I have good news and bad news for owners, PD’s, hosts, and sales staffs at small stations across the country.
We’ll start with the bad, because I always prefer to end on good news. As a host at a small station, I’m seeing first-hand the effects Coronavirus is having on the local economy. Casinos are closing, car dealerships are laying off huge chunks of their staff, and movie theaters are completely empty. With no money coming in, it means businesses are cancelling advertising.
As a result, stations like ESPN Central Texas and ESPN Syracuse have been forced to change their local programming. It sucks to see so many talented people lose jobs over something beyond their control. Even worse, those two stations probably won’t be the last to make significant changes.
But when businesses fail and money stops coming through the door, decisions like these are inevitable. Depending on the station, I’d make an educated guess that 60-75 percent of all advertising comes from small businesses located within the market. For some, that number will be even higher.
The unfortunate thing right now is that small businesses are the ones really feeling the effect of the economy. Advertising for many is the first thing cut during times like these. That can have a lasting negative effect on small stations that may not generate a ton of revenue.
But there’s also some good news to share.
Even though the situation may seem dire, this is an opportunity at small stations for employees to come together for the greater good of the brand. Every situation is an opportunity, and if everyone is pulling on the same rope, you can see the camaraderie in a building improve tenfold if everyone works to get through the tough times.
At my station in Norman, OK. I think we’re on that exact track with certain things we’ve done over the past few weeks. We’re no different from other stations our size, much of our income comes from small businesses in the local area. Like I pointed out, those are the people hurting most from the current economy.
But we’ve been able to keep those business on board for one reason: Relationships.
No matter the state of the economy, we build relationships with clients and potential partners. Our sales staff is damn good at it. We’ve been able to survive this tough stretch because we’ve been willing to do anything and everything to help our local partners.
Case in point, sponsor interviews. I know that might make some hosts and PD’s cringe because it’s not great on-air content, but right now they’re necessary for stations and clients. Every little bit helps, and giving a local business owner 5-6 minutes on the air to promote their store or restaurant can go a long way in keeping them in business. It helps even more when we promote it afterwards on our social media pages.
“Always, no matter what, people buy from people,” said SportsTalk Network owner Randy Laffoon. “Having good relationships has always been important but it’s even more critical in times like this. The people that are going to stay with you are the ones that are in your primary market. For instance, people from Moore, Purcell, and other places, may not buy from us right now, but the core businesses in Norman will stay with us longest. Relationships are what help save you during difficult times.”
We have a 68 Team Giveaway every single year at a local Buffalo Wild Wings the Monday before the NCAA Tournament starts. It’s our biggest event of the entire year, and just like everyone else across the country, we had to cancel it last week. We were left with boxes of t-shirts, hats, mini basketballs and a ton of other small prizes that listeners would have received at the giveaway.
Instead of throwing it all away, our sales staff rounded everything up to give it to our clients. Will a small box consisting of a SportsTalk 68 t-shirt, hat, basketball and dispenser of mints and toothpicks be the reason a client doesn’t cancel during this time? Maybe not, but every little bit counts. As one of our sales staff, Tracie Gray, said, it’s all about being a cheerleader for clients right now.
“Service,” said Gray. “That’s my main job at this time. It’s why we’re doing all of these on-air interviews. Helping our business partners matters.”
So with the sales staff busting it to keep as much money on the books as possible, what can hosts do to help out?
“I think a host needs to focus on how to highlight the business the best way possible,” said SportsTalk Network salesman Perry Spencer. “Focus on them and talk about a real experience you had while you were there. On-air interviews, for our station, are going to be super important when it comes to that. Those conversations allow not only for your listeners to give feedback, but for the owner of the business, it makes them feel valued and allows them to relay their message personally.”
Giving out gift certificates to local restaurants on the air has been another successful strategy by our sales staff. As Spencer pointed out to me, they don’t have to be for 25 dollars, it can be as small as 5 bucks. Anything to entice someone to visit the restaurant. Deeds like this mean a ton to the local businesses around town. Live mentions will always have a place in this business, and they may mean more now than ever.
As far as the programming side is concerned, we’ve made efforts to inform the public as much as possible about the ongoing situation. That means having the mayor of Norman on, local Chamber of Commerce members and more. Anything to help educate and show we’re actively helping our community.
As a host who’s responsible for conducting sponsor interviews, I try to highlight businesses, while exploring ways to get both the guest and my audience to laugh. It may require making fun of myself or my co-host, but the entertainment factor doesn’t leave my mind just because a client is on the show. The audience that sticks around for the interview will appreciate it. I also think it creates more of a natural connection with the client if you can make them laugh.
This is a tough time, which is why small stations have to band together and work towards a common goal. It’s a scary situation, but if you can get past it, you’ll have a tighter-knit building, and stronger relationships to help you survive future challenges.
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.
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