Seeing Double And Doubling Revenues

4-29-13
Any baby boomer will remember "Two, two, two mints in one" or the jingle "Double your pleasure, double your fun." This year radio will be seeing double. As a manager, you have to manage multiple brands and formats, and make each as successful as possible. And if you're like most, you have a station or two in your cluster that is underperforming -- or on life support -- and in need of something fresh and new to generate income. The pressure is on to perform and find revenue and Radio Ink is here to help.

It just so happens that a big trend we're seeing is clusters launching Hispanic and Sports stations, often both within the same cluster. Both of these formats are hot,  both are being sought out by local, regional, and national advertisers, and both are moneymakers. Long gone are the days when Hispanic stations were operated only  by Hispanic-owned companies, though such companies continue to predominate the sector. And the Sports format is so hot that the past 12 months have brought the  launch of several sports networks, offering 24/7 programming.

The Hispanic Radio Phenomenon
Radio Ink's Hispanic Radio Conference has already become a phenomenon and is not only attended by a who's who of radio broadcasters airing Spanish-language  content, it is well attended by the advertising community, which seeks to better understand these formats and this audience. Also attending are market managers and  owners trying to determine if they should be adding Hispanic stations to their clusters. In most cities Hispanic radio is a market within a market -- and it can be license to print money.

Sports Radio Is HOT!
You already know how hot Sports radio is. Cluster managers are realizing the format can be an instant revenue win in their market and a great community builder, leading to lots of local ad support. Sports is so popular it is often successfully sold, in all market sizes, without strong ratings because buyers instinctively know their customers are following sports. Some markets, like Seattle, have four full-time Sports stations, and it appears all are making money.

Unique Understanding
One thing both formats have in common is that managers who run them need to understand the unique factors of operating them, selling beyond numbers alone, and maximizing revenues. Both are fruitful formats, but each requires a deep understanding and a special approach to maximize revenues. Our twin Radio Ink conferences are designed to help you focus on how to make money with each.

Twin Conferences
For the first time in its history, Radio Ink is holding two conferences side by side in the same facility, allowing cluster managers to attend one or both. (There is a special discount for attending both). The Hispanic Radio Conference is May 14-15 and the Sports Radio Conference is May 16-17, both at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami.

Revenues Found
If you're looking for revenue, you should be considering Sports radio, Hispanic radio, or both in your cluster. These two conferences are the best possible place to learn about these unique and profitable formats.

If your station is running any sports programming or games, even if not full-time, the Sports Radio Conference will give you the lowdown on the latest ideas to make money. For instance, we'll show you one station making huge nontraditional revenues in sports from its website alone, which will be an idea worth the trip.

If you're running a Hispanic station, the Hispanic Radio Conference is the place to learn what is working now and to find new ways to generate income.

We hope you'll consider joining us for one, or both.

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O'Shea Leaving Saga for Sonoma

4-29-13

In an e-mail to his Facebook friends, Michael O'Shea says he resigned his position as VP/GM of Saga's Cascade Radio Group in Bellingham Washington to become the Market Manager for the newly formed Sonoma Media Partners which recently purchased five stations from Maverick Media in Sant Rosa. "I?ll be joining long-time friend and associate Lawrence Amaturo, the architect of this transaction, and former owner of the stations in Santa Rosa."

O'Shea says he'll be joining his long-time friend and associate Lawrence Amaturo. "Lawrence and I go back to the mid-seventies when I was National Program Director for his Dad (and my mentor), Joe Amaturo?s stations in Miami, St. Louis and Houston. I?m genuinely excited about the next step in my long career, overseeing five vital stations in a beautiful and thriving community, where I will be greeted with 300-plus days of sunshine per year and an average daily temperature of 72 degrees." O'Shea was with Saga since 2008. An official press release is expected to go out today.

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(SALES) Advertising Above The 60th Parallel

4-29-2013

Over the past week, I?ve spent time with advertisers and marketers in the Canadian north -- the Yukon Territory -- in a city called Whitehorse. Being somewhat of a history buff, it was always one of my dreams to come to where the last great gold rush happened at the turn of the 20th century which was located in the Klondike region of Alaska and the Yukon. Whitehorse is the largest city above the 60th parallel. We figured that late April would be warm enough for flatlander Sean. The weather on my trip was a whole other story. How did those gold rushers go over the Chilkoot pass in the dead of winter? Ugh.

The seminar was a big hit and congratulations to Rush 96.1 for perfect execution. You impressed me by putting some of the biggest powerbrokers in the city in the same room at the same time. After a few million miles of speaking and consulting, I?m not easily impressed. After our 90-minute seminar, the advertisers had a chance for me to come and visit them personally and explore more in-depth their current advertising, and if I could offer some tips to them. The seminar was on Tuesday, and we offered up Wednesday through Friday for the follow-up calls. We were overwhelmed with the response and could only manage to fit in18 calls -- 6 per day. Is advertising above the 60th parallel any different than below it? No. It?s the same and the basic principles of marketing in today?s new media have similar threads no matter if you?re in Whitehorse or Timbuktu. The only things that change are the media outlets to advertise with.

When you give a seminar, you try to focus on and emphasize certain points. For example, in the seminar, my advice on running advertising is to drill home one idea at a time. My goal was to offer expertise on my experience, how you should advertise and approximately how much of your money you should allocate to specific media as an advertiser.

On the 18 follow-up calls, to a person, came back the impetus of the seminar. I try to make it easy for advertisers to remember, so I use an analogy of warfare and I believe marketing is warfare -- just marketing warfare -- and you have to know how to execute a marketing campaign so you win. Losing in marketing warfare can be very painful and very expensive. On the 18 follow-up calls, to a person, came back:

1) Air Force: Your ?Air Force? drives the top-of-mind awareness in the mind of the consumer. Not everybody shops price and item. Some people still shop at the business that comes to the top of their mind. Price is a consideration -- it?s just not always the number one consideration. Trust, credibility, superior service, and name recognition play a huge part in the top-of-mind battlefield. Radio, TV, cable TV, and Internet display advertising do an outstanding job in driving awareness when people first come into the buying cycle for a product or service. Based on how people shop today, from the NPD Group?s Consumer Tracking survey 2010, 45 percent of people shop top-of-mind awareness. Invest 45 percent of your money in top-of mind-awareness media with a message that rises above the clutter.

2) Ground Force: Once you have established control of the ?air? -- and in warfare, if you don?t control the air, you will not win the war -- it's time for the ground force. Fifty-five percent of people today shop price and item. This is where the ground force comes in --your print, direct mail, yellow pages, outdoor, magazines, and hand-to-hand combat with your POS and POP materials inside your business. Your ground troops and tanks have a better chance of succeeding when you have dominant air power in the skies. Depending on the ground force media in your market, and if you can dominate without spreading your money around, invest up to 30 percent of your money in the ground force.

3) Special Forces: In reality, and in today?s warfare, the ?Special Forces? go in first and identify the points of opportunity where you can take a laser beam to your targets. No different in your marketing warfare. This is where the Internet comes into play along with your mobile and social media advertising. Your ?Special Forces? enhance your traditional ?above the line? media and make your ?Air Force? strike their targets with better precision. Some markets have superior ?Special Forces? that can take up to 70 percent of the advertising dollars. Your ?Special Forces? can build up both top-of-mind awareness/branding and is also very potent with direct-response advertising. Most markets, however, do not have top-flight Internet domains to dominate in advertising and it can become hit and miss on the Internet. Mobile is starting to come on and your social media is starting to become more utilized and effective, though in most cases a retailer cannot survive on social media alone. If you have a normal market, you should allocate up to 25 percent of your money for your ?Special Forces.?

The above is a guideline on where and how to allocate your advertising dollar. If you spread your money around and do a little bit here and a little bit there to satisfy the media reps who call on you, then take your money to Las Vegas. It will go further and you?ll feel a lot better. Scattershot, spray-and-pray advertising is not effective. As in warfare, focus and dominate ?share of voice? in your Air, Ground, and Special Forces media mix.

Also, Slovakian born Ms. Eva Bidrman (General Manager of Klondike Broadcasting) gets a distinguished service medal for hanging with me minute by minute, hour by hour, and call by call over an entire week. Well done, Eva. You?re the only person I know that has ever done that.

You can reach Sean in the midnight sun at sean@luceperformancegroup.com or at www.luceperformancegroup.com.

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Entercom Snares The Raiders

4-25-13
The Oakland Raiders and Entercom?s 95.7 The GAME (KGMZ-FM) in San Francisco have announced a multi-year agreement for The GAME to become the radio flagship station in the Bay Area. Raiders programming will include pre-game and post-game shows, locker room reaction, and listener phone calls. Also, weekly call-in shows with Head Coach Dennis Allen and Raiders players.

Every Monday during the NFL season will be re-branded on the station as ?Raiders Mondays.? 95.7 The GAME is also the broadcast home of Oakland Athletics baseball. In the event of a programming conflict with A?s baseball, Oakland Raiders football will be heard on sister station KFOX 102.1/98.5.  

The agreement was negotiated by Compass Media Networks, owner and syndicator of the broadcast rights for all Oakland Raiders English-language broadcasts. Compass Media Networks is responsible for all aspects of the broadcasts of all Oakland Raiders preseason, regular season, and post-season games on terrestrial radio.

