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Program director duties are what exactly?
- Thread starter tall_guy1
- Start date
Not many stations have music directors today.and not every PD does the same thing. Here, though are many of them.
-Select music, supervise music test, decide moves of currents, create music log. Adjust music log for specials, new adds,
- work with talent including regular air checks, discussion of each ratings book. Negotiate pay and bonuses. Train part timers.
-create, clear with legal, all promotions. Supervise promotion department
- do budgets and updates annually and quarterly.
-train new staff and supervise hiring with coordination with HR.
-approve overtime, vacations, part timers bonuses and other staffing issues
-work with clients on promotions including important sales calls
-deal with record companies and show promoters. Listen to all new music. Check MediaBase or Tapscan for pla in other markets.
-work with HR on salaries, benefits, discipline, shifts.
-work with legal on compliance, license issues regarding programming
-conference calls with national PD and other PDs in company
-be on corporate management conference calls or be at in person meetings
-in all but the biggest stations, an airshift is usually required as is doing some voic e work
- writing and producing promos, liners, imaging
-and dozens of things that I can’t remember at 2 AM.
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This reminds me of a conversation in a General Manager's office some years ago. It was myself, the Program Director, and the GM. The Operations Manager was not present.
He went down the list. "So you got programming handled, right? And we've got a music director to handle the music, right? Our promotion director handles that department. And you're the production director? Hmm...seems we've got 'operations' pretty well covered."
The OM was shown the door the next day.
Granted, this was before the consolidation train rolled through the business, but in a way, that's what's been happening for a long time since. Someone up the food chain asks "do we really need this person?" The difference now is that it's not some crusty old GM asking the question, but some corporate person who has done the math and figured out with mathematical precision who is no longer necessary and/or a burden to the bottom line.
He went down the list. "So you got programming handled, right? And we've got a music director to handle the music, right? Our promotion director handles that department. And you're the production director? Hmm...seems we've got 'operations' pretty well covered."
The OM was shown the door the next day.
Granted, this was before the consolidation train rolled through the business, but in a way, that's what's been happening for a long time since. Someone up the food chain asks "do we really need this person?" The difference now is that it's not some crusty old GM asking the question, but some corporate person who has done the math and figured out with mathematical precision who is no longer necessary and/or a burden to the bottom line.
I've been considered up the 'food-chain' for a while, and whereas your description makes it sound callus or uncaring, I know of nobody in the role of making the decisions to cut head count lightly. Business changes, automation and technology has allowed-for tools where less people are required, or certain roles can be consolidated and made more efficient. After all, we all work for an industry that is supposed to make money. Over the years I've been on both sides; the cutter and the cutee. Neither role is pleasant for different reasons. When those decisions are made however, I don't take either personally.
That math you mention is trying to keep up with trends for that particular industry. Quick example: TV station in NY State. Roughly 160 staff. Through our group's successful automation model and centralization of back-office functions, our stations run on average 35-45 staff. Many of those local staff are working in the News and Sales departments. Doing this model means expenses are focused on serving that market with news, sales, and being focused on the local community, and less on what's considered back-office roles. If you were in the role of decision making at a corporate level, would you recommend keeping the 160 staff, or implementing the proven model used by the rest of the group?
At the end of the day, it is callous and uncaring, and while the people making those decisions might feel bad about it, they do it anyway. Lightly or not, they cut the head count as instructed.
I remember having a long conversation with someone on my staff who was frustrated over his inability to get a bump in his salary after years of service. He thought that working hard and doing a good job was enough. It wasn't. I explained that to "corporate," he wasn't a person. He was an entry on a spreadsheet. If the number on one square that represented his pay went up too far, someone up the food chain would have to answer for the increase.
I had to tell him "I'm sorry you're thinking that busting your ass and doing a good job doesn't matter, but it doesn't." Because that's true. He finally got that bump in pay not because he was working harder, but because he got a slightly different job description. The home office looked at him not as a person who had been promoted, but as a new position that was a different entry on the spreadsheet.
That's callous and uncaring. I get that. I understand what's going on. But I'm not going to pretend it's anything other than a necessary evil. At some point, we have to evaluate whether ruthlessly cutting staff over and over again is a good idea, and treating people like an entry on a spreadsheet is the proper way to grow a business built on talent and creativity.
At the moment, other models are cutting into radio's market share by offering alternatives, and radio's response seems to be "well maybe if we cut staff even more, we can compete!"
I totally disagree. I had my way of cutting staff when I had to. I thought of what my experiences were being on the receiving end of being 'cut'. I knew I was not just affecting the person with the job but their family. I hated it, akin to the cop that has to notify next of kin. I always tried to help that employee find a new position and enough lead time to minimize the pain.
