Value of on-air talent?

[Insideradio]

Interesting article on talent. On-air jobs are harder to find than ever and if you have one, be prepared to do more hours for the same money. Outside of morning drive does it really matter anymore???

http://www.radio-info.com/content/column.php?rcID=230

 

[story@11]

Yes, it does matter outside of AM drive. PPM numbers in Houston and Philly and NYC and LA have shown that AM drive and PM drive are almost comporable. More Atlanta PPM data on 12/8 (I think).

The value of on-air talent also skyrockets if they perform not only with PPM but with producing revenue for their station.

Imagine the endorsement money V103 would loose if Frank Ski left the market. Bert. Boortz. I mean you hear 2 endorsements in a single stopset during Boortz.

It's now a revenue world - we just work in it.

You thought sales ran your station before? Just wait.

 

[traffic_guru]

You thought sales ran your station before? Just wait.

But they do here in Atlanta.

 

[choicevoicepro.com]

You thought sales ran your station before? Just wait.

I'm reminded of the quote from the late Jerry Williams who said "When sales runs programming, you have neither."

 

[grmf]

Sales has always run programming. You're not trying to get people to listen just because. The bottom line line is, it is a business. Except interns, no one is working at the station for just the love of the music. It takes money and in a big market a lot of it.

Why do you think there are format changes? Just to try something new? Ratings go down...

Sales go down, time to try something new.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Sales has always run programming. You're not trying to get people to listen just because. The bottom line line is, it is a business. Except interns, no one is working at the station for just the love of the music. It takes money and in a big market a lot of it.

Why do you think there are format changes? Just to try something new? Ratings go down...

Sales go down, time to try something new.

Obviously a station's format is based on what management thinks will generate the most revenue and profit. Every for-profit business puts out a product that it feels will bring in the most dollars. Are you confusing that with sales running programming?

Sales for the most part correlate with ratings. There are of course exceptions; certain formats underbill their ratings. But generally, a station's success has to do with the size of its audience relative to its competitors. So it's up to programming to create a saleable product, meaning high ratings. That's not sales running programming.

Cox Radio has the highest audience share in the Atlanta market. So it's logical that Cox also has the largest revenue share. Cox's CEO is a programming guy, so I have to assume he believes that putting on the best product will lead to high ratings, resulting ultimately in high revenue.

That's not to say there are not times when sales does run programming. If a station jeopardizes its formatics to air a feature just to make money from the sponsor, that's sales running programming. Or if a station, despite research saying otherwise, adds to its hourly spot load, that's sales running programming. (And programming and sales have been known to fight over this.)

But just because a station is in business to make money and puts on a format that it feels will best achieve that by getting ratings, does not mean sales is running programming.

 

[cm454]

Sales has always run programming. You're not trying to get people to listen just because. The bottom line line is, it is a business. Except interns, no one is working at the station for just the love of the music. It takes money and in a big market a lot of it.

What you seem to not understand is that listeners DO NOT listen for commercial matter. Yes, the objective IS to get them to listen to the spots, however, that has never been, nor will ever be, the reason anyone tunes in.

If interesting/entertaining programming is compromised for sales, you are undermining the incentive to listen. THAT above all else will hurt sales, meaning everybody.

Unfortunately, many in sales have not thought this through---likely due to their short-term goal vision. Tough battle, but the ultimate success of your station depends on a careful balance.

 

[kenhawk1160]

You thought sales ran your station before? Just wait.

But they do here in Atlanta.

I've been in radio, mostly in small markets, for the past 21 years now. Every station where I've worked in those two decades operate with sales-driven formats.

This is why so many stations are going satellite or having out-of-house consultants programming music. Every local PD has tried to infuse the music with his own programming philosophy, and in most cases, it's just not saleable.

Many programmers term sales-driven formats such as adult contemporary, contemporary country and the like are "safe" formats with no room for deviation outside the standard 200 song music library. The problem hasn't been the format as much as it's been the narrowness of playlists.

A quick and effective solution is to expand the regular rotation to approximately 400 titles. Save really retro-sounding titles for special programming on the weekends. "Retro Pop Reunion" with Joe Cortez is a great example of this. The diehard 80's fans who want to hear groups like G&R, Musical Youth, The Time, and others of that ilk can still hear it during special programming time without the regular listening crowd tuning out.

Your sales staff is on the frontlines trying to sell your product, which is your station and your format. They're in the trenches and hear most of the feedback relative to what your station's putting on the air. They in turn take that information to management. Then management hears their own version of what's going down on the street and decides whether to stay the course or change the product.

With exception to those who actually take the time to truthfully fill out a diary, your listeners don't pay your bills. Your advertisers do. However, as long as the long drawn-out war between talent and sales continues, challenges like this are never going to be overcome. There's finger-pointing in every direction. Sales accuses on-air talent of cannibalizing the station with their inappropriate on-air conduct. Programming accuses sales of making unreasonable demands of talent for clients, and management accuses both of low revenue and low ratings, respectively.

Management needs to chart a course for their stations' long-term success. I say don't limit weekly meetings to the sales staff. It's all about making your station better tomorrow than it was today and perpetuating that philosophy.

 

[KFodor]

Some good points here.

