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What Can The St. Louis Blues Teach Sales Managers?

Dave Greene
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3-1 at the end of the 2nd period.  The dreaded two goal lead in hockey.  The St. Louis Blues, a team I’ve followed for forty years was twenty minutes of game time away from doing something I’d never seen them do – make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.  

My wife couldn’t take it.  She wanted me to text her updates, but she couldn’t watch.  They start the 3rd period and the Blues looked like they’d decided to try and play defense for twenty minutes and I couldn’t sit still.  Five minutes passed and I texted my wife: “Fifteen minutes away!”  

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A few offensive zone trips for the Blues, but still mostly playing a defensive game.  Another text to my wife five minutes later: “Ten minutes away!”  

I’m pacing, my stomach is in knots and I’m now yelling “C’MON!” over and over again.  Then it happened – Tyler Bozak put the ol’ biscuit in the basket and put the Blues up 4-1 with 6:55 to play.  They’d add an empty net goal with 2:15 to play but I already knew it was over.

THE ST. LOUIS BLUES WERE HEADING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE!

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I can’t even believe I just wrote that sentence.  And you’re probably now wondering if I’m going to write any sentences about selling sports radio.  Alas, I shall.  

You see, after the emotions of the game wore down and there was zero chance I’d be able to fall asleep, I started thinking about how stations and sales reps benefit from these situations.  As a sales manager, these opportunities don’t come around often, and the opportunity I’m talking about is sellers being naturally excited.

We sell our best when we’re most excited and passionate about what it is we’re selling.  Sports radio can often be a “passion play,” where a business owner wants to show support of a team or just flat out likes the tickets and amenities that sometimes come with sports sponsorships.  

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But what about when we’re trying to sell something we don’t think is a big deal?  I notice this a lot in selling events.  In sales meetings, I can pretty much tell who’ll leave the meeting and make calls for a new event and those that didn’t buy in. 

The ones that didn’t will eventually be asked why they aren’t pitching it and will make a few calls and pitch it with about as much enthusiasm as when you’re about to get a root canal.  There’ll be no excitement in their voice and they won’t give the prospect the feeling this is something they have to jump on.  Chances are no sales will be made.

You’ve heard the expression before that “people buy people,” and a lot of that is how we approach the original pitch.  Are we smiling, are we excited, can we explain it well and make it sound larger than life?  And if that excitement comes naturally because you’re genuinely excited about it, that usually comes through.  

Back to the Blues. For those that don’t know, the team was in the Stanley Cup Finals three years in a row, 1968, 1969 and 1970.  They were swept in all three series and haven’t been back to the finals since.  So, as you can imagine, the fans and the city are fired up.  For those in our business, it’s time to put the creative cap on and come up with anything and everything you can to tie in to the madness of this Blues run. 

Image result for st. louis blues banner on business

If you’re excited, the client or prospect will most likely get excited and your chances of selling what you’re pitching, go up considerably.  However, the window of opportunity is a short one.  So it’s a race to get in front of as many decision makers, during that window, as you can.  With the excitement level this high, you should have some sales out there that’ll feel as simple as an empty-net goal.

4 Leadership Lessons From The Los Angeles Lakers Mess

Jason Barrett
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I want to start this column by giving credit to Stephen A. Smith. Normally on a Monday at 10am ET my ear is glued to one of my clients’ radio stations. This time though, Smith’s Twitter promotion of Magic Johnson’s upcoming appearance on First Take was enough to entice me to take a short break from the radio to watch the interview on television.

And I’m glad I did.

Magic Johnson spent nearly an hour on Monday’s show with Stephen A., Max Kellerman, and Molly Qerim, offering candid answers that had to excite Lakers critics, and infuriate Lakers supporters. Hours before the Lakers would introduce their new head coach Frank Vogel, Johnson went on ESPN’s hit television show and pulled no punches, making it clear he wasn’t a fan of Rob Pelinka (Lakers GM) or the franchise’s executive structure.

As I watched the interview and listened to Magic’s words I came away with a few thoughts for managers in the media industry. Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on for this particular topic, a lot of the issues Magic brought up exist inside radio buildings today. Here are 4 key takeaways.

— Know What You’ve Signed Up For – People accept jobs every day from people they like, trust, and get a good vibe on, but they forget that they haven’t committed to work for that person, they’ve actually entered into an agreement with the company they represent. This is where LeBron James messed up. He signed a deal with the Lakers, not Magic Johnson. Maybe Magic could’ve given him a heads up that he was leaving but he didn’t owe him one.

Magic agreed to become President of the Lakers because he loved Jeanie Buss and her family and wanted to help the franchise return to glory. He thought the job came with unyielding power and the ability to work on his own schedule. Two years later though he’s gone scorched earth on the franchise because the structure and needs of the organization changed. Magic has a right to be upset that promises were broken, but as a successful businessman himself, he knows better than most that different situations require adjustments, and jobs of this magnitude become more demanding not less.

We see this a lot in radio. Stations get bought or sold making prior promises to employees invalid. Bosses retire, get fired, or leave for new opportunities, leaving people behind who agreed to come work for them. A great example exists in college sports where coaches flock to bigger money jobs while kids who gave their commitment to the school get blindsided. In some instances, PD’s or GM’s may be asked to manage additional stations/people, take on extra corporate responsibilities with no monetary gain, or achieve the same results with smaller budgets. It isn’t ideal, but that’s the world of business in 2019.

The bottom line, the contract you sign is with the company. Not the person who you’ve accepted it from. Your responsibilities will change, so too will the finances you’re able to work with. That will frustrate you at times. But those who roll with the punches and make the most of it will stick around longer than those who bitch and moan about the ‘new way of doing things’.

— Address Issues Immediately – Magic mentioned that he began to hear from people inside the building that Pelinka was questioning his work ethic. Soon that led to hearing from people outside the building saying the same thing. Magic had every right to be bothered by these remarks, but messed up when he failed to address them in person.

Did Pelinka know the full extent of what Jeanie Buss allowed Magic to do? Maybe he did and was jealous of that arrangement because he was grinding away and the franchise needed full time focus. Did he ever express to Magic that he needed his help more? Regardless, if Magic met with Rob, told him what he’s heard and how he felt about it, the two men could’ve probably squashed it or at least moved forward. Now that bridge has collapsed even if Pelinka tries to play nice in front of the media.

This too is a frequent media issue. Hosts bitch behind the backs of their producers because they don’t like something they’re doing. Sellers complain about other account executives getting better lists. PD’s express frustration over the way their GM’s handle specific situations. Whichever issue it is, you get a lot more done by tackling things head on. It also gives you clarity on what you can expect going forward.

— Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen – Magic mentioned that everyone had a voice on key issues from the Buss brothers to Jeanie to Rob, and Tim Harris (Lakers business manager). That came into play when he wanted to fire Luke Walton. Kurt and Linda Rambis are reportedly involved too, and Magic said Jeanie may also seek input from Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant.

Do you need that many people weighing in on each key issue? No. If you do then it speaks volumes about your confidence and trust in your lead decision maker. In this case, it showed that Jeanie wasn’t sure of Magic’s final recommendations.

Once again, another regular occurrence inside media circles. One key programming move shouldn’t require 8-9 people’s sign off. That frustrates managers and leads them to become timid, disgruntled or seek new opportunities. It also creates a perception internally that the brand leader doesn’t have the muscle to make things happen.

If you’re going to hire a person to manage your property, you’ve got to empower them and let them do their job. If people feel they can run to the corner office to get out of things their boss deems important, then that manager in the corner office will face bigger problems in the future. You also can’t run an organization worrying about being liked, hurting people’s feelings, and including everyone in each process. Tough decisions are part of running a business, and someone has to make hard choices.

If you outline expectations, hold people accountable, develop a small circle of trust, and let those on the inside know how the process for how critical decisions will be carried out, you’ll save a lot of time, and keep your blood pressure in check.

Management Is a FT Responsibility – Magic Johnson was upfront with Jeanie Buss about what he was willing and unwilling to give up in order to become the President of the Lakers. Jeanie’s mistake was accepting it. A position that important demands a FT commitment. Buss should’ve looked closer at the needs of the job and past her admiration for Magic.

