I hate to go back to the early 2000s, but here we are. Radio personalities were always judged by their ability to attract advertisers, and especially endorsements.
Following second-quarter results across the industry, it is likely that your cluster is missing sales goals in 2025. When a station missed goals in the past, the market manager or sales manager was often on the chopping block. If you haven’t figured it out yet, air personalities are now bearing responsibility in many cases for missing budgets.
I get it—you were not hired to be a salesperson. But you are the product. Ultimately, your employment is sometimes tied solely to revenue. What to do now? I’ll give you my thoughts and some tools to protect yourself and your job.
It’s all about ratings and revenue. Air personalities were once responsible for ratings. That is no longer true. If you are a host who arrives 30 minutes before airtime and leaves immediately after the show, you are a dinosaur if that is your schedule. It is time to change. You must be available to the sales team.
When was the last time you walked into the sales pit and spoke with the account executives in your building? You must be working with them. Ask the AE about their clients and prospects. Work with them on meeting clients. The business template has changed in sales departments. Salespeople can technically sell whatever they desire. Especially for music stations, there is little pushback for so-called controversial programming on news/talk or sports talk stations.
Generally speaking, account executives sell the easy stuff. This is where your star power is essential. Lainey Wilson is not calling clients of the country station in your building. Ozzy Osbourne (even before his passing) wasn’t thanking advertisers of the rock station. You can and should be doing that. Are you sold out for your endorsements? Why not? Influencer marketing is the trend across all platforms. For the air personality, it is very little work for extra money. If your endorsements are sold out, you will be very difficult to fire.
What can you do to increase sales or maintain sales? Ask your sales manager or market manager which clients you can call. If you endorse a product or service, stop by and see them. When I was working at AM 1500 KSTP, the competition — WCCO — had a longtime client that was spending half a million dollars per year. This client had been on for over 25 years. KSTP managed to move the client off WCCO.
The reason this was successful at all was that WCCO took this car dealer for granted. No one from the radio station had purchased a car from the dealership. The air personalities ignored the client. No one worked it. I just purchased a car. I went to the sales department to find out who the big car clients were. My market manager came to me and asked if I was ready to buy, and my answer was yes. She introduced me to a sales manager at the dealership, and now I’m in new wheels and received a great deal as well.
I personally always try to use advertisers on my station. Do you? Your radio station cannot afford to lose one client, and the good people already advertising with your company are the best prospects to spend more money. Frequently, a client having success on another station in your cluster with influencer marketing is the best prospect to expand within your cluster.
Be dressed for client meetings. If you are the type of personality who shows up to the studio in old jeans or shorts with a ripped t-shirt, it is time to up your game. Be business casual. A nice casual shirt, nice shorts or pants, and comb your hair. We have all worked with people who looked like they could be living in a homeless encampment. Ask your market manager about your show’s return on investment.
I know that is scary, but being ignorant of the actual truth will not protect your job. When your manager tells you about your ROI, ask how that lines up with corporate goals.
If your show’s ROI is 5.5 times cash flow, and the minimum is 5 times, you are one big client away from being fired. If your endorsements are not sold out, ask about a former client who has taken a break from advertising on your show. See if they would consider returning. Drop by that client and say hi. Let them know how much you enjoy sharing their story with your audience and that you have one open endorsement opportunity. Call every company you endorse. Thank them for working with you and the station. You have no idea how important that is for your company.
Call all of your station’s clients. You don’t have to do this all at once, but spend 20 minutes a couple of times a week connecting with the people who pay your bills. I can guarantee that a personal touch like that will pay huge dividends for everyone in your building.
You are the product. Like a great SUV or an excellent omelet, you are key to the success of your company. You must be out front in every aspect of your station. You are the face and voice of growing success. You are essential to making sure that every person on your station’s staff remains employed. Your job depends on your company’s success. Take ownership and watch the efforts pay off for everyone.
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Peter Thiele is a weekly news/talk radio columnist for Barrett Media, and an experienced news/talk radio programmer. He currently serves as News/Talk Format Captain for Zimmer Communications. Prior to joining Zimmer, Peter held programming positions in New York City, San Francisco, Des Moines, Little Rock, Greenville, Hunstville, and Joplin. Peter has also worked as a host, account executive and producer in Minneapolis, and San Antonio. He can be found on Twitter at @PeterThiele.
