Wednesday Morning Meeting for June 30, 2010

GPS FOR RADIO SELLERS

There are often many unexpected twists and turns on the road to putting together a buy.  The longer a prospective buy lingers, the less likely it is to close.  So, perhaps a little radio GPS could help find the quickest route to secure a buy faster on Advertising Street.  

Late last week, I needed to put together a buy for a client who was in a hurry.  We needed the campaign to get on the air yesterday and we needed to reach a certain GRP (gross ratings point) goal--which was even more important than a CPP (cost per point) goal.  So, we sounded the alarm to four radio stations:

Help Wanted:

W25-54

HHI $50K+

Omit HDHA/HDBA

X County and Y County only.

Last three PPM months.

Tapscan reports from four stations returned showing the following:

Persons 25-54

Persons 25+

Women 25-44

Women 35-54

HHI: $75K+

No HHI indicated

County:  All

HDHA

HDBA

Fall 2009

Winter and Fall

Spring and Fall 2009

Well, looks like we'll be on the phone and sending more e-mails until we get this right!  When a buyer is in contact with the station about a buy, you're already 90% of the way to a deal being closed.  We've done our research, we know your products, just give us the info that we need so we can close the deal and move on!  By fluffing your numbers, you are diminishing your credibility as a seller and slowing down the process of the close, often by a week or so.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Thank you for applying for the position.....but.......

THIS WAS SUBMITTED BY FRIEND WHO IS STILL LOOKING FOR A JOB AND WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS!

“We appreciate everything that you’ve done.”

We all know what’s coming next. It’s those words that everyone dreads to hear once they are called in to talk to the business manager and the operations manager of a radio station.

Pop goes the Country - Sales outlook and perceptions

Country Music Radio really has spun off it's redneck and toothless disposition. The music base is so pop-contemporary that it's really hard to use the typical slurs and jargon, typically hurled at CMR and it's listeners. The old: I married my cousin syndrome.

Sunday Driving with @DanMatthewsDJ!

Meet the very talented, entertaining and charismatic DAN MATTHEWS from Boise's WOW Country 104.3(KAWO)!
"A disembodied voice appears from nowhere telling you that Dan got his start in Tucson, Arizona and has been loving life in Idaho for the past four years. He’s got a pretty wife, a fat dog and a mean cat. The voice proceeds to tell you that Dan enjoys beer and tacos, the complete works of Dr Seuss, and boxer shorts fresh-from-the-dryer. Suddenly a door appears next to the radio. You pass through the threshold and your ears are filled with the delightful sounds of Idaho’s Fresh New Country. You then realize that your pockets are full of $100 bills and all of your wildest dreams have come true. You live out the rest of your days in complete happiness."

From Tom Webster at Edison Research

The Only Thing You Can Really Control

Written Jun. 24, 2010 by Tom Webster in Terrestrial Radio with 2 Comments

Last year I wrote a piece called "Radio's Looming Crisis Is Not Digital," in which I made the point that what radio really needed to focus on in the coming months and years was not their digital strategy, but their human resources strategy. Digital strategies are crafted by people, and having a great digital strategy means hiring the best and creating attractive environments in which to work.

Finger Candy Friday: The Social Habit from Edison Research/Arbitron

Here is the latest study from Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Research Series: "The Social Habit: Frequent Social Networkers In America."

What in the hell?

Broadcasters have been shouting from the mountain tops about their June numbers. Tom Taylor at Radio Info asked for it and he got it.  Everyone is up, everyone is joyous. Then why are companies still firing entire staffs. KZZO Sacramento really does nothing more than shift their handle and adopts a new logo, then they fire the air staff. Same at WMMJ in Washington DC. The entire air staff released. 

A Tale of Two Tweets: The Power of Listening to Others

Once upon a time there was a girl and a Guy, seriously, a guy named Guy and a girl, named Amy.

About a week ago, I read a tweet from Amy Jo Martin aka @DigitalRoyalty that she left her iPad on a US Airways Plane.
"Please help, @USAirways! Left my iPad in seat 15A on flight 544 - Vancouver to Phoenix. Plane is headed to DFW now. :("

PPM 360 Calling....