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AOL Music Shutting Down

4-29-13

Employees were tweeting that they were being fired on Friday. There still has not been an official announcement from AOL. On Friday TechCrunch and All Things D were reporting AOL is shutting down its music news properties. "Poor performance due to competition from independent bloggers may be to blame. However, reports indicate Winamp, SHOUTcast, and flagship music blog Spinner may survive," according to the Tech site.

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Nurse Blamed DJ's For Suicide

4-28-13

The Herald Sun is reporting that nurse Jacintha Saldanha committed suicide because of the hoax call made to the hospital by Mel Greig and Michael Christian. The article says Saldanha left a note blaming Greg and Christian and asked her bosses to get the DJ's to pay her mortgage. "I am truly sorry. Thank you for all your support. I hold Radio Australians Mel Greig and Michael Christian responsible for this act. Please make them pay my mortgage. I am sorry. Jacintha."

Greg and Christian called the hospital pretending to be members of the royal family, got through to where Kate Middleton was being treated, and played the call on their show. Saldanha put the call through. She was found dead three days later. 2Day FM owner Southern Cross has paid $500,000 into a trust fund for Ms Saldhanha?s family including her two children Junal, 17, and 14-year-old Lisha.

Read the full story HERE

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FCC Stands Firm Against Mt. Rushmore

4-29-13 

Mt. Rushmore's Wyoming stations were hit with a $17,500 fine for failing to ensure the operational readiness of the EAS system at KRAL-AM and KIQZ-FM, failing to maintain a complete public file for the stations and failing to operate an STL for WHB734. Mt. Rushmore requested the FCC review the fine, based in part on the stations "failing financially to the point that they have been silent for most of the past year." The commission rejected that reasoning and affirmed the fine. Read the full FCC document HERE

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TALENT)Radio Schema

4-29-2013

Music-radio is in a similar position as a person who considers the following description: It is a fairly large animal. It has a coat of fur. It has four legs. It has a soft nose. It has hooves. It can be moody. Some people like to get on its back and ride. Radio comes to a premature conclusion and bets this beast heavily. Problem: I also just described a cow. 

Meanwhile, there is a $3 word that those of us who toil in the H/R field throw around as if everybody knows what it means. The word ?schema? is a representation of our individual and/or group and/or organizations? models-of-the-world. Some portions of the models support development and success. Other portions of the models support limitations and failure. It really is all about context.

Radio has been operating through a model-of-the-world that has, for decades, been severely limiting in its scope and continuously resulting in unsatisfactory outcomes. Very few other commercial enterprises would take on as a defining dogma the practices of cutting the quality and value of all products and services while expecting anything other than disappointing results.

Yet, this is exactly the state in which contemporary radio finds itself. Not only that, but because of the necessity of dogma having to support itself, radio insists that this situation is locked-in and immovable. This position allows for relief only from outside sources or as a result of outside influences.

Now, I do appreciate that radio is almost completely sincere in the belief that their schema, model, dogma is not only real but it is true! Just such beliefs have historically fostered only disasters, pain, and eventual demise for those who refuse to consider easily accessed alternatives. Unfortunately, this situation can be easily understood. For those whose schema is secure, there are no alternatives!

?But, wait!? as every infomercial on the air will demand, ?There?s more!? The vast majority of ownership and management of radio stations do know they are withholding their best efforts from their audiences and advertisers. Few would call this ?cheating? as perhaps that?s just a tad too harsh. For me, however, ?cheating? is a fair, reasonable and accurate term. Fortunately for some, their schema allows for skirting any responsibility and still allows for a continuation of at least some self-esteem. I rather doubt the ownership and management corps are drenching their jimmies tonight in angst or flop-sweats. The ones who are -- and they can take some heart in this -- are the ones who are on the cusp of some wonderful discoveries and transformations in their businesses and their careers.

Still, a rational consideration of the tawdry and disappointing state of commercial radio as one of the major, mass media leads to only one conclusion: Sumthin? ain?t right.

Every model-of-the-world is made up of, essentially, three components: Generalizations, deletions, and distortions. Indeed, these elements can generate an enormous number of possibilities when attempting to understand a person?s model. My intention here, rather than provide a full and satisfactory description, is to point out these as powerful and pervasive representations of actual experience. They can be extremely useful.

However, it is unlikely that a tidal wave of corporate or personal introspection will be generated by a mere blogger?s rantings. The failure to do so, however, will still result in less-than-satisfactory results. I can claim without reservation that radio ownership and management have, for the most part, taken the positions that: 1/ There is nothing new in radio to be learned, and 2/ Whatever might be new and that would be applied, will have a limited impact and, therefore, be hardly worth the time, expense, or effort.

Our circumstance is not one in which evidence of the material is available or the results of the applying the material can be massive and significant. It is a situation where our generalized, deleted, and distorted models-of-radio disallow our even making the required inquiries and considerations.

Maintaining a refusal to apply other models of behavior to radio reminds me of the individual with an extremely low-fiber diet who also hasn?t enjoyed the orangy tang that comes from a daily does of Metamucil ? grumpy, out-of-sorts, in pain, and on the verge of an internal explosion that never seems to detonate. Even though it would enhance their ongoing, better health, this is still an experience they would rather avoid altogether ? and to hell with any future consequences.

?Schema,? meanwhile, has also been described as the subjective view of the world one might have through rose-colored glasses. In some cases, it is the view through dung-filled goggles. In radio?s case, though, it could be described as the view made up of a single picture that has been glued to the lens ? a photo taken in 1961.

Radio?s refusal to consider other available options in the communications field is, to my mind, tantamount to a gross, systematic, and intentional dereliction of duty. Good thing the shareholders are dummies ? those who aren?t also complacent and/or complicit. This article is targeted at the managers who may, in the privacy of their own bedrooms, be soaking their jammies. Maybe it will be those folks who will be taking part in kick-starting this business and bringing it up to speed. Maybe the pain limit is still somewhat farther away. Even Popeye had hit a threshold when he said, ?That?s all I can stands. I can?t stands no more.?

Radio is a willing or unwilling participant in the Advertising Sweepstakes. This is a business for professionals. Radio will continue to lose dramatically while it insists on avoiding thoroughbreds and, instead, breeds, raises, and bets on cows.

Ronald T. Robinson has been involved in Canadian Radio since the '60s as a performer, writer and coach and has trained and certified as a personal counsellor. Ron makes the assertion that the most important communicative aspects of broadcasting, as they relate to Talent and Creative, have yet to be addressed. Check out his website www.voicetalentguy.com

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What is "Feed The Meter?"

4-29-13

Impact Target Marketing founder Eric Corwin says he's developed a way for the smartphone of listener to initiate the playing of your station's embedded PPM signal into a meter. "As a part of our Feed the Meter campaign we've developed the SmartRadio Survey mobile app.  It can prompt a person to change their listening choice to your station at select times throughout the day." Today, we find out exactly what Corwin's new product is all about and how it can help your station.

Corwin says, during the recent Arbitron/Edison Infinite Dial study, he learned  some valuable information that helped support his findings about the SRS app. "One of the key points in the study highlighted the idea of recency which is the value of reaching a consumer as close to their purchase decision as possible.  In the case of our app it is not a purchase decision but a listening decision. The development of the Feed the Meter campaign utilizes smartphone technology to create recency.  This in conjunction with the proximity of our app; the fact that it goes everywhere a PPM panelist goes, allows us to change the listening decision of potential PPM panelist so that they tune into your station." 

How long has the product been in use by stations?
We are presently signing up stations now for our first survey period beginning May 1st.  This campaign mimics our successful snap pack direct mail survey campaign. The snap pack campaign targets hot zips and asks individual to participate in a local survey.  They are instructed to listen to their assigned station, (our client station), for three days and then complete a brief online survey.  Just for completing the survey they?re given a chance to win a large cash incentive.

The main difference in our snap pack campaign, which continues to be successful, and the SRS-Feed the Meter Campaign is that the SmartRadio Survey lasts for an extended period of time and is located on the person.  It can be supported by direct mail and telemarketing outreach or only through present station outreach using social media, email, website and the station itself.

It almost sounds like you are trying to beat the PPM system. Are you?
Not beat the system.  Work within the system; understanding the PPM and the best ways for our stations to get their fair share of ratings.  We need to know where our stations have the best chance to win and make sure that we can persuade those present and potential survey individuals to choose our station over a competitor.  With SmartRadio Survey mobile app the proximity of the app creates recency or the ability to effect the listening decision as close to the meter as possible; this allows us the ability to change listening whenever and wherever it is needed to support underperforming quarter hours.

How do you identify a "survey friendly" individual?
We utilize Arbitron?s PD Web product to helps us identify station hot zip codes. In addition we also use Research Director Inc. which takes ARB information to help us further identify hot zip codes for radio stations in PPM or diary markets. Before stations decide where to spend their marketing resources they need to know their strengths and weaknesses down to the zip code level.   In PPM markets were now able to more clearly identify where the meters are placed by zip code and view weighted quarter hours to help target more successfully.

Once we identify the key zip codes we speak to potential survey friendly individuals in terms of what is important to them.  They want their opinion heard and they want to be rewarded for it.

