The Things Employees Do

6-17-14
by John Garziglia

The Los Angeles Nielsen PPM ratings were delayed for over a week, all because a media?affiliated household took part in the Los Angeles sample.  In other words, a radio station employee likely did something that was against the better interests of his or her employer. 

Every industry has unique aspects in which employee misjudgment can cause headaches for the employer and possibly even the industry.  The automobile industry is currently embroiled in federal safety proceedings because of an ignition switch issue which was apparently well known within the manufacturer.  In our radio industry, an employee was just terminated for apparently failing to report to its employer that he or she was related to a Nielsen Audio sample participant. 

Rather than re-stating the obvious about the Nielsen Audio issue, let?s take a quick look at some of the other unique and often stupid things employees in our radio industry can do to harm an employer, the industry and themselves. 

The FCC has a grab-bag of regulatory requirements it expects that licensees, and its employees, will be aware of.  While a full listing would fill a book, let?s look at a few of the unique ways radio station employees can keep radio station managers awake at night. 

The local public file has to be near the top of the list.  If someone requests to see the local public file, do your personnel know where the local public file is located?  Do they know that the local public file must be available during business hours, without an appointment, to any requestor, and no one should be told to come back when the manager is there?  Do your employees reliably compile the quarterly issues/programs list, and put it into the local public file, no later than each January 10th, April 10th, July 10th and October 10th?

FCC EEO compliance is also near the top of the list.  EEO non-compliance can generate large fines or worse for employment units with five or more full-time employees.  Do your employees responsible for hiring know that FCC EEO recruitment procedures must take place for each full-time hire or promotion?  Have your managers recently reviewed your employment unit?s EEO outreach to confirm that employment vacancy information is being distributed to diverse sources, that such sources are actually sending interviewees for openings, and that your employment unit is not simply relying upon internet outreach, radio ads or word of mouth?  Is a link to your most recent EEO Annual Public File Report somewhere on your website?s home page?

Radio station towers and other technical matters are a safety-of-life issue with the FCC.  Compliance with FCC rules is taken seriously.  Do your technical employees know that tower gates should never be left unlocked?  Do your employees timely notify the FAA of any tower light outages?  Does your engineer take seriously FCC tower painting requirements and is AM tower fencing in good repair? Are all your air personnel aware of EAS responsibilities and compliance?  Is your AM station changing patterns and powers as required? 

The internet, while not unique to radio stations, brings its own set of headaches.  Are employees who create and post content for station websites aware that most photographs available on the web are copyrighted and consent must be obtained for use?   Are your employees generally obtaining releases for photos taken and audio content produced that may be used as part of station promotions?   Are your domain names registered to your business entity, and not simply under the technical and administrative control of one techie who may or may not still be your employee?  Are you sure that the radio station owns the creative content on the website, and not the individual creating the content?

No listing such as this would be complete without indicting air personalities.  Do your air personalities have at least a passing appreciation of what constitutes libel and slander?  Are your managers fully aware of any contests or promotions that may be created by your air personalities?  Are the FCC?s contest rule requirements being followed even if only for a pair of tickets to a local show? 

Do your more edgy air personalities understand why Howard Stern is no longer on terrestrial radio, and that prior to leaving he left behind a very large trail of FCC fines?  If you are running non-English programming, do your air personalities understand it is not OK to curse or tell off-color jokes on the air in the mistaken belief that the FCC cannot understand them?   If your jocks do telephone call-out bits, do they know it is not OK to broadcast a telephone conversation, or record it for later broadcast, without first informing the called party that he or she is doing so?  Are hoaxes and the like cleared with management first, no matter how much it ruins spontaneity?  And finally, does your air staff understand that anything given to them by a third party in exchange for programming is either payola or plugola absent a sponsorship identification, and that the FCC still takes payola and plugola very seriously?

This is by no means a complete list.  Creative employees can come up with any number of ways to unwittingly create nightmares for a licensee and its managers. But many issues can be avoided through timely questions to management.  Just think how differently the LA ratings data issue would have played out for the now-fired employee if that employee has simply said to management months ago, ?I think one of my family members is signed up by Nielsen Audio as a PPM participant ??.