I’ve been involved in radio for over two decades so I’ve seen a lot of these type of situations occur. Some managers become consumed by power, popularity and paychecks, but aren’t interested in leading entire buildings. Others exit at 11am and spend no time meeting with their staff or creating ideas to drive ratings and revenue yet want to pick the lineup. I’ve even seen a boss arrive at work drunk, and others make excuses and do their work for them. It sounds simple, but when you empower poor behavior you end up with poor leadership and results.

Ironically, when I programmed I had a situation that could’ve been a deterrent for employers, but fortunately it wasn’t. Being a divorced Dad I spent 9 years flying to NY every other Friday to spend weekends with my son. That meant up to 26 Friday’s away from the office, not including my vacation time or holidays. I actually had someone once tell me during a negotiation ‘that’s a little excessive and may prevent us from getting a deal done.’ My response ‘good luck with your search then because my son is not a bargaining chip’.

I could understand it if people on the outside looked at my schedule the way Pelinka looked at Magic’s. But as most folks who worked with me would tell you, I lived and breathed the job 24/7. It’s one thing to be physically away and another to be mentally absent. The key is making sure those inside your walls aren’t given reasons to question your commitment.

Conclusion:

If Magic Johnson wasn’t mentally invested in running the Lakers the way the franchise needed him to then that’s on the organization for agreeing to a structure that was doomed from the start. But just because they created the mess, doesn’t mean they aren’t entitled to clean it up. Magic had his reasons for not wanting to become a slave to the grind. The Lakers felt they needed more. Which is why being apart is best for all involved.

Use Your Current Clients To Make New Clients

Dave Greene
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Use Your Current Clients To Make New Clients

Question for you, how often do you use current clients to get new clients?  The answer should be often. 

The first thing we think of when it comes to using existing clients are referrals, which is a great place to start.  However, as Dale Carnegie Training has noted, 91% of customers say they would happily give referrals, but only 11% of salespeople actually ask for them.

Let me ask another question. Why would you not ask for referrals? 

The only thing I can think of is pure laziness.  Not only should you be asking current customers for referrals, you should be finding ways to incentivize your clients to do so. 

I’ve written before about a seller I knew that would go into his customer’s offices and hold his cell phone up and video them answering the question, “Why do you like working with me?”  Then, he would go in to new prospects and play the video talking about how much his clients enjoy working with him and the results he has produced.  He’d float his current client a few extra spots or some tickets and in 5 minutes he had a new tool in his tool belt. 

Asking for referrals should be something you do with any client that renews.  If they’ve run a campaign with you and it was at least successful enough for the client to want to continue doing business with you a second time, clearly they are fairly happy.  This is a good time to ask if they know of any other decision makers who might benefit from taking a meeting with you. 

Now, if any names are given, you have a warm lead to call on that will have at least one person telling them it has worked for their business.  Plus, think about the hidden benefit of getting a referral from a client – aren’t they now more likely to continue doing business with you when they’ve started to have you reach out to other people they know?

In addition to referrals, there’s another way to use current clients to gain new business.  I assume most of us do this often, but simply telling one client about the success you’ve had with other clients, or better yet, other clients within the same vertical, can go a long way. 

Back before we had any way of attributing success from radio campaigns, I’d often have conversations with prospects that would take them down a road of realizing how many clients we have on the air that are seemingly always on with us.  If they say they listen to the station, I’d ask if they could name any of our regular clients.  Usually a few are mentioned and then I would have some others I would specifically ask about.  Once we established there are quite a few “regulars” that advertise with us, I’d ask something along the lines of, “Why do you think these companies continue to do business with us?”  That’s when a moment of reality can hit and they realize these companies wouldn’t continue buying ads or digital or sponsoring events, if it wasn’t helping them grow their business.

Referrals and success stories are two of the absolute best ways to reel in new business. People want to be in good company and feel comfortable with what they’re buying.  Getting a call from someone they know and trust about the success the’re having and/or hearing about other businesses in their industry that are having success are two ways to get a prospect feeling more at ease.  But just like getting the order, you have to be willing to ask.  Be in that 11% and immediately elevate yourself above 89% of your lazy counterparts.

How You Handle Winning and Losing Says Everything About Your Leadership

Jason Barrett
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How You Handle Winning and Losing Says Everything About Your Leadership

Last week I published the quarterly ratings piece for the 2019 winter book for the sports radio format. There were over 25 markets featured, and a number of great stories for internal and external use. I write these pieces to help educate the industry on the success taking place inside this format. It not only raises the awareness of others in the industry, but it also becomes information brands can use to strengthen their bonds with audiences and advertisers.

Many in the sports radio business like to measure themselves by how they measure up against the other in-market sports competitors. If you look though at where the majority of advertising dollars and time spent listening is done, it’s not on sports stations. This is why I’ve stressed for the past few years that this format needs to think bigger and stop labeling itself as this nice little niche space. We’re better than that.

I understand there’s always going to be some ego involved and folks are going to look at who was ranked higher between two or three competing sports stations. That’s unavoidable. But regardless of the city, if there are two or three options to listen to, someone is going to finish ahead, and someone is going to finish behind. If two or three of those brands are ranked in the Top 5 or Top 10 though, that’s success, and you can make a lot of money with that type of consistent performance.

I’m a big believer that how you handle winning and losing speaks volumes about your leadership. Does the staff know where they stand and what did or didn’t work? Are people given reason to feel efforts are appreciated when results are favorable? Does the boss do anything special to show they value their employees when they achieve success? Or is the person in charge withholding information and just focusing on the next challenge without taking a minute to enjoy what the group just accomplished?

In sports, you see so many coaches who are so focused on the competition and next task that they don’t seem to be happy even when they win a title. It makes the joy of winning less fun. I’ve never understood that. If the only thing you’re focused on is playing the game or in this case, creating the content and generating ratings, how fulfilling can it be if when it works and you don’t even take a second to appreciate it?

When I programmed stations in San Francisco and St. Louis, I was notorious for holding monthly meetings with the entire staff. Weekday hosts, producers, board ops, digital folks, and at times, sales people or engineers would all be in the room. I felt it was vital for everyone to understand where the station stood from a competitive standpoint, what was positive and not up to par, what the goal was for the brand, and what was on the horizon that we needed to pay attention to.

These meetings usually ran an hour and I always tried to include some type of teachable exercise in them. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they missed, but I believed that as the leader of the brand it was important for me to keep everyone aware of our progress and help them get better. I ended each meeting by naming someone our Employee of the Month, and with that came acknowledgement from the staff and cash from my personal bank account with one caveat; the chosen individual had to put on a silly costume that tied into the way I defined their prior month of success. Most of the crew laughed and had fun with it and it brought the team together.

I find that when you lose, it’s easier to challenge a team to push harder in order to reverse your luck. You may give them a pat on the back and encourage them not to get down. Other times you may kick them in the ass and let them know you expect better. Competitive people like to win, and they don’t mind digging in deeper to try and get ahead.

But when you’re on the winning team, that too requires a certain tone and message from the program director. I personally think it’s wisest to conduct yourself in a classy manner. Thank your team for their hard work, acknowledge the audience for making a difference, pay respect to your company for giving you the tools to do your job effectively, and show respect to your competitor. If you take the high road and focus on keeping your team hungry, it shows you’re thankful for the win, not above anyone else, and committed to continue building on the momentum.

If you choose to make excuses or point fingers when you lose, it’ll make people question if you’re accountable and someone they want to go thru a wall for. Even worse, if you win and get cocky, and rub other people’s noses in it, it will come back to bite you in the ass at some point. There’s nothing people like more than to see an arrogant person get put in their place.

As a leader of a brand, you can lose sight of the fact that not everyone on your staff likes your approach or vision. You can talk about keeping things inside the locker room and acting like a team until you’re blue in the face, but some people may not like your personality, the way you address issues or manage other staff members or they just may be unhappy with their work schedule or salary. Those can all be motivators to expose you in a negative manner.

