Guest Blogger: John Marshall, Cannonsburg Communications
I’m just a guy who worked for years in small markets and, when shown the door to the beach, started my own media services company. Scripts, voice-overs, news releases, basic video, etc.
Last Wednesday I got a call from a friend/potential client who works as a head-hunter. She hadn’t worked with any radio locally, and asked which stations would best fit the target demos for the job fair she is holding.
She needed some info from the stations ASAP to get on this week. She called and left messages at a Mom & Pop 3-station cluster and at Clear Channel on Wednesday afternoon.
My friend/client called me on Monday afternoon and asked me to see if I could get the ball rolling as she hadn’t been contacted by either cluster. I got on the phone to both groups (I’ve worked at both in the past). The Mom and Pop got right on it, but CC never even called.
I wrote and produced the spot so it was ready when she finally got a response. My new client said yesterday that a colleague encountered a similar situation with a job fair in Boston. They both said business must be good in radio if they can’t find the time to call back for a guaranteed buy.
I’m still a “radio guy” so I apologized for the industry.
There are lots of folks who worry about bad copy leading to little response and the statement “I tried radio and it didn’t work.” I think this is even worse. “I tried to try radio, and they never even called me back.”
Sorry for the unsolicited, rambling message, but I had to get this off my chest. So many complaints about how bad business is, but when someone “walks in the door” there has to be someone at the cash register.
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Amen.
“Exactly !! Ain’t that the truth ! Good post Dan
Well said!
I worked for a CC cluster, and their rival Citadel/Disney group literally across the street. Both complained about their horrible lack of earnings, leading to firing half of both clusters talents and sales forces. And, yes, the culprit was similar sales practices. So, while I have to laugh at this kind of stupidity, I also know that the “mom & pop” station will do very well in that market, which makes me smile.
Simply answer the phones…All Employees. I was reminded of this by my PD and I am glad of that.
When you have a cluster with more signals than people, everyone has to answer the phone. And take/deliver messages. I’m an OM and when I see one of my jocks sitting by a phone that’s ringing…and he’s not on the air and won’t answer it…I go ape shit crazy.
Especially if I run from a room without a phone to answer it and someone is too lazy to lean over. I ask “do I gotta smear some peanut butter on that to get you to reach for it?”
simply incredible…
That doesn’t happen in my four station cluster, and it’s Clear Channel. Simply doesn’t happen!
Good to hear, Bruce. I’m just reporting my experience over the last week.
The insane cut backs on jocks in the radio industry is so, so bad that now it has invaded the reception desk, CRAZY. Corporate radio IS destroying “Real Radio”. What?, a “REAL LIVE” person in the studio? No, listeners don’t want that. Connection with their favorite jock, no they don’t want that either. I’m afraid that REAL RADIO is gone forever. Excuse me while I go Voice Track my next show somewhere in California.