Jeff Dinetz is getting ready to make his mark on Lincoln Financial tomorrow as he begins his new job in South Florida. Dinetz was hired by Don Benson as Sr. V.P./General Manager for Lincoln?s Miami cluster after an exhaustive search that resulted in 125 candidates. It?s not easy replacing a GM who?s been around for nearly three decades. Dennis Collins is retiring after 27 years running Lincoln?s Miami station's including WLYF-FM, WMXJ-FM and WAXY-AM.
Dinetz was President & COO of the Radio and Interactive divisions of NextMedia before leaving that company. His career includes management positions with Connoisseur Communications, Emmis Broadcasting and Chancellor Broadcasting, where he was VP/General Manager of New York?s legendary ?Z100,? WHTZ-FM.
Benson said "This was a very important decision for our company and especially for our people, as we transition from Dennis Collins' exceptional 30-year run with us. Jeff brings a wealth of experience on many levels. He's run a radio group, been a regional VP, and served as both a GM and Director of Sales in the #1 market. And his genuine passion for and staunch belief in the radio business are undeniable. We're very excited about having him as the next leader for our exceptional Miami team."
In an interview with Radio Ink Dinetz talked about what he looks for in powerful employees, what makes a great
General Manager and what the GM needs to do to win in 2011 and beyond. Job one...get out of the office. "You've got to get out. There are times that you can be at the radio station. You have to let your people know, these are the set times that we are going to meet, and the rest of the time, I'm going to be out, helping to raise revenue, and helping to drive ratings. That's really the most important part. You don't need to be sitting in the office all day. People can find you. God knows, from your BlackBerry, your laptop, your iPads. Visibility and looking clients in the eye, and that handshake, there is nothing that replaces that."
Become Part of The Community
"One of the first things I set up is to meet all of the chamber people and business leaders, politicians. You have to be a positive voice in all of our communities. Remember, we don't own the radio stations. The FCC owns the radio stations. When you talk about a market like Miami, or the Carolinas, when a hurricane comes, or major storms, or earthquakes and everything else gets knocked off, radio is still there. They don't call them the Miami Hurricanes for nothing. You have to keep in mind, that you are there to serve that community. Getting to meet the people that are influential in the market is a priority. Everybody knows, for successful operators, it's a 24/7 job. This is not a Monday through Friday job."
When The Real Winners Stand Out
To be a successful GM, Dinetz says you have to be successful during the tough times as well as the boom times. "This isn't an easy business. I think in the late '90's and the early 2000's, when business was really good, there were people that looked good because business was so strong. Once the business got tough those flaws started showing. Right now, people are nervous. Not only are advertisers nervous, your listeners are nervous and your employees are nervous. You have got to be willing to roll up your sleeves. You have to be willing to support your staff. You have to be willing not ask them to do anything that, as a leader, you couldn't do. Whether that's getting a certain rate or the expectations of your programming department. You also have to realize that you have to be a cheerleader for your people. The most important thing as a GM today, you have to be influential in helping your staff come up with solutions for your advertisers. There is nothing more important right now then coming up with good campaigns. It's no longer just about selling spots. You have to get in there and pitch a full campaign, inclusive of radio, interactive, anything else that it's going to take for them to be successful."
The Reason We Are All Here
And finally, Dinetz talks about the reason radio exists, to get results for advertisers. "I can't stress this enough. It's coming up with solutions and ideas. A salesperson, especially in this day and age has to do a client's need analysis. They always come back to fill those needs, what that client told them they need. They are not just going to serve themselves. You come back to that radio station, it's not just the salesperson's responsibility to come up with those ideas. You should be soliciting help from everybody you have in your building. Don't discount interns, kids just out of college or high school, they have a much different take on the world than we do. Your programming people. Everybody from your receptionist to your business managers, they all have good ideas. Everybody knows somebody, who knows somebody who knows something. That's what you have to do. We are the guys that have to make the cash register ring. Keep in mind, the most important thing you have to do for these advertisers is to make sure they make payroll on Friday and pay their bills, especially in a tough economy."
Reach out to Jeff to congratulate him on his new gig jeff@dinetz.com
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