Explain how "Push notifications that initiate a listening change" work.
Well certainly ?push notifications,? are an important component of the campaign but it?s really much more.  We have find the right people and deliver the right message at the right time using a both social media and traditional marketing to affect a listening decision.  In addition, we have a database driven backend that communicates intuitively with each survey participant.

Do you have a station now using this product?
Not as of today.  We just introduced this new campaign.  But we?re confident of its success given that it uses many of the same successful ratings strategies that we?ve employed over the last twenty years. So far we?re excited about the overwhelming interest in SRS and are in the process of closing on several markets as we speak.  I also want to remind your readers that this campaign is market exclusive.

For more information, reach out to Eric at corwin@higherratings.com or visit the Feed The Meter website HERE

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Rock Radio Rules The Automobile

4-25-13

Arbitron and Edison Research released more data from their 2013 Infinite Dial study of over 2,000 consumers. Part of that data showed that 84% of the respondents use AM/FM radio in the car while only 12% choose online radio. The CD player was second at 63% followed by an iPod or MP3 player at 29% and Satellite Radio at 15%. Of those AM/FM users, 94% of the P1's in the Rock and Classic Rock formats listen in the car. Public Radio came in at 93% followed by News/Talk at 92% and Country at 91%.

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Documentary Shows Importance Of Local

4-25-13

The NAB pushes this one out, showing the power of local radio and television during Superstorm Sandy. The eight-minute video includes clips from WTOP's Jim Farley and Mark Seagraves, Z100's Sharon Dastur, New Jersey 101.5 and WRAT. The film is called ?Communicating Superstorm Sandy,? and it shows the rapid response and lifeline support provided by local broadcasters when Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast last fall. Watch it HERE

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Is The Hispanic Audience Underserved by Radio?

(4-26-13 UPDATE) We've received interesting feedback after running our Thursday story with Entravision's COO Jeff Liberman who says, despite the growth in Hispanic focused radio, that marketplace is still underserved. Ruth comments, "Are you kidding me. The market I am in has 36 signals and 14 of them are Spanish or Asian language. That means 36% of the fourth largest market in the US is broadcasting in another language." Read more of our comments below the original story

4-25-13

Entravision COO Jeff Liberman has been in radio for almost his entire adult life. There's no question he's an expert on radio and especially on the topic of the Hispanic consumer. In 2012 Liberman advanced from President of the Radio Division at Entravision to COO of the company. The story of how his family entered the radio business is fascinating. Liberman calls himself a ?radio brat? and while working for his family he learned how to do every job that needed to be done at a station, from answering the phones to filling out affidavits to selling time. Liberman sharpened all the many tools of the radio trade that put him on the path to becoming one of the 40 Most Powerful People in Radio. Today, Entravision operates one of the nation's largest groups of Spanish-language radio stations. Liberman, tells Radio Ink even with the growth of media targeting the exploding Hispanic population in the United States, that audience is still underserved.

"Even with the ups and downs of the economy during the early 2000s, we were able to sort of be recession-proof during those times. Even as the market grew at the beginning of 2000 until now, the marketplace is still underserved, it is still undervalued. There?s a lot that we still need to do to get to be at the same level as general-market stations and what they are getting for their audience. The change in the landscape started when Heftel bought the stations in Los Angeles at the same time Tichenor Media was starting to make their move in Texas and the Midwest. Shortly after I started working with Entravision, we bought those 17 stations and Z-Spanish Media. Most marketplaces, if you look at the number of stations going after the English preferred listeners compared to the Spanish preferred in the marketplace, the Spanish preferred is still underserved.

Liberman will appear on the cover of the May 6th issue of Radio Ink Magazine. He adds there is something that can be done to improve the situation of the Hispanic marketplace being underserved. "I think, especially our side of the business, we need to become more vocal with everything we do. The Latino marketplace is the fastest-growing marketplace in the United States. And it?s the one that probably gets the least amount of attention. We have to be far more vocal on all fronts ? at the agencies and also on the political level."

And don't forget to join us in Miami May 16 and 17 for the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference.
If you plan on attending, the special rate of $149.00 and the Biltmore Hotel expires tomorrow (Friday)

(4/25/2013 6:23:47 PM)
I live in a market where Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the market. I agree that there are a lot of 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics in this market and yes many have been educated here in this country. However, there are still large areas of this market that are Hispanic dominent where Spanish is the language of choice in business and at home. Hispanics hold onto there native culture and continue to teach their children those values and customs they brought to this country. As a businessman I have experienced the value of this market by reaching out to them in their preferred language. I am not Spanish speaking and I have had no problem transacting business. Radio Chuck get out of your biased world and experience the reality of the real world... I would imagine that you also condem country stations as redneck havens and we should strike the workd yall from the English language... Is it your ignorance of marketing or your closed mindedness that brought you here?? Have a great day in the Private Ethnic world "Radio Up-Chuck" (4/25/2013 4:47:32 PM)
What rude comments. It is cool that a Jewish person with family roots in Mexico can achieve so much
in America. My own background is different.
My parents (Jewish) who came from Europe wanted
to become Americanized, learned English and spoke it. Perhaps times have changed. Jeff is a really classey guy, and deserves respect. If you have a problem with Spanish language radio, its the FCC that has supported foreign language radio (as well as religious).
(4/25/2013 3:53:36 PM)
One of the bigger problems in emerging markets is you can send out more diaries or PPM's but the challenge is getting them filled out or getting them to wear them.But regardless Liberman is right and not a cry baby!!!
(4/25/2013 3:39:15 PM)
Robert says, "It's ironic that a guy named Lieberman is trying to speak for Hispanics."

The liberator of Chile was O´Higgins. The past president of Perú was named Fujimoi. Two terms ago, the head of Mexico was a guy named Fox. The richest man in Mexico has "Slim" as a last name.

Jeff Liberman's father is from Mexico. While he may have European heritage going back further generations, so does someone named "González" as well.

(4/25/2013 3:33:54 PM)
Chuck says, "How many more diaries does Arbitron have send out"

In the PPM markets, the DDI for Spanish dominant Hispanics is below 100; in diary markets the need to weight up is frequent. While approaching proportionality, the samples are still deficient, particularly in certain young adult age groups.

That Hispanics are oversampled is a huge, groundless myth.

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(SALES) The Move From Fear to Hope

4-24-2013

You know that a clich? is defined as  "an over-used word or phrase that becomes meaningless over time" -- especially if your competitors are flogging the same over-used phrases as you. Today, virtually everyone claims to do ?needs-based selling? or to sell ?solutions.?

But in advertising and sales there are two reasons why your customer will make a purchase: fear of loss or hope of gain. There are many subcategories that can be aligned under these two motivators, but basically every purchase decision is influenced by one of these two common denominators.

At the left hand of this continuum, sellers sell "solutions."

But as you gain trust and move to the right-hand side of the Motivational Continuum, you begin appealing to wants rather than needs. A client might ?need? to sell 10 cars on Friday to meet payroll. No one needs to be the largest dealer in your market, but when you can appeal to their want to be the largest dealership in your market, the relationship, and size of budget, changes dramatically.

My wife and business partner, Angela, taught me the difference between selling to fill a need versus selling to fill a want. Angela was a top-performing car salesperson. She says when she sold for a domestic auto dealer, most of her customers were families who needed a minivan to take the kids to soccer practice and to get to work. The focus was constantly on price and who could fill that need for less.

When she moved to a BMW dealership she quickly discovered no one needed a BMW but that they passionately wanted ?the ultimate driving machine?.

The minivan buyer didn?t enjoy the shopping and negotiation process they endured to fill their need.
The BMW buyer focused more on options than price. They were proud of their purchase and often asked to have their picture taken with Angela handing them the keys to their new B?mer.

Angela seldom heard from the minivan buyer after the sale, but she still receives Christmas cards and phone calls from the relationships she developed with the BMW buyers even though it?s been years since she left the automotive business.

In consultative selling, we were trained to focus on the fear of loss or panic side of the Purchase Motive Continuum, looking for problems to solve . We learned that as long as our prospects were comfortable, secure, or okay with their current media strategy, they probably would not switch to include our station in the mix.

The ?trick? to our trade was to keep asking questions until we moved prospects out of their comfort zone and uncovered a problem with their newspaper buy, their yellow pages, or their current favorite station. Once we uncovered that concern or worry, we would save the day and present a solution to the problem, often called ?solution selling.?

Today, ?solution selling? is even easier, because most local advertisers are already concerned or worried about the demise of newspapers, Google replacing yellow pages directories, and a rapidly evolving new media environment that?s almost impossible to keep up with.

When we present our ?Electronic Media? solution, proclaiming a strategic mix of ?radio to inspire and Internet to inform,? we can comfort the business owner?s fear of loss.

But what about the other end of the Purchase Motive Continuum: hope of gain?

There is no question that solving a client?s problem is a great way to begin a relationship.

On the fear and worry side of the continuum, your prospects are skeptical of you, your station and your solutions. In that frame of mind, they?ll ?test? you by not laying all of their cards on the table during your Customer Needs Analysis (CNA) and be willing to risk only a small investment.

The good news is, most of your competitors will treat that small investment as a small investment, not considering the bigger picture and super-serving the client to develop their long-term potential. They?ll pick that low-hanging fruit and move on to the next tree, never reaching for the riper, sweeter fruit at the hard-to-reach top of the tree.

