Since 2006, the newspaper’s advertising revenue has been in free fall. But before that, it seemed like every radio client was in the paper. Now, every radio client is buying ads from Google. What can we learn from how Google lands prospects? PLENTY.
Most new clients to Google Ads type in Google Ads in Google search and follow the instructions. I did it. Google asks you a few basic questions about how many employees you have, your goal, and how much you are willing to spend, as long as it is above $500. After you input that data, Google sends you back an email that says you will have your plan to hit your goal in 24 hours. They sent me “the plan” the same day.
The plan, sent to me by Alex, a woman on the Ads team (they sent a photo), instructed me to spend $500-$5000 in search advertising. They mention that this plan will take at least three months. If I want the details on the plan or, ideally, want to buy the plan, I was given an option to book a 30-minute appointment to get a fully personalized media plan with a Google Ads strategist. I just had to “click here.” That’s it.
That Google strategist will get a very qualified prospect, who has a goal, a general plan, an expectation of how much to spend and for how long.
How do we handle new prospect inquiries?
Suppose a radio prospect wants to advertise. Some call the station’s business line and get a front desk person who feeds the prospect’s name to a sales manager who passes it off to a salesperson to get the details. Others call the station’s on-air phone number and get a call screener who takes a message and sends an email to a manager or their buddy in sales.
And, yes, some prospects go to our website and click on “advertise with us.” Jacobs Media Seth Resler thinks most stations fumble the ball here and has 10 ways to fix your ‘advertise with us’ page.
I looked at WFAN, The Ticket Dallas, and The Sports Hub in Boston’s ‘advertise with us’ page, and most were hard to find; they listed a person to email, and one had a demographic stats sheet about the station. WOW. I even went to Google search and inputted “advertise with WFAN,” etc. The best search results were from local ad agencies who said they could buy ads cheaper on those stations.
Does that even begin to compare with how Google handles prospects? Shouldn’t we automate this process more and make it easier for the prospect and the station?
I realize no prospect would try to call Google, and they have an advantage because they are an online company, but there seems to be some room for growth here for radio.
Another ratings book in Boston goes to 98.5 The Sports Hub. The Beasley sports talker has to be very pleased with the winter numbers, as the daytime lineup posted a 16.3 share with men 25-54. The station led the demo in mornings, middays and afternoons.
Audacy’s WEEI drew a 4.4 share for its prime lineup. There is a difference in the two numbers. WEEI’s information is only a measure of its radio audience. The Hub’s number includes information from people streaming the station online.
The Sports Hub is in very good hands in morning drive with Toucher & Rich. The show earned a 15 share. That was the low end of dominance for the station. Zolak & Bertrand captured a 16 share of the target demo in middays. Felger & Mazz left afternoon competition in the dust with a whopping 21.6 share.
WEEI was led by its midday show. Gresh & Keefe scored a 5.9 share. That was good enough for fifth place in the target demo. In morning drive, the station saw The Greg Hill Show pull in a 5.0 share. That put WEEI in seventh place. Both numbers include a 0.2 from streaming according to Boston.com.
Merloni and Fauria were in fixth place in afternoons. The WEEI show drew a 4.2 share. There was no additional streaming information.
The winter ratings are in for New York City and sports fans in the Big Apple were very kind to WFAN. The legendary sports talker cruised to victory in every daypart.
While the local media focused largely on the competition in afternoon drive, the number that really catches the industry’s eye is in morning drive. Boomer & Gio finished first overall with men 25-54 in the market with a whopping 10.8 share.
Listenership in morning drive is measured from 6-10 AM, so things get a little complicated for ESPN New York in that window. The local show DiPietro & Rothenberg airs in the first two hours with the nationally syndicated Keyshawn, JWill and Max filling the last two hours. ESPN New York did a 2.1 with men 25-54.
Winter was the first book that saw Tiki and Tierney in middays for WFAN. The duo replaced Moose & Maggie earlier this year. Their first quarter on WFAN saw Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney draw a 4.1 share of the target audience.
Afternoon drive gets a lot of coverage in New York City sports radio. The win in this book went to Carton & Roberts. The WFAN afternoon duo drew a 5.7 share during the 3 to 6:30 pm window when the show overlaps with ESPN New York’s The Michael Kay Show. Kay and his crew pulled a 4.5.
