I think the toughest part of radio ad sales right now is finding new business. It was difficult enough last year. Now, we really have some roadblocks!
How do you meet new clients who are not in the office and you do not have their contact info? How do you learn about what they need when you cannot find any information about them online?
The objections are many to cold calling right now. So, let’s look for new business and get some help doing it. We don’t have to do this alone and every single salesperson in your cluster is in the same boat. You don’t have to just smile and dial strangers. We have a lot more than that right at our disposal.
Here are five things you can do to generate new business. I promise, none of them involve the words “cold calls”.
WORK WITH YOUR OTHER SALES REPS IN THE CLUSTER
How many times have you worked with your fellow salespeople on accounts? You know, grab the Urban or Country rep and scheme plans that make sense for an advertiser. For example, most sports radio stations have car dealers, plumbers, restaurants and recruitment advertisers on the air fairly consistently.
Do any of those clients buy from the competing Country or Urban stations in town? Can you develop a co-promotion with YOUR Urban or Country station and discuss it with your client? And vice versa, how can your sports radio station help more female targeted stations get men in the door?
TALK TO PEOPLE IN YOUR BUILDING ABOUT THEIR SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE
Grab the former car salesperson to discuss how to get more money from your car dealer. Let the salesperson who is married to a DIY store GM talk to you about how to get the local Ace Hardware on the air. EVERY salesperson has hidden primal product knowledge of another industry or knows somebody well that does.
To me, if we have a former spa salesman or men’s clothing rep, they should be calling on all business in that category or related categories cluster wide. And, ask the business manager who WE spend the most money with and go see them asap. They won’t turn you away, you are a client for gods sake!
ADOPT AN ORPHAN
Go back through the historical billing of all the stations in your building. Accounts change ownership, decision makers, etc. and nobody is calling on them! See who spent what coming up in the next holiday or quarter and approach them with a new idea. A cold prospect can be thawed.
DON’T FORGET FORMER ALLIES
Were you friends or at least neutral with any sales reps who are no longer with your group? Call ‘em and ask them where they are now or get some referrals from them. If they left on decent terms, they could help you with the company they are now at or refer you to people they know who could use radio advertising. You can help them as well.
SCRATCH A BACK, GET A BACK SCRATCH
Approach a sales rep in the building you know well. Agree to swap 5 accounts that you are willing to give up in exchange for 5 that offer more potential for you. Just think about the strengths and weakness of the account and match it up with you or another rep in your cluster. They aren’t going to call in and give you an order. Just do it.
The sports media business has long been fueled by two things: opinions and competition. Those who do this line of work understand that sports radio and television are fun, lucrative, and highly visible industries to work in. That makes them attractive career options to men and women all across the country. You’re expected to consistently bring it, because once you take a day off, let alone an hour, there’ll be someone behind you gunning for your position.
Equally as important is being able to express a strong point of view, operate without fear, and endure the bullets firing in your direction especially if you offer opinions that don’t satisfy the majority. The beauty of opinions is they are a point of view – they are not necessarily facts. Two people can see things differently, each stating their case and supporting their positions with evidence, and they can be right in their initial observations. What decides who’s right and wrong is the result (fact) that follows.
When you examine the weapons at the disposal of an on-air personality it boils down to a few key things: their eyes, ears, mind, voice, personality, and their information and opinions. Those qualities separate great hosts from average ones. Nobody can control the voice their born with or who they are as an individual, but they can use their eyes, ears, and mind to process information and form unique opinions.
In today’s media climate, talent have to work harder than ever to cut thru the clutter. On-air people must possess the skill to make an audience stop, think, and react to what they have to say because competition for the eyes and ears is intense. Featuring people on-air who fill the airwaves with noise and fail to stand out puts brands in position to lose money let alone future listener, reader or viewer support.
But sensitivity is increasing in the media business, especially when uncomfortable opinions are shared. Not everyone is built with thick skin or emotionally equipped to handle the verbal onslaughts that follow when they say or do something that others take issue with, and social media has led many of these issues to be magnified. I was reminded of that this past weekend when Doug Gottlieb took to Twitter to question Maria Taylor’s credentials in the NBA voting process after she left Anthony Davis off her ballot for the NBA’s all-defensive team.
Why does Maria Taylor have a vote? Real question. She is a studio host/sideline reporter in her first year covering the NBA. She works a ton, not just on the league. No reason for her to have a vote https://t.co/Sy2M2jW9Pb
Having worked with Doug during my career, I know he has the ability to get under your skin. He’s good at it. He drove me nuts many times inside the ESPN Radio studios. But I also know he speaks his mind and isn’t afraid to question things that warrant a closer look even if it generates a negative response from others in the business. That’s what a good talent is supposed to do.
What bothered me about the social media response to Doug’s initial tweet was the defensive nature of many in the industry. Rather than stick to what the actual tweet was about, criticism of a decision and questioning if Maria was closely following the NBA after making a glaring error, it turned into ‘he’s a sexist, racist, and should cancel his Twitter account.’
This immaturity and accusatory behavior has to stop. If this is how we’re going to operate every time a personality offers a strong point of view, the future of the sports media business is in big trouble. Disagreement is at the core of everything that matters in the media business. Anyone making a living in this industry should understand that. Players, coaches, and sports executives deal with it from the media on a daily basis, and sometimes industry members end up in the eye of the storm too.
The fact of the matter in this situation is that Maria Taylor turned in her first NBA ballot and failed to recognize one of the best players in the NBA for his defensive excellence. That wasn’t an issue for other voters and observers. Given that it was her first time voting you’d think she’d be even more careful submitting her ballot. She wasn’t though, and that’s why the question was raised. Making it about more than that distracts from the issue at hand, and labels the person raising the question unfairly.
Doug, do you ever write a tweet and think… hmmm maybe not… ? This should have been one of those times because it comes across as extremely sexist and quite ignorant.
That doesn’t make Maria Taylor any less of a broadcaster or person, it makes her human. For the record, I don’t know Maria personally, but I think she’s excellent on television. I’m not advocating for her voting privileges to be revoked just because she made an error. We all make mistakes, and when you operate in a public industry there are going to be times when you’re called out for them. Heck, Mike Francesa is still criticized for falling asleep on the air 8 years ago for a few seconds despite spending twenty seven and a half hours per week successfully hosting a talk show in the nation’s #1 media market for nearly 30 years. It comes with the territory.
