxes" sitting there showing their laptops and mobile phones and saying "I just bought this for 1,000 dollars last week because I heard it on the radio". It can be done, though probably only as a concerted industry effort. But nooooooooooooooooo. It's easier to insert the latest "format in a box" on your frequency and wait for the fax machine to ring.
Again, sorry for being too personal above, I was out of line.
"Foul. Argumemt over. I am the one who lost 12 radio stations and a dozen CPs because one of my stations was the "voice of opostion" to a military government. And I was fortunate. My counterpart at an oppostion newspaper was killed. You have no right to make assumptions such as those you have made."
And I've been in arrested in a former totalitarian country for a while. I was also on my way to join the demonstrators at Tianamen square when my visa was revoked in 1989 (long story). That said, my rhetoric was over the line and for that I apologise. I just always have a problem with the "it can't be done, it is the way it is, it will never change, that's the system, don't fight it" argument. I have heard those excuses from people who co-operated with totalitarian regimes. The argument just rubs me really wrong BUT THAT SAID, I shouldn't have personlized and directed my anger at you and for that I sincerely aplogize. Sorry.
"And, ulinke those in AA who learn their steps, you don't seem to recognize what can be changed and what can not."
I'm not in AA but one of my best friends is. I know what you're talking about and referencing. The thing is, you and I disagree as to whether it can be changed. My point is, I think it can. You disagree. Fine. I say you're wrong. Would it be difficult? Oh yes. Impossible? Hell no.
"That is a Quixotic statement. In a more pragmatic world, one has to know what is practical and what is a waste of time where the amount of efofrt is not accompanied by any gain or benefit."
See above. Tough, yes. Impossible, no. Pragmatic? Practical? Yes, if you care about the format and your stations.
"Most radio sellers have no access to AEs... only the media department. the gain on trying to change a client-specified demo dictate are generally not worth the effort."
And I gave you a specific example of how it can be done with effort. You think my pal had access to the Busch rep? Heck no. He worked to get it. Takes effort. But, of course, it's easier just to wait for another email to come in with another order for traffic. I'm not dispagine all AE's by any means. I know many are very hard working. I wish some of them worked for me! LOL! But TOO MANY would prefer all their stations would be a nice Hot AC that they could tell their friends they work for and slam dunk on sell and tells.
"That sounds like a lot of effort for minimal, short term gains."
No, they signed two 13 week flights after that. He bought a car with the cash, he calls it his "bud-mobile" after the beer. Short term gain? Hardly.
The thing is, this leadership effort should be undertaken at the management, not AE level. A poster (not me - credit goes to someone else LOL) on the New York board had a great idea. Buy a rolls royce and drive it around town in Chicago or New York, paint it gold and take media buyers out to luch with it. Call it the rock and "rolls" and say you're showing how oldies is "the golden oldies format for the golden oldies demo". Take them out to a club with a 45 plus crowd on a Friday night and ask, "you think these people don't buy anything". Take out agency reps. That you can do at a station/AE level. I know buys come down via dictat from the client so on a national level, work with other oldies stations (call it "The oldies alliance") to sell the demo to national clients. How many GM's have been to a non-radio seminar or convention? How many have been to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods shin-dig that happens twice a year in Orlando where you can often collar the Marketing VP's of hundreds of companies for a one-on-one? Few. Go there. Get a booth. Sell the demo. Have some "golden foxes" sitting there showing their laptops and mobile phones and saying "I just bought this for 1,000 dollars last week because I heard it on the radio". It can be done, though probably only as a concerted industry effort. But nooooooooooooooooo. It's easier to insert the latest "format in a box" on your frequency and wait for the fax machine to ring.
Again, sorry for being too personal above, I was out of line.
