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Saturday, November 30, 2013

Soccer Returns To ESPN Deportes

11-26-13

ESPN Deportes Radio has reached a sub-license agreement with Fox to broadcast the UEFA Champions League. Coverage includes all stages, semifinals, and the final. ESPN Deportes GM Oscar Ramos said, ?We are very proud of this accomplishment, which not only strengthens our play-by-play offering but also makes a big difference in our continued mission of serving the U.S. Hispanic sports fan. We are very confident that this coveted soccer tournament will provide an experience that heavily resonates with our fans and with our advertisers.?



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Oneida Indians Using Radio Against Redskins

11-26-13
Radio has been the beneficiary of the fight between the Oneida Indian Nation and Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. Snyder refuses to change the team's name and the Oneida Indian's have repeatedly used radio to build their emotional campaign against him. SI.com reports they will run Thanksgiving Day ads on Detroit?s WXYT-FM and Baltimore?s WBAL-AM. The Redskins are not playing in either game on Thanksgiving. Listen to the ads HERE

(11/27/2013 10:24:51 AM)
I agree with Limbaugh: change the team name to Foreskins.

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Miller Nudging Huckabee Around

11-26-13

In 2014 WestwoodOne's Dennis Miller can sleep in a little later. Miller, who is now heard from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., will move his show to the Noon to 3 p.m. slot. In addition to the change, WestwoodOne announced Miller will also be heard on KLIF-AM in Dallas, in Huckabee's spot, and on KCMO in Kansas City, two hours of which also currently belongs to Huckabee. Both are Cumulus stations.



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Triton Digital Reels In Red Herring

11-26-13

Congrats to our friends at Triton Digital. Yesterday it was announced Triton Digital received the 2013 Red Herring Top 100 Global Award. The Red Herring Global Award honors the best private technology companies from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Triton Digital CEO Neal Schore (pictured) said, ?This has been a breakout year for the digital audio industry, and a period of substantial growth and innovation for our team at Triton. We are honored to be recognized by Red Herring as a leading global digital company.



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Internet Radio Fairness Act Quietly Fizzles Out

11-27-13

They made a big deal out of it when it launched back in 2012. It went nowhere fast and has finally disappeared having accomplished very little. Today the website is down, Congress shows no interest, Clear Channel is making one digital side deal after another and Pandora is shifting focus as detailed both in Billboard and The Hill.

13 months ago Clear Channel joined forces with Pandora and other companies hoping to create friendlier webcasting royalty rates through legislation. That was met with harsh criticism by artists and organizations like the RIAA and SoundExchange. When Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy went to Capital Hill a year ago to lobby for fairness, CNET writer Greg Sandoval declared The Internet Fairness Act Dead back then. Here's what both Clear Channel's Bob Pittman said when the Act was launched and what Westergren is saying now.

Back in October of 2012, Pittman said, ?We believe that market-based solutions are the way to go. But in the absence of these agreements, the CRB needs to have and consider more relevant information so they are better able to develop a rate structure that will lead to a healthy, sustainable Internet radio marketplace. This will enable artists to earn more and connect more with their fans, consumers to have more choices, and entrepreneurs to invent and invest in new services.?

Westergren said, ?Legislation that establishes a fair royalty rate setting-standard for Internet radio will drive investment in webcasting, which ultimately offers greater opportunities and more revenue for working artists. Internet radio has been shown to help decrease music piracy and increase music sales. When the digital music sector is allowed to grow and innovate, everybody wins.?

Westergren said in a statement this week, ?We are pragmatic and recognize the low probability that Congress will address this issue in the near term.? Pandora has been focusing on the upcoming Copyright Royalty Board arbitration which sets the current rates.

The Coalition?s mission was to urge Congress to support legislation (The Internet Radio Fairness Act of 2012, or IRFA), aimed at bringing the royalty system for Internet radio into the 21st century -- creating a sustainable business model for the industry that gives consumers more choices and more products for listening to the music they love; enables artists to earn more money as Internet radio grows; creates a marketplace that will attract entrepreneurs to invest in new, innovative ways to deliver music to the public; and drives higher revenues for record labels.

(11/27/2013 10:22:26 AM)
Steve:

Have you signed up for Obamacare yet? It covers mental heath, you know.

(11/27/2013 10:01:25 AM)
@R Boekeloo: Please do try to get out more into the wide wonderful world. It'll help, believe me.
(11/27/2013 6:21:06 AM)
It's hard to know what's 'fair' in all of this, but the rhetoric sounds a lot like Obamacare.
(11/27/2013 5:39:34 AM)
Still on my Ipad, what are you talking about?

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(SOCIAL) Boredom's A Social Media Sin

11-27-2013

Believe it or not, most people fall prey to social media charms because social media can seem like instant validation. In reality, it is often a mirror and anyone who uses social media to connect with a specific audience should be careful to avoid seeking validation themselves and stay focused on bringing value for the audience they most want to attract for their purposes. To do this, you should make sure you are busy making your content vibrant, listener-validating, and interesting in your local market. How do you best do that?

1. Communicate with the audience you most want to attract in your local market. Make sure you listen to what your listeners tell you in social media. It?s easy to be ?all about me,? but the trick in social media is to make sure your focus is like that of a servant. To really do that well, you must listen first.
2. Keep your posts short and visual. The world has changed and nowhere is this more apparent than in the Facebook and Twitter worlds. Great photos or video will help make your content rich if your focus is right, but to make things always interesting, you must focus on the quality of the listener benefits you deliver in your posts. Make sure you are focused on either making them feel or look smart for sharing, that you are sharing ?funny,? or that you are sharing visuals that are important or specifically interesting to your audience.
3. Hold on there with all that promotion, partner. You should have your content strategy fully developed into percentage by ?type of content? with the individuals who post on behalf of the station. This keeps you interesting and (in case you don?t know) all contesting all the time is?.not interesting. In fact, that is often the path to unplugging any real listener engagement for your brand. What are you doing to engage local communities of all types that fall into the life group of your format and the attractiveness of your local radio brand?  Are any of your personalities passionately engaged in local ?causes? important to your listeners?  How is your local celebrity content?  (National is easy, right?)
4. Ask questions, work to engage your listeners based on what they are passionate about. Asking questions and encouraging ?followers? to comment on your posts can energize your influence among others. This can be critical in exploding impact. The more back and forth contact you have with individual local passionate listeners, the more you will find your true influence with them grows; and transferring influence with their friends, family, and co-workers will also increase.
5. Make it easy for listeners. You think your stuff is easy? Is it truly easy for listeners to follow your blog? Can they easily connect with you via email? Facebook? How quickly can listeners connect with your social media from your website? If it isn?t so easy that people who have never seen a website can understand quickly how to connect EVERYWHERE with you, you?.have?..issues?of?easy connectivity. Fix them if you want to grow more successful in social media and in real life.
6. Don?t overdo it and wear everyone else out. It?s about knowing how to be fun at the party without being the crazy pest. Some of this goes back to having a variety of content elements in your strategy. However, you shouldn?t post just to post. That?s like making small talk that no one is interested in. B-o-r-i-n-g. Give thought to what kind of content you focus your attention on in the case of any individual social media platform (always thinking about the listeners you most want to attract ? not everyone). Don?t post things that have little or no value.

At the end of the day, whatever you do in social media will only matter to your brand if you increase either benefit to the community, audience connectivity, ratings, or revenue. It is about your brand. It all starts with listening and focusing your attention with a strategy to accomplish specific results for your brand.

You can do a lot in social media to benefit your local media brand. Most of the large broadcast companies are avoiding local. They are often using tricks to try to fool advertisers into the value of their national footprint. Meanwhile this actually gives you significant opportunity to be hyper-local and very focused on local listeners to gain specific benefits for your brand by helping them. Do that and you will be pleased?but it all begins with the right strategy. Do you have one? Start with the six points above and brainstorm what is possible for your brand in your market. I promise that doing these things and developing your social media strategy to help your brand by helping the listeners you most want to attract will make you a lot less boring?and more effective.

Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Americalist Direct Marketing and has programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, and WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here:  http://about.me/loydford. Get his radio-social media content sent directly to your smart phone or email for free here:  www.rainmakerpathway.wordpress.com. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE.  Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE.

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Swiss America To Sponsor Savage For One Year

11-25-13

Michael Savage and Swiss America have been working together for a dozen years now. The Gold and Silver Investment firm will be known as the Presenting Sponsor of The Savage Nation in a year-long partnership beginning January, when Cumulus moves Savage to afternoon drive. Savage said, ?I'm thrilled to have Swiss America as the Presenting Sponsor of ?The Savage Nation.' This is the most significant partnership ever announced for our show and Swiss America?s interest in deepening their relationship is a testament to our increasingly growing audience.?

(11/27/2013 8:54:40 AM)
Figures.

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Friday, November 29, 2013

Categories You Should Keep an Eye On

11-25-13
Concerts, Casinos and Cell Phones. Those are three categories making bigger commitments to radio. With Live Nation leading the category as the top spender, the concert and movie category also saw big spending increases from Universal (up 70%), 20th Century Fox (up 69%) and Sony Pictures (up 29%). Overall, the concert and movie category increased 40%. Casinos and Cell Phone providers are also leaning on radio more to communicate with customers.