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Rath New Host Of "Weekend All Things Considered"

7-11-13

Arun Rath will become the new host of the NPR newsmagazine Weekend All Things Considered in late September, when the Saturday and Sunday edition moves to the West Coast. Rath began his journalism career as an NPR intern at Talk of the Nation, eventually joining the staff and becoming the show?s director after working on several NPR News programs during the 1990s. In 2000, he became senior producer for NPR?s On the Media, produced by WNYC.

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(SALES) 5 Things Sale Managers Should Avoid

4-10-2013

There are mountains of articles and loads of information out there enumerating all the things that salespeople and sales managers should do in nearly every situation imaginable. But what about the things you should not do? Where is the list of actions you should avoid at all costs?

I am giving you a much-deserved break from the regular nagging on what you need to do as a sales manager. (There?s only so much time in the day, right?) Instead, we are going to focus for the moment on the clear no-no?s of sales management, so you can easily sidestep them in the future.

Here are a handful of things that every sales manager should make sure they never do:

1. Never ever stop looking for superstar talent for your talent bank. Don?t make the mistake of thinking your sales team is set and that you will never need to hire again. Great sales managers never stop looking. In fact, the biggest mistake you can make is failing to interview on a regular basis. Those who wait for a job to come open are usually stuck hiring whoever they can find. Those with a talent bank select the perfect fit for their exact needs.

2. Don?t get caught sitting behind your desk all day responding to e-mails, talking on the phone, dealing with last-minute fires, and working on inventory. I know there is a ton of e-mail. And certainly you need to look at the inventory and put out the fires. But the sales manager?s job is to be out in the field with the salespeople. You cannot effectively coach people from behind your desk; you need to see them in action during their performance. Imagine even the very best football coach sitting out the games and spending all his time in the locker room. It just doesn?t work.

3. Don?t have meetings just to have meetings. I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of conducting the regular meeting just because that?s how it?s always been done. Remind yourself that your salespeople are happier and more productive when they are not being forced to sit in a meeting that feels like a waste of their time. Next time you are scheduling a meeting, challenge yourself to define the value it will bring. If there is value, determine the specific purpose for the meeting, and ask yourself whether it?s really necessary right now. If it is, question how long it really needs to be, consider combining this meeting with another that?s already scheduled, or, if possible, share the information in an e mail that can be read at a convenient time.

4. Don?t take all the credit. When times are good, don?t be that sales manager who takes credit for the success. Don?t ever get caught telling people how you accomplished the goal or made the decision that pushed the team to finally exceed budget. Great sales managers look for ways to give credit to their team and show off the talents of their salespeople. Look for ways to showcase what others have done to achieve success. You will find a wellspring of opportunity by looking for stories of clients that are seeing results and therefore continuing to work with you month after month.

5. Don?t treat everyone the same. Or you?ll send the message that you don?t value people for who they are and you don?t care enough to know the difference. The fact is that everyone is different. Their talents, their needs, their maturity, their experiences ? they cover an endless spectrum. So how can you have the same expectations for them all? I admit that it takes more work to treat individuals as individuals and coach them in the way that is uniquely best for them, but the payoff is enormous. Get to know what each person is good at and encourage them to do more of it ? and more often.

There is no doubt that knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what you should be doing all the time. As sales managers, your job is about much more than exceeding budget. Your sales team can only be as effective as each person you have on board. Grow those people, and grow your team. If you focus on the people part, good things will follow.

Matt Sunshine is EVP of the Center for Sales Strategy.
E-mail: mattsunshine@csscenter.com

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5 Things You Can Do Now If You Were Budgeted Out

by JJ Duling

Wow, is it getting crowded out here.  Another round of 'reduction-in-force' going on at the biggest radio groups has hundreds of pros on the well-populated radio beach.  If this has happened to you, I'm truly sorry you're having to go through all of this.  Been there and done that and I hope you'll allow me to share some things you might want to consider in the short term.

THE BIG CHILL... Take a couple of days or a week (or a month) to clear your head before you reboot.  It's a good opportunity to recharge your batteries, enjoy some family time, maybe (to quote Bob Seger) get out of Denver for several days.  It's a lot easier to re-energize once you've let the emotion and the noise of these events die down.  It may even be a case of evaluating whether you want to stay in radio at all...many have said 'adios' and some stubborn goofs Iike me (as evidenced on my first blog post) after I found myself in your position.  It may be time to seriously consider professionally re-inventing yourself.