Arbitron went back to the drawing board for the technical end of their measured ratings service. They will slowly phase into service a new cell-phone like measuring device called PPM 360. Much like a cell-phone, without the docking station and pager like device. Then later in the day, yesterday, Arbitron announced the purchase of Integrated Media Measurement and their digital platform. Today PPM 360 becomes multi-platform. Jaye Albright from Albright and O'Malley has some pros and cons about the new media technologies from Arbitron: 

Sample of the winning Country Music Radio stations

Looking at the May PPM numbers and crunching some hours in Mediabase, we can target pretty easily how these stations musically are knocking it out of the park in major markets. The three examples are winning handily in their prospective markets. They rely less on 90's gold and more on the mid-ground 2000's with an emphasis on new music from new artists.

Sunday Driving with @AadamDrakeOnAir

Meet Adam Drake!  Born and raised in Southeast Texas! Adam fell in love with music riding in the truck with his dad listening to everything from Willie Nelson to Nine Inch Nails to Blondie! His first radio gig came in 2002 at Cumulus Beaumont. He has done ever day part in country radio, served as Promotions Director, Production Director, Music Director, and Assistant Program Director.

Pure genius from KUPL - A play on the workplace posters displayed in the break room. (click to enlarge)

What does one have to do with the other?

While reading the San Diego postings on RADIO-INFO, there is a grand debate going on about lack of sales affecting programming, at least the programming posts. They're writing about Bill Pugh, the CC San Diego OM leaving due to sales problems in the cluster. What does this have to do with programming and the portfolio of great radio stations in this prospective cluster and many others in the country. Heres a few of the ramblings:

My Big Fat Twitter!!

I was watching the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and if you have seen it, you will recall that the father in the movie thinks Windex is a folk remedy for external use against most non-disabling ailments, ‘from psoriasis to poison ivy.'

Stop Now What's That Sound - Summer is coming!

SUMMER The chance to accomplish a few programming items that will enhance and excel the sound of the station. First of, you need a list of great Summer songs to play out of cool Summer production pieces.

Wednesday Morning Meeting for June 16, 2010

OH, CRAP... WE HAVE TO SELL THIS STUFF NOW?

Goodbye added value; hello digital sales!  Yesterday was the day that I put together the agency's first all-digital buy for a new client with a significant digital campaign.  After sifting through piles of data, CPMs, impressions, unique visitors, click-through rates, rich media, and html, I led my team into the digital fire and took the plunge (and I have a feeling that we're there to stay).

Small Town – Large Playlist!

Why does every CMR programmer in small markets think they have got to play 600 songs on their radio stations? It can’t be for TSL. I don’t even think that’s a cover-up any longer. Did listeners to CMR in small markets wake up one day and say, “You know I want to listen to every stiff song ever recorded. I only want to hear new songs and while you’re at it, throw in some Waylon and Willie.” Don’t think that’s really true. Listeners regardless of market size want to hear their favorite’s songs and they want to hear them more often. You can dispel any notion of variety, a longer playlist and deep eras of music.

Morning show interactions: How to stay real and purposeful

Last week we talked about real bits and topics that come from the listeners that make a mark with life group. I don’t know how many times I wanted to smash the radio when a morning host would talk about a golf game. Imagine the poor old sap on his way to work to the factory in his gray primer F-150 having to endure this. I argued with a marker manager once over a morning show. He said the talent is talking to all the big customers of the radio station and I told him, the talent needs to talk to the listeners. Needless to say, the manager was a golfer and the morning man introduced him to all the big clients who golfed. This morning show turned around from inward focused to outward and became the biggest morning show in the market in 2005.

Sunday Driving on Full Throttle County with @RyanFoxNOW

Ryan Fox loves being on the radio. Not a day goes by that he does not consider himself blessed to have grown up in and around the radio business. His family once owned stations in Western Oklahoma, and he has worked in radio since age 11.Ryan joined the KPLX 99.5 The Wolf in August 2005. "Being at 99-5 The Wolf is the fullfillment of a dream I have carried my entire life. It's one of the biggest and best country stations in the nation. Who wouldn't love it?", says Ryan.

Everybody loves me!