It was a 22% category increase for casinos and state lotteries. Hotels & Casinos were up 20% while State Lotteries were up 25%. Harrah?s Hotel and Casino reigns as the top spending casino advertiser. Radio also saw gains from Revel Resorts and Casino (up 228%) and Mohegan Sun (up 68%).

The cell phone battles continue and radio has been a nice beneficiary of those vendors trying to capture a larger market share of that category. AT&T and T-Mobile increased radio spending in  Q3 by 56% and 62% respectively. MetroPCS grew its expenditure by 75%.

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Geraldo to Air on WABC New York

11/24/13

Cumulus says Geraldo Rivera's radio program will air on WABC in New York from 10a-12p beginning January 1st. Cumulus co-COO and Executive Vice President John Dickey said, ?We are excited that one of the most recognized and respected names in media will be sharing his perspectives on New York issues and supporting local causes that matter most to listeners in one of our top markets."

Geraldo added, ?For the last four decades, in war and peace I?ve been chasing the news around the world. But there?s a universe of stories right here in my hometown. Energized and excited by this opportunity, I?m taking our show to the four corners of the five boroughs. I?ll be on the streets and in the face of lawbreakers and newsmakers, ready with a hot mike and a helping hand."

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(ENGAGEMENT) Giving Thanks To Our Listeners

11-25-2013

In the season of giving thanks, are you giving thanks to your audience and what they stand for on a one-by-one basis?

It's easy to take them for granted and think of them as a series of numbers that roll out when the latest weekly or monthly ratings print, but we need to go deeper in appreciating our relationship. When we take an approach that is a heart-and-soul approach to our audience and we care for them on a one-by-one basis, we only stand to gain in mindshare.

When we value the opinion they have and we care deeply how they feel about the job they are hiring us for it provides a key perspective on what makes them tick. So in the spirit of giving thanks to your listeners, why not think of ways to involve them in your brand.

Why not let go and use your audience to have fun with your station?

There are some great tried-and-true examples like:

-- Listener takeovers: Use the fans of your station as guest DJs and post their song lists and photos of them online.

-- Town Hall Meetings or Fan Appreciation Parties: No better way to enhance fan loyalty.

-- Listener Casting Calls: Have your fans design a commercial for your station EVEN IF IT'S ONLY ONLINE!

-- Find a way to do something great in a community like a playground clean-up with your listeners.

-- Brand one of your listeners every day either King for a Day or Queen for a Day.

The loyal most P-1 heavy segment of our audience needs to be cherished, welcomed, engaged, and thanked on a constant basis.

Here's to great Thanksgiving wishes, for you and your family, both at home, at work, or those that consume and love your product every day.

Buzz Knight is the Vice President of Program Development for Greater Media and he can be reached at bknight@greatermediaboston.com. Knight was named among ?Best Programmers? by Radio Ink Magazine in 2007 and 2010. He has served on the programming subcommittee of the National Association of Broadcasters(NAB) and is currently a member of the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) COLRAM Committee.

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(SALES) A Simple Thank You

11-25-2013

The revenue pacing compared to last year was not positive. In an economy that was starting to sputter to life again, we were losing business. I looked at the common metrics. Were we making enough calls, were we making enough new business moves, were we in front of enough prospects? In talking with the sales team it wasn?t a lack of trying that was causing the problem, but we were seeing a lack of results.

Frustrated by this, I asked my sales team in our training session to humor me and call five customers each during the next 24 to 48 hours and simply say, ?Thank you for your business. Is there anything I can do for you that I?m not now doing?? No sales pitch, don?t even ask for an appointment, just call five customers and thank them for their business.

You would think in a world of extreme competition with people trying to steal your customers while you?re not looking, that the simple act of showing appreciation would be part of the routine, part of the customer retention strategy, or just the right thing to do. Sadly, we often overlook the simple things and take for granted those who are doing business with us, while we pursue those who aren?t.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I?d like to challenge you with a question: When was the last time you said, ?Thank you? to your customers? Not a standard email signature that says, ?Thanks? or a note in their billing statement. I?m talking about picking up the phone, calling, and saying, ?I just called today to tell you how much I appreciate your business. Is there anything I can do for you that I?m not now doing?? Most of us don?t do that on a regular and consistent basis. As a customer, when was the last time you were called? Has your cable company, your cellular provider, or your banker called you recently just to say thanks? Mine either.

I love reading Harvard Business Review. I learn a lot from reading the articles and case studies. This past week, I read a piece that really bothered me. It was titled: "A Smarter Way to Reduce Customer Defections." In the article, author Dina Gerdeman says, ?Companies spend significant sums to acquire customers. Once hooked, marketers protect those investments by attempting to keep patrons happy, engaged, and most of all, loyal.? So far so good, right? Then the article took an ugly turn. She quoted new research from Sunil Gupta, the Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Professor Gupta argues that companies often fail to take into account the complete value of customers they are trying to retain.

What?

Gupta says, ?What?s missing from the traditional methods is that they focus only on a customer?s likelihood to churn, but not the overall profitability of that customer.?

The problem I have with the research is that the solution they offer is to identify those who are likely to leave, and provide them an incentive. Gupta warns, however, that some customers aren?t worth keeping given the cost of the incentive you need to offer to keep them.

Measurements, metrics, and incentives. Not a single word about value provided to customers, appreciation shown to customers, or the satisfaction of the customers. The research simply suggested that you?re going to lose anywhere from 10-20 percent of your customers each year. The advice is to figure out which ones are worth saving and offer them an incentive. Frankly, it made me sick to read.

In my experience there are five main reasons customers will leave a company:

1. Product or service fails to perform as promised or expected. I was recently having trouble with my Internet service provider and if I could have I would have left them in a heartbeat. Sadly, I found that we don?t live in a free enterprise system when it comes to cable providers -- it?s a market -- exclusive monopoly.
2. Lack of follow-through or a solution to a problem. Face it, we all make mistakes. It?s what you do as a result of those mistakes that will breed loyalty or cause defections.
3. A perception that a competitor can do it better. Competition is everywhere, (except in utilities and cable providers). Competition usually makes everyone perform better. If you?re not constantly improving your product or service delivery, someone else will get your customers
4. A feeling that nobody cares. Lack of appreciation, no recognition for the business relationship, and a general feeling of ?being taken for granted? all lead to customer defections.
5. Price was better somewhere else. This is last on the list on purpose. Generally when people defect it?s not simply because of price. Price is usually the ?last straw.? If you?re a happy customer and you feel appreciated and that the company you?re doing business with cares about you, you?re not going to shop price or for any other factor.

I learned long ago from iconic sales trainer Don Beveridge: ?You can never maintain a long-term competitive advantage in any business category based solely on product or price. It?s what you do beyond the product that builds loyalty and customer longevity.? Read that again and let it sink in. Then ask yourself: "What am I doing BEYOND the product or service provided, and beyond the price offered to get a competitive advantage?" Are you a source of business advantage? Or are you assuming your products and price are superior to your competitors so you have nothing to worry about? You do.

The results of asking my sales team to call five customers each over a two-day period and just say thank you were nothing short of spectacular. Every single person contacted was impressed and appreciated being called. Comments included, ?Wow, nobody has ever done that before, thanks!? Another line to let sink in. Nobody says "thank you" anymore? In more than half the calls, not only was the customer happy that the seller called, they wanted the seller to come in and talk to them about doing more business. Recall the rule was they couldn?t ask for business or an appointment, they were simply to call and say, ?Thank you.? If the client asked for an appointment they were certainly welcome to accept, and they did.

With all due respect to Professor Gupta, it?s not about metrics, targeting churn likelihood, and cost of incentives. It?s about meeting customer expectations, providing value beyond the product and price, and showing appreciation.

As you enjoy some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday, I would encourage you to think of  the last time you said, ?Thank you? to your customers. If it?s been a while, take my advice and make it a point to call as many as you can next week and simply say, ?Thank you for your business, I really appreciate it. Is there anything I can do for you that I?m not now doing?? You?ll be pleasantly surprised with the results. You?ll reduce the threat of someone else stealing your customers, or simply having them leave because they feel like you don?t care.

The responses will hopefully inspire you to make it a regular practice. I?d suggest quarterly at a minimum.

The bottom line is this: Customers whose expectations are being met, customers who feel like you care and appreciate them, are happy customers. Happy customers aren?t going to leave you.

Happy Thanksgiving. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read and respond to my articles. It?s my hope that something I say will resonate and help you grow and achieve the level of success you want and deserve. If you take the challenge and make the appreciation calls, would you please send me an email or call me and tell me how it worked for you?

Think Big, Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is EVP and Partner with Chris Lytle at Sparque, Inc. You can reach him at, Jeff.Schmidt@Sparque.biz, Other ways to connect:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffreyASchmidt
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidtjeffrey/

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Radio Station Raises Money for Theft Victim

11-25-13

In Jackson Tennessee listeners "96 KIX" called in to Richard Donnell's program and donated over $2,500 for 78 year old Jimmie Stewart. Stewart's wallet was stolen while he was in the check-out line at a grocery store and became ill. He's a diabetic and had just received kidney dialysis when be became sick and was robbed. The money listeners donated was more than double the amount stolen from Stewart. 96 Kix is a Thomas Media station in Jackson.