Carton & Roberts tied for second place in the market with the target demo. Kay was in seventh.
All numbers are measured by Nielsen and include both streaming and terrestrial listening data.
Investing in stocks can be a rewarding venture. However, it comes with many risks. Many retail investors lose money annually by investing blindly. Therefore, checking the best stock research websites is key to finding the best stocks to buy today. This article simplifies the process by highlighting key factors to consider before investing. Learn more about the seven essentials of investing in stocks below.
A Unique Idea
Investors are very key about where they invest their hard-earned money. If the market is saturated with several identical products, that will not be the best investment.
Investors should check for products or services that stand out. Does it solve a unique problem? Is it a brand-new innovation or invention? As an investor, go for a company with a competitive advantage to ensure your stock is a bit safe.
Strong Narrative
As an investor, you hear many pitches crowded with hard data. If you are given two companies with similar returns, what will make you choose one over the other? Go for a company with a strong narrative. Consider where the idea originated from and what the company’s short-term and long-term plans are. This will indicate how serious is business is about its performance.
Stock Charts
There are different types of stock charts. These include line charts and bar charts. Charts are used by central and technical analysts. This step is critical because essential chart reading requires few skills. The best stock to buy today is from a company whose stock chart starts from the lower left and ends at the upper right. However, this is not a wise investment if the chart heads downward.
Whether you’re a day trader, buy-and-hold investor, or just curious about market trends, an investment newsletter can provide you with invaluable advice. You just need to choose the right one for you. If you believe in any stock, put it on your watch list and get back to it later. As an investor, look at the chart and invest wisely.
What a Company Deals in
Investors should avoid buying a stock unless they have a thorough idea of how the companies make money. What do they manufacture? What type of services do they offer? In which countries do they operate? What are its flagship products, and how is it selling? Are they known as leaders in their field? This information is very simple to find. Go to the company’s website and get to read about them. Also, find other investors ask for their opinion or evaluation.
Social Proof
Investors should be keen to get social proof that the prospective company is well known and doing good. It gives you the confidence to invest. The best stocks to buy today are from a company with positive reviews about its operation and profit margin.
Business Readiness
A lot of people have potential business ideas. However, most people don’t have the drive and means to take those ideas and shape them into a financially viable business.
Investors should only consider a company ready to take off and hit the ground running. If the company can show it has all the key components in place, investors will be assured of a return on their investment. As an investor, do comprehensive market research on a company before investing.
What You Require and When They Will Get It Back.
Investors should demand to know exactly when they can expect a return. When to expect the returns should be captured as part of the company’s business plan.
Also, a good company has plans for investors seeking an exit strategy. Go for a company that will buy you out or sell your stocks to another party when you want to exit.
Conclusion
Nothing takes the place of thorough research. However, one significant way to protect your assets is to invest long-term by taking advantage of the best stock research tools and finding dividends and stocks with a confirmed record of success. Unless you have the time, risky trading strategies should be avoided. As much as there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to what investors look for when they invest in stock. Consider the checklist above to find the best stocks to buy today.
Television host Jon Stewart is taking exception to critics who suggest that his Apple TV+ show is a big flop. Earlier this week, numbers indicated “The Problem with Jon Stewart” appeared in 180,000 homes during its debut in the fall.
Stewart used Twitter to lash out at Breitbart’s John Nolte, the reporter who broke the story.
“Holy S**t!! Just think how bad it’ll get in Season Two!!! And they upped our episode order!! WTF!!!???” Stewart tweeted.
Stewart cryptically responded to critics who doubted his show during its debut episode in the fall.
“Thank you for watching but my guess is you didn’t,” Stewart said to critics during one of his early shows. “You’re probably just going to look at aggregated clips of it somewhere, on YouTube, where you pirate ‘Ted Lasso.’ You don’t even know how to get an Apple TV, do you?”
NewsNation host Dan Abrams is set to emcee the first-ever Clue Awards show which will recognize crime content distributed in television, film, books, and podcasts.
