Herb Tarlek.
If you don’t know who this fictional tv character is, stop here and watch WKRP in Cincinnati. You may be limited to YouTube highlights because the series has had musical licensing issues and is hard to find. But it is worth it. We can learn much from him about radio sales, both how to and how not to succeed.
Tarlek was the most famous radio sales executive who never lived. Unless we are talking about Clarke Brown, a radio AE in the ’70s at Atlanta’s WQXI. Tarlek was based on Clarke, the real salesman who loved the imitation. The role of Herb Tarlek was offered to Rod McCary first, but he turned it down. Frank Bonner accepted it, landed Herb Tarlek in 1978, and later directed Who’s the Boss, Newhart, and Evening Shade episodes.
He was also married five times before passing away on June 21, 2021 at 79. On WKRP (which stood for WCRAP) in Cincinnati, Tarlek was the sales manager. Because the station had poor ratings, Tarlek couldn’t sell to the top advertisers in town, so instead, he went after winners like Shady Hills Rest Home, Gone With the Wind Estates, and Ferryman Funeral Homes. Herb never gave up. He just kept trying to find anybody who would say yes.
Tarlek taught us a few things about how to collect money from a client. He blackmailed them with gossip he had overheard during one of his many long martini-fueled lunches or with legal action if they didn’t do what he wanted.
Tarlek is still popular, though, thanks to his LinkedIn profile. And his taste in loud clothing. The white belt and shoes, polyester suits, and loud ties were purchased at a golf pro shop by Tarlek because they were the only ones who didn’t follow the anti-pollution laws of polyester. Bonner liked the belts so much that he kept a few of them. Tarlek thought clothes made the man and clients would trust him more because of his attire.
Tarlek liked luxury cars and worked at side hustles to afford the finer things in life. He sold life insurance, ran a numbers racket, and took client kickbacks. He once said they didn’t call him Mr. Kickback for nothing.
Tarlek also had a heart of gold, though. During one episode, he discovered that a diet pill he had sold advertising time for had resulted in a teenager being hospitalized. Tarlek went on air to set the record straight and announced that the station would no longer run its ads.
What a guy. I hope this sheds more light on the legend of Herb Tarlek, the most famous radio salesperson who never lived.
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.