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Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo Lawsuit Gets Real Ugly

11-25-13

Former employees have made some extremely disgusting allegations against the SiriusXM radio host when they all worked with Sotelo on broadcast radio. The allegations, detailed in a letter from six former employees, that we'd rather not publish, have been detailed in a short TMZ article that you can read HERE. Piolin sued the six employees for extortion. He says they asked him for about $5 million or they'd go public with these details.

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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Is Hochman Switching Teams in Miami

11-24-13

That's what Miami Herald writer Barry Jackson believes. Jackson is reporting that Hochman is leaving Lincoln Financial's 790 The Ticket for Beasley's WQAM in 2014. Jackson says Hochman will take over the afternoon drive slot once occupied by Jorge Sedano. Sedano is now working for ESPN and PM drive is now occupied by Channing Crowder and Brandon Guzio



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(SALES) Beyond The Crux

11-25-2013

Do you ever feel like quitting? It?s natural to feel that way sometimes. Especially in sales. It?s the end of the year and maybe you feel like you?ve run a marathon and you?re at mile 19 or 20, which I think is the mile they say you have a real gut-check on stopping or continuing on. I?ve never run a marathon, so that?s just what I?ve been told. I?d never done climbing before either until last Friday night. I have a new respect for mountain climbers now.

It?s a Friday night after a long, cold, market trip in Kelowna, British Columbia, visiting the properties we consult: Castanet.net and TheTango.net. Castanet.net is the world-renowned hyper-local website that's a Canadian media success story. 300,000 unique visitors per week and 8.5 million page views per week. It?s highly monetized. You can do the math on the revenue yourself.

During the week with one of our sales reps, we did a CMP on a local business called ?Beyond The Crux.? It?s an indoor climbing facility. Top notch too. I wanted to see for myself just how hard or challenging this climbing might be. The story of New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Tenzing Norgay climbing Mt. Everest for the first time has always intrigued me; especially how they used teamwork with the other two climbers in their team, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, who turned around when they were almost at the summit of Mt. Everest when the winds became too dangerous to preserve the success of their team mission. Much like a sales team, it requires a total team effort.

Penny and Bob from Beyond the Crux Climbing Gym Inc. were going to show this warm-weather Houston city boy how to climb Friday night, no matter what. It was already minus-5 degrees Celsius outside and I had an early wake-up call for a Saturday morning flight. What the heck, let?s go for it. By looking at climbers, I know you have to be in great shape. I didn?t know it was so tricky. The mental challenge is half the battle. Figuring out the puzzle on the wall (mountain) is very strategic. When you start out, you better have a good coach. I did last Friday night. Penny was very patient with me too. I went to the top with a lot of help. Now, it was time to get off the belay device and on my own. Not easy. Physically, you are working a greater variety of your muscle groups than in any other strenuous activity. Mentally, it?s a rush.

My assessment now is that climbing is mental as much as physical. Maybe more mental. How high and far can you go? How far can you fall? Self-talk becomes vital here. What you put into your head determines a great deal of what you?re going to do on the wall or mountain. Same with sales, right? Half the battle in sales is what we tell ourselves in our mind as much as what we're actually doing it. We put into our minds 45,000 to 51,000 self-talk impressions every day. Every 11 seconds, we form some new self-talk. It better be good self-talk or we talk ourselves out of the sale more often than the prospect or client does. Technique in climbing is huge, though it?s huge in sales too. That mental game you play with yourself, I think is the most important though. What?s your crux? What?s your limit?

Last Thursday night in Kelowna, we had our Open House Client Appreciation party for Castanet.net and TheTango.net. There was a crux for Castanet.net at one time -- the pivotal point where it was almost shut down. Then they pushed beyond the crux and turned it into the media giant in their market in viewers and revenue.

The parallels of climbing come to mind here. It was a matter of figuring out the puzzle of making money with a local website. By the way, that client appreciation party would rival any media party you would see in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, or Toronto. Trust me: this I know. Well, maybe not Toronto if Rob Ford is at the party. No crack pipes. This is media and it?s meant to be fun. Taking care of clients is vital. They had the video camera rolling and filmed client testimonials on location at the party. Brilliant. It was kind of like Hollywood and something you would see on HBO?s Entourage version of a media party. The Castanet/TheTango group is well taught on how to have fun. And remember, focus does follow fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TixcSk-iaX0&feature=youtu.be 

The open house was fun and huge and a great time. I think the highlight of my week was when I was riding with our general manager, Chris Kearney of Castanet, and we were making a client call on a real estate developer with one of our new sales reps. Clicks are important, of course, in your display advertising. Clicks aren?t everything though. Chris sat the client down at their computer and gave them a lesson on Google Analytics, showing them where their site traffic is coming from. Conversions of their click-throughs are vital in increasing their website traffic.

Now, back to that climbing wall. Hmmm. I need more practice. I need to get over my crux of thinking I?m too old to be a climber! Maybe scaling 29,000 feet of Mt. Everest isn?t out of the question after all. I think I should start out on a small mountain though and work my way up!

Sean Luce is the Head National Instructor for the Luce Performance Group International and can be reached at sean@luceperformancegroup.com or www.luceperformancegroup.com.

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Spinal Surgery for Eric Ferguson

11-22-13

Robert Feder spoke to Ferguson about the upcoming operation. Ferguson is one half of the dominant Eric and Cathy show on WTMX in Chicago. He'll have the surgery today to correct spinal stenosis, which involves the removal of a disk and fusion of vertebrae to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. Ferguson told Feder he's been putting off the surgery for years and now wants to get it done and over with.

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Four More Congressman Join Coalition

11-22-13

Four Members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of a resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act is now currently co-sponsored by 181 Members of the House and 12 Senators. The most recent members are: Reps. Kathy Castor (FL-14), Steve Chabot (OH-1), Bob Gibbs (OH-7) and Roger Williams (TX-25).

Reps. Michael Conaway (R-TX) and Gene Green (D-TX) introduced the Local Radio Freedom Act (H. Con. Res. 16) in the House of Representatives on February 15 along with 71 additional co-sponsors. An identical resolution (S. Con. Res. 6) was introduced in the Senate on March 6 by Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND).



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Ron Ruth Memorial Fund Established

11-21-13

The fund has been set up by the Radio Advertising Bureau and the Broadcasters Foundation. RAB President and CEO Erica Farber said, ?Ron was an ardent supporter of the Broadcasters Foundation. We at the RAB couldn?t think of a more fitting way to honor and commemorate his life and work.? Tentative plans by the RAB are underway to hold a celebration of life with Ron's many friends sometime in the first quarter of next year and will be made public as soon as they are finalized. It's been nearly a week since he passed and the comments from Radio Ink readers about Ron Ruth are still coming in.

Donations may be sent directly to the Broadcasters Foundation at 125 West 55th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10019 and please make note that the donation is for the Ron Ruth Memorial Fund. Or you can donate online immediately by clicking HERE

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Which Advertisers Love Radio the Most?

11-21-13

Digging deep into the RAB report we find the advertisers that understand the power of radio and use it to bring in customers. The following top ten listing of radio advertisers is lead by Comcast Xfinity Cable Services which increased spending by 7% over last year. Seven out of the top ten advertisers increased their budgets on radio this year.

1. Comcast Xfinity Cable Service +7%
2. AT&T +56%
3. T-Mobile +62%
4. McDonald?s -7%
5. GEICO +11%
6. Verizon -10%
7. Safeway +10%
8. Ford Dealer Association +14%
9. Toyota Dealer Association -11%
10. Walmart +6%



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North Carolina FM Sells For $1.2 Million

11-21-13
The calls are WGWG-FM in Boiling Spring, NC. It's an eclectic listener supported communty radio station sold by Gardner-Webb University to Columbia International University. Columbia International University also owns WRCM-FM in Charlotte and WMHK-FM in Columbia, SC. Jorgenson Broadcast Brokerage represented the Buyer.



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MAGIC In Boston Goes Christmas

11-21-13

Greater Media's MAGIC 106.7 (WMJX) in Boston officially makes the flip to Christmas music today at 5 p.m. The station will have commercial-free Christmas hours at 8:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. each weekday. In addition, it will be commercial free from 3 p.m. Christmas Eve through 8 p.m. Christmas Day so listeners can enjoy their holiday favorites with no interruption as they celebrate with family and friends.



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Radio Was Alive and Well in 1960

11-21-13
A big thank you to WBVP/WMBA Station Manager Mark Peterson in Beaver Falls, PA who says this photo of President Kennedy was taken around 1960 as President Kennedy was campaigning outside the Beaver Falls City Building. "The WBVP mic is quite clear in the picture. The photo hung in the local hardware store in town for decades until recently when they gave it to the station." Just as back then, WBVP along with simulcast sister station WMBA, still broadcast local news to Beaver County now celebrating 65 years. Reach out to Mark at peterson@wbvp-wmba.com

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Detroit Jocks Getting Live Prostate Exams

11-21-13

Whether or not this makes good radio remains to be seen, however its importance is unquestioned. 97.1 The Ticket?s morning hosts Stoney (right) and Bill will be getting a prostate exam in the studio, while on the air. It's to remind other male listeners to make an appointment for this important test. The exams will take place on November 27, from 7.15 a.m. to 7.30 a.m.

(11/22/2013 2:06:00 PM)
I assume they were selected because they have a great following.
(11/22/2013 11:25:06 AM)
"Whether or not this makes good radio remains to be seen . . ."

Are they streaming the video as well?