HOW IS YOUR PACKAGE LOOKING?  When is the last time you updated your resume?  Is it simple black & white text or is it different, something that will set you apart from the crowd?  It's a pain for some to send aircheck files in email, so why not create a personal YouTube page and post your audio there vs. clogging the inbox of those who hire?  Think whether your presentation looks like most others or stand out.  Your package represents YOU...make it cook, sizzle and rock the house.  And, be persistent, a squeaky wheel. 

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK...  Reach out to everyone you know and let them know you're available, especially your mentors. It may sound silly to ask, but are you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Googie+?  It might make sense to create a separate 'fan page' for you, the radio guy who's looking, and there are ways to dress them up (and for free, as with Pagemodo or Wildfire) so you can be more than average or ordinary.  An even better question might be, "are you on any social network(s)"?  If you aren't today, you might want to get going so you're not irelevant tomorrow.  There are tons of websites that can help (like Mashable or the Facebook page Social Networking For Radio Stations).  Remember back in the day, when we had to record airchecks on cassette, UPS or FedEx them, etc. and please keep in mind that social networking involves one cost:  your time.  Use these great (and mostly free) tools to spread the word and present yourself and, most importantly, to build and cultivate relationships.  You always hear about engaging with your audience; engage with your network, as well.  Avoid posting just shill about you looking for a gig and focus on sharing thought-provoking thoughts and items. Those doing the hiring are there- are you?

STAY MOTIVATED BY STAYING PLUGGED-IN... Keep in touch with what's going on in our industry.  Sign-up for the daily emails on important websites like RadioInk.com, Jacobs Media, AllAccess.com, RadioOnline.com and Radio-Info.com (among others).  To widen your perspective, subscribe to free blogs or Twitter feeds from thinking people like Mark Ramsey Media, Chris Brogan, Eric Rhoads, Social Media Insider, Brand Channel, Triton Digital and more. You'll be asked about a lot of the things they discuss and present on these pages and now that you have some extra time, take advantage of it.

KEEP BUSY... Take up a new hobby, get more involved in your church, take some college classes, use this time to do more with your family, start a new workout routine or volunteer your time (because giving your time to others will help keep you positive).  Knock out some of those home projects you've been putting off.  Think about having a yard sale (in case you end up moving, plus the dough will come in handy). Feeling sorry for yourself day after day will get you nowhere.  You actually should grieve some- losing a job is one of the most stressful things you'll ever go through but please don't drown in your grief. Until you land your next job, you'll have good days and you will have bad days.  You'll go days and maybe weeks without getting any action... that's just the way it is these days. 

One think I know for sure is I don't have all the answers but maybe something in this piece will serve as some decent thought starter sor you. Keep at it and to quote the late Jim Valvano, don't give up, never give up.

JJDuling@aol.com
http://www.jjduling.blogspot.com
502.222.3600, 502.310.9474

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6 Things Radio Can Learn from Food Trucks

Mike Stiles

If you haven?t experienced the food truck phenomenon in your city, you probably soon will.  Here?s how they operate.  They paint colorful trucks.  They come up with unique menu items.  They find a place to park, tweet & post their location, and serve the long lines that pour out of offices.  The next day, they go somewhere else and do it again.

Why do people love them so much?  And what can radio stations learn from food trucks? 

Tip 1: It ain?t about the food.  It?s about the experience.  Diners like the surprise of learning from a tweet a food truck is downstairs.  They like telling other people in the office about it.  They like going to the truck as a group.  And they like telling others what they?re doing on Facebook and Twitter.  What is your station?s ?experience??  How can you make the discovery and acquisition of what you offer fun and social?

Tip 2: Food trucks give us something familiar, but served up in a different way.  There?s nothing new about razors.  But if you?re Gillette and sent experienced barbers into the lobbies of major office buildings to give free shaves using Gillette products, then you?ve presented your product in a new, experiential way.  How can you deliver your music and information in new and unexpected ways?

Tip 3: Food trucks became hip.  A party atmosphere surrounds them wherever they go.  It?s a culinary flash mob.  How hip is your station?  Be honest now.  Is your station the hottest thing going to your audience?  Is there an ?event? atmosphere everywhere you go?  Do people want to socialize at your events as groups?  Do your events generate a sense of anticipation?  Or?do you park your rickety-ass van on the outer edge of a shopping center and make the 4 people who stop by spin a wheel for the chance to win a sticker?

