CHALLENGES
•
•
•
•
•
•
Radio Mergers and Acquisitions
Consolidation of Radio Properties
Smaller Staffs
Smaller Budgets
Increased bottom line
More accountability on Programming and
Promotions behalf to help Sales meet
budget
The days of BIG
programming and promotion
budgets are over.
THE BURNING QUESTION IS…
• How do you ignite ratings and revenue with
today’s constraints?
THERE ARE 3 P’s
•
rogramming
•
ersonalities
•
romotions
WHERE DO YOU WIN WHEN YOU ARE
UP AGAINST SEVERAL SIMILAR
FORMATS?
• Between the Records!!!
HOW???
• Imaging=Bigger than life= VISION
• It’s about stealing the Big Screen in your
market
• Whether you’re in market 2 or 200- you as
programming and promotion directors can
have an impact on the Big Picture
UNDERSTANDING AND
APPRECIATING THE GAME
BEFORE YOU PLAY
DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
Clearly understand your competitor’s strengths and
weaknesses
• What is their work ethic- are they passionate about what they
do?
• Are they lazy?
• Are they driven by EGO?
• Do they bully promoters and labels to get what they want?
• Do they win by default?
• What kind of staff do they have on the street?
• What are their best promotions?
• What are their flops?
• What do clients say about them? Likes? Dislikes?
Learn from your competitors strengths and take advantage
of their weaknesses
STREET DOMINATION
CREATE A LISTENER ADVISORY
BOARD
• Do an off-air poll of some of your listeners
from your contest lines
• Set up a special session
• Play music for them
• Pick their brains about what they do and
don’t like about you and your competitor
• Order pizza
• Give them a tour of the station
• Send them or e-mail them / tie in some type
of special card
BUILD A FOUNDATION
MARKET POSITIONING
• Meet with promoters- let them know you are willing to step
up to the plate
• Key Club Owners- if they are working with your competition,
go to their competition
• Weekly and Daily Newspapers- Get the music critic to be an
on-air correspondent for the station
• Form a relationship with local web sites, like City
Search.com- scoop your competition by going on-sale online
first before the big on-sale concert or event!
• Create a relationship with your local government and police
department
MARKET POSITIONING
• Find out who is not happy with your competition- take
advantage of it!
• Cross-promote with TV stations- offer your on-air
personalities in as Entertainment Reporters for concerts
and other events
• Cross-promote TV shows that make sense for the format
• Establish relationships with movie companies and special
event promoters/ WCW & WWF
INDUSTRY POSITIONING
• Set up a trip to New York and L.A. to meet with the
national record companies
• Put together a nice piece to show off your station- video,
CD Rom, etc.
• Let them know what you are doing in the market
• Find out what projects they are working on for the year
• Listen to new music
• Follow up after visit
• When you do an event, send out photos and press releases
to trades!
THE MASTER PLAN
YOUR 2001 CALENDAR
Sit down with your Programming,
Promotions and Sales
Management to outline your
events of the year early!!
• Annual station events
• Book promotions
• Major client promotions
(beers)
• Job Fairs/ Sales Driven
Events
• Major Malls and Buildings
• Weekly club nights (52
week accounts)
• Cool yearly city/county
events- fireworks displays
• Racing/ Wrestling events
• Special Programming
Features (Rocktober)
• Cool charity events
• Annual Holiday
Happenings
– St. Patrick’s Day
– Halloween
– Thanksgiving Eve Club Night
• Sports-related activities
– Annual schedules
– Training Camps
– Get IDS!
• Your competitors’ annual
events
• Brainstorm new ideas with
your staff!
• Create some type of
station on tour- visit your
key zip code areas!
• Tie in with local movie
theatres to do ongoing
special screening nights
THINK GLOBAL!!!
• Run with the Bulls
• Rollerblade by the Great Wall of China
• Cross-promote with movie companies
and television networks to get a listener
to be an extra
• Tie-in with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
• Send a Listener to Racing School
• Host a big band in a small club- give
away all the tickets
WHERE’S THE $ ?