(11/21/2013 10:30:18 PM)
Sometimes the material just writes itself.

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Entercom Chips in on Typhoon Charity Drive

11-22-13
96.5 KOIT, 102.9 KBLX, 95.7 KGMZ and 98.5/102.1 KFOX are joining forces with The Shops at Toran to assist with the fundraising efforts for the West Bay Pilipino Multi-Services Center on Saturday from 8am to 5pm. KOIT PD Brian Figula said, ?With the devastating aftermath of the super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, we felt compelled to do something that could make a difference for the affected millions of people of the Philippines.?
West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center has named the Philippine Red Cross as the beneficiary of all relief goods and Simbahang Lingkod Bayan,  located in the most impacted  and impoverished part of the Philippines and sister organization to the University of San Francisco, the beneficiary of all cash donations.



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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Saga Declares Special Cash Dividend

11-21-13

The Saga Communications Board of Directors has declared a special cash dividend of $1.80 per share. The dividend is a 47 percent increase over last year's special dividend. Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker says, "Saga will retain a very strong balance sheet, in our view. As of September 30, Saga had $27.5M of cash on hand and net leverage of 0.6x. Post the dividend payment, we estimate SGA's leverage ratio will remain a strong 0.9x. We believe SGA's increasing return of capital is appropriate given its robust cash position and low leverage."



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Obrien Named GSM at KISS-FM Chicago

11-21-13

Nancy O?Brien has been named General Sales Manager of Clear Channel's KISS-FM and 93.9 MYfm in Chicago. O?Brien began her media sales career at Katz Radio and Chicago Ad Agency Community. Since 2010, she has been the National Sales Director at Clear Channel overseeing the national revenue and strategy for Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh markets. Prior to this role, she served as GSM and NSM in Chicago from 2005 to 2010.



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Pandora Q3 Revenue - $180.4 Million. Mobile Revenue Soars

11-21-13

Pandora continues to put up big -- and growing -- revenue numbers. The $180.4 million in revenue is up from $120 million a year ago. Mobile revenue for Pandora in the quarter was $105 million, a 58 percent increase, and the first time the company went over the $100 million mark in a quarter. Pandora is now the third largest mobile revenue player in the world behind only Google and Facebook. The company also says it has over 8% of all radio listening in the U.S and the number one radio station in 12 of the top 15 ad buying markets in America. Both of those statements went unquestioned by analysts on the Pandora conference call. Both of those are statements radio vehemently disputes.

Revenue from advertising was $106.3 million and 13.7 million came from subscriptions and other forms of revenue. The company says it now has 71 million active users. CEO Brian McAndrews says, "Pandora continues to lead the market in mobile innovations, with a complete redesign for the iPad and the debut of the Android tablet app. We plan to continue to aggressively invest in the business as we seek to deliver the best personalized radio service for users.?

(11/22/2013 4:19:45 PM)
70 million "subscribers"

70 million "songs"

That's one listener per song, or one "listen" per "play". This is the reason that you can't effectively promote music on Pandora etc. Even unrated market FM stations have 150 listens per play. And the listens are concentrated in that town, which makes gigs, merch, and cd sales possible there.

(11/22/2013 3:24:11 PM)
Jack said "Many of the geeks who stare at their phones 14 hours a day haven't listened to radio for years."

That's probably very true. Does anyone here wonder why that is?

(11/22/2013 2:32:42 PM)
RadioInk gives Pandora, XM Sirius, IHeart, Iphones and anything internet daily coverage because Eric is enamored with his smart phone. Many of the geeks who stare at their phones 14 hours a day haven't listened to radio for years, yet comment about it here with regularity.
(11/22/2013 10:22:30 AM)
Now, if I'm reading this right, they say they are the #1 station in 12 of the top 15 markets,,,but only billed only $180M in the quarter,,,now maybe my math is really bad, but shouldn't they be billing a few times that amount in just those markets?

Pandora's numbers are like asking someone in an unrated market who's #1, whoever your talking to.

I just don't understand why RadioInk and the other industry media give them as much press as they do, they are not even our competition.


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When Will Nielsen Measure Pandora?

11-21-13

It only sounds like a matter of time before Pandora is rated just as radio is rated now that Nielsen owns Arbitron. Pandora CEO Brian McAndrews said Nielsen wants to be measuring all things in media like this. "Clearly we would like to be measured by Nielsen. They would like to measure us. We will continue discussions with them now that Arbitron is part of Nielsen to try to make that happen as quickly as we can. Obviously we're dependent on them in that process as well." Radio executive pushed Arbitron hard on not measuring Pandora when radio was Aritron's biggest client. With Nielsen it's a different story and it's likely at some point radio and Pandora ratings will be presented side-by-side to advertisers.

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Honda Shows Big Support For HD Radio

11-21-13

iBiquity Digital Corporation, the developer of digital HD Radio Technology for AM and FM audio and data broadcasting, announced this week from the LA Auto Show that the 2014 Civic is the first Honda vehicle to launch integrated audio and real-time traffic information using the HERE mapping service, the BTC, and HD Radio Technology. The 2014 Honda Civic will arrive at dealerships in December.
The new Honda Civic navigation system incorporates the latest HD Radio audio and data features including Artist Experience?, allowing listeners to view images such as album art on their radio screens and also subscription-free real-time traffic information, showing drivers green, yellow, and red flow patterns, construction alerts and traffic incidents, all delivered by BTC-affiliated HD Radio stations across the country.

Jeff Jury, Chief Operating Officer of iBiquity Digital said, ?Honda is showing real leadership in bringing the benefits of the HD Radio digital data pipe to their vehicles. Subscription-free real-time traffic, and advanced HD Radio features will now be available in the Civic, one of America?s most popular vehicles. This is another great example of a leading automaker integrating our digital terrestrial technology as part of a connected vehicle strategy. Honda and the entire automotive industry are adopting the latest HD Radio audio and data features very quickly, driving the transition of over-the-air AM and FM broadcasting to a digital future.?



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RAB: Radio Revenue up 1% in Q3

11-21-13

After a flat Q1 and Q2 the Radio Advertising Bureau reported a 1% gain in radio revenue for August, September and October. RAB President and CEO Erica Farber said, The momentum we saw building at the end of Q2 has definitely translated into a positive Q3 for Radio in many of our Top 10 advertiser categories, led by Communications/Cellular with a healthy 24% increase. Among key categories, Automotive, Professional Services, Health Care, Home Furnishings, all showed substantial increases, as well. Increases from these diverse ad categories illustrate Radio?s cross-platform strength to drive traffic and sales ? for large corporations to Main Street businesses.?

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Monday, November 25, 2013

Commish Accepting AM Revitalization Comments

11-21-13

The process is moving forward on an FCC plan many of you hope will lead to a better sounding AM dial. The Media Bureau at the FCC is now accepting comments on its proposed AM revitalization plan championed by Commissioners Pai and Clyburn. Comments are due by February 18. Back on October 29 the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on AM Revitalization following Commissioner Clyburn's speech at the NAB/RAB Radio show in Orlando in September. Get all the details HERE



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Salem Increases Quarterly Cash Distribution

11-20-13

The Salem Communications Board of Directors has increased its quarterly cash distribution from $0.0525 per share to $0.0550 per share.The cash distribution will be paid on December 27, 2013 to all Class A and Class B common stockholders of record as of December 10, 2013.



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We Need To Get In Their Faces

11-20-13

During the Radio Ink Forecast 2014 luncheon, Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman candidly spoke about his thoughts on the radio industry?s need to be more ?in the face? of marketers and not rely so heavily on agencies and buyers alone. He admits that many marketers don?t always understand radio and it?s up to the leaders in radio to make them understand our business better.

Pittman is also concerned with the concept of changing the positioning of radio to ?audio,? explaining that it?s not something that consumers would use or embrace. You also won?t hear him refer to Pandora or similar pureplays as ?radio? because ?radio? is the exact opposite of what they can offer. Pittman continued his discussion by citing Clear Channel?s management style ? to create team leaders and teams which confront problems head on and strive to find areas of concern, as well as take chances on big ideas. If a company doesn?t do this, it will find itself floundering in mediocrity very quickly.

(11/20/2013 11:23:01 PM)
To my knowledge, has Mr. Pittman ever 'fessed up and admitted that radio was an abject failure at servicing audiences and advertisers with the utmost in programming and commercial production.

There's a broken-down, rusted-out Caterpillar dozer blocking the driveway. Until that thing is dragged away and replaced - nobody's going anywhere.

The rest is about forced posing, posturing and pathetic attempts at re-framing.

Although weird, it is possible that Mr Pittman was never told and doesn't even know! His considered comments are hardly those that would sustain any motivation.

(11/20/2013 8:51:37 PM)
Board room antics. Not reality speaking. More political posturing. Go get em guys !!! You can do it !!! Now I got to get back to my yacht.

Lets see Pittman go on a call and try and get around an agency to speak to a "marketer". Good fricking luck Bob.

