Creative Services - Valuable?

[Rhythmon]

Creative Services - or Radio Production Directors - seem to be an unsung-hero type of job at a station. Do you agree?

The fact is, these people are responsible for an enormous amout of content on any given day. Image is of ultimate importance - it needs to engage, entertain, and directly speak to a targeted demo. It becomes the 'voice' and the overall personality of the station. It's the station self promotion. Image has a large impact on the listener, and it is a challenge to do it effectively. Same thing for on-air promos. If done right, a good promo will increase attendance at an event, increase listener participation in a contest, and increase good-will toward a station. If Image and Branding can engage listeners, and inspire them to listen longer and more regularly, then numbers go up. Do you agree? Is this important?

And then there are spots, which is the second part of a Creative Services gig. It's difficult for an AE to sign on a new radio client, so when it happens, it is the Creative Services Directors responsibility to do it right. It needs to be a good, effective spot that makes doors swing and cash registers ring. If it's done poorly, the spot does not work, and that new client never buys radio again. If done well, that client becomes a repeater, which is great for everyone involved. A Creative Services director is expected to be an ad agency, demographic researcher, copywriter, voice actor and Sound Designer - all in one. It's a big package.

Production Directors have a large impact on the station revenue stream - directly (spots) and indirectly (image/branding/promos) Yet it seems to me that these jobs don't traditionally pay very well. I've always wondered why? Why are these positions not held in higher regard?

Yes, Sherlock, you found me out. I'm a Creative Services guy - very good at what I do, I might add. I'm just looking for some insight, and hoping that you will be honest in your responses regarding the Creative Services Department at a radio station: Under-rated? Over-rated? Or just right.

Thanks!

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Creative Services - Production Director

Under-rated and most frequently taken for granted. i feel your pain.

"here's an ad from the newspaper - give me a three-spot campaign to help the pitch, and thanks."

client loves all three, buys the schedule and the genius behind the finished product gets, um, nothin'. i actually worked at a station where the owner did bump me (creative person) $25 for every spec that sold. of course, little did know that after three weeks, the announcement of the station being sold meant the new money was coming to an end.

there are some very creative, extremely cracked (and i mean that in a good way) individuals out there, especially Mike at WBZ, Tony, Bob and Gordon at Greater Media and a host of others. from multi-voice, whiz-bang-bells-buzzers-and-whistles to home-grown jingles to a straight sixty second spot that delivers the message and helps the point reach its target. there are times when it literally snows copy&spot requests, and one can usually hear those days reflected on any spot that includes "...if you're in the market for..." or "...for all of your (insert product here) needs..." of course, the nicer the a/e, the less likely the finished spot will include either phrase.

kudos to those who do (to use the phrase i borrowed from M*A*S*H ) "meatball production," every day. my family hates riding in the car with me as i don't care about the flippin' music - i listen for the breaks - jocks, imaging, spots. the studio allows for some serious creativity - and it's always a joy to hear something that makes you laugh out loud or simply remark "THAT was a damn good spot." the sixty second spot is really the last bastion of what many of us were taught about radio: theater of the mind. hey, let's bring in the Brigham's helicopter and make a nice big hot fudge sundae in the middle of Fenway Park.

 

[Rhythmon]

Yeah - sometimes it's hard to keep up with the orders. Another reason why Prod Directors are valuable, in my opinion.

Our service is given away for free - buy some time on air, and you get a spot for free. That's a great deal for advertisers, and a reasonable way for a station to conduct business. But - again - the spot needs to WORK! If it doesn't, then why bother? In this case, all you've done is turn off an advertiser to radio FOREVER. 'yeah - i tried radio once - it didn't work'

But if quality spots are produced - effective spots - this generates repeat customers. Brilliant.

So get someone in there who can make this type of spot - it's good for all involved. And pay him/her well! After all, their a copywriter/sound designer/voice actor/producer/researcher all in one!

Otherwise, why bother?

 

[MassMusicMan]

I'd say that the promotions director is the most underrated guy.

But you production guys are a very close second. I worked for a station where production people came and went. I've seen some talented people, who remain good friends to this day, get treated like garbage by the horrible GM.

 

[argytunes]

Having been one for at least 3 radio stations, I definitely Production Directors (who can also double as commercial announcers) are definitely underrated and often...underappreciated...at a lot of radio stations!

Simply because that once the commercial or promo has been approved...it's the Production Director that has to make the idea work in a short span of time...and get that idea recorded and ON THE AIR!

