3-17-14
Smith sent in the following letter after reading the Roy Williams piece that ran in the March 10 issue of Radio Ink. The column, "My Apology To Programmers," states how radio no longer values the customer. He used Google as an example of a company that does value the customer.
Roy:
We don?t know each other, but I feel like I know you. Over the years, your name would pop up in conversations I?d be having with my radio colleagues, or they?d send me some clever article or creative ad you?d written. I was always impressed. I just finished reading your 3.10.24 piece in Radio Ink. Again, a brilliant observation.
In my 40-plus-years career, I?ve been a morning drive jock, program director, production director?but always being on the programming side of the fence, the one thing I?ve noticed again and again is that sales seems to think the REAL show is the commercial break! That?s when they get to hear the clumps of their ?programming? elements (as visions of commission checks dance in their heads). They don?t seem to realize that anything and everything that makes it to the air ultimately becomes part of the program, and it has either a positive or negative affect on the station. Do the spots/clients fit the format? Do they add value to the programming effort? Are the spots strong enough to not drive listeners away?
Too many spots in a break?or too many poorly produced spots in a break?or clients that are simply a bad fit for the station are all tune-outs. That?s when the dreaded button gets pushed by the listener, and we instantly vanish from the dashboard. We cease to exist. If that happens repeatedly and the numbers trend downward, sales immediately blames the PD, the talent, the promotions department, the poor signal, Pandora, the economy, the Polar Vortex?but they rarely blame themselves for failing to understand the VALUE of the station and its brand in the marketplace. I?ve seen this happen so often, I simply chalk it up to the nature of the business. Thus, the absolute necessity for a Director of Programming to work with sales so that the listener gets a balance?a creative blend?.of the Art of the Business and the Business of the Art.
Bill Smith
Production Director
WRKO Boston?s Talk Station
WRKO.com
WEEI SportsRadio 93.7FM
WEEI.com
WEEI/ESPN Radio Boston 850AM
(3/17/2014 7:54:16 PM)
What is startling is that Bill felt compelled to write this response in the first place.
I mean, it's not as if Radio has not had decades to figure this one out. After more than 40 years, I rather suspect Bill had it figured out decades ago. He may have even campaigned for the processes of undertaking massive improvements in both Programming and Creative.
But, even in the Majors, blind eyes and deaf ears are the established and accepted norms of the day. Listeners and clients, however, are neither blind nor deaf.
Still, Bill has legitimate cause for concern.
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