(11/20/2013 5:59:58 PM)
We need to start realizing that radio does not fit the "Ad Agency" business model of high creative fees, high production fees, and high-cost media. The reason so much ad agency money goes to television is that medium perfectly fits the ad agency business model. When a client has their ad agency create a $5,000 to $1,000,000 tv commercial, the ad agency gets to keep all that money. Not the case for radio, which is by nature a much more efficient medium. Lets start talking about this issue!
(11/20/2013 4:54:00 PM)
The best place for radio industry leaders to start is with the large automakers. Automotive continues to make up the largest category share for radio and we are under attack. Local dealers are being instructed to spend less in radio and more in TV by corporate representatives.
(11/20/2013 4:25:37 PM)
Mr. Pitman made a good general point, based on what was covered in this article. But the one thing he did not mention was that in talking to marketers, you need to speak in their language and position the radio audience not in quarter hours like you would with ad buyer, but in how they discuss their audiences, in lifestyle groups. A format like Top40 or HotAC has very distinct lifestyle groups, usually two to three across an 18-34 or 25-54 audience.

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Sabres And Entercom Team Up For Charity

11-20-13

The Buffalo Sabres are partnering with Entercom Buffalo for a Thanksgiving turkey drive tomorrow to benefit local food pantries. The turkey drive will take place from 7-9 a.m. in the parking lot at the Entercom Buffalo offices. Entercom Buffalo and WGR are the radio broadcast partners for the Buffalo Sabres.

For every turkey dropped off, the Sabres will give away two tickets to an upcoming game to the donor. Tickets (maximum of four per person) will be distributed immediately at the drop-off site for games against Montreal (Nov. 27), New York Rangers (Dec. 5), Ottawa (Dec. 10) and Winnipeg (Dec. 17). All proceeds from the event will directly benefit the Buffalo City Mission and the Food Bank of Western New York.



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WestwoodOne Creates Super Bowl Index

11-20-13

WestwoodOne's Super Bowl audio index will rank the most creative audio commercials aired during Super Bowl XLVIII. The index will be comprised of all commercials aired on the 700+ radio stations which broadcast WestwoodOne?s coverage of the game. Each of the commercials will be available for consumer voting through WestwoodOne.com on February 2, 2014. Two awards will be announced across WestwoodOne?s on-air and online broadcast network.

The awards will be:
? Listener?s Choice: selected by consumers through an online voting process that can also be leveraged by marketers through social media, and activated through SoundHound, to create even more engaging experiences for listeners.
? Media Choice: selected by an advisory council comprised of leading advertising, media, and creative executives across multiple consumer categories.

WestwoodOne CEO Paul Caine said, ?For brands wanting to engage a captive audience with the largest reach, there is no comparison to the Super Bowl. We created the index as a new way for all brands to leverage the power of sound and capitalize on this massive advertising moment. The index enables marketers to engage more intimately with 26 million+ listeners, expanding their campaigns and maximizing their marketing dollars.?

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Can We All Just Come Together?

11-21-13

On the topic of the radio industry?s need to come together, Arnold Worldwide Vice Chairman Fran Kelly tells Greater Media?s Peter Smyth (pictured left) that to reach and impact marketers better, radio needs to not only promote the value of individual brands, but it needs to promote the radio brand as a whole ? and that brand needs to evolve into the most exciting and modern medium you can advertise with. For example, in advertising there is another dimension of branding beyond awareness and that is to be talked about, or brand momentum. Radio needs brand momentum. He strongly believes that branding will come directly from a commitment by the top players in radio.



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Sunday, November 24, 2013

Joyner Taking Applications for ‘Full Ride'

11-21-13

The Tom Joyner Foundation announced the ?Full Ride? scholarship program that will cover all the expenses of one student planning to attend a Historically Black College and University in the fall of 2014. Joyner said, ?The cost of a college education isn?t getting any cheaper. So, I want to help a graduating high school senior with a chance to attend a black college to pursue their dreams.?

Students will receive full tuition and stipends for up to 10 semesters to cover on-campus room and board and books.  Students must meet the required academic standards each semester to renew the funds each year. Graduating high school seniors can apply for the scholarship by going to the Tom Joyner Foundation website at http://www.tomjoynerfoundation.org/ to download an application.

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:
1) A United States Citizen
2) Current high school seniors attending school in the United States (applicant must be anticipating completion of high school degree in the spring of 2014).
3) Minimum high school grade point average of 3.50 (on a 4.00 grade scale, excluding home school studies) and Minimum SAT score of 2100 (combined math essay and verbal score) or ACT score of 30.
4) Applicants must apply and be accepted to an HBCU by July 1, 2014.
5) Applicants must have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities.



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Advertisers Love Concerts and Music

11-21-13

GM's and Market Managers understand how massive an undertaking organizing a concert or festival is, not to mention the potential liability. However the financial rewards can be big through sponsorships, ticket location giveaways and other creative advertising opportunities that your team creates. A new report confirms its worth all of your time and extra effort. According to Nielsen's Music 360 report, Brands love using music as a way to connect with their customers and they love concerts and festivals. Here are the numbers...

Seventy-six percent of festival attendees report feeling more favorable toward brands that sponsor a tour or concert, and 51 percent of all consumers feel this way. In addition, according to Nielsen, approximately 74 percent of music streamers feel more favorable toward brands that engage them through music giveaways, sweepstakes and sponsorships, compared with 58 percent of non-streamers.

See the Nielsen details HERE

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NextMedia Smashes Coat Collection Goal

11-21-13

With a goal of 1,500, NextMedia's KMKT-FM, KLAK-FM and several local businesses in North Texas collected over 2,000 used coats for kids and adults for the local community. The coats will be cleaned and distributed to 13 local agencies who will deliver them to families in need. Pictured here are NextMedia Promotions Director and On-Air Personality Laura Villa with Texas Laundry & Dry Cleaning owner David Jarvis showing off the 2,000 plus coats collected over a 4-week period.



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Bradley Gets PD Gig At KWEN-FM Tulsa

11-20-13

CMG Tulsa has promoted Matt Bradley to Program Director of K95 (KWEN-FM) in Tulsa. Bradley was APD for the station. He began his radio career in the Tulsa market working for Federated Media and then at Clear Channel when they acquired Federated?s properties. He has been with CMG Tulsa for 13 years. Bradley replaces Karla Cantrell who left the station October 16.



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(SOCIAL) Double Your Social Media Influence

11-20-2013

Everyone in radio tries to go from point A to point B as quickly as possible. After all, there seems to be more and more work -- but less and less people in the business because of the shifting business model and budget restraints. Limited time and budget are two of the reasons that you see so much fast-to-post pure contesting and promotion on Facebook and Twitter from radio.

But that shouldn?t be your only focus on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, right? This exercise is even more important for you if you struggle with the value of social media vs. pure traditional advertising. Suppose you wanted to engage a wide variety of like-listeners over an event and/or cause in your market to UP your profile or image. You don?t have budget, but you do have social media. What if there were three easy steps for you to double your influence every time you used the steps?

Here are three steps to consider in doubling your influence per individual:

1. What if you reshaped your social media activity around your event and/or cause as only advice-seeking about the event or cause, relating it directly to your brand? Selecting specific potential listeners on a social media platform to do this with is like reaching out and giving those individuals a huge compliment, but you want it to come off as sincere to have the opportunity to really gain real traction. Do this by simply watching local activity on the social media platform where you want influence (everything is only six degrees, right?). Isolate people who seem to have high passion and seem to have content influence in areas that reflect potential activists. Also identify those that have high potential as members in the ?life group? of the audience you most want to attract and influence. Pick your moment and privately reach out to them. Select your question to reflect as a compliment to them, but make sure you frame it as only advice. You know:  ?I see you are active with XXX cause (or You have an interest in an area that touches XXX). At (station brand) we have been asked to help highlight this issue and (station) is about to put our weight behind XXX in (market). Could you think about the best ways we can have the most impact in (market) for this cause and get share some of those ideas with me directly?? Make certain to identify your role so they see your credibility. This also makes them feel important.

2. Once they respond, ask if you can make them a part of a ?think tank? if appropriate on the social media network where you are having this contact. If they say yes, ask them if they can soldier ?seeking comments about what can be done and what is missing from the (station) plan?? If they agree, send a link to their public profile so others can see it and ask them to comment on it. This gets the ball rolling.

3. Then engage that link on their profile when they and others comment. Compliment them to their friends who comment on their public profile by going to THEIR profile and doing so. This gets back to your ?original influencer? in an unexpectedly and hopefully public way on, say, Facebook. Be careful to stay local and keep the focus on the advice of the original influencer.

Always monitor these activities to make sure you are engaged, even when they may be doing most of the influencing. Once you have done these three things and see that they have engaged your link, you can actually build on the value of that connection and create an actual influence soldier who will more identify with your cause, then your brand, and then help your brand. That can be encouraged to a variety of levels and potentially other subjects, causes, and even radio station-specific matters important to the station brand in the market.

When thinking about social media, you want to do the basics of being visual, introducing topics (content) that gain attention, and ?talk,? but you also want to find creative ways to locate and engage influencers who will self-generate or double your impact (or maybe more). Once you experiment with this and become good at it, you are likely to find that your social media is less work?but more productive. You?ll also find there is true value in using social media for local radio to make your efforts more productive without doing 100 work of the work all by yourself. In fact, you may find others take on more as you have to do even less.

In the end, experimenting with finding and adding actionable true value in your social media will help your company reach your traditional goals and find new ways to add value that turns into both ratings and revenue for your company. That?s worth taking three steps to increase influence any day.

Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Americalist Direct Marketing and has programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, and WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here:  http://about.me/loydford. Get his radio-social media content sent directly to your smart phone or email for free here:  www.rainmakerpathway.wordpress.com. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE.  Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE.