Where I disagreed with Doug was when he suggested hosts shouldn’t vote. When you lump every host into the same boat, you’re leaving no room for exceptions. I agree with Doug that former players, coaches and executives turned analysts pay more attention to the league as a whole than a host running point on a league focused show, but that doesn’t mean every host lacks the ability to stay up on the league. Nor does an honest error suggest that Taylor doesn’t do her homework. By Doug’s own admission in a later tweet, Nick Wright and Ryen Russillo were mentioned as people who host and pay close attention to what’s happening.
What I didn’t understand is why this particular issue set off Doug in the first place. There are media members every year who vote on awards and either screw up or make questionable decisions. It’s nothing new. One could argue that if a television host isn’t qualified to vote on awards due to not watching and studying the league enough then the same criticism should be levied against on-air radio personalities who are charged with discussing the entire world of sports yet can’t possibly watch, read and listen to every single team or game. Doug knows how that can bite you in the ass because his George Kittle take last year was a swing and a miss.
But this is how it should always work. Broadcasters watch, listen, and read things, process the information, and then offer their opinions on them. It’s then up to us to find parts of their commentary to agree and disagree with. Two people can be right or wrong for different reasons, and conversations are more interesting when multiple views are presented. I’m not going to watch Maria Taylor any less on television because of her ballot snafu, and I won’t listen to Doug any less on radio because he thinks hosts shouldn’t vote.
The bigger concern I have is over the difference in responses between people over and under the age of 35-40. I noticed that many of the defensive tweets on social media came from younger folks, the group many refer to as ‘millennialls’. I prefer to call them the ‘social generation’ because they’ve grown up in a world where everything they see and hear exists on a social platform.
Because I PLAYED basketball…I COVER the league. And I DESERVE everything I’ve worked hard for. https://t.co/JwLjk6dsb9
Because she knows what she talking about … and worked hard to get where she at… and hooped…. y’all really gotta stop trying @MariaTaylor its corny! https://t.co/p9g6pSIftB
Why does the @GottliebShow@MariaTaylor thing have to be about Race & Gender? Why can’t it just be a question/critique? You can’t have spotty “EQUALITY” It’s either all or nothing. If ANY WHITE MALE left AD off that list Dummies would say take his right to vote away PERIOD.
Young people in the industry calling for others who share opinions and do the same line of work to be cancelled, quit Twitter or casting labels without knowing who or what someone is like in everyday life is foolish. It also misses the point. That could be YOU the next time you provide a take online or on-air that others disagree with. Is that the precedent you want to set? Do you think silencing discussion and not raising awareness about issues will increase the amount of people who consume your work? Do you want to operate in a sports media world where everything is positive and questioning decisions is off limits? What if teams insisted on that type of treatment? The world of sports would be pretty vanilla.
What some folks lose sight of is that half of your audience think and live differently than you do. You’re not going to change them either. If you only cater to the 50% who see the world the way you do, you’ll one day be sent to the sidelines for not attracting a large enough audience. Disagreeing on sports and the issues that surround them is fine, but calling for people who see things differently and raise awareness to issues that strike a nerve is asinine.
Talent in our industry generate attention from millions of people everyday. Like it or not, your words and actions are monitored. When Stephen A. Smith made a blunder two years ago suggesting Hunter Henry had a favorable matchup against the Chiefs despite being out for the season, he got roasted for it. When Fred Hickman cast the lone MVP vote for Allen Iverson in 1999-2000 denying Shaquille O’Neal a unanimous MVP award and NBA history, he too got ripped.
The criticism Stephen A. and Fred endured had zero to do with their age, race, religion or anything else, it was about their comments and decisions. They took the heat because they knew it was warranted, even if they didn’t like it. It should’ve been the same with this situation except Maria didn’t squash it immediately by saying ‘I messed up’. I realize she was put in an unfair position last week having to deal with unnecessary drama due to Dan McNeil’s tweet, so that could have been a factor in how she responded, but we’ve got to be able to separate one issue from another rather than making it into something it’s not. What Gottlieb tweeted was not the same as what McNeil did.
In the television business, a host often speaks to a camera, pushing content at the audience without viewers having a chance to respond back. In radio and podcasting, the same is true unless the host and producer invite audience interaction via phones, texts or social replies. But Twitter puts every individual in charge of their own content. We speak our minds about various issues on the platform and feedback flies in immediately whether we’ve asked for it or not. Like a moth to a flame, we often check to see what people are saying about our opinions and observations, and it can create tension, hurt feelings, and overreactions that don’t exist in other mediums where feedback is limited and controlled.
Handling the social media noise isn’t easy. We’re all human beings who don’t appreciate when others take shots at our performance. We’ve seen some of that this week with Jason Whitlock taking Taylor, Katie Nolan, and others to task. But this is part of the responsibility that comes with being a public figure. We may not like it when peers, colleagues or competitors criticize and raise awareness to our mistakes or flaws, and some may have different agendas or personal histories that factor into the way criticism is presented, but that doesn’t mean the criticism itself isn’t warranted.
From my vantage point, sports media needs more, not less, personalities offering bold opinions. You may not like what a host has to say sometimes, but we’re all adults with a choice of whether or not to watch, listen, read or follow an individual. We should be encouraging our personalities to share their views without fear, while pushing them to do their homework, defend their positions, and keep things focused on the result rather than making things personal. But if everyone is timid or even worse, cancelled, what will we watch, read, follow or listen to that’s worth our time?
I have heard a lot of answers over the years and mostly they adhere to the spray and pray philosophy in my opinion. At best, the schedules were successful for a certain station, but it was obvious that a one size fits all solution could not be applied to say 5 different stations in the same market. I was determined to get to the bottom of this equation and was fascinated that NOBODY had a scientific answer to that fundamental question.
Then I read the book Radio Advertising’s Missing Ingredient.
Optimum Effective Scheduling, otherwise known as OES. It changed how I sold radio and I saw the power of how it worked for clients. I asked Pierre Bouvard of Cumulus Media about OES and what his involvement was in developing it. I remembered Pierre writing extensively about the subject when he was with Arbitron, now Nielsen, and had assumed he came up with it. Pierre, who now serves as Chief Insights Officer and research guru, told me it was the late Steve Marx’s idea.