People in this industry have long memories. What you say and do gets magnified especially when you’re in charge. If you aren’t careful and self aware of how things can be used against you, it’ll do damage. It may also prevent someone from wanting to work for you in the future who could help your brand.

I saw an example of this recently, and I’m not going to identify the market or station out of respect for them, but how they conducted themselves after earning a victory was disappointing. This is a station I respect with a number of good talented people working at it, and it’s done well in the ratings for quite some time. In my opinion, they should’ve been looking forward instead of spitting downhill at others.

After seeing the example of what occurred I told an industry friend “when you live in a mansion with iron gates, have the best home in the city, and have homeless people standing on the outside, you don’t antagonize them and offer to give up your home if they can climb over or thru the fence.”

There was little to gain and everything to lose for the brand in this situation. One cocky response which took jabs at the fans of a local market pro team, and disrespected competitors, was put in writing and wound up on social media. That led to unnecessary negative attention for the station and program director.

If even one meter left the radio station or one news outlet wrote a column giving the station bad PR, is it worth it? The PPM system we deal with is far from perfect. Most PD’s don’t know their metered users on a personal level and why listeners use their stations a certain way. We rely on data, listening patterns, and gut instincts when making decisions. To assume you know everything that works when all it takes is one person going on vacation or one meter dropping out of a panel is silly.

If you’re having a good run, appreciate and celebrate it. If you have a programming philosophy that involves highlighting one team more than another that’s fine. Every market has certain content that tests higher. But don’t make the mistake of leaving a trail of evidence that shows you don’t value certain teams, fan bases and local competitors in your market. That will cost you in more ways than one.

You don’t need to hold staff meetings, share information, give out cash, and put colleagues in goofy costumes to create a good culture. That worked for my brands, but it’s not for everyone. What is important is that you show respect and conduct yourself with class especially in victory. If you don’t, the people helping you win today may be the ones costing you tomorrow.

How Do Sellers Make The Most Of Seasonal Clients?

Dave Greene
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How Do Sellers Make The Most Of Seasonal Clients?

This has been mentioned in this space before, but I once heard a great description of how to prospect when you’re selling sports radio.  An old boss said, “Picture any business and put an armed guard out in front of it.  That guard’s only job is to make sure that no 25-54 year old men get in.  Now, would that business survive?  If the answer is no, they’re a great target.”

There are other qualifications, of course, such as do they have the money to spend (most importantly!) but this tip is a pretty good place to start.  However, a couple of times a year, it’s really the exact opposite.

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, this is one of those times when we are able to sell to some businesses who would otherwise not be a great target.  This time of year, along with Valentine’s Day and mid-December for the holidays, are times when seasonal advertisers like florists, day spas, higher end restaurants and certain retailers come in to play.

I’ve found in these instances it is always best to be the early bird.  When the beginning of May rolls around, if that’s the first time you’re talking to people about Mother’s Day advertising, good luck. The best strategy with seasonal business is to try and lock it in in advance, preferably during your up-front sale at the end of the previous year.

It’s never a secret when these holidays and special occasions are coming up, yet too many times I hear promotions staff and sellers talking about what to do for these after it’s already too late.  Late January isn’t the time to be talking about what to do for Valentine’s Day, November would be a much better time to do so.

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We often talk about cultivating relationships with clients and not being that AE who only talks to clients when it’s renewal time.  With these short term or seasonal clients, it’s even more likely to happen so we have to be extra careful.  I think it’s important to remember that men are always needing to buy their wives or girlfriends gifts.  There are birthdays, anniversaries and, of course, those times when we find ourselves in the doghouse and need to earn our way out. 

These are all good reasons to talk to some of these businesses about doing more than just the 2-3 times per year push with our sports stations.  I remember working with a florist in St. Louis who typically only bought us during these times, but then after he had built up a relationship with our audience, he realized that he needed to have a constant reminder to our listeners that no matter the occasion, he was the florist you should use, and it paid off.

Remind yourself to get in to see your seasonal advertisers other times of the year.  We can’t just assume these clients are sitting around waiting for us to come by because it’s Mothers Day in a few weeks.  Have a yearly planning meeting set up with them so you can lay out where they want to run or heavy up, but be sure to check in a few other times during the year just to see how business is going and perhaps start working early on copy and promotional ideas.  We usually know well in advance when these advertisers are going to run so it makes no sense to wait until the last minute. 

Also, it’s ok to be the seller who is asking about promotions for these holidays well in advance.  A lot of us in media are guilty of only thinking 30 days (or less) out.  Sometimes the reason there is no Mother’s Day promotion locked in is because nobody has asked about it.  

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The most successful sellers I’ve seen will generally lay out their year, before it starts, and are making calls for seasonal advertisers at least 90 days in advance.  Get out in front of these opportunities and you could earn quite a bit of short term business.  But, show up two weeks before Valentine’s Day and I don’t care how good of an idea you have with you, that business has already made plans with another station and you lost out.

The 2019 Winter Ratings Report For Sports Radio

Jason Barrett
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The 2019 Winter Ratings Report For Sports Radio

The fall tends to be when sports radio pulls out all the stops. The format loads up on content, hoping to capitalize on the countless opportunities available due to a crowded sports calendar. But once the Super Bowl is over, audiences can be harder to reach thanks to less action and weaker storylines.

Regardless of those challenges, the winter book represents each station’s first report card for the calendar year. Getting off on the right foot is important because it can send a brand backwards if they don’t.

For our first quarterly ratings report for the sports radio format in 2019 we begin with a look at some of the key takeaways from 25 different markets. We hoped to have this out a week or two sooner but sometimes data takes a little longer to come in. Though there’s a constant pressure to get things out quickly, we’d rather take our time to gather information, analyze it, and produce a thorough review especially when it involves something as important as a brand or market’s quarterly performance.

If you don’t see a market listed below it’s because we didn’t have access to their data this quarter. With that in mind, if you manage a station and would like your city/brand included in our spring report, please be sure to pass along your information via email to JBarrett@hvy.tcp.mybluehost.me.

Also, we understand that you may be aware of a few of these stories already, especially in some of the nation’s larger cities. Whether it’s already been reported or not though we felt it was important to include the information since this piece examines the quarterly performance of the sports talk format.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a look at how the sports talk format radio performed across the country in the 2019 winter book.

NEW YORK:

Chances are you’re aware by now of the winter book ratings controversy in the big apple involving Mike Francesa and The Michael Kay Show. It may be old news by now but since this is a quarterly ratings piece on the sports radio format we’re going to cover it once more.

The overall quarter was once again won by WFAN but the weekday shows draw all the attention in the nation’s largest market. Starting with mornings, The Fan’s ‘Boomer and Gio’ finished 5th with a 5.3, a two tenths of a point gain year to year. 98.7 ESPN NY’s airing of ‘Golic and Wingo’ did a 3.6, six tenths of a point higher year over year.

Shifting to middays, Joe and Evan had the best number on FAN for the quarter with a 7.2 which was enough to place them 3rd. ESPN NY’s ‘Humpty and Canty with Rothenberg’ were further back with a 2.8. CMB wrapped up the midday sweep for The Fan by delivering a 6.8, also good enough for 3rd place. ESPN NY’s airing of The Stephen A. Smith Show generated a 3.1.

The most contested race took place in afternoons and who won depends on which version of the numbers you value most. If you go strictly by the Nielsen radio ratings, The Michael Kay Show defeated Mike Francesa 5.9. to 5.5. But since The Fan’s stream is measured separately, and ESPN NY includes theirs in their overall number, this has created room for debate. With the stream added, Francesa wins 6.2 to 5.9.

I have a few thoughts on this situation that I want to pass along. I have no dog in this fight and am not looking to change anyone’s mind. I just want to give you a few things to think about.

First, Francesa has a valid point. Why should a part of his audience not count while Kay’s does? That makes no sense. The days of counting only people listening to radio stations are long gone and the fact that this is even a conversation shows how badly our industry misses the mark at times.

