Week of April 24, 2006

Friday 4/28, 2006

It's never a good idea to allow a bad show to remain on the air because of the contractual agreement. Each day they are on the air costs you money, audience & time. Best to suck it up and move on. Morning shows can be up to 50% of a stations total revenue. Make your hiring decisions carefully. It may be the most important decision you as a GM can make. (ask Mel)

Thursday 4/27, 2006

How long do you keep a new non-performing morning show? Here's a rule of thumb from day one.

1. Ok press, audience complaints, ok trends, bad revenues? - 1 full year.
2. Bad press, audience complaints, bad trend ratings, but good revenues initially? - 2 books.
3. Bad press, audience complaints, bad trends, bad revenues, - 1 book

Any additional positive sign? Add one book. Example, a good initial trend, then a fall off after six months? 18 months total. You must give the show a chance, but a total failure must be dealt with right away. (ps, a total failure is your fault, not the talent. )

Wednesday 4/26, 2006

The rules for termination have not really changed over the years. Morning show contracts are created during the homneymoon period. Termination clauses are ecxecuted when things go bad. Make the deal going into the contract. Remember, you have to live with it going out. Assume the worst when creating a deal.

Tuesday 4/25, 2006

What if your Morning Show/PD resigned today? Who would replace him/her? Is there someone on staff? Always have a mental bench to draw from. Maintain a "programming network" of people who know people. (Joel Denver and the All Access "Jobs" section for an example.)

Monday 4/24, 2006

Good Afternoon!

With all the DLR/CBS stuff this week, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on a"morning show replacement therapy." Look for a tip each day this coming week on the hireing and firing of morning talent in radio. From sales to programming, doing it right will save you time and money. Doing it wrong will cost you money. Lot's of money.

OK, the morning show across the street was just tossed. How is your sales department going to handle it? Monitor the client list from the former show, make sure the advertisers know what's happened. Then, offer them a "trial" campaign with your show. (ps, your competition just lost the year. Good for you!)