According to Variety, among the television shows being nominated for a Clue Award include Peacock’s “Dr. Death” and “Epstein’s Shadow” and HBO Max’s “The Way Down.” NBC’s Dateline series is also nominated in three categories.
The event was created by CrimeCon, and described as a weekend event experience for “true crime fans, creators, and professionals.”
Abrams has been a pioneer of sorts in the crime content industry, founding the Law & Crime Network, a legal news website that live streams significant court trials as part of its coverage.
The Black and Missing Foundation will reportedly receive the first-ever Crimefighter Award for its work in bringing public awareness to missing people of color, whose cases are often underreported. In addition, CrimeCon will donate money to the foundation.
To learn more about the first-ever Clue Awards and its creator, CrimeCon, click this link.
Former Biden administration official turned television commentator Symone Sanders defended her ex-boss after commentator Chuck Todd suggested that a recent loss on mask mandates has made him timid.
According to Mediaite, the conversation took place on MSNBC’s “MTP Daily” show on Tuesday. In addition to Sanders, MSNBC contributors Phil Rucker and Jim Dornan joined the conversation.
“It feels like the White House is afraid of making some tough decisions for fear of what could be the worst-case scenario,” Todd said. “Is it because of what happened in the summer of 2021?”
Sanders suggested that Biden hasn’t completely abandoned taking action on masks given his orders to make reporters aboard Air Force One wear them.
“Is this overcorrecting?” Todd asked, to which Sanders responded “I don’t know it is overcorrecting. I think we’re all going through this together. You can’t fault the White House. They got news of the judicial ruling along with everyone else. And what they did was roll with the punches and I think rolled with the punches very well.”
The panel blamed former President Donald Trump for not doing enough to prevent the spread of COVID.
“Joe Davis back to throw, looks left, now over the middle, complete, touchdown!”
Before his meteoric rise in the world of play-by-play, Joe Davis was a four-year letter winner at Beloit College in Wisconsin. He was the quarterback for two seasons until a shoulder injury forced him to move to wide receiver.
Perhaps the most important move for Davis in college was assuming play-by-play duties for the school’s athletic department. When football was out of season, Davis called baseball and both men’s and women’s basketball on local radio and television. He served as the voice of Buccaneers spring sports for his final three years on campus before graduating in 2010.
Now Davis holds two very high-profile jobs. He’s the television voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers and has been named the number one baseball guy at Fox Sports. In both cases, he’s replaced an announcer of legendary status, first Vin Scully and now Joe Buck. Big shoes to fill in both cases. If how Davis has handled the former is any indication, he’ll be equally as accepted in the latter position.
Davis is another in a long line of broadcasters that seemed to know what he wanted to do at an early age.
“If you had asked me when I was 10 what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would’ve told you ‘Call the World Series.’ So, when I say this is a dream-come-true, I really mean it,” Davis said in a statement after Fox named him Buck’s replacement.
In a recent story in The Athletic, Richard Deitsch chronicled how the offer was made to Davis. He recalled meeting with Brad Zager, who is the executive producer of Fox Sports. Zager flew to Las Vegas where Davis was for the Pac 12 Tournament. It was about 4-hours from the tip and the two met at a hotel bar in the MGM Resort. The offer was made, and a very emotional Davis accepted.
“It took me a little while to get it together after the meeting,” Davis told The Athletic. “And there were a number of times over the course of that week where I broke down because of the emotions of thinking it could happen and being so close to a dream coming true but not knowing.”
ROAD TO FOX/DODGERS
Before his senior year of college, in 2009, Davis secured a summer job as the manager of broadcasting for the Schaumburg Flyers baseball team of the independent Northern League. He served as the team’s play-by-play voice and media relations director. Also, during the fall, he filled in on men’s and women’s volleyball broadcasts at Loyola University Chicago. That year Davis was the voice of the State High School Volleyball Championships, for the Illinois High School Television Network.
From there Davis would go to work for the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League. The Biscuits were the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Davis called Biscuits games for three seasons and was named the Southern League Broadcaster of the Year in 2012. In the offseason, he also gained experience as a radio host for the Baylor Independent Sports Properties Network. While working that job, he also caught on at Comcast Sports Southeast, where he picked play-by-play duties for college football, basketball and baseball.