To begin a solid, long-term relationship, the best account executives have a plan in place to get to the sweeter fruit:  to move each client, over time, from the panic/solution side of the continuum to the much more lucrative and rewarding euphoria/opportunity side of the scale.

Over-performing with that first token ?test? budget is absolutely critical. Super-serving  each new client at the solution level will distinguish you from your competition and eventually move your relationship from the fear-of-loss to the hope-of-gain side of the scale.

The problems with being stuck in the solutions or fear of loss side of the scale are many:

? You?re continually being tested
? The media that provides the cheapest solution often wins
? Budgets are short term and relatively small
? Solutions are often band-aid or short term
? Decisions can be knee-jerk and actually damage the brand in the long run
? Long-term, big-picture relationships are out of reach

Once you have differentiated yourself and earned the right to begin to move to the euphoria side of the scale, your relationship can take a dramatic turn to the positive side of the scale?.hope of gain.

As you plan to build a longer term relationship your CNA will evolve into a SWOT Analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You will earn the right to focus on the dreams, hopes, visions, strengths, and opportunities while your competitors are still stuck in phase one solution selling.  

The benefits to focusing on strengths and opportunities versus weaknesses and threats are many:

? The test is over and  trust sets in
? Cheaper competitors are relegated to solving short-term problems
? You and your client keep your eye on the long-term ball
? Better advertiser decisions are made
? Entrepreneurs are willing to plan and invest more in proactive wants than reactive needs
? The focus on price is replaced with a focus on the dream
? Working with a euphoric client is more fun!

To differentiate yourself from all of the solutions sellers you must:

1.) Super-serve and over-perform when you open the door with your solutions
2.) Have a plan in place to continually build trust and look for longer-term opportunities
3.) Learn to uncover and appeal to the want or hope, side of the Purchase Motive Continuum.

Wayne Ens is president of ENS Media Inc, www.wensmedia.com  producer of the SoundADvice radio e-marketing system and the Winning in the New Media Economy revenue development system. He can be reached at wayne@wensmedia.com

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(SALES) 5 Rules Of Making A Presentation

4-26-2013

There are a few easy, but important rules to follow when making a presentation to a prospective client. Here they are:

1. ONE PAGE AT A TIME: You control the pages. Always take two copies of your presentation. If you?re presenting a printed version as opposed to sharing an electronic version. You?ll want to take two master, color printouts of your presentation. One bound and one unbound. The unbound copy is what you?re presenting so you can control the pages. The bound copy is your client?s copy, bound so that it stays in proper order. If you?re presenting on an iPad or a laptop, then you?ll only take one bound master printout as your leave-behind.

2. YOU CONTROL THE PAGES: Obviously you?re presenting one page at a time and you must control the process.

3. TRACK: Nothing is more frustrating than to get towards the end of a presentation and then realize you lost the client?s attention. You don?t know if you lost them on page 2 or page 5, but you lost them. So, you must learn to track. This means you ask a question on each page or two. For example, let?s say you?re on one of your introductory pages outlining some of things the client told you in your initial interview from your previous appointment, and they mentioned that business early week was painfully slow. When covering this bullet-point, you may ask, ?One of your challenges is how slow business is early week. Do you remember saying that?? You?re actually confirming here that you have their full attention. You must TRACK numerous times throughout your presentation.

4. ?WE, US, LET?S, and OUR?: This is simply learning to talk in same-team-language. ?That?s important to US, isn?t it? This is what WE want to accomplish. Do you agree this is OUR best solution?? Remember, if you both aren?t on the same team, odds are you won?t have a new client, so use same-team-language.

5. SOMETIMES COST FIRST: It still amazes me how sellers wish they didn?t have to talk cost; holding out to the last minute, the last page, and the last thing on the page. It?s often difficult to keep a client?s attention during a presentation when all they?re wondering is "What is this going to cost?" Don't allow the price to make you afraid to do what?s right! No one said doing business with you should be cheap. Hiring the best, finding the best plan, employing the best solution, are rarely synonymous with lowest cost. What?s costly is not fixing the problem or, worse, buying the proposal because it?s the cheapest. More often than not, getting the cost out of the way first is smart. Example: ?Today, I?m going to ask you to spend $60,000 over the next 12 months. Now, let me show you how I JUSTIFY that.? Business owners devote more attention to the details of your proposal when they know the cost up front and hear how this dollar amount will get the job done.

One page at a time, you control the pages, track, team language, and sometimes cost first. Now, go present boldly and with confidence. You?re worth the money!

Rob Adair is the President of Pinnacle Solving. His company provides revenue growth solutions, branding and differentiation strategies to radio and other industries. Adair is a former radio industry COO and Sr. VP overseeing 25+ stations and multiple major markets. He can be reached at 405-641-0458 or by e-mail rob@pinnaclesolving.com

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(EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW) Radio's AM Champion

4-25-13

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai has turned into a hero for AM Broadcasters. His desire to save the AM band, stemming from his love for AM radio stations, is exactly what AM broadcasters need at such a crucial time. With interference at an all-time high and so many other ways to consume much clearer content, AM radio might simply die without such an important advocate in such an important position. The question is..Is it too late?

Pai told Radio Ink that it's now or never to come up with a plan to clear up that signal. He's hoping to move forward his idea to revitalize the AM band as quickly as possible, however, a short-staffed commission may delay that plan. In the short-term, however, FM translators might be the answer. We asked Pai about the Tell City waiver which has almost become a battle cry for AM broadcasters and might clear the way for more FM translators. Is a blanket power increase for AM's the solution? What about going all digital? Or, is it simply too late to even spend the time trying to save the AM band? Here's our full interview with FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.

As always, we look forward to hearing back from you (below) on this very important topic.

(4/26/2013 6:52:26 AM)
I smell iBiquity!

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NextMedia Picks Up ESPN In Myrtle Beach

4-25-13

When Cumulus' WSEA-FM ?Sports Radio ? The Team? dumped ESPN Radio to take on the new CBS Sports Radio network, that left ESPN without an affiliate in Myrtle Beach. Until yesterday. NextMedia's WRNN-AM has become the new affiliate. Mike and Mike -- who are on the cover of the next issue of Radio Ink -- make an annual trip to Myrtle Beach to play in a celebrity golf tournament. They also broadcast their show from the market.

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Kim Bryant – How I Got Into Radio

4-26-2013

I?ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Kim Bryant for the past 15 years. When she was market manager for Clear Channel in San Francisco, we met on a regular basis as I negotiated contracts and she ran the juggernaut of stations that dominated the market and owned the female audience. As one of the few female market managers in radio, Kim has the distinct honor and demanding responsibility of demonstrating that women can provide the same, if not better, leadership than the men. I think Kim makes us proud and now that she is leading the Cumulus team in New York she does so with the same dignity and quality she applied in San Francisco.

Now, in her own words, here's how VP/Market Manager Cumulus New York Kim Bryant got into radio?.

While I was attending Fresno State University to obtain my teaching credentials, I had a few girlfriends who were driving hot new cars, owned cell phones (before it was common to own one), having dinner at the finest restaurants, and were decked out in new clothes every time I saw them. In addition, they went to every rock concert and every cool event in the city. I, on the other hand, was wearing the same old clothes, driving a Datson 200SX, and waitressing for tips. There was something wrong with this picture. So I put on my best dress, my highest heels, and trotted myself to the offices of Buckley Radio.

At the recommendation of a girlfriend, I secured a sales job at KMJ. Rush Limbaugh had just started and the other stations were well rated; but my sales position started in a cubicle with a phone book, a pad, and a pen. I would spend the day on the phone, cold calling everyone or walking door to door in an attempt to get any business to buy radio time. When I finally had an appointment, I would park my aging Datson around the block and change my shoes as to not ruin the only pair of expensive shoes I owned. My girlfriends lent me their clothes and I lived off the lunches provided by my sales calls. I earned my first agency after six months but it took three years before I went through a sales training program. A bit backwards, but I knew the business from the bottom to the top.

I was a genius at co-op; I prided myself in detail and follow-through. I over-serviced my clients and worked seven days a week if necessary. Times were different. I faxed my orders back and forth or waited for the mail to deliver signed deals. I forget how slow things were and how the process has changed.

My first major call was with the head of an agency that was considered one of the nicest people in the business. I prepared for my sales call for days. I researched every one of his clients and was prepared to sell my brains off. As I sat in his office across the desk, I noticed his eyes never left my chest. I was dismayed how this pinnacle of the advertising community was such a creep. I tried to ignore his glare and went through my pitch with great pains and in impeccable detail. I finished my pitch, stood up, shook his hand, and left his office. As I got into my car and went to put on my seatbelt I was shocked to find that my giant shoulder pad (a staple of the female wardrobe in the 80s) had dropped from my jacket and was resting in front of my chest. I look like a porn star on one side and myself on the other. How this poor man was able to get through the meeting without breaking out in hysterics was a miracle.

Within a few years, I had my new shiny car, my fancy clothes and shoes; I was attending the best events and dining at the finest restaurants. (And, gratefully, no one wears shoulder pads any more). Radio was everything I could ask for and today it?s still a great job with an amazing lifestyle. It doesn?t get any better than this.

Kim can be reached at kim.bryant@cumulus.com

Lisa Miller is president of Miller Broadcast Management
in Chicago and can be reached at lisa@millerbroadcast.com or 312-454-1111.