You know the old saying, from Abraham Lincoln. You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

This is such an ego driven business; you want everyone to like you and if they don't it freaks you out. People are naturally going to be shallow and curt at times in any entertainment based business. You need to avoid talking to people about negative encounters too. It only fuels the fire. Because they will tell that person, you thought they were short or rude. It’s how we handle it that makes it work.

What's in Your Toolbox?

I am huge advocate for using tools to streamline the Social Media process. I preface this by saying that it is still really important to know and understand the platforms you are using individually as well as what is appropriate communication ie you can get away with tweeting frequently on Twitter but over posting on Facebook can be annoying to some. It will completely depend upon your unique individual purpose.  I like to blog at least two times a week and no more than once a day. It is what meets my Social Media goals.

What makes great morning show topics?

I made a list of the weirdest and most received morning show topics in 2007 while at KHGE Fresno. Although they represented Fresno, they give you an outline of what would work as phone starters for morning radio on a Country Music Radio station. The topics ran from guys pissing in the yard because they didn't want to come into the house to fighting with neighbors.

BOB KNIGHT'S WEDNESDAY MORNING MEETING

BETTER MOVE FORWARD:  IDEAS FROM INTERNET WEEK IN NEW YORK

Internet week in New York.  Streets are crawling with 20 and 30 somethings decked out in the latest gadgets, speaking in the tone of teenagers on podiums.  I think one of the keynoters that I saw yesterday was about 12 years old.  There have been two major takeaways from this year's Internet week in relation to audience development, and it has immediate implications for the radio industry, especially in 12+, 18-34, and 25-34 demos:

Job Clarity

Job Design - Role Clarity

In a recent survey, 86% of employees stated that they did not have a clear understanding of the responsibilities and/or duties required of their role or the expectations of their manager in fulfilling these responsibilities.

With role clarity being a key driver to employee performance, it should not be surprising then that 64% of performance-related issues stem from the employees lack of understanding of the requirements of their role.

Wishing A Happy Birthday to FTC Editor Chuck Geiger!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Chuck Geiger!!

PPM is coming, PPM is coming (done as Paul Revere)

We have some new markets going in to the two month test or pre-currencies this Summer and getting ready for Fall 2010 on-line. Programmers in these markets will be sharpening their skill set to better represent the skill-set needed for balancing between the diary and the meter. We have learned that message needs to be unique, stand out and be shorter than before. We see some markets with only 1 Country Music Radio station and some with multiple stations. 

Safe List 6-6-10 Moves

Keith Urban 20-11

Blake Shelton 25-20

Uncle Kracker 27-21

Zac Brown Band 30-23

From Tom Webster at Edison Research

The Focus Of Your Innovation

Written Jun. 1, 2010 by Tom Webster in Content + Podcasting + Technology +Terrestrial Radio with 1 Comment

Over the past few months I've seen many novel ventures by radio stations to grow their "non-traditional revenue" (or, as I like to call it, "revenue.") Most of these efforts have centered around the creation of local web portals for a variety of verticals (auto dealers, restaurants, lawyers, etc.) The fundamental premise behind these efforts is that the radio station will build/host some kind of web property either for a client or for their own vertical local advertising model, and use their airwaves to drive people to those web properties. This, apparently, is the future of radio, or so I'm told.

Jaye Albright with the Listeners Choice Challenge at Summer remotes

Take The "Listeners' Choice Challenge"

Yes, it's an old idea, but it’s perfect for summerappearances. Last year an A&O client did this simple take off on the venerable "Pepsi Challenge" and built revenues AND ratings to the point that the Summer ARB rose to the highest point since the station had given away ten new cars during a book and advertised it heavily on television.

5 Reasons Why You Will Read This Blog Post!

1.) Habit-you like reading Full Throttle Country

2.) Curiosity-Title engaged you

3.) Trust- You trust me and what I post

4.) You think I am cute (thought I would sneak that in there ;)

5.) Content-You like to read about blogging

Do you think this post was too simple? Good...blogging should be easy.
Think about what attracts you to the things you read and pass it on. I often work with people who get hung up on what to blog about. Don't take it too seriously. Use a great title and give information straight from your creative mind.
I read this great post about blogging that really helped me!