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PROGRAMMING)Are Tag Lines Obsolete?

11-20-2013

Requiring air talents to bark out tag lines every time they open their mouth is wasting precious time. Time that could be better spent delivering a hook headline to instantly engage the audience. You don?t want to waste even a nanosecond when the average attention span is down to nine seconds, according to one study.

Saying ?The Best Mix of the ?80s, ?90s and Now? first, every talk break, will be rattled off ineffectively at best by most air personalities. Tag lines have become meaningless commercial noise to most listeners. We have moderated many focus groups and have been surprised to find that the majority of respondents could not recall a radio station slogan even though it had been pounded for years every break.

Take the first step toward more impactful branding, and only include your tag line in the produced imaging where it can be sold effectively and where it will stand out more prominently.

The second step is to devise a way, through your imaging and marketing, to entice people to want to be associated with your brand. Think how brands like Apple and Starbucks have created the cool factor.

Brand questions to address:
What is the experience of listening to your radio station and/or morning show? How is your station/show connecting emotionally to listeners? What makes people come back to you again and again and become loyal to your brand?

Check out the Geoffrey James article from INC magazine, "Forget Your Tag Line. It?s Obsolete."

Email randy@randylane.net
Read more at his website
Like The Randy Lane Company on Facebook facebook.com/TheRandyLaneCompany
Follow Randy Lane on Twitter www.twitter.com/TheRandyLaneCo

(11/20/2013 2:41:06 PM)
While I agree that tag lines are, at best, worthless wastes of time (and here in San Diego, if they were eliminated, we'd have nothing but dead air in the place of stop sets), there's a certain . . . um. . . shall we say arrogance in denigrating the listener's "attention span."

No wonder people don't listen to you. You talk to them as if they're idiots.

Say something interesting or engaging and they'll stay tuned. Keep babbling drivel and of course they'll tune out.

Why wouldn't they?

(11/20/2013 8:17:46 AM)
I suspect Randy might agree that it has taken way too long for the old "robo-jock" formatics to die off.
So, yes, by all means, let's just hunt them down and blow them away.

I also realize: That ain't gonna happen - if only because of the disaster that would ensure were most jocks invited to "open up".

Music radio has become so trite (generally) that even the (alleged) nine-second attention span may be a bit of a stretch.

This leaves us in a position where programmers are having to choose which kind of "tripe" would be acceptable.


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Saturday, November 23, 2013

Radel Says He's Going to Rehab

11-20-13

Following his guilty plea for cocaine possession, Florida Congressman and former radio talk show host Trey Radel held a late night press conference last night where he said he'd be going to rehab. He did not step down from office. Radel admitted to buying cocaine from an undercover cop earlier in the day, pleading guilty in a D.C. courtroom.

Radel quit his radio show on WINK News Radio in Fort Myers, where he was a conservative talker, to run for office. He was arrested in D.C. for possessing cocaine. The feds set up a sting operation where Radel made a buy. He plead guilty yesterday and received one year probation for being a first-time offender. Radel he's also  admitted to being an alcoholic and said he needs help. 

(11/20/2013 2:33:44 PM)
It should be noted that the Congressmember has been a proponent of mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients.



Maybe we need to pass the specimen cups out at the door to the House of Representatives, too.

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Matt Ray Joins America's Morning News

11-20-13

Talk Radio Networks says Matt Ray, who has been a regular Bay Area on-air anchor for Cumulus Media in San Francisco, has been appointed primary anchor for America?s Morning News. Ray has worked at KXL in Portland, KGO AM and KSFO AM in San Francisco, and KPAY AM in Chico.



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Radio Needs To Become Digital Leader

11-20-13

At this morning?s first panel of the day at Radio Ink?s Forecast 2014, panelists and moderator Marci Ryvicker discussed the coming year in revenue trends and expectations, including radio?s role as the audio leader, untapped digital opportunities, and dealing with perception issues. Panelists concurred that, while radio is still the main audio source for consumers, there needs to be more work done in terms of developing advertising to reflect this. There was also a call for radio to become more involved outside of its own industry, to take a role as an audio and digital leader, as well as to make strategic partnerships with growing digital and audio entities across all media. Audio is an arena much like video, where video and television are quickly becoming all one industry on the digital side.

(11/20/2013 6:26:27 PM)
This isn't complicated. The three media are no longer print, TV and radio but text, video and audio. These three are now delivered through a variety of distribution systems. If you own audio content, you're fine. If you are in the business of audio distribution, you'll figure it out. But if your net worth is tied up in AM and FM licences, your boat will continue to slowly sink. If I owned a traditional radio company that doesn't own its content, I'd liquidate.

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A-Rod Storms Out Of Hearing, Visits Francessa

11-21-13

Alex Rodriguez was not happy when arbitrator Fredric Horowitz told him the commissioner of baseball would not have to show up at the the hearing to testify. An angry Rodriguez bolted from the meeting and right over to WFAN where a surprised Mike Francessa was happy to conduct an interview. Rodriguez denied using steroids and said the process was disgusting. You can listen to Francessa's entire interview with A-Rod on WFAN HERE

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(COPYWRITING) "Feel, Felt, Found"

11-20-2013

?Feel, Felt, Found? is one of the ways salespeople overcome objections when they?re meeting with prospects. Now, the abbreviated sales interaction we call a commercial is slightly different because we don?t hear the person?s objection directly.

But we can anticipate the objection and counter it as part of our broadcast commercial sales call.

The shorthand version of this technique is: ?I know how you feel, I felt the same way, but what I found was??

Technique:

First empathize with your audience members, letting them know that you understand how they feel. Begin your commercial by describing the pain, discomfort, or dissatisfaction they?re experiencing. This one approach will make your commercials stand out because very few advertisers do it.

Then tell them how you or others have had the same experience, and that they?re not alone.

Next, explain that when you did what you want listeners to do, you found that your pain subsided and/or your life was improved.

Examples:

? I understand what you?re going through. Lots of people have felt the same way. And what they?ve found with this solution is that....

? You drive up in front of the big grey warehouse and start to have doubts. You step inside ? concrete floors, naked fluorescent lighting, very few salespeople?hmmm. Then you see the incredible furniture and the unbelievable prices plainly marked on each item and you realize you?ve stumbled into a treasure trove of bargains.

Feel:  How do you feel when you think about going to work on Monday morning?
Felt: Yeah, that?s what I thought. Millions of people experience Monday morning sickness when they think about going to that same old job again.

Found: I found a way out of the rat race. It?s called Career Helper?


Feel:  I?ll bet you feel stupid when you?ve forgotten a birthday or anniversary.

Felt: You?re not the only one. We all do it. Other than turning back the clock, is there anything we can do?

Found: There may be a solution waiting for you at Arnold?s Florist. It?s called the ?Please Forgive Me? bouquet. It comes in 3 sizes: ?Oops,? ?I Can?t Believe I Did That,? and ?The End of the World As We Know It.?  Just come in and tell Arnie you blew it. He?ll know what to recommend.


Feel: I?ll bet you?re like me. I hated starting another exercise program.

Felt: I?d begin with good intentions, but then a few weeks into it, I?d skip a day, then two, and pretty soon?

Found: I found though, when I had a partner to exercise with, it wasn?t so easy to skip. With ?Workout Buddy,? a program sponsored by the City Recreational Department, I have someone keeping me going, and I?m seeing some great results?


How this technique works:

By empathizing with how your target audience feels, you build harmony with them, creating rapport.

When you talk about how others felt, you expand the focus and make the audience member a part of a group so they don?t feel alone.

When they?re attached to that group, you move the whole group by telling how the person in the group changed their mind. Your audience, being attached to the group, should change their mind at the same time.

Jeffrey Hedquist knows you want to create better commercials more easily. Email jeffrey@hedquist.com and Jeffrey will send you a way to use an old Saturday Night Live sketch to create a powerful radio campaign. No charge.

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Eastlan To Include Web-Based Recruitment

11-20-13

Eastlan Ratings said yesterday it will augment its current telephone-based methodology with new ?e-surveys.? Eastlan says the e-survey was tested over the past six months and will be integrated into Eastlan?s standard methodology in all markets beginning with the Spring 2014 survey period. CEO Mike Gould (pictured) said, ?It is incumbent upon ratings providers to reach a sample that is as representative of the local market composition as possible. Being able to recruit and survey electronically, in addition to our telephone-based methodology, will absolutely improve the long-term viability of our affordable radio ratings service. We?re pleased to be first to offer this make-sense innovation to radio broadcasters outside the PPM jungle. Best of all, we can do so without raising our rates.?

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Friday, November 22, 2013

Rusty Walker Scholarship Deadline Is Tomorrow

11-19-13

The application deadline for the Rusty Walker Scholarship program, created in honor of Country Radio Hall of Fame member Rusty Walker, is this Friday, Apply now at http://www.countryradioseminar.com/. Each scholarship includes a full CRS 2014 registration, airfare, and accommodations for four nights (Feb. 18 ? Feb. 21). Scholars will be recognized at the CRS 2014 opening ceremonies and will have the opportunity to choose from a select group of mentors, along with meeting CRS board members during the three-day seminar.

Each applicant must fill out an online application and submit a paragraph explaining why he/she should be considered as a Rusty Walker Scholar. Eligible applicants must be full-time radio station employees and first-time CRS attendees. Three individual scholarships will be awarded.