Read more of her feature How I Got Into Radio Sponsored by www.localfocusllc.com  HERE

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(MANAGEMENT) Radio's Odd Couple Tackles The New World

4-26-2013

This is not a new subject. I?ve touched on it in previous writings. But, as the discussion of radio?s future ramps up, it needs further exposure: The working relationship between the sales manager and the program director must change from a perennial ?workaround? to an important ingredi?ent for radio?s success in the future.

The things I?ve seen over the years could fill dozens of psychologist?s notebooks. When I was a sales manager, I worked for a GM who actually forbade me to talk to the program director because he was afraid I might talk him into doing something that was wrong for the station. The inference was that I had no regard for the quality of the station content and the program director didn?t have the interpersonal skills to discuss things and simply say no to me. (Frankly, both inferences were probably closer to the truth than I?d have liked to admit.)

In the past, the agendas of the sales manager and the program director were allowed to be mutually exclusive. My point is this: That ?separation of church and state? doesn?t work anymore. If you don?t collaborate effectively in today?s radio environment, you will not succeed. (I?ve got a ton of other anecdotes, by the way. Like when a pro?gram director threw a stapler at me ? but I?ll save that for my column on violence in the workplace.)

Here are some thoughts that can help you navigate these tricky waters:

The ?Circle of Life? is taking on a new meaning. Radio?s content must improve in the face of the plethora of content available on other platforms. It?s not just about beating your competitor across the street anymore. Radio?s competition now is anything that steals from its usage. To compete now requires innovation and trying new things, which, in turn, requires taking risks and spending money. In order to support the drive for more competitive con?tent, radio has to monetize everything in its sales arsenal, including the experiments. So sales and programming not only support each other, they depend on each other more than ever before. What should have always been ?hand-in-hand? is now ?joined at the hip.?

Conceptual selling is more in the mix. New ideas and unique content might not generate ?numbers? in the traditional sense. In order to monetize the new content, sales managers will have to devise strategies to sell without the usual metrics and analytics. They will also have to hire sellers who have the optimum talent mix to thrive in a world that might not have as much of a ratings ?security blanket? as they?re used to. Having a sales culture that relies on solution-based, customer-driven revenue will be more and more essential as time goes on.

?Sales empathy? is the PD?s quid pro quo. As the sales team works to monetize the new con?tent, the program director needs to work with sales to help enable their efforts. This isn?t about adding units and a couple of billboards on the afternoon traffic reports. This is about finding new ways to create commercially friendly and effective environments for sales to add to their product suite, and it?s an area that?s been left underdeveloped by those who are used to a predetermined ?commercial load/clock? structure. However, as digital media broadens its commer?cial offerings beyond banner ads into mobile and social, radio needs to speed it up in order to stay relevant. The program director of today must be a part of those solutions.

A role redefinition is in order. As program directors and sales managers embrace these new demands, the way their job descriptions look needs to change as well. Giving everyone their due, the best of these folks already do much of what we?re talking about. The best program directors already aggressively direct the creative efforts of the content team and serve as ?audio brand managers? in addition to their day-to-day activities. The best sales managers have already taken on the role of team leaders for marketing solutions and the development of unique and new revenue streams. What has to happen is that the exceptional level of performance exhibited by the best today becomes the norm tomorrow.

For GMs: Good And Bad News

And the good and bad news are the same: You are accountable for making this happen. Coaching, per?suading, explaining, and teaching, the fun part of your job, will be essential for this to happen. Conversely, it might be necessary to let the people in the program director?s and sales manager?s chairs grow and wake up to the new reality.

There are a couple of caveats that I will leave you with. First, this is all much easier said (or written about) than done. This is uncharted territory, and the programmers and sellers of tomorrow will be the pioneers of radio?s future. That said, apologizing for asking for drastic measures to ensure the future is getting real old, at least for me. Second, none of this can occur without the support of your top management and ownership. If they?re not on board with this, perhaps you should consider not being on board with them.

Good luck ? and watch out for flying staplers.

Marc Morgan is the former SVP and chief revenue officer for Cox Media Group; he retired in 2011. He can be reached at marc@marcmorganconsulting.com.

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Greater Media Boston Offering Free Rides

4-25-13

In an effort to encourage residents and visitors back onto Boylston Street, Greater Media Boston?s five radio stations are getting behind Mayor Menino?s ?Boylston Strong? effort on Sunday, April 28th.  Greater Media Boston will be offering free roundtrip upper deck trolley services from its headquarters on Morrissey Blvd down to Boylston Street, the trolley service will be on a first come first serve basis, and will start at noon.

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Joey Boy Joins CBS Phoenix

4-25-13

He'll take over afternoon drive at KZON-FM (101.5 JAMZ) and Music Director duties starting May 6. Joey Boy worked in the Phoenix market for nine years from 2001 ? 2010; first as the host of Power 98.3?s afternoon show and then as morning host. Most recently, he was the afternoon host on Q104.7 in Ventura, California, as well as the Assistant Program Director/Music Director for its sister station Live 105.5.

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Alpha Broadcasting Loves The Ducks

4-25-13

It's not only pro sports finding a home on radio, college sports score big for the medium as well. Alpha Broadcasting's 750 The Game (KXTG-AM) in Portland, Oregon, and the University of Oregon Ducks have announced a multi-year partnership that includes play-by-play coverage of Oregon football and basketball. Alpha Broadcasting COO Bob Proffitt said, ?With the truly national brand of Oregon football, and emerging basketball, baseball, and really the entire sports programs in such an elite position, we could not be happier as the Portland flagship station of the Ducks and we look forward to many more years to come.?

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(SALES) Getting to Know The Gatekeeper

4-23-13

Following my recent podcast with Radio Ink Magazine, which you can listen to HERE, I received significant feedback to my brief discussion of Gatekeepers. The comments varied but generally fit under the umbrella of Homer Simpson smacking his forehead and exclaiming, ?D?oh?, as in, ?Gee, I never made the connection.?For those of you who missed the interview, I introduced the Gatekeeper this way:

- A real person that exists, without exception, for every Decision Maker;
- Gatekeeper titles can range from Receptionist to Administrative Assistant to Department Head;
- It?s the person who stands between you (the seller) and the Decision Maker when you call or visit in person;
- It?s the person who is trusted by the Decision Maker to screen out frivolous interruptions; and,
- It?s the person who has the Decision Maker?s ear for good or bad reports on those (you) seeking appointments.

Like many of the less obvious best practices of outstanding sellers, dealing appropriately with Gatekeepers requires performing some mental gymnastics. For those less practiced in the art of sales, this task calls for a full 180-degree twist.

For many sellers, the Gatekeeper I have described is viewed as simply an annoying hurdle standing in the path of commerce, impeding efforts to make a sale. They approach this obstacle much as they would a large boulder in the middle of the road ? if they can?t roll it out of the way, they?ll find a way to go around.

As I?ll explain in a moment, this strategy won?t work. What these salespeople really need is an attitude adjustment that changes their perception of a Gatekeeper from an obstacle to an opportunity. Treating a Gatekeeper like an inanimate object (a boulder) is certain to have negative consequences. Consider these unhappy truths:

1. The Gatekeeper will resent being treated poorly and will find a way to convey that bad feeling to the Decision Maker; and,
2. The Gatekeeper is not going to go away. After sellers navigate around a Gatekeeper once, they will face the same challenge repeatedly each time they try to contact the Decision Maker but they will find the Gatekeeper to be less and less receptive.

Conversely, savvy sellers will aggressively seize the chance to cultivate a positive relationship with Gatekeepers. These salespeople will treat Gatekeepers with the same courtesy and respect they show to Decision Makers, even taking the time to conduct a mini-CNA before asking to speak with ?the boss?.

The benefits of taking this opportunistic (and animate) approach to Gatekeepers are both predictable and significant. A salesperson?s life becomes exponentially easier when:
1. The Gatekeeper welcomes contact from the seller;
2. The Gatekeeper makes sure the seller?s messages reach the Decision Maker; and,
3. The Gatekeeper speaks highly (better) of the seller to the Decision Maker when compared to other peddlers.

If salespeople remain unconvinced that Gatekeepers merit this special treatment, one final reality check should close the deal. It is not uncommon and perhaps even likely for Gatekeepers to ultimately be promoted to Decision Makers. So, the way sellers treat today?s Gatekeepers may well determine their future relationship with Decision Makers. I rest my case.

Jon E. Horton is the author of The 22 Unbreakable Laws of Selling available in both paperback and Kindle versions from Amazon.com. For more on this topic, please read Chapter 8, The Law of Gatekeepers. Contact Jon@JonEHorton.com

Interested in ordering Jon's book? Do it HERE

(4/23/2013 7:38:03 PM)
Great point, Dan! Thanks!
(4/23/2013 5:27:14 PM)
Amen, Jon! And one more thing. When gift-giving time rolls around (holidays, free tickets, etc) allocate a little something for the Gatekeeper. You'll be amazed at the results!

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Arbitron: Sports Lift Smartphone Sports Apps

4-25-13
Arbitron says the use of sports apps by members of the Arbitron Mobile smartphone panel has been climbing since their post-Super Bowl, mid-winter doldrums, thanks to the NCAA Tournament and opening days of the regular season of Major League Baseball. Starting the week of March 10, as fans starting filling out their brackets for the NCAA Tourney, use of mobile sports apps boomed, reaching 13.7 percent of men, age 18 and older during the week of the "Elite 8" and the opening games of Major League Baseball.