“Steve invented OES during his days with NewCity Communications,” Pierre said, “and after the NAB approached him to write a book, he asked me to co-author it with him because I had been popularizing the formula.”
Thousands of copies of the book were in the hands of agency people, radio salespeople and managers. The formula was so popular that the scheduling function of Tapscan had a special OES tab that would quickly calculate how many ads you needed to run for a specific station/daypart, etc.
Marx began running the OES schedules on the NewCity-owned stations and the rest is history. Katz radio/tv reps and Westinghouse had all studied the issue of scheduling commercials before Marx but had not put it all together. Optimum Effective Scheduling is based on research that tries to correct the fact that the vast majority of radio schedules either contain too few commercials or they’re spread over too long a period to generate enough frequency for a proper advertiser ROI. It still works today.
So, how does it work?
First, you must have some belief in Nielsen. For some of you, I realize you have just stopped reading this article.
Nielsen research isn’t perfect. But, it’s the best we have and applying it here is for the client’s best interest. I will be happy to provide more details about the fallacy behind GRPs, CPPs, average frequency and more, which are all identified in the book, but here is the simple formula. It provides schedules for light, medium and heavy situations. Here is the heavy formula for Grand Openings or clients with special offers that end “Sunday!”:
M-Sun 6a-12m Station cume for broad target demo (A 25-54, A 18+)
divided by
average quarter hour persons
= Station turnover.
Station turnover
x 3.3 (Katz Radio/TV reps, NAB/Coleman research and Westinghouse developed this #)
= number of spots to run per week M-Sun 6a-12m with guaranteed equal daypart distribution
If you have a High impact campaign that is over a few weeks per month, then double the station turnover. For a regular image awareness campaign just run the station turnover number each week.
That is it.
Top 40 or ALL SPORTS stations will likely have a higher turnover rate than ALL Spanish or news/talk, so will require more spots. Think convenience store vs library traffic. In and out vs stays for hours. Most weekly schedules are between 30-50 commercials. It is a different way of selling schedules that is based on something. And I do not mean based on how many spots you are being asked to sell. It is based on research and getting results. This formula helped me sell with confidence and it worked again, and again. Just remember what Pierre and Steve wrote years ago: The schedule is inexpensive if it works, and real expensive if it fails.
A great program director can adapt to any format. They study the needs of the audience, adjust to the content, and take the experiences they’ve gained coaching talent, analyzing ratings, developing a social strategy, reacting to breaking news, writing imaging, and creating unique promotions and programming to energize the radio station’s they’re tasked with managing.
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
If you look at the News/Talk format today, you’ll find a number of talented brand managers are now guiding powerful brands after previously making an impact in sports radio. John Hanson, Kevin Graham, Scott Masteller, and Brian Long are just a few who have made that jump, and been thrust into the fire whether ready for it or not. To their credit, they’ve each made smooth transitions and have led their brands thru a few challenging situations, proving one doesn’t need to spend a lifetime in a particular format to be an effective leader in it.
Though sports and news may differ in content, the fundamentals to executing successful talk radio apply to both formats. I was curious to learn what differences and similarities they’ve noticed between the two formats, how they’ve altered their imaging approach to connect with a different demographic, what their daily content process includes when deciding which issues to focus on, and whether or not the controversies surrounding President Trump are good or bad for their hosts and their radio station’s ratings. Below is my conversation with Brian, John, Scott, and Kevin. Enjoy!
Jason Barrett:What are the biggest similarities and differences in programming a News/Talk station vs. a Sports talk brand?
Brian Long, PD at KOGO: Sports stations by nature have seasonal themes. The content is normally following the local teams ups and downs, trades etc.. This is similar to how N/T has election cycles, kids back to school, tax day, etc.. The biggest difference I see is that N/T frequently is forced to shift on a dime. You might have a great show planned with some high profile guests that must be scrapped due to an unplanned news event like an out of control wild fire. N/T forces you to operate with much more urgency with decisions on programming to effectively cover breaking news as it happens. Unfortunately, this typically seems to happen at off hours of the day and night. That’s not to say big breaking stories don’t happen in sports talk that require a pivot, it’s just less frequent.
John Hanson, PD at WCCO: Fundamentally, I consider them to be just about the same on the talk side, but with different starting points. So often now a sports story will bleed into the news cycle, and a news story will become part of sports. The ideas of being interesting, having a point, having a takeaway, and having pacing and good teases are all the same though. And personalities win. What’s different is often what the audience expects. A sports audience primarily expects to be entertained. A news talk audience wants more information and more to think about, albeit, often times, as long as the line of thinking aligns with their own.
Kevin Graham, PD at WBAP/KLIF: The only difference in my opinion is the content. Otherwise, it’s similar from the standpoint of servicing your local community/listeners (in sports talk your local sports listeners) in providing information, opinions, analysis and entertainment. You still have to manage your talent to best maximize PPM principals as well as provide content that interests your target listener. From a news staff standpoint, it’s providing fair and balanced coverage of the big stories that have the greatest impact with your audience. In the end the best personalities and content usually win.
Scott Masteller, PD at WBAL: Regardless of the format it’s all about the topics that you present on the air, and playing to the broadest set of the audience. Whether it’s a local station or national network, it’s important to have a perspective on what the audience wants to hear about when they decide to listen to your product. We know attention spans are so limited and if you waste time you lose quarter-hours. Understanding the interests of the audience you are playing to has never been more critical as the consumer has so many choices as to where they can go for content.
The other big difference I see is the volume of breaking news. News is the foundation of our radio station and in one day we can have multiple press events that we carry live from either Washington or in our own region. We have to be prepared for news elements at a moments notice, and then when it makes sense be able to pivot and offer the audience reaction and analysis.
Barrett:How does your approach change when it comes to the way you image and position a News/Talk brand?
Long: My team tends to look to find ways to make the station continue to sound credible and local. You want to create the sound that reflects the breath of the city & region in which you are operating. The main goal for us is to always evolve our listening environment and strengthen our position as the go to place when news events happen.
Hanson: A sports radio station has that sports bar approach to branding. It needs be fun to hang around with. A news talk station has to be trustworthy. There CAN and should be a fun approach to branding with news talk, in relationship to the talk part of the brand, but it needs to be done appropriately.