In July 2012, at the age of 24, he joined ESPN as a play-by-play announcer. He called college baseball, basketball, football, hockey and softball games. Davis also appeared in spot duty for Major League Baseball games that were broadcast on ESPN Radio. He made a little history in December of 2013, when he was assigned to call the Poinsettia Bowl between Utah and Northern Illinois. At the age of 25 he became the youngest person to ever announce a bowl game for ESPN. He was soon hired by Fox, and then a couple of years later by the Dodgers to call road games, and eventually succeeded the legendary Vin Scully for the team on TV.
WHY IS HE SO GOOD?
There is a smoothness about Davis that is kind of hard to describe. He’s calm at the right moments and he elevates to the big moments almost perfectly. Calling baseball can be a challenge at any age, but he seems a natural fit for the pacing of the sport. There are moments when the game is left to itself to breathe during his broadcasts. Now, there are also times when Davis shows off his ability for the big call.
The Dodgers have been in the pennant race, seemingly all the time. Huge moments demand a great call. Davis hasn’t disappointed yet.
Among his many moments with the Dodgers already were walk off home run calls, some miracle finishes, and a lot of victories.
In an article on MLB.com in August of 2020, Davis surprised a lot of folks, when saying a home run by pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu was his favorite so far. It took place on Sept. 22, 2019, in a 7-4 win over the Rockies that provided the Dodgers with their 100th victory of the year.
“High fly ball, centerfield and deep, back goes Hanson at the wall…it’s happened! It’s happened! Babe Ryu!” Then nearly 40 seconds of crowd noise.
“The call is, whatever, not a spectacular call, but Orel [Hershiser, analyst and Davis’ partner] and I had jokingly talked about it the entire season. You could go back to Opening Day [which Ryu started], and we were predicting he would hit one. Those of us who are around batting practice see how he swings, and we would joke every time he came up that this would be the time, and then it actually happened. It’s the only time Orel and I both stood up and high-fived, just the incredible feeling it had actually happened.”
It’s just an example of how the moment is never too big for Davis. He can have fun and still keep his composure, so the fans know what is actually happening as well.
His runner-up call at that time, was a more obvious choice. It his “absolute madness” call of the Dodgers’ 6-5 walk-off win over the Phillies in 2017. For more reasons than just the great call.
“It was my first month or so on the job after Vin,” said Davis. “It was maybe the first time where the fanbase seemed to say, ‘Hey, maybe this kid is not bad.’ Because of that, it will always be special to me.”
Also of importance, is the fact that Davis is able to play off of, and work well with, his analyst Orel Hershiser. The two have great chemistry. That’s the hallmark of a good play-by-play announcer, get the most and more out of your color commentator.
It speaks volumes as well, to have that kind of relationship with all the people he works with. That includes John Smoltz, his new partner for MLB on Fox games starting this season.
“Having worked with Joe before, finding our chemistry in the booth is already well underway and I’m looking forward to our partnership over the next several years,” said Smoltz in a statement. “I had the opportunity to work with the very best at Fox Sports in Joe Buck, and I feel fortunate to get to continue with another exceptionally talented ‘Joe’ in Joe Davis.”
For someone as young as he is, it’s impressive that he had those skills early on and continues to hone what has worked for him. When he was just 24-years-old and had a crack at the national spotlight, he might have been overwhelmed. Well, if he was, it surely didn’t sound like it, because he was able to advance in the business at a rapid rate.
Davis named his third child, a boy, to honor his partner in the booth, Orel Hershiser. Theodore Orel Davis arrived in July of 2021. Hershiser was very touched by the gesture from the Davis’.
I am so humbled and honored ! Libby, Joe, Charlotte, Blake and Theodore Orel Davis we love you to the moon!
Did you realize that Davis’ daughter Charlotte broke the news of her daddy getting the World Series assignment from Fox? Davis explained to The Athletic that he tried to see if his daughter would understand the significance of the moment. Charlotte didn’t seem to grasp how important this was. After all, she is only 5 and a half. Davis wanted to make the point that the World Series was a big deal and that Charlotte, could achieve anything she wanted to.