In the two weeks following the NFL championship game on February 3, use of mobile sports apps by men, age 18 and older in the Arbitron panel, plummeted from 12.9 percent to 10.0 percent.

Sports app users are predominantly male. Slightly more than twelve percent (12.4 percent) of the Persons age 18 and older in the Arbitron Mobile smartphone panel use sports apps; by gender?18.4 percent of the men 18+ in the panel use mobile sports apps versus only 6.0 percent of the women 18+. Compared to men, the women who do use sports apps log on for fewer sessions (14.8 per month vs. 32.8 per month) and spend far less time with mobile sports apps (34.4 minutes per month vs. 63.8 minutes per month for men).

Men, age 35-44, are the most avid users of mobile sports apps in the Arbitron Mobile smartphone panel, representing the largest share of users within a demographic?22.8 percent, and the most time spent with mobile sports apps?77.1 minutes per month.  Men, age 25-34 who use mobile sports apps, do check in with their app most often?42.1 sessions per month.

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iHeartRadio Gaining Ground On Pandora

4-25-13

The marketing power of hundreds of radio stations and the iHeartRadio Music Festical may be paying off for Clear Channel in its battle with Pandora to be the number one music app for the consumer. According to the data compiled by Arbitron and Edison, Pandora is by far the most recognized online music brand. One out of every five people had listened to Pandora in the past week. Seventy percent of those surveyed are aware of Pandora, compared to 45 percent who were aware of iHeartRadio. The good news for Clear Channel is that one year ago, only 31 percent were aware of iHeartRadio showing a big jump in awareness in only 12 months. Twenty-two percent were aware of Spotify in the most recent study.

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I Was Devastated

4-26-2013

Devastated. Emotionally spent. Poorer. Frustrated.

These are all words that describe me after my first station deal fell through. I had naively assumed that all would go well. That if I worked hard enough, I could overcome all obstacles. Nope. Some things can?t, and shouldn?t, be overcome. Some deals need to be walked away from. I know that now.

But, as I mentioned last week, I wouldn?t give up yet. There were other stations out there to be bought.

I literally picked my head up off the table and squared my shoulders. I emailed the broker for a station that was also for sale near our market. It hadn?t been my first choice, but it would do. This time, however, the conversation sounded much different.

I asked him if the station was still for sale. After he confirmed with me that it was, I told him that I was interested but not at anywhere near the listing price he originally entered the market at. In fact, I shot him a figure more than 40 percent less than the listing price. I also told him that we couldn?t draw this out. I wanted to know fairly quickly whether they were in or out and put a timeline on having a finished APA.

I was fairly shocked when he asked me to send him a signed letter of intent. He was willing to take that offer to the sellers.  It turns out the sellers were motivated to move the property. However, they were concerned with a few things:

? Keeping it a Christian station
? Price
? Retaining their sales manager

Not only did I need to address these issues, but (wouldn?t you know it?)  I found myself in a bidding situation with another company. This company happened to be larger, more capitalized and had more experience at closing deals. (Apparently, a history of successful closings can mean more than money sometimes.) Additionally, they were specifically a Christian broadcast company. Now, I had to negotiate on these points against a company with a track record.

I felt for certain that I was in a favorable position on this deal. I was the local gal. They were a bigger, out-of-town company. I bid the higher price. I even tacked on an amount to be used for a severance package as I would evaluate keeping their manager but wouldn?t guarantee it. The other company definitely did not plan to keep this associate and made this known. I had planned to keep the station Christian and stated as much. They were specifically a Christian company. So, we tied there.

Or did we?

I was notified in a very timely fashion by the broker that I would not be granted the purchase agreement with them. It went like this:

?I can tell you that the price is not at a higher level than (the price you offered). Your new entry into the broadcasting field also did not play a part. We thought you put an excellent proposal together. They made their selection based on this owner having been established as a Christian operator for the entirety of their life, and the certainty that KMFC will remain Christian as long as this operator possesses it. They appreciate your desire to keep it Christian, but you just did not have the history of Christian programming that this group does.? Jason James, Patrick Communications.

Ugh. Here I was again. If I wanted to cry before, now I wanted to hit something. It just wasn?t working out the way I thought it would.

What I learned from this part of my journey is that: 

? Working with a good broker who is quick, thorough, and communicative is worth his weight in gold. At least in good coffee beans. (I?m a massive coffee fan, so this is good!)  This wasn?t a long drawn-out process. I knew where I stood at all times and found that to be easier. Jason helped me understand what I was up against, provided good feedback after, and even some comforting words at the end. (I should also mention, for the sake of full disclosure, that Larry Patrick, with Patrick Communications, has offered to sponsor me in the NAB Broadcast Leadership Training Program. Additionally, Larry made Jason available to me to ask questions during my discovery phase last year. )
? Sometimes, a reputation as a broadcaster in closing deals can carry valuable credit.
? If you are looking to buy in a niche format, that experience with someone selling ?their baby? will go a long way. In small markets, people do care what happens to their stations after they no longer have them.

And so, another one bites the dust.

What in the world could I do next?  Next week, I?ll tell you if there were any options left and the conclusion I came to.

Have any advice for Erica? You can reach her at erica@theruckusgroup.com

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(WIZARD) The Salesperson's Path To Extraordinary

4-24-2013

"System.? That?s the holy whisper in business today, isn?t it?

?Training program? is another sacred cow.

But is it really wise to protect AEs from the hardships that taught us all we know?

Hardship is the undisputed School of the Masters, but very few students seek admission. Rarer still is the employer who will fund your tuition. Patience is the payment required of the employer. Pain, disappointment, and perseverance are the price paid by the employee.

Sales Training: Education begins with memorization. Having learned all the theories, steps, and rules, we parry and thrust against the light in a kind of frantic swordplay with the shadows of possibilities. This is when we learn that steps and rules are only a weak and sad beginning. We still have a lot to learn.

Memorization was our first lesson. Improvisation is the second. Choices and consequences are the lessons that never quit teaching. But do AEs have the freedom to improvise anymore?

Every industry, craft, trade, and profession has its own traditional wisdom that will hide you, safely out of trouble, by keeping you inside the box. And radio?s box is held tightly together with bands of iron. ?Job security? is spelled C-O-N-F-O-R-M-I-T-Y.

AEs, if you?re going to start thinking ?outside the box,? you?re going to have to ignore the unwritten rules of traditional wisdom. Do this and you?ll immediately be told that you?re ?not doing it right.? And, sadly, the new thing you?re attempting to do probably won?t work out the way you had hoped.

You won?t have a victory, but you will have an education.
So you?ll try something else that doesn?t work out.
Now you?re a screwup.
Most people would crawl back inside the box and quit trying. But not you.
You try again. Fail again.
Now you?re a loser, a nonconformist, a problem child, and possibly unemployed.
This, mi amigo, is what they call hardship. Welcome to the School of the Masters.
Try again. Limited success.
Now you?re a tinkerer who won?t leave well enough alone.
Try again. Limited improvement.
No one calls you anything now because no one is paying attention.
Try again. Major breakthrough.
Now you?re an innovator, and everyone wants to swim in your pool.

George Washington was a loyal British subject who decided the king was wrong.

Thomas Jefferson envisioned a form of government that Winston Churchill ? on the floor of the House of Commons ? would later call ?the worst form of government ever created, except for all the others.?

Abraham Lincoln violated millennia of traditional wisdom when he won the war but refused the victor?s spoils, saying instead, ?With malice toward none, with charity for all ... let us bind up the nation?s wounds....? in his Second Inaugural Address.

But perhaps Teddy Roosevelt said it best. Speaking of the choices and consequences we face daily as we improvise our way through life, he said, ?Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.?

The fact that you?re still reading this impresses the hell out of me. Seven in 10 quit when they got to the line that said, ?Patience is the payment required of the employer.? Two of the remaining three got angry when I began talking about improvisation.

I know you. You?re not a screwup. You?re an innovator on the edge of a breakthrough. Trust me. I know what?s about to happen for you. I?m very familiar with the edge.

And the view from here is magnificent.

Join us.

Roy H. Williams is president of Wizard of Ads Inc. E-mail: roy@wizardofads.com

(4/24/2013 7:49:20 PM)
The renegade's or innovator's life is frought with numerous dangers and responsibilities.

One of those responsibilities is the preparation for numerous falls - assisted or otherwise. Softer landings make getting back up a little easier. Hard landings can slow the process down - significantly.

One of my mentors said, "Be sure to have a mattress strapped to your ass."

(4/24/2013 3:17:19 PM)
Living on the edge and being called a screw up simply added up to wisdom and success over time for this a/e. To live inside the box of c-o-n-f-o-r-m-i-t-y is to die for me. Without creativity, life is meaningless.
Thanks Roy for the continued wisdom.
(4/24/2013 2:52:03 PM)
I read the entire article; and loved it.

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Hispanics Love To Go Digital

4-25-13
The Hispanic population is the fastest-growing and youngest segment of the U.S. population. And Hispanics are highly social online. According to new stats released by eMarketer, in 2012 68.9 percent of Hispanics were using social networks, compared with 66.2 percent of the total U.S. population. And social tools, once in Hispanics? hands, become more than just a way to communicate with far-flung relatives and friends.