Graham: I’ve used the experience and knowledge I’ve gained over the years of managing sports radio imaging and have applied it to the News/Talk format. Being topical and in the moment as much as possible is key. In this world that’s a huge challenge with the constant churn of the news cycle. Otherwise it’s the same from the standpoint of keeping your branding simple, to the point and targeted to your core listenership. And when it comes to big events for instance like the upcoming election, it’s just like covering a Super Bowl. Tell the story to the listeners of what you’re doing and when. Planning and producing pre-election, during the election and post election imaging pieces etc..
Masteller: I actually took much of what has been part of sports and shifted it over to news when I made the transition. The words “urgency and anticipation” have always been part of the vocabulary for me when it comes to production and imaging. News changes so frequently and with that so does production. Many times we will put an element on the air and it may only run for six hours. We write new production every day as the news cycle is moving faster than ever before. There’s nothing worse to me then hearing outdated production on the air. Having a voice talent that understands the news cycle is critical to the overall sound of the station.
Barrett:In sports radio, the hits are easy to identify because they’re most often of local relevance. In News, it can be harder because global, national, and local issues all have significant value to local listeners. How do your talk shows decide which content warrants a deep dive, and which material only deserves a few minutes or a quick mention?
Long: Many stations have built their lineup with a mix of national and local talent. When this happens you can tend to lean deeper into the local/regional topics on your local shows given the national perspective is covered at other times. On a station like KOGO, we attempt to always cover what people are discussing. If a national story is making headlines, we won’t shelve it in favor of a local story that is of less interest. Like sports radio, we always try to play the hits.
Hanson: There is a lot of information out there. But only a percentage truly affects the day to day lives of our listeners. The successful shows are the ones that will talk about local issues and take information on a large scale, and explain how it matters to their audience.
Graham: I keep it simple with my staff. We have a targeted listener and I remind them constantly to ask themselves of what he wants to hear, and what interests and impacts him the most. That’s what we should be talking about. On any given day that can range from something that is directly affecting the local community, to something that is happening statewide or nationally that has an impact, directly or indirectly, on our Dallas-Fort Worth listenership. The upside of this format is there is never a crazy slow day because in the end there is always something happening that resonates with our audience.
Masteller: It is a balancing act, yet it depends on the mission of the station you are programming. WBAL NewsRadio is live and local 18 hours a day. What is happening in Baltimore and the region drives a lot of what we present. Our hosts must be knowledgeable on both local and national issues. We are in an Election year and the push to November will dominate much of the conversation. The key for us is to be able to localize the content whenever possible but always remember to play the hits. One day the biggest story may be in Baltimore and the next day it may be somewhere in the country. It’s also very important for talent to understand how consumers listen. When you have a big story the talent must understand you are presenting to different people every quarter-hour.
Barrett:President Trump is notorious for offering strong opinions on sensitive issues. Those remarks often fuel his fan base while igniting his critics. Are Trump’s controversies good or bad for News/Talk radio and ratings?
Long: It really depends on the type of station you have and how you’re positioned. When he was on the campaign trail prior to becoming president, the headlines he generated were unlike anything the media has ever seen. However, it seems people are now somewhat predisposed to the fact the he is likely to send out a tweet or make a comment on a given story so I feel like the initial shock value that was generated has worn off a bit.
Hanson: Some may disagree, but I’ve had many conversations with those I respect in the business and my own experience that both tell me, the more you stay away from getting into the daily tweets of President Trump, the better off you’ll be. When listeners complain about something that was either said for, or against him, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever believed a listener when they’ve said, they’ll change the station.
Graham: I think this varies from market to market and what your brand is. In our case with our two News/Talk brands reflecting the conservative community that is the Dallas-Fort Worth metro it definitely doesn’t hurt. Love or hate him, the President always has something to say that drives conversation. It’s much like having an outspoken star or coach in a particular sports market. It drives controversial content which in turn usually drives ratings.
Masteller: What the President says always draws reaction and what is most important is how talent react. To me one of the aspects I always talk to hosts about is ‘tone”. It’s’ not always what you say, it’s how you say it. I’ve always felt it is important to never be mean spirited in how you discuss any issue or any person. It’s more than ok to disagree, but you should do so from a foundation of fact. Everyone has an opinion about the President and what he says and that hopefully leads to more quarter-hours.
Barrett:Talk radio shows often feature a mix of strong opinions, storytelling, breaking news, features, calls/texts, guests, bits, etc.. What do News/Talk listeners value most and least from that menu of options?
Long: This is a mixed bag. It really depends on the show and the hosts. I find N/T listeners still want the engagement of calls, texts, guests etc.. By contrast, I don’t find them being all that interested in produced bits or comedy. However, it all depends on the show and the time it’s on. In the end, the audience is looking for a host to have unique opinions and perspectives.
Hanson: I’m a fan of relying on what you can control every day. So strong opinions, storytelling, features, bits…these are all elements that can be controlled daily by the professionals that were hired to do the job. Calls, texts and guests, those are putting your show in the hands of the unknowns, so I see them as valued, but less important. Or more appropriately, less reliable. The audience tunes in every day KNOWING one thing they’ll be hearing, which is the host or hosts. Breaking news is interesting, because radio isn’t great at the actual breaking of news, but we can still reap the benefits because it’s often the first place people hear the news, and/or the first place they turn to for more information or reaction to the news. So that too is important
Graham: It’s a combination of all the above. Ultimately, like the sports radio format, our ratings are driven more on time spent listening than cume. So that means it’s incumbent on the entire team–hosts, producers, news etc. to be on the same page driving the content that our target listeners crave. If it’s a slower news day, the hosts/producers have to be more creative in coming up with content that their passionate about that connects/illicits an emotion from the listeners. If it’s breaking news or huge events/stories that are happening then everyone has to pivot to report, give opinions, get listeners to respond, and own that story which includes up to the minute imaging to capitalize on it as well.
Masteller: There is no answer that fits all as there are some talk stations that have a large commitment to news as well as talk content. Other stations are more talk-focused. You may also have more than one news-talk station in a market. Having a strong commitment to the audience you serve is what makes the difference. WBAL is based on a foundation of news with an intersection of personality driven content hosted by talent that have a pulse for the local community that they serve. The biggest thing for listeners is to not waste their time. The best talent are the ones that deliver payoffs to the consumer for every quarter-hour so they feel like their investment of time in listening is a good one. Personalities that develop a relationship with the audience and are not necessarily depending upon external events are very valuable because they become the main reason to listen on a consistent basis.