I expected everyone to give it their all. If they didn't or didn't get along with staff or were unreliable, I told them they were not a good fit and to find another gig IF they give me enough notice (2 weeks). That was never personal because not everyone is a good fit and if anything not the best hiring decision on my part.
I have a philosophy that a manager is only as good as his employees allow him to be. In other words, good employees that make it happen make me look good and keep me in my job. Remember, a poor staff means the GM's head will roll on the next cut. The guy hiring or firing is also a hired employee in the same spot as the employee.
I expected everyone to give it their all. If they didn't or didn't get along with staff or were unreliable, I told them they were not a good fit and to find another gig IF they give me enough notice (2 weeks). That was never personal because not everyone is a good fit and if anything not the best hiring decision on my part.
I have a philosophy that a manager is only as good as his employees allow him to be. In other words, good employees that make it happen make me look good and keep me in my job. Remember, a poor staff means the GM's head will roll on the next cut. The guy hiring or firing is also a hired employee in the same spot as the employee.
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I never had any desire to get into management (really not in my DNA, I guess) and as a result became the "cuttee" twice at newspapers that employed me. The first time I'd stayed too long at my first paper, gotten three raises already in three years, and management decided that someone else could do what I was doing cheaper. The second time I'd also stayed too long, business turned sour and I was part of a staff reduction. Both times, I was asked to stay on for another month after receiving the news, for reasons you state, and I was very grateful to have bosses like that. The first boss and I weren't especially compatible but I still thanked him for being considerate. The second one I considered a friend, and we still drop each other notes every so often and meet up at sports events. I hope your employees have felt similarly about you. If only all bosses could be that way...
I don't ever recall being instructed to cut head count. Cut expenses? Reorganize workflows and become more efficient by using technology? You bet! Especially as changes in the advertising market and increasing competition keep occuring, organizations have two choices: 1) Figure out how to evolve into the changing media environment by coming up with new ways of selling ads or making revenue via non-traditional means. (takes time). 2) Make up the difference by constantly scrutinizing expenses. Unfortunately it just happens that FTE's are the highest expense in any organization, non-or for-profit.
My own personal measure of how I'm doing as an employee is: If I'm not coming up with ways to make the company more revenue, or save expense at a rate of twice my salary each year, then I'm fulfilling the responsibilies of my job. Again, that's MY job. If not, may as well get rid of me. So far in a long career, that's only happened once during the 2008 recession.
I have many who stay in touch and I'm happy they do. They're great people I consider as friends. I never believed in walls between management and employees. I made it a point to know my employees and work for their success. I figured if I had their back, they'd have my back too. I gave them lots of liberty in decision making and would often say 'what would you do if you owned the place?'. Many times I'd say I trust their decision. I wanted them to 'own' their piece of the station as far as their job went. I found when folks can claim their stake at the station, they tend to do their best.
Like many, I’ve been on both sides of the proverbial table. And on the “cuttee” side, I’ve had an experience that was professional and handled with dignity and professionalism. I’ve also had one for which “callous” would be too kind a term. One was purely a recession reduction. Was a near wholesale turnover when a new executive came in. There’s no one-size-fits-all description that applies to all situations in which someone is let go.
When I had to deliver the news, I did my best to do it with consideration, kindness and grace. Like any human, I’m sure it was imperfect, and if I find myself in that position in the future, I’ll do my best to be better. And I may still fall short.
When I had to deliver the news, I did my best to do it with consideration, kindness and grace. Like any human, I’m sure it was imperfect, and if I find myself in that position in the future, I’ll do my best to be better. And I may still fall short.
Program Director? That's the PD, the Problem Director... right?
As David mentions, what each position does often depends on the operation. My experience, which may or may not have been typical, was that OM is a somewhat new position. When you just had one station or an AM and an FM that were never going to compete against each other, you generally didn’t have an OM.
When I started encountering OM's was after you could have multiple stations in the same cluster. The OM's job often seemed to be making sure the stations in the cluster didn’t compete too much against each other and stayed focused on the competition. A good portion of the OM's job seemed to be making sure the program directors' bad behavior couldn’t be rewarded. “I know I'm an AC, but when I played more pop songs, my ratings went up. Yeah, the ratings at the CHR across the hall went down, but that station isn’t my problem!” Well, the OM made sure it was your problem if you had that attitude!
Interesting list! If one has a music director do they do this step?
The functiones vary by station . The music tests, both library and currents, will generally be managed by the PD.
I don't think I could describe 1973 as "somewhat new"! I'd sure like to but I can't.
You might like “The Radio Station” by Keith. I have pre-2000 issues on www.worldradiohistory.com. Use the Find Specific Publication near the upper left. You can also get used more recent editions on eBay or abebooks.com. This is the best of the college level texts all about radio.
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