And it's often the job of a Production Director to 'undo' or 'upgrade' a previously recorded spot that has errors or new information!

A round of applause to all of us who have---at one time or another---wasted or lost a weekend off---because a promo or commercial HAS TO BE ON-THE AIR BY MONDAY MORNING!

Ain't crisis radio great? :

argytunes

 

[Rhythmon]

At my last Production Director gig, I had the GM impliment a policy that was respected (for the most part) by all the AE's. I argued successfully that in order to make commercials that work for the client (and in turn for the station and the AE in terms of $$) I needed to have a certain timetable in place.

Therefore, if a spot needed to be voiced and produced (excluding tags) it would absolutely not get on the air within a 24 hour period. And if I had to write copy as well, then it could not go on the air for 48 hours. A little breathing room - not much, when compared to the world of Advertising Agencies - but at least it was respected. It allowed me to produced better, more effective spots.

Also, before taking the job, I insisted on getting a fee for every spec-spot that won approval and made it to air. After all, it's a great 'closing' tool for AE's to use - for a client to hear what their spot would actually sound like is often enough to get them to buy air-time.

Still - we're under-appreciated. Just like you Promotions Directors!

 

[Signpost]

Production People are a dime a dozen. ANYBODY can conceptualize and execute a radio commercial or promo - even if it means having strong marketing, engineering, directing, coaching, and acting chops. Any kid in High School could do it between playing video games and surfing myspace.

That also goes for filling shoes in sales, on-air, promotions, and the GM.

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Production People are a dime a dozen.(snip)

thankfully, you didn't qualify that as GOOD or GREAT production people. and i'm sure the welcome mat is out for you to stop by ANY station in America at 230pm on a Friday afternoon - since it's so easy, we'll let YOU clean up the post-lunch mess.

yes, now confirmed: no oxygen in your universe.

 

[Rhythmon]

Production People are a dime a dozen. ANYBODY can conceptualize and execute a radio commercial or promo

Yes, signpost - and anybody can post whatever they like on this page. That doesn't make it true.

You are mis-informed and naive. Great Audio Production is a skill and a talent that gets better with age.

 

[JackJones]

I believe signpost has his tongue firmly placed in his cheek. Am I correct signpost?

Maybe one of these would have helped -->

 

[Signpost]

geez.. you'd think creative services types would easily pick up on the sarcasm.. it wasn't subtle.

Just had to derail the "unsung hero" nature of the thread, it was getting tedious. Of course i'm glad to see some credit given to a largely ignored segment of the radio industry.

Consider that R&R grants awards to "Best" PD, MD, Promotions person, GM, On-air talent.. NOTHING for creative services. Ditto for Hitmakers.

 

[Signpost]

Here's an excerpt from a rant i wrote a few months ago:


It has always been stunning to me that Billboard/R&R dispense awards for “Program Director”; “Radio Executive”; “Music Director”; “General Manager”; “Promotions Director”; “Personality”; “Engineer” - hitting every category EXCEPT: Creative Services/Production, and Janitorial. Don’t we matter? I believe some of the brightest minds in the radio industry can be found laboring in production studios – unsung heroes, whose passion and creativity draw listeners to their stations in ways that can not be measured. Certainly we deserve recognition too! When similarly formatted stations can be differentiated by the produced elements that run between songs and breaks, some attention should be granted to the creative geniuses charged with executing those elements used to define the station’s “brand”.

A Creative Services Director who writes, voices, engineers, and produces has a set of skills no one Marketing executive or Program Director can match. His/Her tools draw from awareness of pop culture & music; ability to discern and direct talent, keeping abreast of technological advances in audio production, then deploying all of those skills to create a :30 masterpiece – that is hopefully entertaining, persuasive, and thrilling. I’ve always felt that most of the Program Directors I worked with at <calls> did not understand the work that went into creating promos, and would steer clear rather than dive into unfamiliar territory. The promos sounded good, the message was on target – so I was left alone. (With the exception of <legendary program director>, who I spent a lot of time collaborating with in the Production Studio). That’s fine, but regarding industry recognition, I believe this “hands off” attitude among executives trickled up to the highest levels of the radio industry – to the point where radio publications impart only faint lip service to the importance of production and creative services – despite the fact that our efforts are on parade 24 hours a day / 7 days a week – as opposed to a personality who may have one airshift per day.

 

[Rhythmon]

Thanks for the info and update.

No, I didn't sniff-out your sarcasm.

With written words, it's easy to mis-interpret.

But, yeah - creative radio people unite!