Barrett: If there’s one thing that concerns you about the future of the N/T format and keeps you up at night, what would it be?
Long: The format lacks enough gender and race diversity. In terms of conservative radio, the big change on the horizon is what happens when Rush Limbaugh decides he’s no longer going to do his show. This pending retirement is going to take out a huge tent pole that has been a mainstay for years on many stations. In addition, I don’t think the format is doing enough to focus on attracting a younger audience.
Hanson: The format needing to be more inclusive of all perspectives.
Graham: As a programmer of two news/talkers that are on the AM dial obviously the continued aging of the format is an ongoing issue. We’ve put a lot of emphasis and time in our building into our digital brands and distribution points for content and streaming whether that’s our app, smart speakers or something else. Unfortunately we haven’t seen the benefits from Nielsen just our own data, which is actual accurate listenership, and has shown that we have continued to build and post all time levels of consumption. Which then leads me to the other thing keeping me up at night…Nielsen but then again that applies to all PD’s regardless of format!
Masteller: Finding new and different voices that are the talk-stars of the future. Giving them the teaching, coaching and feedback that will help them grow to the next level and be able to succeed as an on-air host.
This is our first journey into covering the world of news media, and I’m extremely excited about the opportunities and challenges ahead. Two years ago this existed as an idea in my head, which I wasn’t sure we could pull off. I kept looking at the rapid activity of news media content, and the workload on our other platform, Barrett Sports Media, and it felt like way too big of a mountain to try and climb.
Maybe I’ll look back in the future and ask myself ‘what the hell were you thinking’ but what fun is life if you don’t swing for the fences every now and then?
Reaching this point would not be possible without the help of our entire crew. I especially want to acknowledge Ryan Hedrick and Eduardo Razo who wrote a combined 20-25 stories in the past few days to get us ready for launch day, and Steve Stone who pledged his advertising support to this brand so we could get off on the right foot.
If you’ve followed my other brand, Barrett Sports Media, then you’ll have an idea of how I operate. If you’re just learning about me, allow me to fill you in on what you can expect on our site.
First, we are a news media website. We have 11 excellent writers contributing to BNM, and they’ve been charged with elevating the awareness of news radio, television, print, and digital brands, talent, executives, and support staff. As much as you may know about the top local or national radio or television stars and brands, there are thousands of other stories waiting to be told, and we want to help tell them. If you’re with a news radio or television station or an online or digital brand and have future news to share, please email it to me at Jason@BarrettNewsMedia.com. You’ll also be able to reach us thru Twitter @BNMStaff.
Secondly, our columnists may weigh in with opinions surrounding political matters that connect to the broadcasting business, but what you’re not going to find on BNM are deeper dives into presidential candidates, state laws and bills, protests or COVID-19 responses by different states. We’re wise enough to recognize there are larger brands in the industry doing tremendous work covering those stories, and we prefer to stick to what we know, the media business. There may be times where those issues involve or affect a media member or brand, if they do, we’ll explore it, but only for that reason.
Next, some may agree, some may not, but I prefer not to blur the lines between sports media, and news media coverage. Therefore we will operate BSM and BNM as two separate brands. Most of our writing teams are specifically designed to focus on each platform, and though there may be a little bit of crossover when it makes sense, my preference is to let them each concentrate on providing value for their targeted audiences.
The online brand is just one part of this venture, the other involves consulting news radio stations. There have been a number of people who have texted, called, emailed, and direct messaged me to inquire why I decided to make the jump into news/talk. I’d love to give you some complex answer that blows your mind, but it’s actually quite simple, it interests me. As much as I love sports, I also listen to news radio, watch news television, and read about a variety of different things. I believe in keeping my brain sharp, and staying informed. My first job in the business actually involved writing and reading news, and covering local issues.
I’m 46 years old and have had the benefit the past 5 years of working in a consulting role after spending the prior 10 years constructing, developing, and programming sports radio stations. I consider myself a better programming executive today then I even was when I operated inside of a building. What draws me most to news media is the mixture of content, personalities, conflict, and urgency. Similar to sports, the storylines are engaging, important, and absorbed by large amounts of people.
But as I look at the news/talk format today, I see nearly two thousand stations (two third the size of sports), many facing an uncertain future given the age and health of some of the format’s key stars. This puts a lot of brand managers in an uncomfortable spot because they have to look to the future while hanging on to the present. Nobody knows for sure when each host will ride off into the sunset, but one thing is certain, new ideas, energy, and strategy will be necessary to remain relevant, and continue succeeding.
As eager as I am to dive in and work with brands, I’m not going to be doing this alone. I’m thrilled to have Ryan Maguire on board because similar to myself, he has traveled the country and led a number of stations to success. At his last stop, KIRO-FM in Seattle, he was part of the crew that brought home a Marconi for Best News Talk Station of 2019. Whether I’m personally involved with a brand or Ryan’s running point with a client, the goal is to help our partners grow their business – end of story. That means adding more than just an ear and critique of a talent or piece of content. There are many factors that go into helping brands, and after establishing a positive track record for sports radio clients the past 5 years, I’m confident we can do the same for our future news talk partners.
But enough about our consulting plans, and online content strategy. This is our first day online and I’m sure you’re interested in checking out the content. I want you to have a positive experience, so please browse the site, familiarize yourself with our writers, and get a feel for what we do. We are committed to serving you and highlighting the best and most interesting parts of our industry, and will be counting on you to tell us how we’re doing along the way. Thanks so much for taking the time to check out BNM. Now it’s time to climb that mountain.
Goodbye to curveballs and slam dunks. Hello to mob riots and campaign trails. For Will Cain, this is the perfect time to change uniforms.
Cain has completed his transition from sports back to news, and if his first few weeks co-hosting Fox and Friends Weekend is any indication, he seems quite comfortable. Like a free agent ballplayer changing teams in the prime of his career, Cain has grabbed the opportunity to build the next successful chapter of his on-air life.
Although he did appear on Fox and Friends a decade ago, this is the broadcast veteran’s first stint as a regular with the network, after previously starting successful media companies and working on-air in television news for other networks.
His background in the news world, however, was all before he landed at ESPN and truly made his national name. After joining the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” in 2015 and hosting his well-regarded ESPN Radio afternoon-drive program since 2018, Cain anticipated a successful leap back into a world far from pitching changes and 3rd down conversions.
