Univision Fires L.A. Employee Over Ratings Issue

6-16-14

It's rare that a group head makes a public statement about a fired employee. However, when the possibility of ratings tampering is the topic, it's a very big deal. Univision Radio President Jose Valle says Nielsen made contact with Univision about an employee at KSCA in L.A. who was contacted by the ratings firm. An investigation by Univision resulted in that unidentified employee's being fired."

Valle said, "We're cooperating fully with Nielsen and the MRC to ensure the industry has quality data. A radio station employee being related to a Nielsen participant seriously undermines the industry and is unacceptable. We will continue to cooperate fully and ensure the efficacy of our internal training and compliance programs, which will be ongoing across all Univision stations."

(6/16/2014 10:13:01 PM)
It would be unfortunate to lose a job because a relative accepted an invitation. If anyone should be fired, wouldn't it be the person at Nielsen who is selecting ineligible participants?
(6/16/2014 4:33:19 PM)
Seriously who cares?

The story is that ONE employee screwing around with one meter (or household) was significant enough for a entire week's delay in a monthly and reissue in the second largest market in the US.

That freak anyone out besides me?

Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

(SOCIAL) Crank Up Your Local Impact

6-18-2014

What can you do to really crank up authentic impact for your radio station, morning show, afternoon show, or sales department (yes, sales department) using social media?

1. Think about the people you most want to attract. If you are a personality, think about the time of day you are on the air and what is happening in your market. Research the flow of consumers, when they drive to work, when they come home. Review what they are talking about via Twitter and Facebook. If you are in the sales department, think about becoming the known person in the market with solutions for small- and medium-size business owners. Couple your social media content with your on-the-ground networking and validate those people you are having interaction with in your social media.
2. Create content that focuses on helping these people in your market you most want to attract. Don?t just think about posting generic things; you can create content that puts you squarely on their radar because you are talking about what they are seeking.
3. Use local visuals, pictures, and photos of the people you most want to attract in your social media. That?s right. Try to shift your content and visuals almost totally away from you and toward the people you want to attract and the people most like those people. You?ll hear me say this over and over. Visuals are the key to successfully growing your social media opportunity for impact.
4. Vary your content so you are interesting. Don?t assume that you are interesting. Expand the depth (not length) of your social media content posts. When you develop your social media content strategy (before you really begin posting, hopefully), develop it with specific content touchstones in mind and work out what percentage of each type of content should be posted and how often for each type. This will hopefully keep your posts interesting and engage more people in the ?conversation.?
5. Get active in validating those you most want to attract. This means ?liking? posts, but it also means ?giving some love? for things you really like and getting in their conversation (not just the ones you create).
6. Video and photos can make more fun and engaging opportunities. I can never seem to say this enough: Visuals are a major key to establishing your growth in social media. Attract local listeners and advertisers by using great photos and video. We are in a fun business. Showcase the fun while you turn the attention (camera) on them! Turning away from you and toward them will pay higher dividends. Try it for 30 days! You?ll see what I mean.

Oh, and remember this bonus: Most people want to be awesome in social media. They start out strong and then fall away. In some cases, you see blogs abandoned in 36 days. Facebook pages revert to being reposts of only national gossip stuff or they fade out to limited posts and fewer and fewer as the summer rolls on. You?ll be different, right? You?ll make the most of this free opportunity to really invest and grow your listeners, advertisers, and career. 

The really cool thing is that you are already ahead of the game if you are looking to create your own social media strategy. After all, it?s easy to re-post TMZ and People. Setting yourself apart by investing in the local listeners and advertisers you most want to attract by caring about them will literally set you free to achieve new things in your career and it will help you stand out in a competitive field.

Go get ?em! I look forward to hearing your stories of how you set your social media free to truly focus on ?them? and it paid off again and again! Follow these six points and that is just what will happen. Good luck.

Loyd Ford is the digital revenue, direct marketing, ratings, and social media strategist for Rainmaker Pathway and Americalist Direct Marketing. Loyd 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.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

(SALES) Do You Know "That Guy"?

6-18-2014

The entire team was going through the new training. It was fun to see the light bulbs go on as they were exposed to new knowledge or, in some cases, reminded of important concepts they had forgotten. I tracked the daily assignments and provided coaching; the sellers were engaged and excited ? it was working. The sellers were getting better, their clients were getting better, and I was having a blast being a part of it.

Then he showed up. You know him, he's "That Guy." We all know him at work ? he?s That Guy. That Guy finds a reason to object to anything that is said. No matter how inconsequential the matter, he can?t help but say, ?but?? Here?s a typical script:

Normal Colleague: ?I think the new guy is really getting up to speed quickly.?

That Guy: ?OK, but what do you mean by quickly??