Hispanics are also more likely than the general population to use social media to query their social networks about products and retailers, according to a June 2012 study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, and slightly more likely to write product reviews than the general population. In addition, the mobile Internet plays a major role in Hispanics' shopping: Their use of mobile and smartphones while shopping is higher than any other ethnic group, according to a March 2012 Terra Networks and comScore study.
And they are more likely than other ethnic groups to use their devices in-store for a variety of activities, including comparing product prices, texting or calling a family member about a product, and looking for coupons.

Read the entire eMarketer piece HERE

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Mike & Mike Get New "Anytime" Logo

4-22-13

They are the stars that anchor the rest of the day for ESPN Radio and today they were given a new logo to reflect ESPN's goal of making the morning show duo available to listeners anywhere and everywhere. It's out with the Mike and Mike in the Morning logo and in with the new logo.

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic are on the cover of the upcoming issue of Radio Ink Magazine. They have now been together for 13 years and are heard on over 340 stations. In our interview they tell us they didn't think the show would last longer than 12 months. Here's how and where listeners can catch the show.

Where & When to Listen/Watch Mike & Mike
ESPN Radio                                (live 6-10 a.m. M-F)
ESPN2                                       (live simulcast 6-10 a.m. M-F)
ESPNRadio.com                         (live 6-10 a.m. M-F)
Sirius/XM Satellite Radio              (live 6-10 a.m. M-F)
Podcast: Best of Mike & Mike      (available 24/7)
App: ESPN Radio                        (available 24/7)
ESPNEWS                                  (re-air 10 a.m.-1 p.m. M-F)
ESPN2: Best of Mike &Mike         (some afternoons)
Slacker                                       (some Mike & Mike content)
Twitter                                       @MikeandMike; @Espngreeny; @espngolic; @LiamsMumESPN

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How To Cover a Story Like Boston

4-21-13

Some of the best radio coverage of the events in Boston over the past week were provided by WBZ in Boston, 1010 WINS in New York and WTOP in Washington DC. With reporters on the ground and vast resources that dedicated news stations invest in, nearly around the clock coverage was being provided to address this rapidly changing event, from the bomb blasts to the chase for the suspects. WTOP Vice President of News and Programming Jim Farley has been in the position of supervising a news staff during a fluid major news story before, the DC Sniper. We spoke to Farley to get his view on covering big stories like these.

RI: Last week, CNN reported somebody was in custody. That turned out to be totally incorrect. How do you make sure your team avoids mistakes like this?
Jim Farley: We have a motto that everybody in the newsroom can tell you. It is, "First get it right, then get it fast." I have drummed into folks heads that the public doesn't remember who got a story first. Only those of us who are journalists care. We care because we keep score. The public doesn't. But, the public will always remember who got it wrong. So, our people, as competitive as they are, know that we would rather miss a story than get it wrong. So, we did not go with the story on Wednesday that a suspect was under arrest, that they had a suspect in custody. It turns out that not only did they not have a suspect in custody, they didn't have a suspect. They just identified two people that they wanted to talk to. That said, I would say there has been more good reporting than bad. This is just such an unbelievable story. If you wrote this as a novel, people would say it is far-fetched. This is an absolutely incredible story. We have been all over it, but in a responsible way. I put out a reminder yesterday to my troops. Two words we never use on the radio: rumor or speculation. We don't report rumors or speculate. We certainly ask questions. "Well, if they're from Chechnya, what might that mean?" It's more fascinating than any novel someone could write. That's why being in the news business is just so important.

RI: When something like that happens in your town, what's your goal?
Farley: What I told people during the DC sniper was that our job is to be the calm voice during troubled times. Get people the information they need in a calm, sensitive way. But, we were giving valuable tips from the police like if you are walking into a parking lot, zig zag. If you are gassing up your car, stand on the side of the pump away from the street. That was a really scary story. In 2001, we had 9/11, the bombings in New York City and the Pentagon, and the planes crashing into the Trade Centers, we had the DC sniper, and we had the anthrax attacks. Those anthrax attacks, I remind you, five people died and 17 others were affected. That was scary. My boss, Joel Oxley, and I remember it well. Nobody here wanted to touch the mail. So, he and I were handling all the mail with rubber gloves on, sorting the mail, and throwing out as much junk mail as we could. After 9/11, we got a really good voice coach, by the name of Dr. Ann Utterbach to come in. She gave a talk specifically on the topic "Calm Voices in Tough Times." While she was talking to the on-air people, the anchors and the reporters about what they had to do to take care of themselves during an event like this: hydrate, don't do too much caffeine, which is counter-intuitive to news guys, and get some relaxation. We brought in some masseuses and we were giving back massages during this. We were trying to de-stress, decompress people."

RI: Let's say a mistake as big as the one CNN happens on your staff. How do you deal with that?
Farley: We would apologize for it. We would day "We got the story wrong. We apologize for that." You have to admit your mistakes. Otherwise, you lose credibility. It takes years for an organization to build credibility. It takes just seconds to destroy that credibility.

(4/22/2013 9:20:48 PM)
Get an erection, so Eric will shill for you and give you a hand-job!

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BMW Buyers Get One-Year Sirius Sub

4-23-13
BMW of North America and Sirius announced that BMW and MINI customers will receive a one-year subscription to SiriusXM's All Access Package when purchasing any Model Year 2013 or newer BMW vehicle, MINI vehicle or BMW Motorcycle equipped with a satellite radio starting this month. The All Access Package offers SiriusXM's complete programming line-up, including premium channels and access to SiriusXM Internet Radio.

"Our customers expect exceptional performance, and giving them access to every premium channel available on their Satellite Radio in the vehicle as well as SiriusXM Internet Radio anywhere makes SiriusXM an even better value," said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO of BMW of North America. "All Access will allow our customers to listen to the programming they love outside the vehicle, making their SiriusXM experience better than ever."

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(DIGITAL) Host A Webinar!

4-22-2013

Most likely you?ve attend a webinar by now for a sales training. Have you ever thought of hosting one yourself to capture qualified sales leads?  

Over the last few years, radio sales reps have told me their number one challenge to selling digital advertising is ?client education.? It?s a euphemism for ?my clients don?t understand what I?m selling.?

I don?t see this as a problem, but rather as an enormous opportunity. Our clients and prospects are just as overwhelmed by digital marketing and advertising as we are.  

Most local advertisers have no one to turn to for help. They are desperate for guidance. We can educate them using webinars and, in the process, create a renewable supply of qualified sales leads for ourselves. Here?s how:

1. Pick a Topic

Don?t make the mistake of choosing a topic based on what you want to sell your prospects.  Pick something they actually want to learn about. The goal of the webinar is not to sell, but rather to qualify and capture leads.

There are a few different ways you can go about picking a topic. Think of the most common questions and requests you get from your clients and prospects. What are their biggest marketing problems?

Get in the habit of asking your clients what else they want to learn about marketing. You can also send a brief online survey using SurveyMonkey to all your existing clients to get a snapshot of their biggest marketing challenges.

If your clients end up guiding you toward a topic you don?t know much about, then find an expert to lead your webinar. If the topic is about an advertising opportunity your station currently doesn?t offer, don?t worry. Remember, the goal is to capture leads, not to sell.

2. Get a Webinar Service

One of the most widely used webinar platforms is GoToWebinar.com. It also happens to be the webinar service I?ve used the most myself. A cheaper alternative is anymeeting.com. It has a more limited set of features than GoToWebinar but should do the trick.

3. Produce a Training

A great webinar training is one that teaches a specific concept. The content should be pragmatic. Solve one of your prospects? marketing problems. Consider using a step-by-step ?how to? approach. Your attendees want to come away with information they can use immediately and will also have an impact on their business. Keep your training to no longer than 30 minutes with an additional 15 minutes for Q&A.

4. Make it Engaging

Unlike in-person trainings, you can't look your attendees in the eye; you can?t have a back and forth conversation. 

To keep attendees engaged, make your content visual. Only use one idea per slide. A visual example is always better than written copy. Try to advance your slides every three to five seconds. It?s almost like producing a video. As you are talking, you always want to make sure what?s on the screen reflects what you are saying.

Most webinar services enable your attendees to ask questions, start a chat, or even take a poll.  Use these tools to stimulate conversation, but only when it makes sense for your teaching points.

5. Qualify Leads

Promote your webinar in as many different ways as you can. Email all of your clients. Partner with a local business association. Even consider promoting it on your air, website, and social networks. When people register for your webinar, you?ll be capturing new leads as they provide you with their email address.

The beauty of hosting a webinar is that the topic qualifies the leads for you. For example, if you host a webinar on effective Mother?s Day promotions, then you know all of the prospects attending your webinar are interested in marketing ideas for Mother?s Day. To further qualify your leads after your webinar, send a brief online survey along with a link to the archived copy of the webinar.

Beyond attracting qualified leads, you can make money directly from these marketing webinars. Email me at stephen@inboundarts.com  to learn how.