The reality, though: is that any "air talent" (outside, perhaps of a successful morning show) needs to understand they are not going to make it being a DJ alone anymore. They need to know multiple skills these days. Can they jock different formats and sound credible? Could they write and cover news? Are they flexible enough to do multiple jobs? Can they do basic engineering skills? Being able to do this is what helps to keep you from being considered "expendible", though no one ever really is or has been in this business.

Roddy makes very good points about Cox. I know. I know. The company has its detractors, but the reality is: within that company, putting on the best possible programming that will, in turn, generate the highest possible ratings and thereby produce advertising revenue is what matters. Period. Go on. Rant all you want about short playlists, Boortz, Bob Neal, Belinda, whatever...the fact is: the company does its' homework, and most of the time, produces winners.

Sales running programming? In a sense, I guess yes. But different companies define different models of this. In our shop, we will not prostitute our programming merely to get a buy. And, we will not do a promotion for a sponsor if we're not convinced it will work. (And, boy have we rejected some doozies in the past year or so.)

I've seen sponsors suggest (sometimes demand) promotions that require almost a Rube Goldberg style response from listeners to get the tiniest of prizes. They won't get on our air. Period. I rejected a promotion a few years back from a sponsor (a big one you'd recognize that will remain nameless here). Why? The client wanted the station to give away a $1,000 valued prize at a "freebie" remote for them, but then placed the caviat in the contract that "the station guarantees the grand prize will not be given away in the first (X) number of "prize bags"."

Clearly, that "demand" from the sponsor was, in effect, "rigging" the contest. I said no. No, wait a minute.
I said "Hell, no. Over my dead body." The Sales Manager screamed all the way to the GM, who took one look at the promotion from the client and said, "I think we'll pass on this one".

There is no doubt times are tough right now, and will probably get tougher before the pendelum swings back. But the fact is: when something goes "bump" in the middle of the night, people of all ages look to radio to tell them what's going on. WSB-AM proves it every time you guys have a hurricane blow through down there. Or, a plane crash. Or, just a nasty accident on I-75 at rush hour. (Yeah...I've driven through Atlanta at rush hour...)

Broadcasting, as a medium, will survive and there will be jobs for those who stay up with the times, are willing to learn from them, and change with them.

 

[radioray]

“While there are problems, there are solutions to these problems,” he said. “It's basically called content, content, content. It really comes down to, if you're a programmer, to content, content, content. If you put something out that people want to listen to and you attract a large enough audience that's loyal then, lo and behold, the advertisers in that program will have success and, bammo! You're off and running.”

We know there are still owners and individual stations that get this, but they do seem to be in the minority........

http://www.rbr.com/features/viewpoints/11558.html

 

[craig_ashwood]

I've seen sponsors suggest (sometimes demand) promotions that require almost a Rube Goldberg style response from listeners to get the tiniest of prizes. They won't get on our air. Period.

About 15 or so years ago I was programming for CBS up in Washington D.C., and at one of the weekly promotion request meetings we had, an account exec wanted me to do a giveaway on behalf of some D.C. area masonry builders association, which had bought time and demanded a promotion (forget the name exactly, but their organization was all about promoting the use of all brick construction for new residences).

It was simple, he said--just a call-in-to-win thing, and the client would be happy. And the prize was....you guessed it...lucky caller 94 would win a brick. Just...one...single...brick.

The account exec was serious...but I couldn't stop laughing. Obviously we didn't do this "giveaway", and the end of the story is that I had this particular promotion request form framed and it's in my home office on the wall now!

 

[D. Sgruntled]

But here's the thing too. And maybe this isn't the case anymore, but my theory is this. There are quite a few stations that play the same songs and/or artists. So why not listen to Station A over Station B if I can hear the same song I love? The reason is the on-air talent. In my case, growing up in Atlanta, I know I can hear Coldplay on a variety of stations but I choose to listen to Dave FM. Why? Because of Mara Davis. I've been listening to Mara for as long as I can remember and I will continue to listen to her until the powers that be put her on an intolerable format. Same thing with Kaedy Kiely and Willard (if he were to come out of retirement). I grew up listening to them and I feel comfortable with them. So why I can hear Coldplay all over the place I choose the station to listen to Coldplay on because of the on-air talent. I can't be the only person that feels this way. Am I?

 

[OutOfTheBiz]

But here's the thing too. And maybe this isn't the case anymore, but my theory is this. There are quite a few stations that play the same songs and/or artists. So why not listen to Station A over Station B if I can hear the same song I love? The reason is the on-air talent. In my case, growing up in Atlanta, I know I can hear Coldplay on a variety of stations but I choose to listen to Dave FM. Why? Because of Mara Davis. I've been listening to Mara for as long as I can remember and I will continue to listen to her until the powers that be put her on an intolerable format. Same thing with Kaedy Kiely and Willard (if he were to come out of retirement). I grew up listening to them and I feel comfortable with them. So why I can hear Coldplay all over the place I choose the station to listen to Coldplay on because of the on-air talent. I can't be the only person that feels this way. Am I?

I won't sit through 45+ minutes of music I don't like to hear 2+ minutes of banter from a personality I really like.

I diagree that "there are quite a few that play the same songs/artists." Yes, a Coldplay song may appear on more than one station, but the other 10-11 songs in the hour are vastly different. I, and most everyone else, choose radio stations based on the music mix. Everything else is minor.