Talent gone astray...

[eduardo777]

So with all the recent RQQ changes and some over at CC and Cromwwell. Lord knows there's more abrewing... Where is all the talent going? Is there any wiggle room in Nashville?
McCloud, Martindale, Trish at V102.5, Rob Michaels, Bobby Knight. Should LuLu be looking... it all seems even more so unstable then ever before. or perhaps its just me with a confused radio dial.

 

[ROCKO11]

It's call economics. It's getting to harder to pay these local people. Ad agencies aren't spending the money that they were before, in addition to locally owned businesses have cut back as well, therefore, the radio group owners and independent owners are having to make job cuts. On the economic side, it is eaiser for Cumulus to run Bob and Tom off the satellite, than pay Coyote and Cathy.
Some of the locally owned businesses think the newspaper is a better way to spend thier ad dollars in thier budget.
Another thing is Comcast. You ask me Comcast is a problem? Yes, because they are out selling ads on the cable system. When say the network channel (example: A & E, TLC, MTV, TV Land, etc) takes a spot break, they are inserting local ads instead of running the ads from the network. I watch Court TV alot and I see it all the time. That's something that should be brought to the FCC's attention.

Folks, it's like this. BLAME THE RETAIL, AUTO, & SERVICE BUSINESSES OF NASHVILLE AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES.....It's thier fault this has happened! Next time your in a local retail store that is advertising in the Newspaper or Comcast, go to that store, as for upper management and discuss this with them!

Now if people would boycot Wal-mart, Target, and yes Tom Bannon Chev. etc, we might get somewhere!

R

 

[KevinFodor]

Sounds to me as if:

1.) Either these stations have really crappy sales staffs. Or...

2.) The stations aren't training their salespeople well.

Radio has been successfully competing against newspapers for decades. And, there are a ton of reasons
radio can attack newspapers. (Declining...no make that...plummeting circulation in many cities, increased newspaper ad costs, etc.)

Cable is another thing. It is cheap, as far as television ads go. But in many cities, cable is not flexible in terms of ad targeting.

But, I do know some stations are having a hard time finding good salespeople. And I've also seen some operations just do a really poor job training the salespeople they have.

I've heard anecdotal evidence that a lot of media buyers at the agency level think a lot of radio salespeople
are, well....dolts. "Want your rate lowered? Just put some pressure on the salesperson. They'll cave." And, it shouldn't be that way.

 

[Journeyman]

Sounds to me as if:

1.) Either these stations have really crappy sales staffs. Or...

2.) The stations aren't training their salespeople well.

Of course I've only been in the business since Jesus was in High School, but here's something I never understood. Let's say you have a popular morning show, running a comfortable 15 units. The mornkng show is sold out. People want on, but there's no inventory. It seems to me you raise the rates, wait till the first contract expires, hit 'em with the higher rate. If they pass, go to the waiting list, asking the higher rate selling it to the first taker. If they want on, they'll takle it, the popularity of the show supporting the higher rate. But what usually happens is, sales will whine to the GM, he'll order the PD to increase the number of units, adding less infotainment and more clutter to the morning show. The numbers sag, and they replace the morning show, the PD or both. Plus the reach has lessened. Whassup with that?

 

[romer979fm]

You ask me Comcast is a problem? Yes, because they are out selling ads on the cable system. When say the network channel (example: A & E, TLC, MTV, TV Land, etc) takes a spot break, they are inserting local ads instead of running the ads from the network. I watch Court TV alot and I see it all the time. That's something that should be brought to the FCC's attention.

this has been going on since the early 80's...I did Viacom's TV spots for 13 years...and as long as you don't
let the client turn the spot into a vanity shoot (kids and pets)...the spots work.
plus here in Nashville...you can run spots in different areas of the county...i.e...a Brentwood business runs only
in homes in south Davidson county...
why would the FCC want to be involved in this? nothing illegal...and after 25+ years, certainly not a surprise!

 

[jetfli]

Aren't you talking about the inventory that's alloted to every cable company to sell? Or are you saying this cable company is covering spots they are supposed to be clearing? No, the FCC wouldn't be interested in that, but the networks sure would be.

I've been traveling a lot lately and have been amazed at the variety of spots I've heard in other markets and have caught myself thinking "Why aren't those companies or kinds of companies buying radio time in Nashville?" You have to look back at the salespeople. I've found that many Nashville media salespeople tend to work their sources or their interests and aren't very creative about seeking new forms of revenue. Radio has a captive audience on the commute or otherwise in the car, and while most offices won't allow employees to watch TV, read newspapers, or surf the 'Net in the office, they can have a radio on. Radio salespeople should be capitalizing on this!