Billboard Radio Monitor: Mike Agovino bails out of Interep

[JerryStevens]

<div align="justify"><big>"After a year and a half on board, Los Angeles-based Interep co-COO Mike Agovino has resigned from the company. Agovino joined Interep in November 2003, after serving as president of Clear Channel Radio Sales for three years and as president of Katz Radio from 1996-2000." Full text here.

I've had business experience with Agovino and business experience with Interep. Agovino is better off without them.</big><P ID=">______________
"If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague." - Oscar Wilde</P>

 

[EricStein]

> I've had business experience with Agovino and business
> experience with Interep. Agovino is better off without
> them.

Let me ask you a question: why does a portion of the radio industry have little respect for Interep, but still respect Ralph Guild's contributions to national radio sales? More than ever, the radio industry needs healthy rep competition, but consolidation has left two major rep companies. 22 years ago, there were more than a dozen major radio reps competing with each other (see bottom half of story).

Cumulus should have formed an alliance with groups who are unhappy with their current rep agreements and created a new rep to compete with Katz and Interep, instead of moving the entire chain from Interep to KRG. This would have created a third company to make things more competitive, and show the other companies that something is wrong with the ways they do business. Although Cox might be happy with their current relationship with KRG, they have a successful television representation presence and this experience in media representation should be able to spread into radio, and would bring a much-needed third major rep into the spotlight.

As for Agovino, it seems that he wants to leave spot radio sales, but stay in the industry. Are the satellite radio companies still eyeing experienced radio sales executives?

 

[JerryStevens]

I think you can how seldom I visit this board!

"Let me ask you a question: why does a portion of the radio industry have little respect for Interep, but still respect Ralph Guild's contributions to national radio sales? "

Ralph made sizable contributions many years ago and is given credit for it. That has nothing to do with current operations.

"More than ever, the radio industry needs healthy rep competition, but consolidation has left two major rep companies. 22 years ago, there were more than a dozen major radio reps competing with each other (see bottom half of story)."

Industries tend to consolidate as the growth slows. They need to find efficiences to make up for the lack of fast top-line growth. Radio and rep firms are no different.

"Cumulus should have formed an alliance with groups who are unhappy with their current rep agreements and created a new rep to compete with Katz and Interep, instead of moving the entire chain from Interep to KRG. This would have created a third company to make things more competitive, and show the other companies that something is wrong with the ways they do business."

I wondered myself if they shouldn't form their own, or better yet, with a partner. It doesn't appear to me that starting a new rep firm would be all that expensive. They would do this for more control over the situation. The downside is that they'd have no one to blame if national continues to go south!

"As for Agovino, it seems that he wants to leave spot radio sales, but stay in the industry. Are the satellite radio companies still eyeing experienced radio sales executives?"

Did he land somewhere? I have less time these days to keep up. I have no idea whether satelllite companies are recruiting experienced radio sales executives. <P ID="signature">______________
Jerry

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts" - late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan</P>