The CRS Selection Committee will announce the winning recipients on Dec. 16, 2013.

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What Do Independents Think About Radio's Future?

11-21-13

What is the future and vision of the independent owners? A panel featuring some of radio?s most prominent indy owners at Radio Ink's Forecast 2014, discussed the challenges as well as unique opportunities facing this group of broadcasters. While several of the owners were not currently focusing on growing the number of stations under their moniker, that does not translate to they are not growing at all.

Private equity is not as available for smaller companies, making acquisitions tough. But branching out into related businesses, such as the way South Central Communications has done with Towers ownership, is accessible. Longtime President of the Cromwell Group, Bud Walters, said that finding the opportunities to grow in your local communities is the ultimate way to also serve those communities.

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Steve "Frogman" Kelsey Dead at 56.

11-18-13

Forever Broadcasting's Steve Kelsey died Sunday after suffering a stroke. He was the morning man at Froggy 98 in Altoona and had worked at Froggy's predecessor, WFBG Radio, since the mid-1970s. Froggy 98 will host a tribute show for Kelsey this morning, beginning at 6 a.m.and The Altoona Mirror quotes PD Donna Himes who said Kelsey is irreplaceable. "He not only was our beloved morning announcer. He was part of weddings and teen dances spanning several generations, and loved community service and visiting the 'tadpoles' in schools.Our hearts are broken."

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Pittman Wants to Hear From People Who Disagree

11-18-13

The New York Times had a sit down with Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman, who is a keynote speaker at Radio Ink's Forecast 2014 this week, to discuss the value of dissent. Pittman told writer Adam Bryant how valuable dissent is to the success of a company. He explained how he hears what dissenters are saying when he meets with his managers. "Often in meetings, I will ask people when we?re discussing an idea, ?What did the dissenter say?? If his team answers "everyone's on board he tells them they are not listening. "There?s always another point of view somewhere and you need to go back and find out what the dissenting point of view is. I don?t want to hear someone say after we do something, Oh, we should have done this.?

Pittman also tells the Time he encourages his people to take chances. "One thing I preach a lot here is, Weed the garden. If I try 10 new things and, just for example, let?s say two are clear winners and two are clear losers. That means I?ve got six in between. What do I do with those? Most organizations ? and when I?m not careful, including me ? let everything live except the clear losers. And what happens over time is that stuff in between doesn?t really help you. It takes up a lot of resources. It?s confusing. It?s muddy. If you let that stuff build up ? and with the next 10 things you do, there are two clear winners and six that are the gunk ? then pretty soon my whole organization is basically mediocrity and gunk. So if you can bring yourself to say, I?m only going to let clear winners live. I?m going to take the resources I put for the other eight things and try again, you can keep a crisp organization. That?s why start-ups are so crisp ? because they don?t have a lot of gunk yet. But over time, they often build up gunk. So we always talk about weeding the garden. Part of it is being honest with yourself. What really is a winner?"

Read the full New York Times interview with Pittman HERE

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Murphy Posts Scar From Surgery

11-18-13

Shannon Murphy (Psycho Shanon) from the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Radio show is out of the hospital recovering from her recent brain surgery. n Murphy had the surgery to remove a non-cancerous brain tumor. Keeping listeners up to date on her road to recovery, Murphy has posted this picture of her scar from the surgery on her Facebook page.

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(SALES) I Love Objections

11-18-2013

When you buy clothes, you try them on before you buy. When you buy a car, you take it for a test drive and compare other makes and models to decide which you like best. I don?t know anyone, (including me), who makes a major purchase without at least some reservations. Usually the larger the purchase financially, the more perceived risk you face, and the hesitation level increases.

In sales, be very leery of the prospect that signs on the spot without hesitation, or without any reservations. When that happens, one of two things is likely in play. Either you?re leaving money on the table because the purchase isn?t significant enough for them to worry about, or they are just trying to get rid of you and they will cancel after you leave.

I welcome objections. Actually, I love objections. That probably sounds weird, unless you define objections the way I do. Objections are buying signs. Think about it. If a prospect has no interest in doing business with you, they will simply say, ?No.? The fact that they have reservations and share them in the form of objections means you have their attention and they want to move forward, but at some level they?re uncomfortable.

All objections can be classified in one of seven categories:

1. The Value Objection:  Perceived value of product or service is not worth the price or will not solve the problem.
2. Status Quo Objection:  No urgency to grow or do better.
3. I Can?t Compete Objection:  Feelings of inferiority to competitors.
4. The No Budget Objection: Money is spent, budget is tapped.
5. Risk-Averse Objection:  Afraid to try something new, safer to do nothing.
6. The Power Struggle Objection: I want to do this but my partners won?t go for it.
7. "I?ve Had a Bad Experience With Your Company" Objection

The key is to prepare answers, information, and documentation to help you with responses for each category.
So how do you identify what objections fit in what category? A formula I developed years ago is a simple acronym for how to handle objections. I call it C.R.A.M.  I like the name because most of the time you picture a seller getting an objection and cramming information and answers back at the client. I once heard a sales trainer call it the Shorty George Dance. I?m not a good dancer so I never did the Shorty George. I did face objections head-on with C.R.A.M and really enjoy the process.

C - Clarify:  This is my favorite part of dealing with objections. Whenever a client gives you an objection, resist the temptation to either agree or disagree or answer immediately. Instead, ask a clarifying question or questions.
?  What do you mean by that?
?  Can you tell me more about that?
?  My price is too high compared to what?
Clarifying questions are questions that can?t be answered ?yes? or ?no.? They allow you to dig deeper into the thought process of the client and what is really holding them back.

R - Restate:  Once you understand the true objection, repeat it back to the client. Be careful to do this with sincerity, not with sarcasm.
? "Jim, you indicated that you worked with Bill in the past and he was a jerk, so because of that you don?t want to do business with our company. Do I understand you correctly?"
? "Sue, you?re not going to buy this Mercedes because, compared to a Kia, the price is too high. Is that correct?"
What usually happens when you restate the objection is the client feels awkward. Hearing their objection spoken back to them will cause them to either change the objection, give you more information, or recognize on their own, that it?s not really a valid objection.

A - Answer:  Once you have clarified and restated the objection, you are prepared to answer the objection.
?  "Jim, I understand you?ve had a bad experience with our company. What is the statute of limitations on your withholding business from us because of that experience?"
?  "If I could come up with a way to assure you that your next experience with our company and specifically with me, will be a great experience, would you at least consider doing business with us?"
?  "Sue, I understand when you compare the cost of a Mercedes to a Kia the Mercedes is much more expensive. May I show you some key differences between the two vehicles?"

M - Move on:  Once you have clarified, restated, and answered, you can move on to the next objection or start the business relationship by making the sale.

What these simple steps do is help you further understand the thought process your prospects are going through. They allow the prospects to feel heard and respected. You are validating their concerns by listening carefully, asking for clarification, and then repeating those concerns back to the prospect.

Welcome, anticipate, and look forward to objections. When you get them, it means you?re getting close ? if you handle them properly. Try the C.R.A.M. technique next time you hear one and I?ll bet you get more information, better information, and get one step closer to the sale.

Think Big, Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is EVP and partner with Chris Lytle at Sparque, Inc. Jeff and Chris believe that training is a process not an event, and people should buy training based on a desired outcome. If you want to explore ways we can help develop the people that develop your profits, we?d love to talk. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Schmidt@Sparque.biz,
Other ways to connect:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffreyASchmidt
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidtjeffrey/

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Thursday, November 21, 2013

KROQ Supporting Red Cross And Philippines

11-15-13

CBS RADIO?s KROQ in Los Angeles is teaming up with the Red Cross to raise funds for typhoon relief in the Philippines. The station will auction off 10 pairs of Ultimate Experience Packages to their flagship holiday concert extravaganza, the 24th Annual Almost Acoustic Christmas at the Shrine Auditorium. 

The auction will feature five pairs of tickets for Night One (Saturday, Dec. 7) and five pairs of tickets for Night Two (Sunday, Dec. 8) of the epic show.  Bidding on the packages has already begun here, and continues through Friday, Nov. 22 at 7:00 a.m./PST. 

In addition to a pair of tickets in the pit for the night, the highest bidders will also get two VIP Artist Access Passes, and the chance to introduce one of the bands, alongside a KROQ DJ.  All of the money raised in this auction will benefit the Red Cross? Disaster Fund.

What are you doing to serve your community? Send all the details and pictures, tattoos and all, to edryantheeditor@gmail.com

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Smulyan: Radio is Holding up Remarkably Well

11-18-13

Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan is featured in the Indianapolis Star in an article about leadership and success. Smulyan tells writer Jill Phillips that the best leaders, "Attract the best people, treat them well, and let them do their job. If you want people to go through walls for you, you have to go through more walls for them." Smulyan also says the perception of radio is that it has suffered and that's simply not reality. Read the full article Smulyan is featured in HERE

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(SALES) What I Learned At The MBA

11-18-2013
By Sean Luce

Here are some things I learned while speaking at the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association last Thursday in Natick, a suburb of Boston. 

