2010 Political Comps Make 2011 Growth Difficult.

The advertising landscape for Radio the balance of 2011 will be a difficult one. Sometimes there's just no way to put lipstick on the pig. While there are only whispers of a double dip recession, you can tell everything just seems to be in a holding pattern. The fact that radio has always been easy to accept advertiser cancellations, makes it nearly impossible to make reliable forecasts or accept pacings reports anyone put on the table. If we could only write our contracts like a wireless phone carrier does? In a stagnant economy and a herky jerky stock market, many radio companies will probably accept being flat in Q3 and Q4. The big problem with being flat the rest of the year will be the poetical comps from 2010.

Here are some real numbers to chew on. Cumulus, Entercom and Saga detailed political revenue generated in 2010 during their Q2 conference calls. Those three companies own roughly 530 radio stations combined. In Q3 of 2010 they brought in $4.4 million of political revenue. In Q4 they brought in a combined $10.4 million. That's $15 million in radio revenue that does not exist for the balance of 2011. There may be a little issue oriented or primary buys here and there, but for the most part, that money is being raised and saved for next year. The good news is 2012 should be a banner year for radio as a presidential race, house races and issue ads will be very lucrative for radio. Add to that the weak comps you can expect from this year and everyone will look like a hero in 2012. The challenge will be the back half of 2011. The bounce back we started to see in Q1 has fizzled and unless there is some very fast good economic news the rest of the year will be a battle. Watching the stock market drop over 400 points yesterday didn't help the cause.

What is the sense in your market? Send your thoughts to edryan@radioink.com

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12 Strategies For Effectively Dealing with Difficult Conversations

June 15, 2011

by Paul Anovick

When you?re faced with a conversation about a performance review or letting someone go or regarding a critical moment in a relationship, and you are avoiding this meeting, you have a difficult conversation. The avoidance is a good indicator that you have concerns about the impact of the conversation or fear of the reaction. What should you do. The following are several suggestions that have helped me overcome and effectively deal with difficult conversations.

1. Give the bad news up front. In the case of letting someone go from a job it should not be a surprise; therefore, you both know why you are there. So no small talk, announce the bad news up front.
2. Be prepared for a bad reaction. This means you should be emotionally prepared to deal with the response. Stay calm, listen and speak softly to keep the situation under control.
3. Do not play the ?blame game?. If it is a performance review, the goal is not to judge who is right or wrong, but to manage better outcomes in the future.
4. Respect the person you are talking to. The focus is on behaviors not character destruction. Always treat the individual, as you would want to be treated.
5. Do not react to ?tactics?.  Lying, threatening, crying, shouting and silence are all tactics on the spectrum from passive to aggressive. It is important you do not respond in kind.  Recognize what is being done and respond accordingly.
6. We try to oversimplify the problem. If it weren?t complicated, it probably wouldn?t be so difficult to talk about.
7. Project in your mind 3 months or 5 years from now. This will make the conversation less daunting. Perspective is needed.
8. Use inquiry to better understand the other person. Have an attitude of discovery and curiosity.
9. Acknowledgment. Show that you?ve heard and understand where the other person is coming from and what concerns them.
10. Be a problem solver. Work together to create sustainable solutions.
11. Do the right thing.
12. Calm your mind. Focus on how this is going to help the other person.

What kind of difficult conversations are you grappling with and how are you dealing with them successfully?

Coach Anovick Developing Potential, Producing Results. Your comments and feedback are appreciated. Coach Anovick, 201.445.2822.

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