The more experience I gain, the more I learn one particular lesson: the longer someone is in charge, the more they forget what it was like when they weren’t in charge. And sometimes, I think radio programmers sometimes do the one thing they can’t: lose their grip on reality.
The longer you stay the boss, the easier it is to believe that what you think is the right way, the best way, and the only way. It doesn’t take much to lose the pulse of your listeners, hosts, and producers if you’re not careful.
And it makes sense. You’re deep in all of the information and data that proves you’re the expert on what topics are best, what website strategy is best, where you can thrive on social media, and how to best use your sponsorship.
But, if you lose what your audience views as reality, it becomes a glaring issue. And that’s what happened last week.
I don’t know Sebastian Tomich. He’s the Chief Commercial Officer at The Athletic. Truth be told, I’d never heard of the man until reading his comments during an interview with Ad Exchanger.
When asked about the digital outlet adding advertisements after being purchased by The New York Times, Tomich said something that stopped me in my tracks.
“Sports fans almost want advertising to be part of their experience because they are used to all the integrations you see when you go to games and when you watch on TV.”
There is not a sports fan alive that wants advertising as a part of their experience. Not one. No one is going to Yankee Stadium to stare at the Utz Potato Chips sign. I don’t sit down in my recliner on a fall Saturday hoping and praying that ESPN will deliver me a difficult Aflac Trivia Question during a college football game.
No one wants advertising. No one. In fact, contrary to what many would have you think, people hate ads. Despise them. With the passion of a thousand burning suns. “Getting a flat tire on your way to work” might have a higher approval rating than commercials. Sports fans are, if anything, tolerant of the need for advertising, but there isn’t anyone who wants to be served up a constant barrage of ads.
You can’t misconstrue the general public’s excitement for Super Bowl ads to excitement for the adult diapers ad I hear Pat Hughes continually read during Chicago Cubs games on the radio.
This is judgemental, and I don’t necessarily care. In that statement, it appears Tomich is more wrapped up in what is best for the company, rather than the user. And that’s fine! That’s his job! But claiming that “sports fans want advertising” shows a view of reality has been lost. That’s what he wants, and by proxy, is what he wants readers of The Athletic to want.
I would bet my bottom dollar there’s no data that shows The Athletic subscribers prefer ads in the outlet’s content. Or any data whatsoever that shows sports fans are a-ok with having more ad impressions than hairs on their head.
The Athletic’s business model was solely about avoiding ads for the entirety of its existence until it was purchased by The Times, and I would venture to guess it was a major selling point for a large portion of its subscribers before it was forced to include ads as a way to sustain profitability. And subscribers are probably “ok” with ads, but no one is jumping for joy because of them.
You can’t force listeners, readers, or viewers into thinking the way you want them to. That’s just simply not the way it works. It’s quite simple to think “People will like what I tell them to like,” but it’s much more difficult to accomplish.
Sports fans aren’t dumb. They’re cognizant that companies need to make money. It’s business, and they know that. But there’s a line of demarcation. There’s very much a “don’t spit on my cupcake and tell me it’s frosting” viewpoint, and “sports fans want ads” is a big frothy glob of phlegm.
As the Chief Commercial Officer, Tomich must do what is best for the company. But you can’t let yourself get so wrapped up in what is best for the company that you completely lose sight of who you’re serving, what their expectations are, and why they’re consuming your product in the first place.
Keep your finger on the pulse of your listeners. I’d argue go as far as keeping one foot in the listener pool at all times and doing your best to straddle the middle ground, but I’m realistic. It’s easier said than done.
But if you lose your grip on what your listeners, viewers, readers, or any consumer views as reality, you’ve committed one of the cardinal sins.
It’s one of the very few things — in my humble opinion — that you can not allow yourself to do as a programmer.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