“I am excited to join the team at ‘FOX & Friends Weekend’ and look forward to building upon my experience in sports, news and politics on the number one morning show in the country,” Cain told FoxNews.com before his first show last month. And what a time it is to be back in news for someone with the broadcasting chops and opinionated delivery such as Will Cain.
If you watched or listened to Cain work at ESPN over the past five years, you could tell he was unique. After all, this was a conservative-leaning guy working – actually excelling – at ESPN! That alone made you take notice. Whether delivering a radio monologue or taking part in a television debate with Stephen A. Smith, Cain came prepared to deliver compelling programming each day. At the same time, he quietly developed a behind-the-scenes reputation as a class act, always willing to help others in the field.
Take, for example, the day he helped entertain a group of students from Fordham University’s sports media powerhouse, WFUV Radio. After spending time behind the scenes discussing the sports media business, Cain allowed the students to watch his radio/television simulcast program from the control room. As if that weren’t enough, he invited one of the college broadcasting students onto the air for a 20-minute debate about one of the hot topics of the day. That just doesn’t happen in national sports radio! Cain helped give those aspiring sportscasters a day they’ll never forget, while creating a compelling segment of radio.
Will Cain worked on the television news side in the past, including hosting a show on Glenn Beck’s The Blaze network, as well as working as a CNN political contributor. By most standards, it looks like he hasn’t missed a beat in jumping into some of the day’s more sensitive and divisive topics with his co-hosts Jedediah Bila and Pete Hegseth. The task has been made easier because he has a history with the duo, co-hosting a news talk program on The Blaze.
“Some years ago we spent every night around a table, debating the issues that were important in that day’s news cycle,” Cain said during an introductory segment on Fox and Friends in mid-August. “Chemistry is one of those things that every television executive would like to think he can create, but it’s often magical. It takes trust, confidence and mutual respect. I can say walking in that the three of us genuinely have those three characteristics. I genuinely like these two people. I trust them and I respect their points of view. That does not mean I’m going to always agree with them, but I truly trust and respect them.”
Together, the three create a young, hip vibe for the Fox News morning program, and Cain has been willing to jump right into the mix and tackle some of today’s most contentious stories.
For example, with rioting and looting running rampant in many major U.S. cities this summer, Cain recently spent time talking with New York City police officers, residents and business owners. One current officer, who asked to be disguised so his identity wouldn’t become public, told Cain, “I never thought I would have to put this uniform on and be looked at as the enemy, and to be hated.” He followed up by telling Cain, “you would be crazy to take this job now in this day and age.” Quite a jarring difference for Cain – and one he has handled adroitly – after only weeks ago he was spending his afternoons discussing, for example, the challenges for baseball and football beginning their respective 2020 seasons.
Cain also waded into the political waters, commenting on last month’s Democratic National Convention by saying nominee Joe Biden’s speech “crossed the bar of being a smooth speech,” but also added “I found criticism of this president, criticism of this country, criticism of our history, but not much substance on how they would fix it.”
Will Cain has never been shy to offer his opinion, whether it be on The Will Cain Show or during his appearances on ESPN”s First Take. He has promised to continue bringing his unique style and wit to the more weighty and significant topics of the day with Fox.
“I can’t wait, I’m so excited to be back with these two and on Fox News,” Cain said. “We’re gonna have fun. We’re gonna pursue the truth.
As far as we can tell, Cain is fitting in just fine so far. He certainly hasn’t lost his fastball.
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.
Five years is a long time to run a media consulting business. To put it in perspective, that amounts to sixty months, two hundred and sixty weeks, one thousand eight hundred and twenty five days, forty three thousand eight hundred hours, and two million six hundred twenty eight thousand minutes spent operating a business, knowing it could end tomorrow if I don’t stay on top of my game.
When you consider that 20% of small businesses fail in their first year, 30% of small businesses fail in their second year, and 50% of small businesses fail after five years, it’s rewarding to know that we’ve beaten the odds so far. However, 70% of small business owners fail by their 10th year in business, so the next 5 will be our toughest challenge yet.
When I started this venture I had no expectations or five-year plan. All I wanted was to move home to NY, be with my son, continue making a difference in the radio business, help people, and make enough money to pay bills. I didn’t have a writing team, member directory, a podcast, website advertisers, or an annual conference, just a home office, website, a few social media accounts, and a whole lot of time to turn my passion and ideas into online content. I’d love to tell you I saw this role lasting longer than my previous programming gig (4 years) at 95.7 The Game, but that’d be a lie.
Yet here we are.
When I reflect on the past five years, there are so many parts of this ride worth recognizing. For starters, I’m glad I trusted my gut and pursued being a front facing consultant rather than one who operates in the shadows. The demand to know who you are, what you’re about, and where you stand on industry issues is high in 2020, and having this platform to share strategic advice, opinion, insight, news, and details about brands and individuals, has helped me create and strengthen relationships, expand my knowledge, and ultimately grow my business. If I had stayed in the background I don’t think any of this would’ve happened.
Secondly, none of this happens without the support of tremendous clients and friends. I’ve had the pleasure of helping and learning from so many great people, but I’m especially proud to have worked with Matt Hanlon, John Kijowski, Dan Seeman, Phil Zachary, Matt Hutchings, Brenda Egger, Dan Mason, Greg Strassell, Dave Alpert, Elizabeth Hamma, Carl Gardner, Dave Pridemore, Keith Barton, Mike Kelly, Joe O’Neill, Lisa Decker, Dave Fleck, Ken Barlow, Steven Griffin, Todd Mallinson, Scott Mahalick, Mark Hannon, Pat Paxton, Dave Tepper, Tommy Mattern, Chris ‘Hoss’ Neupert, Phil Mackey, Darrin Ariens, Terry Foxx, Tony DiGiacomo, Mike Salk, Joe Zarbano, John Hanson, Steven Spector, Tom Parker, Justin Dove, Mark Rider, Brady Farkas, Nick Cattles, Tim Donnelly, Jeremy Menard, Bruce Collins, Paul Mason, Ken Brady, Chadd Scott, Jim Villanucci, Sam Hauser, Aaron Custodio, Matt Apana, Josh Pacheco, and every talent, producer, sales manager, and industry professional I’ve crossed paths with on the road.