Tip 4: Food trucks activate the natural desire in people to blab.  And people have more ways to blab now than ever before.  But?the news has to be newsworthy.  When an office worker gets a tweet saying a food truck is downstairs, they?ll tell everyone within earshot.  They?re doing the truck?s marketing for them!  Social media is uniquely suited for ?breaking news.?  What news is your station putting out there your listeners will want to break to friends?

Tip 5: Food trucks can change their menus and locations quickly and nimbly.  If they get a better cuisine idea, no problem.  Location stopped working, just put it in drive.  This is where the news is good for radio.  No other type of media (other than social) can change and adapt faster than radio.  A great show idea doesn?t require moving the stick.  Capitalizing on breaking news doesn?t require stopping the presses.  The problem is, even though radio has this speed and flexibility, it?s rarely used.  The technology is there, only your own corporate culture can bog you down. 

Tip 6: Food trucks are a ?limited time only? value proposition.  Who knows when that truck will come around again?  This might be the only chance to ever experience that truck.  The great thing about radio is also the bad thing.  Your listeners know you?re there, doing the same thing, 24/7.  You?re reliable, but totally un-special.  So beyond your regular programming, what opportunities or experiences can you dream up to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity?  Remember, it?s got to be significant if you want people to wake up and care.

To summarize, there?s a HUGE difference between people listening to you and experiencing you.  Create experiences.  Surprising, timely, limited, innovative, fun, rewarding experiences your listeners can group around and share.

Mike Stiles is a writer/producer with the social marketing tech platform, Vitrue, and head of Sketchworks comedy theatre. Check out his monologue blog, The Stiles Files. Find him on Facebook or on Twitter @mikestiles
Stiles Facebook: www.facebook.com/mike.stiles

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5 Things You Might Not Be Doing To Increase Ratings

by Randy Lane

1.    Commit to a weekly planning/brainstorming meeting.
Everyone connected to the show from intern to PD should attend this meeting. Use 100% of the available creative brainpower at your station. At the meeting, everyone is responsible for bringing in multiple ideas from categories like: phone topics, personal stories, games, new features, guests/interviews, production piece (song parody, etc.), promotion, stunt idea, serial story line, web/viral content idea.

2.    Make imaging the show a priority.
Imaging speeds up the process of  familiarizing people with the show, for both new and established shows. Many  people cume the radio station yet may not listen to the morning show. Make the promos a priority as opposed to being the last thing the show does before flying out the door.  We can help you brainstorm ideas on how to best promote your show.

3.    Asking is better than telling. 
An effective way to start a difficult conversation with an employee or coworker is by asking a question. Often a personality or employee will know themselves when and even why something didn't work. If you start with "That sucked!" or "Why did you do that?!" the person feels defensive immediately. By asking a question, like "How do you think that [break] went?" the person has the opportunity to learn from their mistake by taking responsibility. "I know. I hated that break." 

Then you can follow up with questions like "What can [we/you] do differently next time?" and the person is still with you in the conversation, not mentally on the phone with their therapist. 

4.    Create more anticipation for content by mastering the art of the tease.
When you pose a question that creates mystery -- or what scientific studies call an information gap in the brain -- it arouses people's curiosity and they feel compelled to find the answer or the resolution. So the purpose of teasing is twofold: One: to retain listeners through each segment of the show. Two: to create a mystery or create an information gap that engages listeners emotionally. It breaks down to: mystery (the information gap) + resolution (fill information gap) = ratings (more listeners).

Raise a question (create mystery/set up an information gap) for every segment including every phone topic, show feature, guests and appearances by the show or individual players. Listeners will feel like they're going to miss something if they aren't listening.

There are two types of teasing:
#1) Vertical teasing is for content that is coming up later in that day's show.  
#2) Horizontal teasing is for content you're doing at the same time on future days. You can be confident that most of the people listening at 7:45 am on Tuesday can listen at 7:45 am on another morning. Add a column to the show's run sheet that includes a "coming up in the next couple of days".

Horizontal sells should be longer and more exaggerated than vertical sells. It is not too much to spend three minutes selling something that is going to happen at the same time later in the week.

5.    Take an improv class. 
Improv sharpens listening skills, builds confidence, gets the creative juices flowing, teaches you how to build and expand the  content and conversations, improves team rapport and bantering skills. Maybe most importantly, it stretches you and gives you practice being out of your  comfort zone. The less guarded you are, the more your authentic personality can come through. And believe it or not, it helps not just talent, but also producers and even managers, to find their comedic voice and to loosen up. 