• Great opportunity for Non Traditional
Revenue
• Annual deals
• Beer Companies
• Other
• Budget
Bottom Line: PLAN AHEAD!!!
SYSTEMS!
SYSTEMS!
SYSTEMS!
SALES & PROGRAMMING EVENT
WORKSHOPS
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
EVENT RECAPS
Tell everyone about the great things your
station is doing!!
• Create a template on your sales or
programming drive that you can change
• Great for sales to help tell the story
• Great for programming & Promotions to grab
more territory on the street
• Get photos of everything- you’re painting a
story!
WEEKLY ONE PAGE NEWSLETTERS
• E-mail to listeners and clients
• Incorporate into pitches
WEB SITE FORMS
• Designate someone on your staff to
maintain and update your site on a daily
basis!
– Sales Information
– Programming Information
THE BOTTOM LINE IS…
You Snooze, You Lose!
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
• Banners
• Neon and glow in the dark
stickers
• Lawn signs
• Sandwich boards
• Window stickers
• Stir sticks and cocktail
napkins for nightclub
• Beach balls
• Balloons
• Banner Planes
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
•
•
•
•
•
Tethered hot air balloons
Roaming billboards
Rain ponchos
T-shirts
Swag
– Keychains
– Magnets
• Distribute fans at concerts
• Tattoos
• Make sure you are as
visible as possible in your
daily and weekly papers!
COOL GADGETS/ VEHICLES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
PT Cruiser
Cool Trucks- Expedition
Inflatable
Mascot
Roaming Billboards
Bat light
Magnetic Signs
Work with sales to do a trade or
showcase a vehicle for a key
automotive account
THE RIGHT STUFF
Hire people who:
– Take pride in what they do
– Are street smart
– Possess common sense
– Have good people skills
– Reflect the station’s personality
– Are passionate about what they do
– Listen
WHO ARE THEY?
STATION PERSONNEL
•
•
•
•
•
•
Jocks
Programming
Sales Staff
Engineering
Promotions
Internal Support Staff
INTERNS
• Do a real cool recruitment campaign on
campus
• Treat them as though they are on the
payroll
• Full interview process
• Remember! They are there to learn.
Don’t make them responsible for more
than they can handle!
OUTSIDE SOURCES
•
•
•
•
•
•
Local sports cheerleaders
Hooter Girls
Hawaiian Tropic Girls
Bud Girls
Miller Cold Patrol
Mascots
THE VIBE
• Hold a FUN session with your paid staff and
interns
• Talk about the way they should look and act as
representatives of the station
• It’s about “Feeling the Love” with your internal
and external audience
• Make it an important part of the hiring process
• Give them station merchandise to wear at events
• Find someone that works with other “celebs” to
come in and speak to them
THE VIBE
• Stress the “we” not “me” concept
• Have each of your jocks pick a charity to support in
your community
• Create a special dress and conduct code that
everyone signs off on!
• Develop a standard checklist on what everyone is
responsible for at appearances and station events
• Talent fees vs. required station appearances
• It’s about that Magic Kingdom philosophy!
It’s about thinking 3
steps ahead….
Most people only think one!
FINAL THOUGHTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read
Listen
Breakdown the walls of thinking in your organization!
Look for opportunities around you
No Idea is a Bad Idea
Be prepared- make sure everyone has a promotions box in
their car with banners/ stickers/ prizes/ register to win
You are what you steal- what’s already been done in
another market could be a first in another
Take advantage of what you have around you- station
clusters
Develop an ongoing relationship with your legal and
insurance departments
Put it in perspective
“Feel the Love”
AND…….
SAY THANK YOU!!!
MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED!!!
Special thanks to…
Greater Media
Jacobs Media
Joey Scoleri at
Hollywood Records*
Check out M:I 2 at a theatre near you
*Soundtrack available on Hollywood Records