They're a commercial station owned by a non-profit. Very unusual.
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I’m Officially Done With WCBS-FM - My Thoughts and Memories of the Station.
- Thread starter MTNProductions
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They're a commercial station owned by a non-profit. Very unusual.
As I said on another thread probably a year or so ago, WFMT is unique in that ALL spots are read live by the on air personality. According to WFMT management 100s of thousands of dollars in potential advertising, is "regrettably" turned down annually because many potential accounts naturally want the station to use their canned ads. WFMT has been operating like this for several decades, and the audience loves the station just the way it is and they are fiercely loyal, and yes they have a membership program to help cover costs not paid for by advertising.
Small markets to me are pretty much towns under 50,000 not connected to other cities (ie: city limit signs meet). In places like Tennessee, Ashland City, Dickinson, Centerville, Springfield and many more but not Goodlettsville or Madison. Really any market where the sales come directly through the business owner and these days it's the small market.
Though definitely not un-heard of. I worked at one.
WFMT makes it partly on commercials and partly on donations. WFMT would likely not make it without that extra revenue beyond commercials. WRR in Dallas just went from commercial to public supported for this very reason. Classical is the real true outlier of all radio formats. It carries stereotypes and perceptions as well as international appeal. New works are still being composed and conductors are putting fresh arrangement to centuries old compositions. In fact new recordings of composers from prior centuries are being recorded for the first time and some new compositions from certain composers have been found. With all that said, Classical is skewing 65+. It seems most have above average incomes and tend to have college degrees. Then again my income is way to average and my education doesn't have me with initials after my name but I like classical. WFMT is a treasure!
Very, very well said... I've been a classical fan since my childhood in the 60s but I also liked the pop music of the same era just as much my friends and acquaintances who new nothing about classical music. My musical taste has always been very eclectic, sometimes so much so that I can't decide what to listen to!
And then we have Bonneville, owned by the LDS.
And visual media such as the web, TV and print, are where budgets going after 55+ are placed.
The cable and traditional networks, magazines and websites are national, with one buy going out to the whole country. That makes for easy, efficient buys.
But the reason for preferring visual media is that a large majority of senior-targeted campaigns require pictures or a lot of text. Think of medications, requiring lots of disclaimers while selling their "benefits". On TV, the audio can do disclaimer while the healthy seniors on the meds romp on the beach with their dog or play with the grandkids. The same is done with pictures and text in print and online.
Generally, anything from walkers to electric stair lifts to lift chairs to cruises to the Jitterbug require visual to sell.
“Small markets to me are pretty much towns under 50,000 not connected to other cities (ie: city limit signs meet). In places like Tennessee, Ashland City, Dickinson, Centerville, Springfield and many more but not Goodlettsville or Madison. Really any market where the sales come directly through the business owner and these days it's the small market.”
I see your point on this, but let’s take it a step two both directions from your statement. Bigger cities obviously have more people to draw from and in many cases the demo over 45 might be hundreds of thousands. And from that you have more business people in that age group that have a desire to advertise. Thats a local win. And depending on your signal strength, ratings, company size, etc., you may or may not have all the ability to garner agency business, but if you get any and consider it “gravy” you have a formula that can win and withstand the market ups and downs.
You have a small market that skews older, you can get more revenues with Churches on Sunday, but you may well be limited by too few businesses and too few people to support those businesses. I think its a tougher way to go in small areas, but still valid. Knowing what I know about profits in towns under 100,000, you literally have to shake hands and kiss babies to put dinner on the table. And that is true in CHR and country formats that hit the “right demos.” Good comments, Turner.
I see your point on this, but let’s take it a step two both directions from your statement. Bigger cities obviously have more people to draw from and in many cases the demo over 45 might be hundreds of thousands. And from that you have more business people in that age group that have a desire to advertise. Thats a local win. And depending on your signal strength, ratings, company size, etc., you may or may not have all the ability to garner agency business, but if you get any and consider it “gravy” you have a formula that can win and withstand the market ups and downs.
You have a small market that skews older, you can get more revenues with Churches on Sunday, but you may well be limited by too few businesses and too few people to support those businesses. I think its a tougher way to go in small areas, but still valid. Knowing what I know about profits in towns under 100,000, you literally have to shake hands and kiss babies to put dinner on the table. And that is true in CHR and country formats that hit the “right demos.” Good comments, Turner.
I've tried. Zero agency business and only mom and pop businesses spending $200 a month and never renewing because while we had thousands listening in the 5.5 million metro, we had maybe 10 listening within the trade area of that advertising business. Remember, it takes weeks of calling on a business to build trust for them to buy. I spent more on gas and auto upkeep than I got in commission. The smaller the town gets, the better the chances you can produce some results. The money in sales is made not by the first month but if the client stays on month after month. In time you have a nice list on every month ad can make decent money. If you are starting at square one each month all you do is dig a deeper hole for yourself.
Any business in a city is more likely to have an agency directing their buys than not. I'm talking a former salesperson at some station is a one person agency and they use all the research that says it costs less to convert a younger age person as a long term customer than one over 55. In that, radio's hands are tied.
What has to happen for that to change is for ad agencies to change, not radio.
I sell in a county of 40,000 now and our January was almost what December was. Everywhere else I've worked, January was about a third of your December billing. I could sell a 55+ format here if it had local info as a part of its format.
Any business in a city is more likely to have an agency directing their buys than not. I'm talking a former salesperson at some station is a one person agency and they use all the research that says it costs less to convert a younger age person as a long term customer than one over 55. In that, radio's hands are tied.
What has to happen for that to change is for ad agencies to change, not radio.
I sell in a county of 40,000 now and our January was almost what December was. Everywhere else I've worked, January was about a third of your December billing. I could sell a 55+ format here if it had local info as a part of its format.
May I recommend WSGN-FM from beautiful downtown Stewartville, Alabama. Bright presentation of 50's-70s music, cool jingles, and Scott Shannon with your top of the hour IDs. http://wsgnradio.com
I'm not a sales person, never have been.. im air talent, but i was working full time for a stand alone ma and pa FM (actually pa, no ma) in a town of 30,000 and a primary listening area population county of about 38,000.
I made two sales while i was there, but its because I had a relationship with those places well before i started trying to sell them. One was a regional wireless ISP.... another one was a Cheers style pub.... i got to know the manager, was in often... most of the staff knew my voice when i called on the phone and many knew what my regular order was (4 crispy chicken fingers, fries and a strawberry sprite)... and after awhile, i got the manager to buy.... i would just politely strike up a conversaiton wiyh the manager when id stop in.. not every time, but maybe every other time i actually say him......
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