The Curious Case Of Sales Versus Programming

If you think about it, radio is the only business with two completely different sets of customers; only Alpo Dog Food can make that claim. Today, we may be farther apart than ever and there are a thousand reasons why. Because we'd rather it not be true doesn't change anything.

Our firm's programming history has ranged from market rank #1 to #251. The scope may change, the process never does. Today with large groups in high seas, you have to wonder how much "development" is going on, or how much either side of the building really understands about the other. We hear it often, though the tenor and severity ranges from tolerably typical to toxic ("sales pukes," "talent egomaniacs," and other endearing references). The greater question asks, "Why does leadership tolerate this stand-off?" In theory, it's costing radio a lot of gross revenue and on the other side, through more subtle nuances, talent performance and ratings.

As an owner of stations earlier in my career, my staff was required to do a "changing socks" exercise with regularly scheduled rotation. It went like this: the seller who occasionally drifted into the "if it weren't for him..." mantra referencing a talent, or the talent who quipped "all he/she cares about is making money" (duh). We kept this to a minimum and those who knew our stations and remember them today will attest to the high level of play in our buildings, thanks to our people and their leadership. So, select talent and sales people would study each others' roles.

A seller would be required to come into the studio at 6a to join the morning show. Following that experience the seller would usually say, "My God, I had no idea ... like air traffic control in there, can't believe what it takes" and other superlatives. Then an air talent would be asked to accompany a seller to a bona fide first encounter where a seller was asked to do a client needs assessment. One really good afternoon guy came back from a call, popped into my office and recapped: "I got queasy guts, just watching the handshake. I can't believe how she deflected the pressure and convinced the guy to accept another meeting to hear a campaign proposal!"

I suppose we could reduce it to the blunt premise: The sales team's job is to get the money, the client's job is to keep it. If talent understood that revenue-producing pressure -- while at times unnerving -- is a pretty cool way to become a media professional.

If sellers understood that only a small percentage of human beings will ever go into a control room and filet themselves in front of the neon Nielsen scoreboard, often with all the security of the Flying Wallendas, they'd acquire more understanding and empathy for that side of their building.

Some traditional greats such as Cox, Susquehanna, Lincoln Financial, New City and Bonneville seemed to really understand that when relationships broke down, business broke down; talent or seller, you were required to understand. Today we've seen a few buildings where the divide is so toxic one wonders how the cluster survives. Then a week later we'll be unduly impressed with how much collaboration and empowerment appears to exist in a given cluster with resulting pride in ratings and revenue.

If this sounds "preachy" so be it. The responsibility of an exceptional radio manager is to create the basis for hope with his or her sales department, while acknowledging and inspiring their programming staff. In comparison, nothing else matters.