Tuesday, June 1, 2010

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.

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