Normal Colleague: ?He just seems to be doing a good job so far.?

 That Guy: ?But why shouldn?t he? He?s just doing the easy stuff now.?

 Normal Colleague: ?Fine. I?m just saying his work so far has been quite good.?

That Guy: ?Yeah, but what does ?quite good? mean exactly??

Talking to That Guy is painful. The conversation never seems to move ? it?s always stuck. In meetings he?s worse: He objects to the most minor details in presentations, frustrating the presenter and everyone else. His net impact on the meeting is generally negative, and he makes it 15 minutes longer than it needs to be.

Neil Bearden is an Associate Professor of Decision Science at INSEAD, where he teaches and researches judgment. I read his article in Harvard Business Review and learned the word that defines That Guy: captious. To be captious is to raise petty objections.
One of the most gratifying consequences of working with sales teams to improve their performance is the change in the culture that occurs. One manager we work with recently told my partner Chris Lytle, "It's like somebody flipped a switch. Everybody is talking the same language. They are sharing experiences and everybody is performing better."

Nothing is more motivating than achievement. Nothing kills a culture or motivation faster than a captious person. He criticizes everything. His attitude is so negative he would complain if he won a multi-million dollar lottery because he has to pay too much in taxes. That Guy is a problem. He can suck the life and positive energy out of a team ? if you let him.

The That Guy I was dealing with was complaining that he was new, so he wasn't dealing with any great accounts. He couldn't grasp the concept of doing the work before getting paid. To his credit, he recognized that his attitude was bad and asked if we could help motivate him. Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever witnessed a That Guy so bad, so early in his career. I found myself thinking, ?Why is he in sales if he feels this way?? I encouraged his manager to have a conversation with him and find out what was going on. I suggested that if she couldn't get to the root cause of his attitude and help him make immediate and dramatic change, that she would be best served helping him find a new career path.

When dealing with That Guy you need to find a way to turn him on to what you are trying to accomplish. . . or cut him loose. The key is don't waste time. It's not just the money you?re wasting on him, it's the negative impact he?s having on the rest of the team. The clich? is right, "one bad apple can spoil the bushel." You owe it to your team to protect them from rotten apples.

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

Twitter: @JeffreyASchmidt
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/schmidtjeffrey

(6/18/2014 8:11:42 AM)
When I was being trained to do coaching and counselling, Jeff, I was taught about motivation strategies. One set was: "Towards" and "Away From" - both useful in some context.

The key for "Those Guys" is to point out which one they are applying and that your environment is (at the time) one that requires a reversal from one to the other with an "Away From" mode to be applied later - to be prepared for slip-ups or missing information.

Instead of being shut down, they now have access to both. They like that.

Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

New York Festivals Awards Presenters Announced

6-19-14

The New York Festival's International Radio Program competition has been honoring the most innovative work in radio broadcasting since 1982. Entries are received from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from around the globe. The 2014 New York Festivals Radio Awards Gala will be held Monday, June 23, at the Manhattan Penthouse in New York City. Yesterday the awards presenters for the show were announced and here they are...

Presenters taking to the stage to honor 2014?s World?s Best Radio Programs include: Natalie Tso ? Program Host, Radio Taiwan International/Radio Awards Grand Jury member; Joe Richman  ?  Founder & Executive Producer; Sarah Kramer ? Contributing Producer; Bruce Wallace ? Contributing Producer - Radio Diaries, USA; Chris Brookes ? Director, Battery Radio, Canada; Tim Collins ? CEO, OceanFM, Ireland; Charles Pellett ? Anchor & Reporter, Bloomberg Radio, USA; Ben Manilla  ?  President,  Ben Manilla Productions, USA; Clea Conner Chang,  Director of Marketing/  Production, Intelligence Squared, USA; and, Therese McIntyre ? Presenter,  Athena Media, Ireland.

View the original article here

Compass To Carry 2014 NFL Games

6-19-14

Compass Media Networks announced today it will once again have coverage of over 50 National Football League pre-season and regular season games. It all begins on September 7 with a game between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. You can see the full schedule of games HERE.

View the original article here

L.A. in Ratings Turmoil

6-17-14

Time will tell what, if anything, happens to the Univision employee who turned the ratings in Los Angeles upside down. Nobody has named the employee fired by Univision but many are wondering -- and speculating -- who it could be. The L.A. Times is reporting the person is a "programming executive" at popular Regional Mexican KSCA. And The Wall Street Journal says, "The employee at Univision-owned radio station KSCA was able to skirt Nielsen's guidelines that forbids media-affiliated employees from participating in their panels." The Times also reports the tip that bagged the Univision employee came from inside the radio station.