But what’s come to light in NYC is nothing new. This debate has waged on in multiple markets for the past few years. I hope for the industry’s sake that the double dipping for revenue purposes is worth it for the radio stations that have to deal with bad PR and sales headaches over not having one total number.

But Kay also has a legitimate claim to victory. He won the ‘radio’ ratings for the quarter. That’s long been the focus for how we measure and bonus shows in this format. Now when he produces a better radio number than Francesa, the streaming argument comes into play?

Is it Kay’s fault that Francesa’s station chose to run their business differently? No. He did what he was supposed to and won the battle he’s been told mattered most since he began trying to win this ratings war. The same one everyone gave Francesa credit for winning his entire career. I’m pretty sure Kay’s GM (Tim McCarthy) will be bonusing Michael, Don and Peter based on where they finished the quarter in the radio ratings, not where they’d be if The Fan’s streaming number is included.

What I’d like to know is why is this a talking point now? It wasn’t brought up in the past when Francesa was cruising to ratings wins.

Here’s something else I’ve wondered about. When Kay won the winter book last year over CMB by two tenths of a point, why wasn’t anything said then about the streaming number? I don’t remember the number being added to CMB’s performance. If it was, then how much worse was their radio number? If it wasn’t, would CMB have won with it included? If so, then why wasn’t a bigger deal made of it? That’d seem to be pretty important and worth battling for given that the show was brand new and taking over for a NY sports radio legend. If they won that book, maybe less noise is made over them being installed in PM drive.

Perhaps even more worthy of questioning is the actual streaming performance of the market’s top shows. Given that we live now in a world where people listen heavily on their phones, computers, smart speakers, and to podcasts after a show airs live, doesn’t it seem odd that in a market like NYC, a show like Francesa’s would only generate seven tenths of a point in streaming listening? I don’t buy it. If Michael Kay’s number is included in his total rating, I’m sure his streaming number is relatively low too. With all of the promotion given from ESPN and the YES Network that doesn’t make a ton of sense either.

Let me be clear, this is not a knock on either show’s ability to generate listening on the stream. It’s more of a question about Nielsen’s ability to fully capture each station’s digital audience. I’m sure if I looked at The Fan and ESPN NY’s digital numbers they’ll show a much stronger story than what’s been reported by radio’s measurement service.

To wrap this up, Kay and Francesa both had a legitimate reason to proclaim victory but because their stations run their businesses differently it’s put them in a position of having to defend their performances. Maybe that’s not ideal but it does keep people talking and the industry paying extra attention.

LOS ANGELES:

The winter book in the nation’s 2nd largest market saw both ESPN LA 710 and AM 570 LA Sports make strides. Each station improved its weekday prime share book to book. 710 overall led the quarter by one point.

Mornings were a close battle with 710’s ‘Keyshawn, LZ and Travis’ edging The Dan Patrick Show and 1-hour of Colin Cowherd by three tenths of a point. Middays saw Stephen A. Smith edge the remaining two hours of Cowherd’s program also by three tenths of a point, and ‘Mason and Ireland’ turn in just under a 4 share to deliver a win over Fred Roggin and Rodney Peete. 710 finished up with Jorge Sedano earning a victory in afternoons over 570’s ‘Petros and Money’.

Though it was just one month I did notice some positive signs for both brands in the month of March. 570 gained ground year to year in every single weekday category especially with DP and Colin. 710 also received a lift in most spots with Stephen A. generating the best year to year share increase. Will the final month of the book carry over and lead both brands to a strong spring book? Only time will tell.

CHICAGO:

This is one of our favorite market’s to cover because both brands have been operating the format for a lengthy amount of time, the PD’s are both smart quality people, and there’s a lot of good talent to listen to on the air. But over the past year, this has started to become a one horse race with 670 The Score pulling away. That was the case again in the 2019 winter book as The Score won every key matchup.

Starting with weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) The Score finished tied for 4th with a 5 share, 2 full points ahead of ESPN 1000 who came in 11th. The Score also won the full week, coming in 6th with a low 4 share, nearly two full points in front of ESPN 1000 who were tied for 15th.

The weekday shows produced a similar story with The Score’s morning show ‘Mully and Haugh’ turning in a strong 3rd place performance with a 7.7 share. ESPN 1000’s airing of Golic and Wingo was a little more than 5 shares behind, putting the station in 9th place.

In middays, ‘Bernstein and McKnight’ on The Score finished comfortably ahead of 1000, coming in 9th with a mid 3 share. 1000’s David Kaplan was just under a 2 share and ‘Carmen and Jurko’ delivered a high 2 share for their full shows.

Afternoons were once again won by The Score’s team of Dan McNeil and Danny Parkins. The Score was 5th with a mid 4 share. ESPN 1000’s ‘Waddle & Silvy’ were tied for 7th with a low 4 share which was 1000’s best showing for the book.

When you look at the past two years a few things stand out. First, The Score should feel great about the progress it’s made. Twenty four months ago ESPN 1000 was winning this head to head matchup. 12 months later The Score took the lead. This year 670 has extended it. However, a big part of this story is ESPN 1000’s loss of share.

Case in point, at this time last year, ‘Mully and Hanley’ finished the winter book with a 7.5. That’s two tenths lower than ‘Mully and Haugh’. ‘Spiegel and Parkins’ in middays recorded a 5.1 which was a point and a half better than ‘Bernstein and McKnight’. Afternoons were practically a wash with ‘McNeil and Parkins’ one tenth of a point higher than ‘Bernstein and Goff’.

That means The Score stayed consistent but didn’t add much share. Yet during that same twelve month period, ESPN 1000 lost six tenths of a point in mornings, almost two full points between the hours of 9a-1p, and a little more than a point in afternoon drive. Two years ago at this time David Kaplan and Waddle and Silvy were both celebrating 1st place finishes.

Midday listening is down for both brands which is why The Score’s decision to install Laurence Holmes into the daytime lineup makes a ton of sense. 1000 has to figure out where their meters have gone during that time because David Kaplan and ‘Carmen & Jurko’ didn’t forget how to deliver a good show and entertain an audience. 1000 also has some work to do to get a few ears back on their drive time shows. While they search for solutions, The Score is sitting pretty in the driver’s seat.

DALLAS:

The winter book once again showed both Sports Radio 1310/96.7 The Ticket and 105.3 The Fan in healthy positions. The quarter was kinder though to The Ticket who finished 1st in weekday prime with a high 6 share. The Fan was strong too though coming in tied for 3rd with just under a mid 5 share.

Looking at the weekday shows, ‘The Musers’ were 2nd with a low 6 share, seven tenths of a point in front of The Fan’s ‘Shan & RJ’ who came in 4th. ‘G-Bag Nation’ on The Fan tied the combination of ‘Norm & Donovan’ and ‘BaD Radio’ for 3rd with just under a 6 share between the hours of 10a-3p. Afternoons found ‘The Hardline’ in 1st with just under an 8 share, three points ahead of ‘Ben and Skin’ who came in 5th.

The ratings listed above are the radio numbers for the quarter. This doesn’t include each station’s streaming numbers. There were a few positives for the quarter in that department. One which stood out for The Ticket was The Musers streaming number beating 103.3 ESPN’s radio number 1.8 to 1.4. The Hard Line also popped an additional 1 share thru the stream.

One item that has to feel good for folks at The Fan, the station has grown its share by over a full point over the past 3 years in the winter book among both Men 25-54 and Persons 25-54. They’ve also made significant gains in their ranking positions.

Though it’s easy to get caught up in who’s winning, both stations were consistently in the Top 3-5 across the board. That’s a strong representation of the market’s appetite for sports radio content.

SAN FRANCISCO:

KNBR rebounded from losing the fall book to 95.7 The Game to win the winter book. The Sports Leader was 4th in both weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) and the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid). The Game slipped to 8th in prime and 9th for the full week.

Turning to the weekday programs, ‘Murph and Mac’ bounced back from their fall defeat to knock off ‘Joe, Lo and Dibbs’. M&M were 4th with a low 5 share, better than a point and a half in front of JLD who came in 9th.

