RADIO MANAGER TO DJ: “I don’t give a ____!”

A Loyal Reader Writes:

I don’t normally complain like this, but I feel compelled to do so.

I host a small market midday radio program that’s a ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s retro show. Each day we highlight a different year, featuring sound bytes, commercials, news, and TV theme songs from that year, along with the Top 40 hits of the time.

The show runs 2 hours, which includes three 6-minute commercial breaks and one 4-minute news break each hour…plus listener requests from songs of that era.

Yesterday I was told that I would be conducting an interview with a client on my show.

I made a face, and my general manager said, “WHAT??”

“That’s during the retro show,” I responded.

“AND???” 

“It throws off the groove of the show and stops it down for 10 minutes.”

The GM said, “I don’t give a ____ about your show. I’m trying to impress this client. What do I tell them — No??”

“This isn’t a typical midday show. It’s a specialty show that attracts a specific audience because of what they hear. I’m concerned about THE LISTENER.”

Then again, our GM doesn’t believe in ratings. She says, “You buy the book, that’s how your numbers increase.”

It seems to me if everyone bought the book, then everyone would be #1, and that’s obviously not the case.

You seem to sympathize with in these situations. What’s your reaction?

The GM Doesn’t Believe in Ratings.

1.  Isn’t it odd that radio managers and program directors never question the ratings when their stations do well?

2. Since I first got into radio, I’ve heard “knowing” managers declare that subscribing to Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio Services) is the surest way to increase your ratings.

I’ve never heard, however, of an instance where that allegation was demonstrated to be true.

A manager who says “the only way to get good ratings is to buy the book” understands the radio business as well as the listener who confidently says, “I’ll tell you how your station can get better ratings. Just play better music!”

The Impressions the Client Gets

1.  “This radio station is so desperate for money that it will do whatever I want them to do.”

2.  “This radio station has no respect for its own product.”

Probably a few people reading this are thinking, “So? This is supposed to be a business. We are trying to make money, you know.”

To those few people I say, “The GM has trained that client to expect ridiculous demands to be met without question. Be thankful you’re not the account executive who has to deal with that client in the future.”

Recommended Resource:
The Psychology of Broadcast Management