This week's All Access newsletter is an exercise in knowing what we're up against:
I'm going to make this one quick, because it's been a long week, I'm cranky and tired, and there's a ballgame to watch, so here ya go, some thoughts on block programming sales, which came up again in the news this week. After the idea was floated, then floated away for now, some people asked me what I thought about it, and I told them this: I understood exactly why a station would consider it.
What? Understand it? Have I lost my mind? (Yes, but that's not relevant here) Isn't that exactly against what I always say about infomercials? Hold on, I'm not endorsing the practice, not at all. What I'm saying is that I understand why a station would look into it and why, in some cases, it would seem to make sense to do it. (Putting the infomercials on is still ultimately the wrong decision to make, but I'll get to that. Bear with me.)
The idea of brokering time on an otherwise non-brokered station is really the market at work. Look, put yourself in the General Manager's position. You're being pounded by corporate to get revenues up, and when you do, they want you to get them up even more. Every quarter, it's the same thing. It's your job to make more money, and spot advertising is not cutting it. So if you can get a good buck selling off-peak time in half-hour or hour blocks, you're going to look at that.
But won't that ruin the station's programming? Yeah, but you're getting ahead of yourself. Before that, do the math: the station could pay a host, say, a few hundred bucks to do a local show, plus maybe a board op. And then the sales staff has to go out and sell the spots, and in an off-peak time period, that won't amount to much. It might only mean clearing network and ROS spots. Or you could do syndication -- same thing, without the talent fee, minus a few barter spots. Or you sell the blocks, rake in good money, and incur zero expenses -- pure profit. Looking at it that way, you can't refuse to consider it. You'd be failing your duty to your bosses and your shareholders if you didn't look into it. And it sounds like a no-brainer.
But it also, of course, poses a long-term threat to the station's programming. And... well, this is where a PD or talent has to have his or her arguments ready to go. If you're trying to argue against what appears to be a safe-bet cash infusion, you'd better bring your A-game for the debate. Here's what I'd argue:
1. There is no such thing as off-peak where programming is concerned. There's no throwaway time. Any time any listener might happen to tune in needs to have compelling programming. If you're doing anything else, you're risking driving that listener away for good. (I'm up early every day, including weekends. I expect quality radio when I tune in, any time I tune in. Give me the Antioxidant Hour and I'll change that preset)
2. You need to have a bench ready to go for other dayparts. Any time sold to a brokered show is a lost chance to help develop your next morning host, your next afternoon host, your next star. You can't complain about the lack of available talent while cutting the opportunity for new talent down to zero.
3. Brokering means you lose control. You're risking your station's reputation. If there's a case of Body Solutions in your prize closet, you know what I mean. With a local show, what goes out over the air is yours. With a legitimate syndicated show, you know what the quality will be. With an infomercial, quality is job none.
4. Yes, it's hard to sell spots for those weekend shifts. Maybe that's where you can sell spots to clients who can't afford your prime rates. Maybe that's what you can have trainee salespeople try to sell. Maybe you can test out selling single-sponsor hours or some other unusual opportunity. It's a chance for the sales department to be creative.
5. If it's such a great deal, why not sell time every day? Why not sell it in middays? Wouldn't you get a LOT of money for that? What? It would hurt ratings and hurt the station's ability to make money in other dayparts and give the station a bad image and sound? Exactly. (Be careful -- you don't want to give anyone any bright ideas)
And if all of this falls on deaf ears, well, at least you tried. But have some sympathy for the GM, as hard as that may be to muster. If you've never sold advertising, you have no idea what pressure there is to sell, especially now with spot revenue down. So if you're a PD and the sales department or GM comes to you with something you know is crazy and would kill your ratings, hear them out, be understanding, smile... and tell them no. But be ready to make your arguments well, because the other side has one compelling argument that's hard to beat: money.
That's enough for now, because it's late on Thursday as I write this and I want to get back to watching Manny being Manny, so let's quickly race through the plug for All Access News-Talk-Sports and the Talk Topics show prep column. Here's what's there this week: tornadoes, Joe Torre, opera-singing fullbacks, bad airport screeners, exploding mailboxes, the late Joey Bishop, Manny indeed being Manny, immigration trouble, '60s-style protests, "white-out" copycats, abandoned shopping carts, the Hobbit Grille, engagement ring lawsuits, the late Teresa Brewer, workplace swearing, BEE ATTACK!!!!, and Escape From New Jersey, plus much, much more. And there's "10 Questions With..." syndicated auto expert Bobby Likis of Car Care Clinic fame, and the rest of All Access like the industry's best news coverage and columns and message boards and ratings and music charts and more that I'd remember better had Internet Explorer not just spontaneously shut down. I swear, I'm THIS close to buying a Mac. Anyway, All Access is radio's best resource and it's all free, so come on over.
Last thing: Saturday's my wedding anniversary -- 17 years! -- so... Happy Anniversary, Fran. And I'm fully aware that mentioning it in this letter is not a substitute for a card. Or a present. (Can't blame me for trying)
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