Afternoon drive saw the team of Tom Tolbert and John Lund finish 1st in the market with an impressive 7.3. The Game’s Damon Bruce placed 7th just under a 4 share.

Middays are a little trickier since the two stations air shows at different times. Regardless KNBR’s Gary Radnich and Larry Krueger won their head to head matchup between 10a-1p. The duo came in 6th with a high 4 share. The Game’s Matt Steinmetz and ‘The Guru’ Daryle Johnson were 9th with a mid 3 share during their 10a-12p show.

The Game did earn a head to head victory in weekday prime thanks to Greg Papa and Bonta Hill. Papa and Hill recorded a 5.3 during their 3 hour show which was good enough for 4th. KNBR’s ‘Fitz and Brooks’ finished in 7th with a low 4 share during their two hours on-air.

Year to year the market has lost more than 3 shares of sports radio listening which is odd but both brands remain in good shape. The spring book should especially be fun to watch as Giants baseball should boost KNBR’s cume, and a Warriors playoff run should increase The Game’s numbers. Add in the 49ers picking 2nd in this past NFL Draft and there’s a lot to draw people to the dial in the Bay Area.

HOUSTON:

The winter book belonged to 97.5 ESPN Houston. The station finished ahead of Sports Radio 610 and SportsTalk 790 in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a low 2 share. 610 produced a mid 1 share and 790 hovered around a 1 share.

Where 97.5 received its top performances was in morning and afternoon drive. ‘The Bench’ with John Granato and Lance Zierlein delivered just under a 3.5 during their show (7a-9a) which was higher than the other two stations combined during those 2 hours. ‘The Blitz’ with Fred Faour and AJ Hoffman accomplished the same feat in afternoons with a mid 2 share. One point to keep in mind though, 610 and 790 feature 4-hour morning shows.

That said, it was a strong showing all the way around for 97.5. 790 has since made adjustments to its weekday lineup, and 610 has landed a top notch PD in Armen Williams to try and reverse their luck. We’ll see if it makes any difference when the spring numbers come out.

PHILADELPHIA:

The winter book produced a lot of strong results for both local sports stations but from a sheer bragging rights standpoint WIP earned top honors over 97.5 The Fanatic this quarter. WIP finished 2nd for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with a mid 8 share. The Fanatic was 4th with a high 5 share.

In the individual dayparts, Angelo Cataldi continued to demonstrate why he’s one of the best in the format by producing just under a 10 share to finish 2nd. The Fanatic’s morning show featuring Marc Farzetta and Tra Thomas were 4th with a mid 5 share.

Middays saw Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie continue to win their daypart with a high 8 share. The Fanatic’s Anthony Gargano and Jason Myrtetus were 6th despite increasing the station’s share to a 6 share.

The competitive afternoon battle this quarter went in favor of Jon Marks and Ike Reese who finished 1st in the daypart with a 9.2, six tenths of a point in front of Mike Missanelli who came in 4th.

WIP’s Joe Giglio also turned in a strong showing at night finishing 1st with just under a 7 and a half share. The Fanatic was tied for 6th with just under a mid 5 share.

As strong as WIP was this quarter with Men 25-54, it’s worth sharing their Adults 25-54 story too. The station finished 5th overall in the demo with just below a 6 share. The results were even better in mornings where Cataldi placed 2nd with a mid 7 share. Marks and Reese also boosted the station to 4th in afternoons with a 6 share.

It’s only fair to mention that The Fanatic is disputing the final result in afternoons. The station contends that with their streaming number added to the mix they’d have tied WIP’s ‘Marks and Reese’. However, WIP doesn’t include their streaming in their overall number so that didn’t give them an unfair advantage. If neither brand gained an advantage from a streaming lift and it’s a pure radio rating vs. radio rating, then the only conclusion we can come up with is it was a better winter book for WIP’s afternoon show.

WASHINGTON DC:

The quarter was strong once again for 106.7 The Fan. DC’s sports radio leader finished 2nd in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a low 8 share, and 3rd for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with a mid 6 share. Team 980 was further back with low 1 shares in both categories.

The weekday shows produced a similar story with The Sports Junkies capturing 3rd place with an impressive 8 and a half share. Grant and Danny grew 106.7’s share even higher in middays, turning in just under a 10 share, although their ranking position was also 3rd. Afternoons saw Chad Dukes come in 4th with a low 7 share. However, Dukes was just one tenth of a point away from being tied for 2nd.

DETROIT:

The Ticket remains one of the best stories for the entire sports format, performing on an elite level with all radio brands in the Detroit market. For the winter book the station was #1 with Men 25-54 for weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with just under a 12 share and 1st for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with just under a 10. The weekday shows were equally dominant with ‘Karsch & Anderson’ (13.9) and Mike Valenti (13.3) finishing 1st in their dayparts, and ‘Jamie and Stoney’ (9.0) placing 2nd in mornings.

The station’s success with Men also carried over to Persons 25-54 where Valenti (8.4) and ‘Karsch & Anderson’ (9.1) were 1st in middays and ‘Jamie & Stoney’ finished 4th with a 6.1.

When the conversation for a sports station becomes “how do we make sure we’re beating every station in the market in all demos” that’s when you know you’re in the money. That’s where The Ticket finds itself on a pretty regular basis.

BOSTON:

The winter book was an enjoyable one for 98.5 The Sports Hub. The Boston sports station finished 1st overall with Men 25-54 a 13 share. Helping guide The Hub to 1st place finishes this quarter were ‘Toucher and Rich’ who delivered a low 12 share in morning drive, ‘Zolak and Bertrand’ who generated just under a 13 and a half share in middays, ‘Felger and Massarotti’ who produced the best overall number in the market with a mid 15 share, and Adam Jones who cranked out a 9 and a half during the evening.

WEEI was lower than they’ve been in the past but still finished in solid shape. ‘Mut and Callahan’ turned in a high 7 share to finish 2nd in mornings, ‘Dale and Keefe’ came in 3rd with a low 7 share in middays, and ‘OMF’ recorded a 6 and a half share to place 3rd in afternoons. The station’s evening programming was just under a 4 share which put them just outside the Top 10.

One item worthy of being mentioned, the loss of Kirk Minihane in morning drive on WEEI has had a big effect on the ratings.

SEATTLE:

Despite not having a ton to work with from a local sports standpoint, 710 ESPN remained strong for the quarter leading the market with a 7th place finish in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 5 share among Men 25-54. Sports Radio KJR finished 15th for the quarter.

710’s best performance came in mornings where ‘Brock and Salk’ finished 6th with a mid 5 share. ‘Danny, Dave and Moore’ were only one tenth of a point and one ranking position behind the mornings team’s performance in afternoons. ‘Bob, Groz and Tom’ and John Clayton both placed 7th for the winter book with high 4 shares.

PHOENIX:

Book after book the story remains the same in the valley of the sun, 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station operates on a different level than the rest of the market options. Bonneville’s sports station finished the quarter 5th in weekday prime with Men 25-54 with a low 5 share. The other local sports radio brands were under a 1 share.

‘Doug & Wolf’ helped fuel 98.7’s success with a 4th place showing in mornings with just under a mid 5 share. ‘Bickley and Marotta’ earned the same share as the morning crew though they came in 5th in middays. ‘Burns and Gambo’ closed things out in afternoons in 7th with a share that was one tenth of a point lower than 98.7’s other two shows.

MINNEAPOLIS:

The Twin Cities is very interesting because you have two stations producing full time sports content with very different agendas. KFAN is radio focused and firmly in the driver’s position from a ratings standpoint. SKOR North (formerly 1500 ESPN) on the other hand was introduced to the market in January and places a higher priority on digital and less on traditional radio ratings.

Because this piece deals primarily with radio ratings we’re going to look solely at KFAN’s winter performance. However, there were some really interesting and positive developments for SKOR North on the digital front. That may be something worth covering in a separate piece at some point.

For the quarter, KFAN remained strong. The station produced just above a 10 share for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) and was either 1st or 2nd in each of its respective dayparts. Paving the way for the station was ‘The Power Trip’ which popped just under a 14 share. The midday programs hosted by Paul Allen and The Common Man both delivered mid to high 8 shares, and Dan Barreiro continued to lead in afternoons with just under a 12 share.