Have a great weekend!

Stable sound dynamics or over the top presentation - 211 to 212

One of the biggest and most complex issues in dealing with the programming of a Country Music Radio station is the dynamics of the sound of the station. You can be too over the top and also too lazy river at the same time. How do you find the balance in presentation?

Presentation takes in account all of the bells and whistles of the sound dynamics. From the morning show to weekend talent, imaging, entertainment level, commercial production, audio processing, contests, promotions and general presentation levels. 

Does a CMR station need a shot in the arm, no matter how well it performs? How do you present this to the higher court (managers, corporate)? It's not a secret, I like an over the top presentation, but that incurs so much more than the idea. When you move into a new position to improve the ratings and revenue of a Country Music Radio station, you need to ascertain how much coal the fire needs to burn brightly. Managers, unless they are really product keen, won't understand this and you most likely will have a problem with lagging air talent complaining, unless you get total sign-off from everyone involved and they know how to do it. Many stations have a lame sound, because that's all the air talent know. 

Improving the sound of a station starts with pacing, not a fast pace, but a contemporary pacing that puts the station in competition with other formats. My inner-circle always felt, the more you sound like a Top-40, the better it plays with 25-44 women. I have always felt that Country Music Radio needs a fun, up-beat presentation that sweats entertainment and show-biz. 

Summer is a good time to turn up the heat and test these ideas and the return of your Spring 2010 ratings will help you make that decision. At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive.

BOB KNIGHT'S WEDNESDAY (FEELS LIKE TUESDAY) MORNING MEETING

CUSTOMER SERVICE GOES BEYOND THE SALES DEPARTMENT

Last week, late production changes sent a spot skidding into the radio station a few minutes past business hours.  Did the spots air the following day? Nope.  Was I furious? Yes.  Here's the scoop:

Ad rep calls my cell phone saying that production had not received copy (copy needed by 5pm).  Ad rep leaves no direct line on my cell phone voice mail (and does not leave a cell phone number).  After sitting through several minutes of automated directories, I reached the ad rep's voice mail (again, no cell phone on outgoing message).  I tried to reach production; sorry, mailbox full.  I tried to reach an on-air studio (do we have personalities in afternoon drive anymore?).  I tried to reach the sales manager, general manager, traffic department, other sellers--nada.  Mind you, it's now 5:11 p.m.  Surely, I thought, there would be someone at the station who could ensure that replacement copy had been properly transmitted electronically and begin the following morning, right?  No.

This must be the only radio station in the entire country who has not only made its budget, but its quarter, because if I were the GM or DOS, my reps would be working until they hit their numbers.  And if I were the GM, I'd have someone answer the phone--a live person--remember those people? If I were the GM or DOS, I'd be sure that all my sellers were reachable via cell phone (at least on an outgoing voicemail message). 

Spots aired two days later.  There are many options out there, and this station won't be one of them the next time around.  

Since late copy changes are synonymous with agencies, make it your goal today to ensure that all of your sellers communicate an after-hours phone number, the production department actually checks voicemail, and that there is always a responsible party and an appropriate chain of command set up at your station.  

Market Managers - Mad Men or Ad Men?

Welcome back to the unofficial first work week of Summer 2010. I was thinking about market managers and how the position has changed from general manager of one radio station to market manager of several brands. When I started in radio, we never saw the general manager. The program director was the bastion of power and administration in radio. Wow, have times changed.

Now the market manager position has been forced through economic shifts to return to where it was in the 70's and 80's, as a sales leader position. In most interview situations, you are now dealing with an operations manager or VP/Programming, way before you get to a market manager. The market manager position has come full circle, back to a sales leader position. Now executive programming is handling the interview and hiring procedures. The market manager is laser focused on sales and revenue issues. Most managers don't have the time in 2010 to be mired in programming issues and the hiring process. 

What's good for the goose is awesome for the gander. The market manager is not in the faces of the programming team and working with sales managers. As revenues continue to return at the rate 5% like Q1, this is good thing. I know I was never a fan of the market manager being involved in everything the station was doing on the programming level. I've worked for some great manager's who knew how to let their managers manage. Which in every quote from leader's we read is the best way to manage.