One of the first things every manager tells an employee is, "If you're ever contacted by a ratings firm, tell them you work for the radio station and report it to us right away." It appears this rogue Univision employee might have done completely the opposite -- and had a direct impact on the ratings in L.A. Ratings in big markets like Los Angeles play a major role in how radio is bought by ad agencies, with most buying a three-book average to avoid minor inconsistencies. Small changes in the ratings can translate into tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, shifting from one radio station to another. And at many stations ratings also impact bonuses on the programming side. 

The total damage done to all stations in the market by this person's actions is still unclear and may be for some time. Nielsen is conducting an investigation that will look at the ratings as far back as a year. This entire nightmare for Nielsen shows just how vulnerable the ratings are when one or two households can have such a dramatic impact. 

In L.A., on average, there are about 2,848 panelists participating in the ratings. The city is made up of approximately 12 million people. One L.A. owner told Radio Ink on Monday, "We haven't been told much, only to expect our ratings to go up."

All industry eyes will be on the numbers that come out today. In L.A., they will be interested, for sure, in the overall numbers, but more specifically, stations will be looking at the KSCA morning numbers for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Another L.A. manager tells Radio Ink the surge by that show is "now called into question."

Nielsen says, the May Week Four (Weeklies data) will be released today at 9 a.m. PT (noon ET). June 2014 Week One data will also be released along with the May 2014 data. Nielsen will issue revised Los Angeles data for the April 2014 report period on Thursday. All Los Angeles data releasing on June 17 and 19 will reflect an in-tab sample that excludes both households deleted by Nielsen.

(6/17/2014 12:19:52 PM)
In our market, albeit a small market, a radio station that buys the book is allowed to determine the weight of panelists selected from which counties in the market, which also skews the results.

Small sample groups, and questionable tactics for implementing the survey combine for a pretty bad scenario of credibility. I agree with the "Live by the Numbers - Die by the Numbers" mentality.

The radio ratings are a traveshamockery.

(6/17/2014 11:36:26 AM)
its time for radio to wake up. we need better creative! how long can we depend on a flawed system (arbitron/nielsen). radio needs to adopt the pandora ratings paradox. and while i'm at it, give AMs a translator, file an antitrust suit against soundexchange, nullify consolidation, bring back hooper & pulse. finally management and ownership simply needs to care more.
(6/17/2014 10:34:07 AM)
Ratings = Witchcraft!
(6/17/2014 9:36:59 AM)
"Our advertisers are getting spectacular results! Ratings? Don' need no stinking ratings!"

Make that happen and the issue is closed.

(6/17/2014 9:26:03 AM)
The mantra in radio has always been, "Live by the numbers, die by the numbers." In spite of that, buyers still put the greatest focus on numbers, pressuring stations to achieve greater rankings. Several years back in our market area one rep violated the non-participation rule and caused the book to be revised. That rep was not fired. Makes one wonder if there is sometimes complicity with station management.

Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Tesh Adds Over 20 New Affiliates

6-19-14

The TeshMedia Group has added 22 new affiliates to carry the daily edition of  The John Tesh Radio Show -- Intelligence For Your Life! Eighteen are in the United States with four more in Canada. Here's a complete listing of the affiliates and where the stations have placed the show.

New US affiliates:
WWLI/FM-Providence, RI  (Evenings)
WZTI/AM-Milwaukee,WI  (Morning Drive)
WRRM/FM-Cincinnati, OH  (Evenings)
WFRQ/FM-Cape Cod, MA  (Evenings)
WARM/FM-York, PA  (Evenings)
KYNS/AM-San Luis Obispo, CA  (Morning Drive)
KONP/FM & AM- Port Angeles, WA  (Evenings)
KLGR/FM-Redwood Falls, MN (Middays)
WIXE/AM-Monroe, NC  (Evenings)
WXXC/FM-Ft. Wayne/Marion, IN (Evenings)
WMER/FM & AM-Meridian, MS  (Afternoon Drive)
KVVR/FM-Great Falls, MT  (Evenings)
KQEZ/FM-Twin Falls, ID  (Evenings)
KROS/AM-Davenport, IA  (Middays)
WDUC/FM-Lynchburg, TN  (Middays)
WAVL/AM-Apollo, PA  (Morning Drive)
KETT/FM-Scottsbluff, NE  (Afternoon Drive)
KYNT/AM-Yankton, SD  (Afternoon Drive)

New Canadian affiliates:
CJRI/FM-Frederickton, NB, Canada (Afternoon Drive)
CJLD/FM-Leduc, Alberta, Canada (Evenings)
CJGB/FM-Meaford, ONT, Canada (Middays)
CJRP/FM-St. John, NB, Canada (Middays)

View the original article here