CC Talent Endorsements

[austingeezer]

Heard from various sources that CLEAR CHANNEL is now imposing client endorsements on some talent, with absolutely NO TALENT FEE(S). Talent is handed copy points and told what to say. Some market managers reportedly have balked at the idea.

 

[MisterRadio]

I would not be surprised...I also wouldn't do it.

 

[mmnassour]

Knowing how rough the market is for talent these days, you'd walk first? Not criticizing or calling you out, it's just that it would be a tough call, especially as you'd likely have to make it on a moment's notice.

 

[CTHank]

Knowing how rough the market is for talent these days, you'd walk first? Not criticizing or calling you out, it's just that it would be a tough call, especially as you'd likely have to make it on a moment's notice.

Seems to me that's exactly what CC is counting on. It's obvious that most who work at CC are completely devalued as being important to the operation and are in fact nothing more than a piece of equipment that can and will be replaced at a moments notice especially if it means reducing company overhead.

Now this doesn't apply if you are part of the headquarter corporate management team, and for validation simply look at the recently announced executive salaries, perks and benefits, all the while they were laying off more and more people in order to restrain expenses and make a more profitable company.

 

[MisterRadio]

Knowing how rough the market is for talent these days, you'd walk first? Not criticizing or calling you out, it's just that it would be a tough call, especially as you'd likely have to make it on a moment's notice.

Yeah, I see your point and I have been in a similar situation before and chose to keep the job instead of standing up because I just had kids and needed to not have a gap in my cash flow. However, If you are an air personality with a name, then you are weakening your brand if you allow them to reduce the importance of your endorsement. In today's radio world, endorsements are how many air personalities make ends meet. It's a shame that it is coming down to this.

 

[DominiqueRadio]

This is a lose lose situation. If a jock has been getting talent fees for their entire career and all of a sudden asked to do it for zero dollars, if they walk away there will always be out of work jocks and rookies all dying to accept a position. Even if it is a position where there are no talent fees. Long as they are back in it or get their foot in the door.

In my opinion, this is going to happen and will eventually capture the attention of all major radio companies as a great way to save money. It is a shame the jocks have to be the ones who suffer from it though. Sad, very sad.

 

[TheBigA]

So far, though, no one has confirmed the OP.

What I find is that some folks don't know the difference between a live read and an endorsement. Some folks also don't know what they're obligated to do.

Also, in some large markets, some talent actually make deals directly with certain specialized local advertisers for endorsements and getting a bigger cut. Quite often, those deals include TV. Less likely to get replaced by automation if you're bringing money in. Might be worth checking into.

 

[1st of 5]

I remember back in the 80's, WOAI 1200 and KTSA 550 always had commercials, which sounded like personal endorsements of whatever product or service the radio personalities were paid(?) to promote. A classic example was that miracle zinc chromate 'lose weight while you sleep' snake oil scam that featured Trey Ware as their cheerleader/posterboy, back in the mid or late '90s. Who really believes those type of ads, even when the paid radio personality says that they have personally checked out or use the product or service? What ever became of that 'lose weight while you sleep' snake oil scam. I seem to remember that the company went bankrupt, was investigated by the FDA and sued by almost everyone. I can't understand how people still listen to Trey Ware after that scam.

 

[TheBigA]

A lot of those "lose weight" ads paid the talent directly. I remember seeing that as part of the pitch from the agency. They paid the talent fee, not the station. But lately, I've seen a lot of spots from small time companies that simply don't have money to pay a talent fee. They don't even have money to pay for a produced a spot. So they do a live read. The copy may be written like an endorsement, but if you change the pronouns from "I" to "you," it becomes a straight live read. Given that so many quality advertisers don't want to be in controversial talk shows, this may be all that's left. I don't know if that's unique to CC, but most of the controversial talk shows are on their stations.

 

[bobbranson]

The pay isue is a big deal, but as a reporter, I've always had a bigger problem with letting anchors or reporters do endorsements AT ALL! What does it say about your credibility if you can be bought?

 

[fredcantu]

The pay isue is a big deal, but as a reporter, I've always had a bigger problem with letting anchors or reporters do endorsements AT ALL! What does it say about your credibility if you can be bought?

A wise news director once told me, "If that's all it takes to lose your credibility you didn't have far to go."

 

[TheBigA]

The pay isue is a big deal, but as a reporter, I've always had a bigger problem with letting anchors or reporters do endorsements AT ALL! What does it say about your credibility if you can be bought?

It depends who's paying. Back in the early days of TV, news anchor John Cameron Swayze endorsed Camel cigarettes. His nightly newscast was the Camel News Caravan. He smoked Camels while reading the news. No conflict to him. After he left the news business, he made millions as the spokesman for Timex watches. On the other hand, Cronkite had it in his contract that he didn't do endorsements or read commercials. Quite a few other major newsmen had similar contract clauses.

The biggest issue I remember recently was when NBC was owned by GE, and the newscasters had to deal with nuclear plant stories, and GE made reactors. But that was about covering nuclear stories, not doing endorsements.

 

[fredcantu]

Paul Harvey didn't lose any cred with his listeners by doing ALL his own commercials.