Though I spend a lot of time listening to brands, talking to clients, and researching opportunities to help my clients improve their business, the rest of my professional time is spent in some capacity with the BSM website. To know that people care enough to read our content, share it on social media, spread the word to others, and pass along tips and ideas thru text, email and DM’s is a cool feeling. It’s even more rewarding knowing the material helps people improve and gain a stronger understanding and appreciation of the business they’re in.
To date, our industry focused site has published 8,195 pieces of content since launching in 2015, and we’ve had over 4 million visitors consume more than 5.5 million pages of our work. I’ve always told our crew that traffic mattered less here because our content is targeted to an industry audience, and I’d rather reach 100 PD’s, GM’s and Corporate Execs than 10,000 fans because it opens more doors to potential business. But now we’re starting to appeal to more than just the industry professional.
Between June and early September, we generated a million page views. It would’ve taken us a full year to do that during our first 2 years. That’s a credit to the tremendous work done by Jay, Demetri, Brandon, Brian, Stan, Tyler, John, Chrissy, Ricky, Jacob, Andy, and Rob. Jay, Brandon, and Demetri have especially been on fire lately cranking out thought provoking columns and timely news stories on a daily basis.
Having spent five years operating this brand, there’s one old saying that continues to ring true: ‘you have to spend money to make money‘. That approach was necessary in launching the BSM Summit in Chicago in 2018, and expanding it into Los Angeles and New York the past two years. Though we won’t have a show in early 2021 due to the pandemic, I know that when it’s safe to gather again, a successful show won’t be possible without making investments to assure a positive experience for attendees.
Ironically I learned an important lesson with our last show in NYC. We managed to survive the early stages of a pandemic, but almost had our schedule altered at the last minute by an executive who shall remain nameless. Despite this person’s attempt to hurt the event, I took the high road and emailed them afterwards to explain why the event mattered to people, and offered a free ticket to join us for our next one. They didn’t reply. It reminded me that no matter how much good you do for people and companies, there will still be external forces trying to stall your momentum.
But overcoming obstacles is all I’ve done since entering this business in November 1995. It’s something I dealt with in making this website work. During the first two years, I wrote daily, but if a business trip or conference came up, the site would go dark while I was away. I knew that wasn’t a great plan, but the only way to change it meant spending money for help. When you’re only earning enough to get by, and unsure if the business will be viable, that’s a scary thing to consider.
I got lucky and met good people like Demetri Ravanos, Brandon Contes, Brian Noe, Dave Greene, and Matt Fishman who shared a similar love for the business and wanted to write about it, even if it was for free or just enough to fuel their car or cover a trip to the movies. With their help, the site improved, more eyeballs read the content, and it helped a few of those guys land industry opportunities. We now have 12 members contributing content to the BSM brand, earning a monthly check, and I’m proud to share we’ll be expanding to 14 this week with the additions of Jeff Caves, and Vik Chokshi.
Jeff is no stranger to sports radio folks. He spent three decades in Idaho where he contributed as a host, program director, general manager, and salesperson. He’s also worked on television. His background in sales though especially interested me, and I’m excited to have him add a weekly sales column to the site. His first column will be published this Thursday.
Vik on the other hand has a strong passion for sports betting, and has written for The Action Network, The Big Lead, and Front Office Sports. With the gambling space continuing to grow, we’re going to increase our focus on brands and individuals in the sports betting space. Vik’s first piece is on the site today, a feature on ESPN’s Joe Fortenbaugh.
But that’s not the only area we’re expanding in.
If you listened to the last episode of the BSM Podcast which featured Entercom New York’s Chris Oliviero, you heard me tease that BSM would be expanding into News/Talk. This has been a move I’ve considered for the past 2 years, but I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew as BSM was growing. I also knew that if I started consulting News/Talk stations, that I’d need help because there are over 1,900 stations in the format, and as much as I enjoy being busy, I don’t want to compromise my effectiveness by spreading myself too thin.
I’ve felt for a while that similar to sports radio, News/Talk talent and brands don’t receive enough online attention. You’ll see stories on high profile hosts, the TV ratings battle between FOX News-CNN-MSNBC, and details about people signing new deals or getting taken off the air for making controversial remarks, but there are so many more stories out there waiting to be told. The format is triple the size of sports talk, and I’m curious to see if we can do for BNM what we’ve done with BSM.
The BNM of course stands for Barrett News Media, a separate entity of our company, which will debut online as https://barrettnewsmedia.com on Monday September 14th. By the way, save the URL, but don’t click on it, because the website isn’t live yet. Also be sure to add @BNMStaff on Twitter as we will use that account to promote daily content.
Unlike BSM which started with only me, the BNM brand will launch with 5 columnists, 3 features reporters, 2 daily news contributors, and 1 TV ratings writer. I expect to add a few more writers too during the first 30 days to complete out our coverage. A huge thanks to Steve Stone Voiceovers for signing on as our first advertising client to allow us to get the BNM brand off the ground. If interested in learning more about our advertising opportunities email JBarrett@sportsradiopd.com.
Joining us for BNM’s maiden voyage are columnists Pete Mundo, Angel James, Rick Schultz, Evan Donovan, and Ryan Maguire, reporters Kyle Thomas, Kim Redmond, and Catherine Maddux, ratings writer Douglas Pucci, and news contributors Ryan Hedrick and Eduardo Razo. Our collective goal will be to offer insight, opinion, education, and storytelling on News radio, television, print, and digital brands and individuals. We are fortunate to have a strong diverse group contributing to this product, and I am looking forward to our readers getting to know more about them and their abilities in the weeks and months to come.
Since I know there will be questions let me address a few up front. BSM and BNM will function as two different websites. We may share content on social platforms from time to time if we feel it’s of value to our followers, but the goal is to run the two brands separately. We will also not be doing stories on presidential candidates, protests, policies, vaccine updates, or other world news. We’ll leave that to bigger brands. The only way those items will come into play is if they’re connected to a media personality or brand (EX: TV host leads a protest, Reporter breaks news on Biden or Trump, Host trades jabs with Fauci over vaccine, Radio exec runs for office, etc.).