SAN DIEGO:

The Mighty 1090 may no longer be in business but for the station’s final full book the programming team can rest easy knowing they went out on top. 1090 cruised to victory with Men 25-54 finishing 6th in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a high 4 share. The station also led all local sports radio brands for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) tying for 11th with a little more than a mid 3 share.

In the weekday show categories, ‘Ben and Woods’ led 1090 to a win in mornings by coming in 7th with a 4 share. 1090’s airing of Stephen A. Smith Show dropped the station to 14th with a mid 2 share but that was still good enough to win the head to head competition. From 12p-3p Darren Smith was dominant producing the best share for the quarter of any local market sports talk show. Smith came in 2nd with just under a 7 share. Completing the ratings sweep in afternoons was ‘Scott & BR’ who were tied for 4th with a 6 share.

By comparison, 97.3 The Fan and XTRA 1360 were further back for the quarter. The Fan was 21st in weekday prime and full week. XTRA 1360 was 23rd in prime and 22nd for the full week. Jim Rome’s program delivered the best rating for the quarter on The Fan. Colin Cowherd’s show produced the top result for 1360.

TAMPA:

2018 wasn’t kind to WDAE but 2019 is already showing signs of a major turnaround for Tampa’s leading sports station. With its weekday lineup now solidified, WDAE finished just outside the Top 10 in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with Men 25-54. The bigger story though was the station’s year to year performance which was up more than 70%.

A big part of that growth for WDAE was the reunion of Ron Diaz and Ian Beckles. The new afternoon team recorded a 6th place finish in their first full book, over 3 shares higher year to year. Additionally WDAE enjoyed significant gains year to year in both morning drive and middays.

PORTLAND:

1080 The Fan and 102.9/750 The Game continued their battle for bragging rights in the market by tying in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a low 2 share with Men 25-54. ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ helped The Game win in mornings, delivering the best rating of any sports talk show in the market for the quarter (low 4 share). That was better than a point and a half ahead of ‘Dusty and Cam’. Jim Rome also led The Game to a win with a 2 share which was 8 tenths ahead of Colin Cowherd’s show on 1080.

Between the hours of 12p-3p ‘Dirt and Sprague’ helped 1080 slip by over The Game’s John Canzano by 3 tenths of a point. Afternoons saw 1080 earn their most decisive win with Isaac & Suke producing more than double the share of The Game’s airing of Bill Reiter’s show. Rip City Radio placed 3rd for the quarter.

ST. LOUIS:

Similar to the stories in Detroit and Phoenix, 101 ESPN is on a very different level when it comes to local sports radio listening. The station’s competition has become music brands vying for the Male 25-54 listener. Other sports options in the marketplace don’t rank high enough to warrant additional details.

For the quarter St. Louis’ sports station finished 3rd in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a high 6 share. The station was just under a 6 share and tied for 3rd for the full week. 3rd place was also where 101 ESPN saw Bernie Miklasz, Kevin Wheeler, Anthony Stalter and The Fast Lane finish in their respective dayparts.

CHARLOTTE:

WFNZ continued to lead the market, finishing just outside the Top 10 for the quarter in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with Men 25-54. One particularly impressive feat, the station was 1st overall in the market for the book in TSL. The best ranking on the station for the quarter went to Nick Wilson and Josh Parcell who finished 9th in middays.

PITTSBURGH:

93.7 The Fan continued their dominance for the quarter. The station placed 2nd for the quarter M-SU 6a-Mid with a low 11 share. That was a year to year gain of nearly 2 and a half shares. In weekday prime the performance was even stronger. The Fan popped a high 12 share which was up 4 and a half points year to year.

Sizing up the weekday shows, The Fan Morning Show was 2nd with an impressive 14.3 up more than 5 shares year to year. The show’s March number was especially strong (mid 15 share).

In middays, Cook and Joe were #1 for the quarter with a mid 15 share, up nearly 5 full points year to year. March was incredible for the midday team too as they delivered a 17 share, best on the radio station.

Turning to afternoons, Poni and Mueller were #3 for the Winter book with a mid 9 share, up 1 point year to year. This is the daypart where The Fan has their heaviest competition. Mark Madden remained in front for the quarter.

To put into perspective how strong The Fan’s quarter was, here’s a quick look at some of their Persons 25-54 highlights. The morning show was 2nd in the market with a low 9 share. Cook and Joe were 2nd in middays with a low 10 share, and the station overall in weekday prime was 3rd with a low 8 share, and 5th overall for the full week with a low 7 share.

If advertisers are trying to reach people and move product in Pittsburgh there’s no way right now they can afford to not be on the market’s top sports station. Their numbers are extraordinary.

KANSAS CITY:

The winter book was beneficial for both Sports Radio 810 WHB and 610 Sports but it was 810 who led the way with Men 25-54 in the key weekday demos. WHB finished ahead in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) and full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) recording 3rd place finishes in both categories. ‘The Border Patrol’ with Steven St. John and Nate Bukaty were the highest ranked sports radio show in mornings (3rd). ‘The Program with Soren Petro’ earned the same respect in middays (3rd), and ‘Between The Lines with Kevin Kietzman’ prevailed as well in afternoons (4th).

One positive for both brands were their average rating rankings. These numbers are utilized more in the sales department, not the share numbers programmers look at. WHB was 3rd in mornings and middays, and 4th in afternoons with a 1.0 or higher. 610 also performed well coming in tied for 5th in mornings and afternoons with a 0.6. Based on the results both brands should be on the radar to earn future business.

MILWAUKEE:

This is a market that has flown under the radar in the past but going forward it should be worth paying further attention to. iHeart has entered the sports radio race with 97.3 The Game and just added Steve Czaban to morning drive. Good Karma moved to FM with 94.5 ESPN and recently brought in former Minneapolis PD Brad Lane to steer the ship. Then there’s the market leader 105.7 The Fan operated by Entercom who remain the most familiar to local sports talk listeners.

Analyzing the winter book, which was the first 3-month period where all 3 brands operated on the FM dial, 105.7 The Fan remained in front but the race was tighter than it’s been in the past. The Fan won the full week by four tenths of a point over 94.5 ESPN and were over a point in front of The Game. For weekday prime The Fan held a nine tenths of a point advantage over 94.5 ESPN and were nearly two full points in front of The Game.

Turning to the weekday dayparts (which in the future will require a lot more detail since each station features programming during different hours), The Fan received its best performance for the quarter from its morning show Chuck & Winkler which finished 10th overall with a mid 3 share. 94.5 ESPN was nine tenths back in 14th, and The Game finished 18th more than 2 shares behind.

Middays saw The Fan’s Bill Michaels win his timeslot of 10a-2p with just under a 3 share which was good enough to finish tied for 12th. 94.5 ESPN came in 16th with a low 1 share, just two tenths of a points in front of The Game who placed 18th.

Finishing up with afternoons, The Big Show on The Fan emerged victorious between 2p-6p, coming in 13th with a low 3 share. That was seven tenths better than 94.5 ESPN who finished 15th. The Game came in 19th trailing by almost 2 full points.

Though it was a good book for The Fan, remember that these were the first full books for 94.5 ESPN and 97.3 The Game on the FM dial. With lineup reinforcements on the way for The Game, and Good Karma owning the radio play by play rights to the Packers, Brewers and Bucks on their sister station WTMJ (dominant NewsTalk brand in the market), this race should be much tighter in the weeks and months ahead. May the best brand win!

INDIANAPOLIS:

107.5/1070 The Fan continued to lead the market with Dan Dakich giving the station a strong performance between Noon and 3pm. Dakich’s low 6 share was good enough to place tied for 6th for the winter book. The Fan also received solid showings from JMV in afternoons and ‘The Jeff and Big Joe’ show in middays. ‘Golic and Wingo’ lagged though with a low 3 share.

