One of the most common mistakes that air talent make is assuming that they’re solely responsible for creating and delivering content and generating ratings. I’ve heard one say “I get paid to talk about sports and bring listeners to the station, sales is for the guys down the hall“.
While that may be true to an extent, the number one reason a host is on the air and a show exists in the first place, is because the radio station believes it can generate revenue from it. A good talk show host delivers an audience, those people spend time listening, and in doing so, they become attractive to advertisers who wish to inform them about their products.
In essence, the talk show host is the bait used to lure the fish. When the talent delivers the message well, the fish bite the hook and are taken home for dinner. When the talent executes poorly or displays little interest in the product they’re speaking for, the fish stay away and nobody gets fed.
There is a big difference between emotionally connecting to a product and selling it to your audience with passion and conviction, and sleepwalking through an endorsement. As a host, you should understand that your word does matter, so believing in the products you pitch is important. But never lose sight of the fact that you’re in that studio every day collecting a check because you represent the company and are a key piece being utilized to generate revenue.
You may personally care about topics, guests, callers, and other programming items, but executing endorsements, delivering a good read for an upcoming promotion or website initiative, and demonstrating daily that you’re a great place for other advertisers to place their future business is as important as any job you do.
The job extends beyond your air shift too. Networking and bonding with clients is an important responsibility and if you don’t understand that, then you’re missing the big picture and likely leaving a lot of money on the table. The less helpful you are to sales and the little connection you have to top advertisers, the more likely you are to be replaced. I don’t care what market you look at, no top personality is getting paid top dollar for a long period of time if they’re not helping grow the radio station’s business.
One person who understands this as well as anyone is Bill Simonson. For the past 14 years, Bill has built an incredible brand in the state of Michigan and he’s been able to do so thanks to the support of his advertisers. He recognizes that without those paying customers, his brand value becomes less. To keep them satisfied, Bill spends time with them, familiarizes himself with their products and includes them in his show. He makes his clients feel like partners, not just businesses who spend some money on his program.
Today Bill hosts “The Huge Show” weekday afternoons from 3p-6p on the Huge Radio Network, which carries his program on 12 different stations across the state of Michigan. He physically broadcasts from flagship station 107.3FM WBBL in Grand Rapids. Additionally he hosts “The Saturday Night Huge Show” nationally on the CBS Sports Radio Network.
I knew Bill would have an excellent perspective to share on growing a statewide network and developing and maintaining relationships with key clients and I think you’ll appreciate some of the tips that he’s provided. If you’re an on-air talent and you follow his example, it very well could help you fatten your wallet. It may even help you expand your own local show.
Creating Job Security Through Advertising & Expansion
When I was in Chicago at ESPN 1000 back in 1998 I thought the key to success in radio was getting to the biggest market you could and doing great radio. I lived for the ratings book. It was a quarterly validation of what i was supposed to be in radio. If I did a good show, had great guests and busy phones, and got decent ratings, then I was set for life in radio.
That was 1998-2001. Radio was evolving and I didn’t see it coming. It went from a ratings based business to a revenue tradeable commodity on Wall Street. I didn’t pay attention to advertisers like I should have.
When my run in Chicago ended in 2001, I easily could’ve blamed Jerry Reinsdorf for having the ability to censor my comments about the Bulls and the White Sox, or the fact that ESPN thought 6 sports updates an hour were good radio. I won’t even challenge the lack of intimacy that ESPN wanted with their radio audience. They wanted many voices connected to the Huge Show and just didn’t let Lou Canelllis and myself be ourselves.
Forget the radio side of what could’ve been better for me in Chicago. What I really learned was that at my next radio stop I had to connect to advertisers like they were family. I ended up back home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I knew to stay there I would need to find a way to charge big money for commercials.
My GM at the time, Matt Hanlon, had the idea of starting a statewide sports network. We began with four company owned stations and now are on 12 statewide stations in afternoon drive in Michigan for the past 14 years. My show’s revenue has been above seven figures at times.
My advice to any successful sports talk show is to get with your management and see if you can regionally syndicate your local show in an area where they talk about the same teams you talk about on a daily basis. It is a sales tool your competition can’t sell. It creates that bond with advertisers that others can’t put in the same sales pitch. Most importantly, regional syndication allows you to charge bigger money for the live endorsement ads you read. More money for the company and for yourself is a good thing.
Most sports talk show hosts don’t get the revenue side of the business. You want protection in the cut throat bottom line radio business we live in today? Help increase the revenue connected to your show. The only shows that survive on ratings are big market shows that get consistent big numbers.
By helping sales bring more revenue to the show, you in turn bring more endorsements, appearances, and remote fees to your pay stub every two weeks. That is job security my radio friends.
More sports talk show hosts need to understand this. News talk lives by the revenue creed and it’s the number one format in our business. Please don’t tell me too many ads are a turnoff for your audience. Do you watch sports on TV? Notice the advertising on your phone? Apps? Blogs?
There’s an achievable advertising balance that you can achieve with these moves:
1: Get with the top salespeople in your building. Let them know everything about you. Use those lifestyle decisions you make on purchases to become part of the organic content of your show. Live endorsement reads integrated in your daily show don’t turn off the audience as much as commercial breaks do.
2: Take part in lunches, games, golf, or grabbing a few beers as often as you can with advertisers.
3: Give your sales team weekly ideas on lifestyle things that you do or buy that you would endorse on-air.
4: Find things on your show that advertisers could sponsor and in turn be willing to endorse their product.
5: Become emotionally connected to the product. The sincerity will come across the radio airwaves.
6: Develop close relationships with the best salespeople at your station.
We live in a revenue based radio world. It’s not changing anytime soon. Job protection in our business is limited to the radio elite. Even then the out of left field stories of major talent losing their gigs are usually based on the revenue game.
If your company looks at your salary and doesn’t see more revenue coming in than they’re paying you, chances are you’re in trouble. You’re probably on the cut line the next time the corporate quarterly call is below expectations.
Growing the reach of your local show via regional syndication and working with sales to increase the revenue connected to your show can give you stability in the unstable corporate radio world we live in today. If it works for me in Grand Rapids, Michigan it can work for you.
Bill Simonson hosts Afternoon drive on the Huge Radio Network in Michigan. He is also host of the Saturday Night Huge Show on CBS Sports Radio and proud to be the voice of the video game NFL Blitz 2000. He’s also featured as the play by play voice in the Kurt Russell movie “Touchback”. You can follow him on Twitter by clicking here or on Facebook by clicking here.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
