Week of January 12, 2009

Offer to lower your salary as the GM by 15% as part of the belt tightening ... and make that situation public.

Recruit new folks to the station to sell for low dough, to infuse new blood and terminate the lowest performers -- after putting them on probation for 60 days and giving them a chance to turn it around.

Cable TV leads are going to drop for those advertisers as the HD shift happens. Target these folks to get them to move to radio. Radio is not going through this transition in February.

Create 30/30 ad programs around lesser-known holidays (i.e: Groundhog Day, Cesar Chavez Day, etc..), with an advertiser getting to use it as a way to own these days and still get their message out.

Point out the hot ad categories that have to be focused on right now: Tires are way up with Cars not moving. Jiffy Lube-type folk etc... Schools/Education are strong categories for blue-collar specialization (ie: construction college, design college), as are local products that are manufactured in your area (check the back of the packaged goods). Legal is up with more business reorgs, more divorces, more seeking compensation, etc.