NASHVILLE:

Though their share may be down compared to 2 years ago, 104.5 The Zone remains the market leader across all key categories. The station finished the winter book 1st in weekday prime with Men 25-54 as well as #1 in middays (Midday 180) and tied for 1st in afternoons (3HL). Mornings (Wake Up Zone) for The Zone produced a 2nd place finish. One additional positive for Nashville’s ratings leader were #1 rankings for all key weekday shows with Men 18+.

MEMPHIS:

92.9 ESPN remained strong delivering a 4th place performance for the quarter with Men 25-54. The individual breakdowns found ‘Jason & John’ in 3rd with just above a 9 share in their daypart. Gary Parrish came in 2nd in afternoons with just under a mid 10 share. Geoff Calkins finished 5th between 9a-11a at just under a 7 share. Eric Hasseltine and ‘Golic & Wingo’ were both in 6th place in their respective dayparts. Hasseltine produced a low 8 share while Golic and Wingo were in 6 share territory.

OKLAHOMA CITY:

The quarter saw The Sports Animal once again turn in impressive numbers with Men 25-54 for all weekday shows. The Morning Animals recorded a 2nd place finish with an 8.7. Craig Humphreys placed 4th between 9a-12p with a mid 6 share. The Monsters of the Midday tied for 3rd with a low 7 share followed by Jim Traber registering a 3rd place tie between 2p-6p with a low 5 share. The hours of 4p-8p which include Al Eschbach saw the Sports Animal come in 7th with a low 4 share.

For 107.7 The Franchise there was something to feel great about as well. During the hours of 3p-6p the station’s afternoon show, ‘Triple M Ranch’ featuring Sam Mayes, Colby Daniels, and Aaron Davis finished ahead of The Sports Animal. They edged Traber during those three hours by two tenths of a point, finishing with a low 5 share.

The best performance for the quarter with Persons 25-54 came from The Sports Animals who came in 5th with a high 5 share. Overall OKC’s two sports radio brands were once again in strong shape.

CLEVELAND:

Full market data wasn’t available but we did learn that The Bull and Fox on 92.3 The Fan finished 1st overall in PMDR. The popular show has been tops in their daypart for 4 of the past 6 books.

You Have A Lot Of Products To Sell

Dave Greene
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You Have A Lot Of Products To Sell

What do we sell?  A better question might be, what don’t we sell? 

Fifteen-second commercials.  Thirty-second commercials.  Sixty-second commercials.  Live endorsement ads. Open and closing billboards.  Sponsorships for the studio, a show, an hour, the phones, the text line, the streaming, the traffic center, the weather center, the sports update desk and on and on. Targeted display. SEM. SEO. Pre-roll. Home-page takeovers. Emails.  Events.  Promotions.  And, I’m sure I’ve missed a few things.

Image result for we sell everything

The fact of the matter is, we all have so much to sell and so much to focus on, that it is possible (and maybe likely) to get lost some of the time.  We all know the drill, someone from the company flies in to town to train us on the latest product we are going to roll out.  Enthusiasm is high, the new product gets some momentum and then in a few weeks something else comes along that takes our attention away.  Pretty soon, that product that was hot for a bit is on the back burner and the new one has taken its place.

There was already too much to sell when it was just radio and events.  Digital has added a whole new set of tools to our belts, but has also added a lot more information to our already clogged heads.  Plus, part of our jobs is not only to inform clients and prospects about our full product portfolio, but also to keep up with the latest and greatest, which can change by the day, seemingly, when it comes to digital. 

I teach my teams to take digital a couple of products at a time.  Learn them, figure out the best targets for them and then book meetings to talk about them as part of a prospect’s media mix.  If you’re lucky enough to have a Digital Sales Manager, take them with you so you can hear several times how those particular products are pitched. 

When it comes to learning about new products, training or items covered in other meetings, I always make the suggestion to try and take one or two things out of each.  This goes for all of our products, but especially digital, if you try and take in all of the information thrown at you, it will be impossible.  Know what problems the product solves for your clients and start there.  If that problem comes up down the road, you can pull that solution out of your memory bank and then dig in to its intricacies.

With our radio and event options, keep your customer and their target audience at the forefront.  We never want to sell something because it’s what we want to sell, it has to be what helps solve the client’s problem.  If you feel like there are too many options of stations or products that could be presented, put yourself in the client’s shoes. 

You are supposed to be the marketing consultant, so, assuming you did a good needs analysis and really drilled down to find their key marketing challenges, you should have the information you need to guide them to making the right decisions.  If you owned this business and were the one investing in marketing and advertising, which of the products would you buy in order to best reach that target audience?

We have a lot to offer and each product offers a potential solution to a variety of problems.  Your expertise should come in to play when deciding which products to focus on for each individual client presentation.  Whether it’s fifteens, thirties, sixties, endorsements, sponsorships, digital, events, promotions or any of the other numerous items we have at our disposal, recommend the best path so your client makes good decisions and never feels lost.

Dan Mason Becomes Chairman of VSiN

Jason Barrett
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VSiN continues to invest in sound leadership. The company has announced that Dan Mason has been named Chairman of VSiN (Vegas Stats & Information Network). He had previously served as strategic advisor to the sports betting information media network for the better part of the past year.

As part of Mason’s increased role, he will continue working with VSiN’s management team to capitalize on growth and partnership opportunities in the sports betting and media space. In addition to his position with VSiN, Mason serves as chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America, senior advisor for Broadcast Relations for iHeartMedia and contributes to the Horse Racing Radio Network.

“There are few media executives with both the experience and reputation that Dan brings to the table,” VSiN founder and CEO Brian Musburger said in a release. “He’s already brought invaluable guidance to our team as a senior adviser and investor, and we look forward to having even greater access to his unmatched depth of knowledge and relationships in this industry.”

“Brian and his team have caught lightning in a bottle here,” Mason added. “Besides establishing itself on the satellite platform, recently extending its agreement with SiriusXM, VSiN has made tremendous inroads into the OTT space with Sling TV and fuboTV, as well as growing its own subscription offerings. We will now look to further expand our reach across video and audio channels, including terrestrial radio where sports have thrived for decades.”

For more information on VSiN visit their website by clicking here.

The Good, Bad, And Weird Of The 2019 NFL Draft

Andy Masur
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The Good, Bad, And Weird Of The 2019 NFL Draft

Maybe I’m showing my age. Maybe I’m just over it. Maybe it was just too much this year. I don’t know, but I just couldn’t get into the 2019 NFL Draft. Believe me, I get that I’m completely in the minority according to the numbers. 

Kyler Murray

NFL Communications issued a press release Monday, with a headline, “2019 NFL Draft reaches new heights and record numbers: 47.5 million viewers and 600,000 fans in attendance making it the highest rated, most watched and most attended ever.”  Numbers don’t always tell the story, considering you had a choice of NFL Network, The ESPN family (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes), ABC and all of the aforementioned web platforms. If you wanted it, you could find it. For others there was no escape from it. 

I give the league a lot of credit as a marketing entity. They really controlled the overall message from the very beginning. Roger Goodell was booed loudly when he welcomed everyone to Music City. The booing continued even with Titans’ QB Marcus Mariota, Hall of Famers Tim Brown and Mean Joe Greene up there with him to deflect some of the attention away. 

Everything seemed very choreographed and on point. The message seemed to be, “The NFL is pure, family entertainment. It loves kids, the military and its Hall of Fame players.” It was like a bad magician who tells you to “look at this hand, see its waving, but don’t look over here!”.  Ignoring all of the issues that the league has on its plate.

It’s a pretty big plate too, but it was kept in the oven and completely ignored during the four-day commercial.  

Did the NFL control the broadcasts? The NFL Network never once made reference to the Chiefs ongoing situation with Tyreek Hill. Even after audio surfaced of Hill discussing injuries to his 3-year old son. Even after Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told an audience during a draft party, he was “deeply disturbed” by the audio. It brings up a totally different argument about how to handle information detrimental to your owner, the NFL. For accuracy sake, ESPN mentioned Hill on a couple of occasions during its telecast. 

Tyreek

Hill isn’t the only cloud hanging over the league. Colin Kaepernick, Kareem Hunt and ongoing issues concerning concussions and CTE to name a few. 