Stephen Warley is the founder of inboundarts.com, a research and training firm dedicated to helping radio broadcasters use digital tools to generate more qualified sales leads.  He is also the founded of LocalBroadcastSales.com in 2008. Have a question for Stephen?  Email him at stephen@inboundarts.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

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Criticism Building Against Minneapolis Host

4-23-13

Bob Davis (left) is one half of the "Davis and Emmer" show on Clear Channel's KTCN-AM in Minneapolis. Something he said about the Newtown families has caused at least one advertiser to cancel according to the Star-Tribune. President Obama has been traveling the country with the families pushing his gun control proposal and Davis does not agree with that approach and he said so on the air.

On April 12th, Davis said, I don?t care if it?s here in Minneapolis or anyplace else: Just because a bad thing happened to you doesn?t mean that you get to put a king in charge of my life. I?m sorry that you suffered a tragedy, but you know what? Deal with it, and don?t force me to lose my liberty, which is a greater tragedy than your loss."

The newspaper says Davis is being offered an all-expenses-paid trip to Newtown to repeat what he said on the air recently in front of the families. During his April 12th rant, Davis also said, ?I?m sick and tired of seeing these victims trotted out, given rides on Air Force One, hauled into the Senate well, and everyone is ? terrified of these victims. I would stand in front of them and tell them, ?Go to hell.???

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(TALENT) Talent -- The Friend Beside Us

4-22-2013

There has been an element in vocal deliveries in both radio and television that has been secure for at least the last 10 years. Today, as often as not, on-air and commercial content is being delivered by those in the talent corps who have much higher and lighter voices than has been traditionally heard. The decisions to use these voices have been made, however, only for compensatory reasons.

Popularly phrased as the voice of ?the guy next door,? these much higher, talent-tonalities have been injected into the broadcasting mix with specific, identified intentions: to suggest that a ?real? person rather than a ?fake? (radio announcer) person is doing the talking. This approach is supposed to increase the speaker?s credibility in the experience of a listener.

What is not discussed is what I believe to be the most important aspect of making these choices. Namely, the proposition of the bigger (?thunder-nut/puker?) voices coming off as antagonistic, authoritarian, and intimidating has not been examined or, in many cases, even acknowledged as a factor. This, I believe, is because such decisions to use lighter voices are based on intuitions and/or gut reactions on the part of writers and producers.

Before continuing, it is significant for me to state ? categorically ? that, at no time, do I urge these voices not to be accessed and exploited. I have friends and colleagues who have just such voices and who are earning fabulous livings both in on-air and V/O applications. These guys have serious skills and extraordinary control over their deliveries. Professionals they are ? in every sense.

My beef is with the abovementioned intuitions. Talent with baritone or basso profundo voices are being shunted off to some degree not because of their tonalities but because of the copy!

It doesn?t take long to figure out that the majority of commercial scripts written for radio are antagonistic and authoritarian in nature. The copy itself contains numerous challenges to the audience and demands-for-behavior from the audience. This is already embedded in the script before any talent walks into the production studios.

I am satisfied that the combination of antagonistic copy and a bigger voice doing the read is, in many cases, perceived as being overwhelmingly pushy or abusive. There is a threshold in play here where the person making the determination comes to a conclusion of ?That seems to be just too much.? Most of these considerations, I repeat, are made at an intuitive, unconscious level. None of this should come as a shock, by the way, as language is accessed, processed, and responded to at an unconscious level. (If we had to process our own language consciously, word by word, it would take us five minutes to order up fries and gravy with extra fries and gravy ? and a Coke.)

Contrary to popular radio-wisdom, audiences are supremely sophisticated when it comes to accessing language. Indeed, I accept the position that ?language? is the most complex and sophisticated technology that has ever been developed by humans. People (listeners) also have an innate ability to calibrate what they are hearing as they are hearing it.

By that, I mean our neurology is wired in such a way that we listen to individual speakers and make internal, unconscious adjustments relative to that speaker?s tonality, speeds, tempos, timbre, volume, and other factors. Listeners also determine the significance of what is being said based on that information. Now, here is the kicker: Listeners make allowances for the relative tonality and range of the speaker?s voice whether the voice is of a high, medium, or lower tonality! While ?content? is important, it is not as singularly important as some might suspect or believe.

While I do appreciate how the concept of ?the guy next door? came to be a significant factor in broadcast presentations, I am still obliged to also point out the obvious: Of all the guys next door I have met over the years, not one of them ever said anything remotely close to what radio?s guys next door are being compelled to say. Nor have they ever said anything in the style, speed, inflection, emphasis, or consistent warbling tonality that professional, radio ?guys next door? say it.

Here is a simple exercise to demonstrate the concept: I invite the reader (man or woman with a naturally higher, medium, or lower tonality to say the following in exactly the way the directions I offer require.

The line is: ?I feel very strongly about this.?
1. A reader can, first, rehearse that line ? out loud ? saying it relatively quickly and in their own higher tonality.
2. Now the individual can repeat the same line ? a little slower this time and in their medium tonality.
3. Lastly, it is time to say the line again, but this time much slower and with the lowest tonality.
The question now is: Which of those deliveries has the most congruency and is the most believable?

Most normally aspirated speakers will intuitively choose #3. This is because the content deals with ?feelings? and people access ?feelings? when listening to or generating language that is lower and slower. This exercise is also a treat when demonstrated with the participation of others. The results are extraordinarily consistent. Plus, the information provided in the exercise transfers easily through all vocal ranges.

A next, logical discussion to be held concerns the inane admonition still foisted by too many PDs on unsuspecting talent to ?speak naturally.? Suffice to say there are few experiences more unnatural than a disembodied voice being delivered through an electronic medium. But, that?s fodder for another cannon to be shot at another time.

While these elements are delivered somewhat deeper into my training, I suspect this article will be worthy of some serious consideration. Mostly, though, I want to bring attention to the first priority of presenting radio messaging: It all starts with the copy!

Ronald T. Robinson has been involved in Canadian Radio since the '60s as a performer, writer and coach and has trained and certified as a personal counsellor. Ron makes the assertion that the most important communicative aspects of broadcasting, as they relate to Talent and Creative, have yet to be addressed. Check out his website www.voicetalentguy.com

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Are The Stars Aligned For a Big 2013?

4-23-13

As we head toward first quarter earnings calls in early May, Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker reports that while radio started out soft in the quarter, business appears to be picking up. Her analysis concludes that Outdoor is the most stable platform and executives will still be focused on revenue control in the quarter. Radio revenue, at least for companies reporting to Wall Street, has been relatively flat for many quarters. Ryvicker says "we do believe that March ended in positive territory, with upward trends continuing in April."

In her report Ryvicker clicks off six points she'll be keeping a close eye on when company CEO's step up the earnings microphone, including ratings at NASH-FM in New York. Cumulus has been putting a lot of marketing muscle behind NASH after launching the first Country format in New York City in about a decade. CEO Lew Dickey said in the current issue of Radio Ink, NASH can be a ratings and revenue leader in New York and at launch the station had 80 advertisers. "Ratings have surpassed our expectations for the first 30 days. NASH is off to a terrific start. It?s difficult to project exactly where it?s going to be, but we see some strong, steady growth. We believe this is going to be a very competitive music station in New York City and do very well on the top line for us."

Another hot topic in the industry is sports. Ryvicker says she'll also be keeping an eye on that battle. We should hear how the Cumulus/CBS rollout is going when Cumulus reports (CBS doesn't say much about radio). The CBS Sports Network rolled out on January 2 of this year. In the May 6th issue of Radio Ink, with ESPN's Mike and Mike are on the cover. The ESPN Radio morning show stars are now in their 13th year together and face challenges from CBS's morning show of Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson and the recently launched NBC/Dial Global network which starts the day with Erik Kuselius morning show.

Don Martin is the Senior Vice President, Sports Programming at Premiere Networks and oversees all sports programming and operations for Premiere and The FOX Sports Radio Network. Martin is also part of our May 6th sports issue and says the growth for that format over the next 3 to 5 years will continue. "Thanks to the ?Big Four? TV Networks, Sports Radio has resurfaced as a ?must? medium, or at least a piece of the magic puzzle. The ?Big Four? realized that they need to be wherever their audience is, 24 hours per day. To accomplish that feat, they are using the power of radio, the internet (both streams and podcasts) and websites to back up TV. This concept will now drive more simulcast shows, sharing of talent and resources. The listener, viewer and user will now be able to connect with their favorite shows and personalities where ever and whenever they want. The content will become platform agnostic, while each platform becomes more important to the success of the whole."

What else will Ryvicker be keeping an eye on? 
- The potential for shareholder returns; particularly at Saga, which paid a $1.65 dividend in December, but has no regular dividend despite a low leverage ratio. We note that ETM is focused on utilizing free cash to pay down debt rather than enact capital returns, until its leverage ratio is within its 4-4.5x ?comfort range?, which we currently estimate is a 2014 event.
- Competition; especially commentary on internet radio providers such as Pandora;
- The impact of lower radio royalties (ASCAP and BMI) specifically on opex; and
- The potential upside should NextRadio perform well (we think it could). Recall that NextRadio is the receiver application for FM and HD Radio enabled smartphones?with Sprint (J. Fritzsche) as the first wireless provider (announced 1/8/2013).

(4/23/2013 6:53:24 AM)
If the industry is down mid single digits the first two months of the year and will probably be down at least that much in October/November due to 2012 political revenue, it doesn't appear that 2013 will be a "Big" year let alone show any growth at all. Radio industry revenue will most likely decline in 2013.

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