In terms of goals for the site, all I care about right now is highlighting the news media industry, and giving those who make a living in it an online platform to learn more about the business and ways to excel at it. Will we do a BNM Summit, BNM Top 20 or launch a BNM Members Directory in the future? Maybe. I don’t want to think about traffic numbers or other ways to grow the brand yet. We need to start with delivering compelling content on a consistent basis, and grow our relationships. If we do that, then we can discuss ways to make additional improvements down the line.
As it pertains to consulting, I will offer my services to news/talk stations who are looking for fresh ideas, strategic insight, and an ability to maximize talent, content, and ratings. The news format has seen a surge of sports programmers join it in recent years, and I’m excited to take the plunge as well because it’s one I have great interest in. I’ve worked on a few smaller projects with news/talk stations as part of my sports consulting work, and after starting my career at a news/music station, I’m looking forward to expanding my horizons and relationships, and helping more people and brands get better.
But I won’t be alone on this adventure.
BNM is pleased to add Ryan Maguire, a seasoned program director who’s managed 610 Sports in Kansas City, WQAM in Miami, 105.7 The Fan in Milwaukee, 97.3 The Fan in Pittsburgh, and KIRO-FM in Seattle, where he was part of the team that delivered the Marconi award for Best News/Talk Station of the Year in 2019. Ryan and I have known each other for over a decade, we’re both in our mid-40’s, and his ability to coach talent, dissect content, and help brand’s elevate their performance is reflected by his track record. Ryan currently works as a producer for SpokenLayer, the leading provider of voice media for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and he will remain in that role while lending consulting support to BNM clients. I’m looking forward to working with him and having him help our partners.
“When Jason approached me with the idea of working with him on helping build Barrett News Media, saying ‘yes’ was a very easy decision,” said Maguire. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for JB not only as a programmer, but how he’s been able to grow BSM so quickly over the last five years. Most importantly, we share a lot of the same philosophies on what it takes to build, grow and monetize spoken word brands and talent. Radio is going through a metamorphosis right now, but my passion for the business and for creating great audio content has never waned. It’s a big part of what fuels me every day. I can’t wait to get started.”
When you look at the News/Talk format today, it’s had the benefit of consistently featuring a lot of elite personalities. But soon some of those familiar faces and voices will depart, forcing brands to add new talent, ideas, and strategies. When those big changes happen, will your brand be ready? Do you know where to turn next? Are you positioning your product to meet the needs of the past or the future? How does social media and podcasting factor into your overall strategy? These are just some of the things we’re excited to explore. When you’re ready to talk, let us know.
If I’ve learned anything over the past 5 years it’s that you’ve got to keep your foot on the gas, and be ready to pivot at a moments notice. No year has taught us more about that than 2020. If we can continue to be of value to our clients and readers, and tackle new challenges successfully, I’ll be more than happy to do this til I’m old and grey. To make it that far though we’ll need to keep evolving and improving so if I can bug you to click this link and answer a short survey I’d greatly appreciate it.
Two things that remain difficult are convincing larger companies to invest in outside support, and getting market managers, program directors and corporate executives to adjust their perceptions. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, I dislike the word ‘consultant‘ because too many ‘think‘ they know what I do based on others who have come before me. Except not everyone operates in the consulting space the same way. For example, I’ve met many music consultants over the years who don’t do what Fred Jacobs does, yet somehow they’re all lumped into the same category.
If I could find a word that defines a writer, host, creator, ratings analyst, advisor, researcher, influencer, seller, sales connector, recruiter, coach, social strategist, and brand builder I’d make the switch, but for now I guess I’m stuck with an outdated title. What I do know is if it involves content, creativity, sales, and management, I speak the language, and my track record of results shows I know how to help brands win.
To those I’ve had the good fortune of working with, it’s been a privilege to be a small part of your success. Your trust and partnership matters more than you know, and without it none of this is possible. To those who read our content, thank you for the continued support. We have a great team here at BSM who care deeply about the industry, and I appreciate you making time each day to digest the words that appear on your screen.
I’m lucky to wake up each day and pour my energy into something I love. We’ve made it five years, and I’d like to do this for another five. I guess that means I should probably start working on that five year plan.
After building a career as one of the sharpest programming executives in the radio industry, and leaving the business in the summer of 2018, many were surprised when Chris Oliviero was announced as the new Market Manager of Entercom New York in May 2020. On this episode, Chris tells Jason Barrett why he decided to return to the business, what he learned while on the outside, how he feels about the present and future of WFAN, where he stands on pursuing a reunion with Craig Carton, in addition to weighing in on a number of industry topics as well.
Additionally, Jason Barrett shares breaking news about a new venture being explored by his company which industry professionals will be interested in learning more about. Further details will be shared after Labor Day but the basics are passed along during the first minutes of the episode.
TOPICS COVERED WITH CHRIS:
When the deal to become Market Manager came together
What convinced him to return to the radio business
What he learned and missed about the industry while away from it
If local management is enough to satisfy his professional desires
Confidence level in WFAN; what the brand needs to do to enjoy future success
Planning for the day when Mark Chernoff rides off into the sunset
How interested he is in reuniting Craig Carton and WFAN
Why the mistakes of a few can’t take away from social media’s value to talent, brands, and the audience
If more radio companies will follow Saga & Townsquare’s lead and move away from Nielsen
The future of live and on-demand audio content
How sports betting will influence the way sports talk radio is presented in the next 5-10 years
Mike Greenberg returns to ESPN Radio’s airwaves on Monday August 17th, taking over the 12p-2p ET timeslot, a change from his morning routine. Secure with a place in the NAB radio hall of fame, the lead chair on ESPN’s hit television program ‘Get Up‘, and 32,000+ hours of on-air broadcasting under his belt, some in Mike’s position would pass on the chance to increase their work load, and accept a new challenge, but that’s not how Greeny operates. In this conversation, Mike shares what interested him about returning to host a solo midday program, how content will be approached on the show, the method to his madness when it comes to interviewing and teasing, advice he’s passed on to the network’s new morning show, and more.
Additionally, BSM President Jason Barrett spends 5 minutes prior to the conversation sharing a few observations, opinions, and questions about ESPN Radio’s changes.
SUBJECTS COVERED WITH MIKE:
When he started thinking about returning to radio
Launching new shows and handling negative feedback
His vision and content approach for the new midday show
How social issues will be covered on the program
Winning over listeners who prefer local hosts
The way he approaches interviewing and teasing
Remembering Detroit sports radio host Jamie Samuelsen
The likelihood of football still being played in December