We had a great group in attendance. We had the new generation of up-and-coming sales reps and we had the veterans. And it was a great mix of TV and radio reps! It?s been 10 years since I?ve spoken at the MBA and it was great to be back in Massachusetts and get such a warm reception. Some Sean Luce trivia: Boston was one of the original 18-city stops in the 2000 Sean Luce Tour with Dennis Heinz that was sponsored by Radio Ink magazine. I remember Boston and its cobblestone streets down at the Marriott by the Aquarium.

I learned my James Bond co-star Margaret Wood, has a heck of a curveball. In case you didn?t know, Margaret is a model and stage actress and plays an important role in my new ?Liquid Fire? seminar series for 2014. She is a big fan of sports and especially baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals are her favorite team followed closely by the Boston Red Sox. This year?s World Series was a tough one for her. (I guess I?m one of those "lucky" people who snore. Margaret threw the lotion bottle at me with full force when my snoring got out of hand. Maya Angelou was quoted as saying you have to throw a few of them back. That lotion bottle was thrown back into the "stands" so to speak. Sorry Margaret.)

I was reminded that your ?backstage? people are the most important people that help put you on stage and determine a great performance. Margaret and I were in full production mode, breaking in a new scene for the 2014 sales seminar series from "Live And Let Die," the James Bond thriller. "Live And Let Die" was the first James Bond movie I had ever seen. Margaret was playing the feisty High Priestess tarot card reader Solitaire. (Just so you know, the occult does not reflect my beliefs.) It?s a good scene that breaks in the ?7 Steps of an Opening Call? and gives the audience something different in a sales seminar -- Margaret doesn?t forget a line.

We had Maura Traniello, owner and CEO of Scarlet Artist Management in Boston do our make-up for the show. The people who help put you on stage looking your best are vital in pulling off a great performance. Jordan Walton, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association, and his team had the room, audio, video, and handouts set up perfectly so you don?t have to worry about a thing once you get to the stage. That makes a huge difference when you have quite a few things going on in your seminar and it?s not just a speech. Thank you Maura and thank you Jordan!

Margaret and I were provided an extra day off from performing and took in the sites of Boston on Friday. I learned that Fenway Park is hallowed ground. I?m a history buff and seeing Paul Revere?s house was amazing to me. I learned that the TD Garden where the Boston Celtics (my favorite team NBA team growing up) and Boston Bruins play is huge and electric, no matter if your team is rebuilding. With her engaging personality, Margaret makes friends easily, and Jessica and Matt Fedorka, account executive for the New England Revolution, took us to the hotel Friday night after the Celtics game. Another reason I love Boston: the people treat you so well.

I learned that with the new generation of reps like Alex Wheaton and Greg Coddington, and veterans like John DiPietro and Judy Crocker, and management like Craig Swimm, we are in good hands for the future of broadcasting sales.

I?m excited about bringing Liquid Fire to Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the 80th annual Western Association of Broadcasters conference next year, as I have never spoken in Calgary before. Maybe I can talk Margaret into leading off my seminars next year by doing the aerobics at the start of the seminar instead of me and the audience volunteers. Just a thought.

And next year, you will see some negotiating gambit techniques from ?The Spy Who Loved Me? in the new Liquid Fire sales seminar. Sure it's sure to be a thrill!

I wasn't lookin' but somehow you found me
I tried to hide from your love light
But like heaven above me
The spy who loved me
Is keepin' all my secrets safe tonight
     -- "Nobody Does It Better" sung by Carly Simon

Sean Luce is the Head National Instructor for the Luce Performance Group International and can be reached at Sean@luceperformancegroup.com or www.luceperformancegroup.com.

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(SALES) The Negotiator's Negotiator

11-18-2013

Let?s watch a video today. I have learned a lot from watching YouTube videos, like how to fix my vacuum cleaner, or how to repair a broken garbage disposal and, recently, how to play the Stone?s "Brown Sugar" in the correct open G tuning. But what can YouTube show us about negotiating?

Most of us have seen YouTube clips from sales-oriented movies, like Boiler Room and Glengarry Glen Ross. But a while back I was pleasantly surprised to find a great link to an ABC reality television show I?d never seen called ?Shark Tank.?  In each episode of this show, an entrepreneur tries to sell multi-millionaire investors on investing in his or her business. The young entrepreneur in the clip (Jonathan) is the epitome of a negotiator. This is a great video for broadcast salespeople to watch, because media salespeople are often so uncomfortable with negotiating a real deal.  As soon as a buyer puts on any pressure the salesperson craters.  Instead of negotiating with the client, we wind up negotiating with the sales manager. 

In some countries, you have to pay bribes to advertising agencies to get their business.  Here in America we call this ?added value.? We routinely give away added value and bonus spots. In fact, agency buys seldom come down anymore without stipulating value-added guarantees.

Shamefully, this disturbing trend is now raising its ugly head with direct clients, and it?s no wonder.  Anxious to add billing, salespeople in every market size are actually volunteering added value, without the client even asking.  Do you enjoy working for free? Wouldn?t you rather chase squirrels than spend one more Saturday hanging around at remotes with the scourge of humanity, those cheating, lying PRIZE PIGS?

Please click on the video link and then come back to the article when you?ve finished watching.
http://sharktankclips.com/season-1-episode-6-element-bars/

This video is wonderful on so many levels. Under tremendous pressure, the entrepreneur manages to stay focused. When an investor asks for more, Jonathan asks for more. He consistently draws conversation away from low offers and back to value. 

Here?s the takeaway. When negotiating, try to keep the discussion focused on your VALUE and BENEFIT to your client, not your PRICE. There is no question that value can be perceived completely differently between two individuals, depending on the education of both sides. 

It is always in your best interest to make sure that you understand as much as possible about how your client?s business works.  Of course, it?s equally important that you educate your client on the benefits of marketing and advertising, and how valuable your audience is to your client?s bottom line.  Steer your client away from price and back toward value. For example, what?s the value of one new customer to your client?

When asked to ?throw a number out there that you?d entertain,? he says, ?I can?t negotiate with myself. I give you the power to pull the lever,? and with those words, the tables are turned so that now the investors begin throwing out numbers, even the investor who said early on that, ?he who throws out the first number loses.?

In the video, Jonathan states upfront that he?s open to, ?hearing any offers that are out there.? When things start to stall, he throws them a bone. ?If a greater equity was out there?would that interest you?? With those words, the negotiation perks up again. As soon as he sees there is at least some interest in continuing, he goes back to selling value. But, he stands firm on why he will not just give away his company.

Even after being insulted by one of the potential investors, who says, ?You?re a great salesman, but you?re not much of a businessman. I?m out,? Jonathan keeps his cool (by the end of the clip, we see just how good a businessman Jonathan turns out to be).

Best observation from one of the investors, ?He?s not selling the company, he?s selling Jonathan,? he says, smiling. Selling yourself?what in the heck is wrong with that?

Here?s another takeaway from Jonathan. Propose bigger schedules from the beginning. You can always come down if you have to, but it?s harder to go up. By starting with what the investors were saying was a high price, Jonathan raises the bar on the value of his product.

What stands out the most for me in the video, is Jonathan?s stalwart resistance to caving. One of my friends in media sales said this after watching the video. ?That's awesome. Harvey MacKay once gave me great advice ? ?Never negotiate anything you wouldn't be willing to walk away from'."  Indeed.  Sometimes, you just have to walk away. After all, there are some things even a pig won?t do.

Other good advice regarding negotiation, that it?s a two-way street. ?It sounds nit-picky,? says Jonathan. ?But you?ve got to get to my negotiating range.? What?s he doing here? He?s re-defining the boundaries of the negotiation. ?Oh, he?s good,? an investor says, smiling. Yes, he is. And, people respect a good negotiator.

Another takeaway from the video: Try to look at every possible side of a deal.  Every angle and detail, before and during the negotiation. Your ability to stay objective and flexible will be crucial to the outcome. If you are emotionally attached to any single issue, your ability to negotiate objectively is compromised. Don?t fight to win a battle and then lose the war. That?s being pig-headed. Sacrifice smaller points to win bigger ones.

Negotiation is merely a learned skill that, if practiced regularly, becomes a natural instinct. Negotiation is simply the art of modifying the behavior of another person, toward a mutually beneficial conclusion. So, why does it have to be so awkward? Why do we feel we have to give up so soon? A successful negotiation is not a game with a winner and a loser. In order to have a successful negotiation, both sides must feel as though they have won. You are not there to destroy an opponent. Nor are you there to be destroyed. You are there to strike a deal where everybody believes that they have won something. Remember that you are working toward a common goal.

And, one final takeaway from the video. Turn your weaknesses into strengths. Jonathan never for one minute lacked confidence, despite his youthful appearance. In other words, if you look young, don?t let your youth be mistaken for lack of experience or ability. The same goes with your race, your gender, your handicap, or any other issue that you think may be perceived as a weakness. Subtly point out your strengths and skills early in the discussion. If you?re young, for example, older clients might appreciate your youthful perspective when it comes to marketing his product or service to a younger audience.

President John Kennedy once said, ?Let us never negotiate out of fear. And, let us never fear to negotiate.?

Paul Weyland is an author, speaker, trainer, and coach. He works with broadcasters all over the world, helping them increase their local direct revenues, without having to sacrifice their rates. Read Paul?s books, Successful Local Broadcast Sales and Think like an Adman, Sell like a Madman, available at www.amazon.com or www.paulweyland.com . Contact Paul at 512 236 1222 or at www.paulweyland.com.

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