Email randy@randylane.net
Read more at his website
Like to The Randy Lane Company on Facebook facebook.com/TheRandyLaneCompany
Follow Randy Lane on Twitter www.twitter.com/TheRandyLaneCo

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Media Buyer Says Radio Reps Frazzled. Doing Too Many Things.

7/22/2011

by Ed Ryan

One of the recent goals we have set for ourselves here at Radio Ink is to conduct as many interviews as possible with local and national advertisers, media buyers and advertising agencies. The goal is to help radio managers understand how they perceive our industry and the people we send out on the street to represent a station or cluster. For example in the August 8th print issue of Radio Ink we have a very interesting interview with Tony Pace, the Chief Marketing Officer for Subway. Pace details exactly what he looks for from radio and how local salespeople should call on local stores. One Pace quote from that piece: ?Radio allows us to get the different portsions of the Subway message out there in a very consistent manner." To find out what he means by that check out page 11 of your August 8th issue of Radio Ink

Today, we have an interview with a very important media buyer operating out of New York City. Elaine Levine is the Vice President/Group Account Director for MPG. Clients she buys radio for include: McDonalds, Sears, K-Mart, Amtrck, Volvo and Fidelty. Her markets include New York City, Los Angelas, Austin and Nashville.

RI: What is your perception of Radio Salespeople
Elaine:  "I think I am very fortunate.  I have some terrific people calling on me and I do think the market is coming back a little bit.  I just think they (radio reps) are being challenged too much to call on agencies looking for non-traditional revenue and new business. Everybody is spread very, very thin. It is very hard some day to even get in touch (with radio reps), because everybody is running from place to place.  If they are in their office, there is a meeting going on. That is probably one of my biggest issues, is trying to get in touch with people.  I just think that people are spread a little bit too thin." 

"I understand there are more revenue opportunities out there for the stations and it?s not just traditional advertising from the agencies, because the world we live in is now changing.  I get that they need to keep going out there and looking for every possibility to find revenue.  It is just hard.  There are only so many hours in the day to get everything done."

RI: What would you like to see the radio reps do better when they are dealing with you? 
Elaine:  "I have to watch my p?s and q?s over here.  The reps who have been calling on me are very senior.  They know the way I work. People kind of come in knowing that we are not going to go around and around with negotiations. You just find less of a support staff for a lot of the reps. It?s hard to get some of the additional information, more than spots on a buy. Now everybody wants added value and you have to get the perfect added value, whatever that might be for your clients. That takes time. Sometimes it's the clients not knowing exactly what they want. It is hard for the reps to do a lot of the bells and whistles these days. I just think the pressure on some of these guys is tremendous. I think it would be nice if we went back to the old days where reps were allowed to make money.  That is the incentive and the carrot for every sales person that I know. A lot of the stations cut commissions, limit salaries. It makes no sense to me. Let them go out and make as much money as they possibly can. You make money, they make money. Everybody?s happy." 

RI: Do you think that they are prepared enough to present to you or pitch to you the digital products they have back at the station?
Elaine: "Not all of the stations have enough tools.  Some are better at it than others.  I think there are radio groups that do digital much better than other ones. I also think it is tough for single stations to compete with the groups? deals. So the CBS and Clear Channel in New York have an edge."

RI:  No sugar-coating it for us, when dealing with the different media who is more prepared?  Radio, TV? 
"I would have to say TV is a little more prepared than radio. I just think radio has a lot to sell. As I said in the beginning, they are being asked to sell the station.  They are being asked to sell the digital component.  They are being asked to find non-traditional revenue. There is just so much more than spots they are selling.  If you are selling more than one station, that is a lot of balls up in the air." 

RI:  Give some advice to radio station reps to be better. 
Elaine:  Be accurate with the information.  Come in with your best deal.  I don?t have time to go back and forth.  I work as efficiently as possible to make everybody happy.  I think management has to understand.   I also think management, sometimes, needs to realize what is going on in the real world.  If they are in their offices with these grand plans, which sound great on paper, they are kind of hard to execute on the street. Just in general, it?s ?Go out and do this.  Go out and sell this.?  It?s like, ok.  That is great when you are sitting in your ivory tower, so to speak.  

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