I was hired to sell radio advertising for Sundance Broadcasting in Boise, Idaho in 1984. I had just finished my football career at Boise State University and after a short stint with Toronto in the CFL, I was ready to finish my degree and get a job.
I sold for KIDO a Big Band/Variety AM station and Q104 an Album Oriented Rock FM format. KIDO was more to my liking because we featured a morning news wheel with sports hits, some night and weekend talk, and most of my clients listened to the station. I was hired to take the place of a former Boise State football player who was moving to Oregon and seen as a perfect replacement.
Imagine that.
I was given an established list, introduced to every one of the accounts by the departing salesman and fit the profile of what the clients wanted in a sales rep.
What a concept!
I’d arrive at the station early each day so I was prepared to hit the streets running. One day while listening to the morning news guy butcher some names of Boise State football players in a story, my manager asked me if I thought I could do better. I said I could. I then explained that I did a college sports talk show, “Inside the Helmet with Jeffrie T,” listened to all news and even sports talk as a kid in Los Angeles on KFWB, KNX, KABC and KMPC and would give it a go.
And so began my on-air career.
I started doing the morning sports reports immediately daily from 6am-8:30 am and then sold advertising the rest of the day. I added a weekly sports talk show in January 1985. Fast forward to 2020, and I just finished my last daily sports talk show in Boise on July 17, 2020. Idaho Sports Talk was Idaho’s first and longest running talk show, sports show, or whatever kind of show you want to name it.
Why did it last so long? Because I never stopped selling ads. I never let somebody else tell me what my show was worth. I went out and established that for myself. I could get appointments much easier than anybody else, and nobody sold my show as much as I did. I went on to become a local sales manager, General Manager, Program Director, part owner, cable TV sports show host, TV football sideline and radio play by play color commentator, and started KTIK, Idaho’s first ALL SPORTS station in 1994.
And, I never stopped selling.
I sold my own TV show. I didn’t take a talent fee to sell TV sideline reports, I took inventory. I was never paid anything to do my sports reports or talk shows until 1994. I did a rev share with the station instead. On air talent can sell and salespeople can be on air talent.
Which brings me to a question.
How many of your current on air people could be in sales? How many sales reps could be on the air? Have we ever asked them? How many on air people could at least get appointments for an experienced sales rep to close? How many producers who book guests each day could add booking sales appointments for extra cash?
We are going to have to get more from less employees in radio. I can think of no single greater use of our resources, than getting sales appointments for salespeople. And, until we change the way we pay our new salespeople, we better start feeding our experienced sales people with leads and surround them with the best support staff at the station. We don’t ask the #1 afternoon guy to run the board, book the guests, answer the phone, and do the updates do we? Then, why do we ask the best salespeople in our buildings to prospect, collect and do an increasing amount of paperwork?
I know some stations have continuity people, pay on sales not collections, and use a sales assistant to write proposals. But I bet it’s a low percentage. And I know we can do more in how we support our sales folks. We can all do more with less.
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