Listen, I get it, you don’t want to air someone’s dirty laundry at a birthday party, but in this case, we’re all aware of the filthy stuff and it’s hard to party. I also understand that the NFL is not the only league dealing with adversity, but it comes to the surface now because of the big stage the league is on during its annual draft. 

Now as far as the coverage of the actual draft: 

There was one star that shined brighter than all the others. The NFL Network seemed worried about losing Mike Mayock to the Raiders as the team’s new GM.

Fret not! Daniel Jeremiah took the ball and ran with it, unblocked into the end zone. His approach was fresh with just enough “snark” to make him an enjoyable adversary to those that were also on the set with him. His information was good, his opinions were credible and researched. I enjoyed his insight and the way he presented things. 

There was an awkward moment on ABC involving Lee Corso. He and the rest of the College GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard were going through the 11th pick in the draft, when Corso, started packing up his stuff and stood up to leave. Davis saw Corso getting ready to depart. “Taking off on us?,” Davis asked. “Yeah, I gotta go,” Corso said. “See you guys. I’ll see you guys in the fall.” 

Before the draft began, the 83-year-old continued his tradition of placing items on his head to show his favorite for the day. This usually involves the head of a mascot costume from the college team he thinks will win. Before round one, Corso put on a big head of Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Corso left four picks before the QB was selected. ESPN says that Corso was expected to only work part of the draft so it was a planned exit. Still, very strange.  

Image result for lee corso draft

After the dust settled, the broadcasts were as good as they’ve been in the past, but I felt they were still a bit tilted toward the NFL messaging program.

There is transparency in the other major sports leagues. Whether it be a GM talking about a rebuild in baseball, or the commissioner openly questioning established rules governing pace of play or the DH. Or the NBA firing owners for transgressions that make the sport look bad. That type of open dialogue is so critical to credibility in everyday league business and its broadcasts The NFL could and should learn the lessons from its colleagues. 

There’s No Such Thing As Too Much Prep

Andy Masur
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Before the ballparks fill up, before the microphones go on and before the lineups are given, your team’s broadcaster has been hard at work. Probably for a few hours. A casual fan probably would say, “that can’t be, don’t they just show up a few minutes before the game and broadcast?”. Wrong! 

Any play-by-play broadcaster worth his or her salt is busy several hours before the action starts. Prep, as it’s known in the business, is the key to a good, informative, interesting and entertaining call.  

“Prep is the foundation of play-by-play. Whether it’s talking to players & coaches in the clubhouse or during BP, calling high school football coaches for info a few days before you broadcast their game or updating statistics & biographical information during the off-season or whenever you learn something new.”, says Robert Ford the radio voice of the Houston Astros, who is in his 7th season with the club.

Image result for robert ford astros

“I view it as continuing education; I’m always learning & looking for more information about teams, players, coaches, managers, even umpires. The better prepared you are (& the better you get at compiling information in such a way that it’s easy to find & at your fingertips), the better the broadcast will sound.”, said Ford. 

If you think this is a new process or requirement, think again. Jack Corrigan now in his 17th season of calling Rockies games on KOA knows exactly how important prep is. “Preparation remains paramount for a play-by-play broadcaster. No matter how many years you’ve been doing this (34 in baseball for me) never assume that a game can be covered solely on your experience. It is such a part of the daily rhythm of the job. It would feel too strange not to have it in my routine.”

There is no one way to prep for a baseball broadcast. It is a personal process for most, that develops over time. It’s up to each individual how to present the information and what information gets presented. Baseball is filled with numbers, stats and tons of information provided by the team. From all of that, you have to decide what is important to your listening audience. It’s not an easy process, but one that is critical to a broadcast. 

Remember there is no right way or wrong way to do this, but there are differences among broadcasters. 

“Because I’ve been blessed to be in the game for a long time, I tend to focus my prep on areas less obvious. A personal angle on a player or players becomes the perfect way to humanize the game beyond the numbers,” the veteran Corrigan says. “The audience remains a mixture of fans in terms of their interest. You must be able to keep the casual listener with you by offering something personal to keep them from being overwhelmed by the statistical/strategic information that the hardcore fan seeks. I enjoy the pursuit of something beyond the obvious, beyond the headlines.”

Colorado Rockies
(Illustration) Courtesy: Major League Baseball

The way the game is trending, younger broadcasters go about things a bit differently. Ford breaks down what he focuses on before a game. 

“Pre-game, I try to focus more on what’s happening right now. I mark up my stat sheet with notes on hot/cold hitters & relievers, & fill my OneNote (Microsoft program/app) with daily team info & news.”, said Ford. “I’ll usually circle the clubhouse to see if there’s anyone I want to talk to or ask something about a previous game, or to confirm any notes I may have read elsewhere. I usually go to the pre-game press conferences held by both managers to glean more information. If I know the opposing manager well, I may ask him something one-on-one, before or after he talks to the media. Sometimes, I will go into the opposing team’s clubhouse to talk to a player or two, particularly if it’s someone local from Houston, or someone who previously played for the Astros.”

I know my routine has changed over the years and has become a little more streamlined. I had a great mentor in my early career, Pat Hughes, the Cubs’ play-by-play announcer for the last 24 seasons, taught me a lot. He is meticulous in his pregame prep. He has folder upon folder with information on baseball history as it relates to the Cubs and in general. More importantly he is a fountain of baseball knowledge and a student of the game. I’m lucky to have learned under him. 

Corrigan learned early from some of baseball’s great announcers as well. 

Pat Hughes

“I was fortunate in that my early years in baseball were spent with Joe Tait, the Hall of Fame basketball broadcaster who was also a terrific baseball man, and Herb Score. Joe led by example in simple things like the arrangement of your workspace, proper timing for when to do what at a particular moment, the understanding of how much information was required, even when much of it won’t be used because of how the game’s storyline played out.”, said Corrigan. “It sounds a little funny, but from Herb I learned how to listen. As a former player that might’ve been one of the all-time great pitchers if not for an injury from a line drive to the face, he was a great source of information regarding the game from a player’s perspective. When Herb had some comment about strategy or a player’s approach, it made great sense to pay attention. Both men also taught me how almost as much can be gained from hanging around scouts in the press dining room as it can behind the batting cage.”

Ford’s routine is more of a work in progress, “In some ways, I feel like it’s still developing; I usually tweak a few things every year. It really started for me in 2002, when I was calling games for the Yakima (WA) Bears in the short-season Northwest League. Going into the year, I had no idea how to prepare for a broadcast. But each day I fiddled with my routine & preparation until I got to a point where I felt I was comfortable with my routine & felt prepared going into every game.”

The technology age has really changed things for some broadcasters. Those that have climbed aboard that train find things are a little easier in putting together notes and stats. In Ford’s second season with the Astros, he purchased an iPad Mini and used the One Note App to streamline his process. “Before that, I kept mini loose-leaf binders with pages on every player, manager & team. Going digital cut down on my prep time, particularly in the baseball off-season, & gave me more time to process & synthesize all the information that’s thrown my way on a daily basis during the season.”, said Ford. 

The internet not only changed things for broadcasters and how they prepare, but also for the fan and what they know. There’s so much information out there. Multiple places to get the information on news and analytics puts some pressure on the guys calling the games. 

“You must be well-versed in your own right to maintain credibility.”, says Corrigan. “I think there is a need to talk in more detail about the entire industry. The team you cover is still paramount in your approach, but you also need to be able to discuss what’s happening elsewhere in the game, too.”

Baseball Stat
FILE – In this Oct. 25, 1986, file photo, Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner misplays the ball during during Game 6 of the World Series against the New York Mets. Buckner, a star hitter who became known for making one of the most infamous plays in major league history, has died. He was 69. Buckner’s family said in a statement that he died Monday, May 27, 2019, after a long battle with dementia. (Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via AP, File)

What’s important for young broadcasters to realize is that doing play-by-play at a high level requires a lot of hard work. What’s important for the fans is to realize what goes into the broadcast and putting it together. Appreciate it and understand that all the hard work is really for you. 

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