6-7-13
The SNL Kagan Financial Summit was held in New York City Thursday and Executive Vice President of Operations for CBS Radio Scott Herman and Sales President Michael Weiss were part of a panel moderated by RAB President and CEO Erica Farber. After listening to Sherry Mesh detail how wildly successful an advertising campaign that ran on WFAN in New York for London Jewelers, Herman and Weiss attributed the success of the campaign to CBS's commitment to being live, local and connected with listeners.
Mesh said using WFAN's Boomer Esiason to promote a new bridal engagement store for live reads, "worked so well. It was off the charts. We never expected the success we had." Mesh added, nearly every single person said, "we heard you on the FAN. We heard you on the FAN." That was music to the ears of both Weiss and Herman. Weiss said those live reads, which have become a staple on sports talk, are very successful. "We do it with a lot of clients. There is a connection between the listener and our personalities." CBS will take success stories like London Jewelers and share them across the country with other stations to help convince advertisers about the power of local radio.
Herman says CBS has over 100 local morning shows across the country paying off for the company. "We make that investment because of success stories like London Jewelers. We want our talent in the market place kissing babies, hugging people, shaking hands and being involved in the marketplace. We think that gives us an advantage when we're going out there trying to sell our inventory."
Herman added, "The great radio stations have a soul and their DJ's act as a concierge for the local markets they?re in. They tell you what?s happening locally, how to dress, what to wear, what time it is, which concert is coming to town, how you get tickets, if your favorite team won the night before. A lot of useful information you need and want to help get you through the day."
(6/8/2013 12:15:05 AM)
Are you high? The last pargrph is more outdated than this medium which has not changed in at LEAST 15 yrs. Also going by way of the newspaper. Another point, no one under 35 CARES bout radio anymore. BECAAUSE of the outdated statment of belief in this last paragraph. Wake up its a new world you are losing fast.
(6/7/2013 12:04:57 PM)
Sorry, didn't know there was a word count.
But I'm reminded of the Cumulus experiment with WNFN recently. They flipped it from a local, edgy rock station, The Rooster, to ESPN Radio. (This stepped on the barely completed flip of WNSR-AM to ESPN and resulted in legal action.)
Ratings weren't there for WNFN, so they started stripping away local content, bc ESPN Radio was enough. The last round of firings made local TV news, when they went ESPN top-to-bottom. Next thing you know, they're CHR.
So...this told us what, exactly?
I was expecting details about a campaign. Instead, I got an article praising CBS for doing what radio is supposed to do--be local.
I've been in radio for ten years, at three different clusters--all small market, all local. Yes, they ran syndicated content, and two of the three have voicetracked, but it's all in when and how, and what you put around it.
I'm appalled at how most of the "Big Five" seem to approach radio. Maybe CBS is different. IDK.
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