“I dropped her off at her school one day and her teacher said, ‘Joe, congratulations!’ Mind you there were like five people in the world that knew at this point.” he told The Athletic. “I said, ‘Oh boy, I guess you have an inside source.’ She said, ‘Yeah, the first thing Charlotte did yesterday when we got into the classroom was announce to everyone, my daddy got the World Series.’ For whatever reason, that was another moment that just got me. I got in my car and broke down.” he recalled.
Eat your heart out Ken Rosenthal!
CONCLUSION
The sky is the absolute limit for this guy. I’m a little jealous, in fact, of the talent and poise that he possesses right now. There are just a few people blessed with all of that, plus a kind nature.
It’s hard not to cheer for a guy like this, he paid his dues, made some good choices and basically let his talent do the talking. It’s pretty amazing and so well deserved. I’m pretty confident that the Fox MLB broadcasts are in very good hands.
Can Merloni and Fauria return to calling their show OMF again? The duo introduced their new partner today. It is Meghan Ottolini of The Boston Herald and NBC Sports Boston.
Ottolini isn’t new to WEEI. She has been a part-time and fill-in host at the station since the beginning of 2021. The Boston Globe reports that the promotion at WEEI means she will resign her position at The Herald.
“I’m thrilled to join WEEI and work alongside Lou [Merloni] and Christian [Fauria] delivering premier sports talk coverage in the best sports city in the country,” said Ottolini. “This opportunity is such a privilege and I look forward to having a lot of fun in this next chapter of my career.”
Christian Fauria and Lou Merloni have been a duo since August of last year. That is when Glenn Ordway announced his retirement as a full-time member of the WEEI staff.
Ottolini won’t just contribute content on air. She is also set to write for WEEI.com and create other digital content for the brand as well.
“Meghan is a rising star in this industry and we are very excited to have her join ‘Merloni & Fauria’ each afternoon, said Mike Thomas, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Boston. “Writing is a passion of Meghan’s and she will be able to continue to do that for our station’s website, enabling her to create can’t miss content for Boston sports fans – both on air and online.”
The move now gives the station a female presence in both drive-time slots. Courtney Cox was added to The Greg Hill Show last summer. Ottolini said that she definitely recognizes the industry making progress when it comes to finding roles for talented women.
“It’s no secret that there aren’t a lot of women in this space,’’ Ottolini told The Boston Globe. “But I think sports media overall has done a great job in trying to bring different perspectives and voices and trying to leverage people into positions where they have more of a platform.
“No shots at anybody, but the traditional thing when I came out of grad school [she got her master’s degree in journalism at Boston University] was that you would go be a sideline reporter, and maybe you will be on a studio show one day. And now you see what people like Doris Burke are doing.”
Audacy has hired Drew Anderssen to run the day-to-day operations at NewsRadio 1080 KRLD and Texas State Networks. Most recently, Anderson served as Brand Manager at WSB in Atlanta.
In a statement, the company said Anderssen will oversee content strategy, talent, operations, and branding for the station and networks.
“For over two decades, Drew has proven to be a winning brand leader across multiple formats, which we trust will serve him well as he takes the reins of DFW’s news and information brand,” said Brian Purdy, Regional President and Market Manager, Audacy Dallas/Fort Worth.
Anderssen began his career with Cox Media Group in 1998 as Operations Manager of News-Talk KRMG/Tulsa, OK. In July 2012, he transferred to WDBO/Orlando, he served as the program director and was later promoted to operations manager.
“This was a tremendous opportunity to return to the city where I grew up and fell in love with radio, and work with such a prestigious brand and decorated team,” said Anderseen. “I’m grateful to Susan Larkin, Jeff Sottolano, Brian Purdy, and Gavin Spittle and I can’t wait to hit the ground running in the Lone Star State.”
Other career stops for Anderssen include Beaumont and Wichita Falls, TX in various roles, including program director across multiple formats.
“We’re delighted to bring Drew aboard to lead KRLD and TSN,” added Purdy.
Listeners can tune in to Newsradio 1080 KRLD (KRLD-AM) in Dallas on air, as well as nationwide on the Audacyapp and website.
