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Selling spots in Canada

C

CAPECRUSADER

Guest
If a No. N.E. station's signal reaches into Canada, is it common for the sales staff to sell to businesses over the border?
 
I'm not sure about today, but the Presque Isle stations and Calais used to run tons of New Brunswick spots and had sales offices there as well.
 
Knowing full well this is a radio board, I'd just like to add that I see spots every night for Canandian products and services on WPTZ & WFFF from Burlington/Plattsburgh. Hotels, furniture stores and Rogers cellular are some that come to mind.
 
I was just talking about this with a buddy yesterday. I remember movie trailers advertising "starts Friday in English and French", and a Simpsons spot for "Poulet Frit Kentucky."
 
CAPECRUSADER said:
If a No. N.E. station's signal reaches into Canada, is it common for the sales staff to sell to businesses over the border?
Click to expand...

WQDY Calais/St.Stephen advertise numerous businesses all around Charlotte County, NB, (St.Stephen, St. Andrews, and St. George)

Also CHTD 98.1 Saint Stephen "The Tide" does a lot of advertising of Eastport and Calais businesses.

In addition Calais and St. Stephen stations give time checks in both Eastern and Atlantic, as well as temps in C and F.
 
What seems strange to me is that 102.7 The Lake (Cape Vincent [Watertown] NY) broadcasts from Kingston, Ont., and sells ONLY Canadian spots, and features ONLY Canadian news. The only relation they have to the U.S. is their calls (WLYK) and they give the weather/temp in C and F.
 
RBW said:
What seems strange to me is that 102.7 The Lake (Cape Vincent [Watertown] NY) broadcasts from Kingston, Ont., and sells ONLY Canadian spots, and features ONLY Canadian news. The only relation they have to the U.S. is their calls (WLYK) and they give the weather/temp in C and F.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's pretty interesting! At first I couldn't understand how they could broadcast from Kingston and yet have American calls (I think that would be illegal in Canada). Then I realized you probably meant that only the studios are in Kingston and not the tower itself. I guess the orientation of spots and news to Canada makes sense...Cape Vincent's population is around 3,300; Kingston's is 117,000 (proper) or 152,000 (metro). They could probably drop the Celsius conversion though...most of their Canadian listeners were probably taught Fahrenheit in school. Myself included. LOL. I am curious though as to how much Cancon they (voluntarily) play. And does anyone know how they do in Kingston? I can find American ratings online but not Canadian.

Paul in Windsor, ON
 
you probably meant that only the studios are in Kingston and not the tower itself. I guess the orientation of spots and news to Canada makes sense...Cape Vincent's population is around 3,300; Kingston's is 117,000 (proper) or 152,000 (metro). They could probably drop the Celsius conversion though...most of their Canadian listeners were probably taught Fahrenheit in school. Myself included. LOL. I am curious though as to how much Cancon they (voluntarily) play.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the tower is in Cape Vincent. But I'm surprised they don't sell time in Watertown.

I think their CanCon might be slightly less than the norm, but with their 60's-early 80's AC format, they have their share of Ann Murray etc. They're also heavily promoting the Gordon Lightfoot concert in Kingston on 4/11. You can check out their stream online.
 
It was TV, not radio, but Stacey's Country Jamboree (11:30 Saturday night---LIVE) on Bangor's Channel 7 (WEMT at the time) was wildly popular in the Maritimes. I don't specifically recall any Canadian ads, but I'll bet there were.
 
True Grit said:
It was TV, not radio, but Stacey's Country Jamboree (11:30 Saturday night---LIVE) on Bangor's Channel 7 (WEMT at the time) was wildly popular in the Maritimes. I don't specifically recall any Canadian ads, but I'll bet there were.
Click to expand...

I distinctly remember Channel 7 (WEMT back then) had a lot of Canadian ads; many of which were for Halifax/Dartmouth NS area merchants...we're talking 1976/77. I almost went to a SuperTramp concert in Moncton that was advertised numerous times on WEMT.

When up in Presque Isle last summer for the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, I noticed WAGM TV8 had quite a few ads for businesses in Woodstock NB, just a few miles across the border.

This past Christmas-season there were several ads on WVII ABC7 for DVDs of the Old Stacy's Country Jamboree shows!!!
 
As a bit of an aside, I remember being told that sales reps for Canadian radio actually paid for the inventory they sold, kind of like buying it wholesale. They made their money on the markup. Pretty good inventive, I'd say. Could make for some interestinng games of Chicken between buyes and sales reps. Anybody know if this was/is true, or was I just having my leg pulled?
 
Speaking from prior experience selling in Canada (pre enhanced border), it was tough. Quebec is predominantly French speaking and they can smell a yankee from a mile away. Now, with enhanced border security it is even tougher and if you don't speak French, forget it... Most companies, now, hire contractors out of Canada to represent their stations, which is legal and more productive.

HH
 
I'm surprised no one mentioned the tax issues for Canadian businesses when it comes to advertising.

A long long time ago, a guy named Gordon McLendon built a TV station on Channel 12 in a tiny North Dakota town named Pembina. But really Gordon what built was a Winnipeg TV station that carried programming from NBC and ABC. This pissed off the Canadian government so they changed their tax laws so that business advertising, which is tax deductible in Canada, would not be if you bought advertising on a US radio or TV station. That basically killed off Channel 12.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KCND-TV

PTR
 
Although perhaps slightly off topic?-- I had to comment since reading the name; Gordon McLendon. I didn't realize he had such a rich broadcast past. The only time I'd been familiar with him was from his movie-producing days. See "The Killer Shrews" and "Giant Gila Monster". :D
 
Tim Martz, who used to own the Presque Isle stations, and WCRQ in Calais, has made a career of operating border radio stations. At one time he had a large chain from Wisconsin to Maine. Now he has focused most of his efforts on an FM, (WYUL?) out of Malone, NY. They are shooting a decent signal into Montreal and doing well with it.

The stations in Presque Isle always did the majority of their business in Canada when I was there. The economy was always better on that side, and the freedom to play what people wanted to hear, as opposed to the cancon dictated formats was a huge advantage.
 
I was wondering what the deal is . We( Legacy 1160) are leasing out Allan Weiners 5Kw border blaster on 780 Khz with our oldies format. I know that WXME radio covers most of New Brunswick and fills a format hole. Problem is we need to be able to do sales over the border. I am not sure how to go about it . Any input would be appreciated. Timtron
 
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