Week of January 7, 2008

Friday 1/11, 2008

There is an old line - "The fish stinks from the head!" many general managers I speak to each week are frustrated at radios plight but are afraid for their jobs to say anything. But it doesn't mean you can't suggest specific things as we discussed this week and make a case for them. Don't just bitch, put a dollar figure on it. What is the cost of a bad perception? Do you have the right people in your cluster to creatively manage 2008? Unprepared remotes, uninspired creative (on air) and lack of quality programming at the local level will allow national competitors to eat away at our attributes. Even the leading stations are having a problem maintaining credibility. Perhaps it's time to (collectively) address this issue with your corporate leaders. Until your company takes a creative approach to radio and forgets the banking side, we will suffer locally. 2008 can be a tipping year....the question is which way?

Thursday 1/10, 2008

How much is your station/cluster spending on new technology? How much is your company as a whole? Who knows it? while we are good at adding up the $$$ we devote to HD, we are spending REAL MONEY on web sites, streaming, podcasts, and other technology that IS BEING TOTALLY LOST ON THE ADVERTISERS! They think we are lost in the 70's before the invention of the Walkman. Perhaps it's time to remind our company leaders that radio IS SPENDING and developing new ways of getting our brands out there! Perhaps it's time to market the millions of dollars and hours of COMMUNITY SERVICE that radio (your stations) perform each year! Add it up! It's a big number! Tomorrow, we have seen the enemy, and it is us!

Wednesday 1/9, 2008

This week we are discussing your (GM) role in getting radio back on the track it belongs on. Perception and reality are both at fault here. No doubt you have done your share of dictated cutting from corporate in the past few years. This has caused the remaining staff to work even harder on your cluster. Can you suggest to your leaders that public spats about the ineffectiveness of the ratings service WON'T BUILD TRUST WITH ADVERTISERS? IS IT ANY WONDER NATIONAL IS OFF 15%? Yes, Arbitron has to get the sample right. But our (your) leaders are screwing the ad buyer perception by arguing this out in the press. Tell them to disagree quietly. We have enough problems. Tomorrow, how much are you spending on new technology? Who knows it?

Tuesday 1/8, 2008

Although smaller markets are holding up better than larger markets there is a lack of trust that the radio business is holding its own in this technical revolution. What can you do? well, the first thing is to remind your own staff that radio is still the ONLY medium that passes 100% of the homes, cars, most offices and many computers. Over 250 million people depend on us every week (According to Arbitron). This is a metric that needs to be reinforced to your advertisers as well as employees. If you and your staff are just doing this for a paycheck, you better look for alternative employment. Bitching (can I say that Joel) about the biz will do nothing for your bottom line. It's time to take our perception back! Tomorrow, we will examine what you can tell your boss (corporate) without getting fired!

Monday 1/7, 2008

Watching the Miller-Kaplan come out for November must have been as depressing for you as it was for me. With radio down 7% for November (yes, I am aware of the 06 political comparisons) one has to be unhappy. Wait till December, it won't be much better. This problem is more than just a sales problem. (National was down 15%.) Clearly there is a breach of confidence in the radio business as we head into 2008. As a GM you might ask, "What can I do, I'm not running this company?" This week we will examine what you can do from your chair to help make a difference. It all starts when you fire up your computer tomorrow and come back here to All Access.com.