DAN O’DAY TALKS ABOUT RADIO

A Loyal Reader writes:

“We have a client who spends a lot of money with our radio station. In addition to spots that he voices himself, we do remotes every weekend.

“As a programmer I try to be fair to the air staff and rotate the remote schedules. However, that client only wants two particular jocks. Okay, we’ll accommodate him.

“Now he wants to cut liners that say, ‘Hi, this is Ed from XYZ Auto, and you’re listening to (JOCK) on Radio X.’

“We’re a rock station, and that seems to compromise our image.

“In the past when this client hasn’t gotten what he wanted he’s threatened to pull the account, and our sales rep bends over backwards for him. I’m sure you’ve dealt with clients like this. Do you think he’s trying to program the station? And, how do we tell him we’re in charge?”

No, he’s not trying to program your station. He’s trying to do what’s best for him (for which you can’t blame him).

Are you saying that he wants you to run liners on your station, outside of paid commercial time, in which he simply says his name and ties it to your station? I can’t imagine a professional radio operation anywhere that would allow that.

How do you tell him you’re in charge?

Your station should have clear rules & guidelines.

If the client wants something that goes against your guidelines, you can simply say, “I’m sorry, but we have guidelines in place to make sure everyone — you, our listeners, and our radio station — is best served.”

And then simply stick to it.

If he wants to specify the jocks who do the remotes, he should pay a premium fee — with 60% of the extra charge going to the jock and 40% going to the station (for the extra work in juggling the others’ schedules to accommodate the client).

“In the past when this client hasn’t gotten what he wanted he’s threatened to pull the account, and our sales rep bends over backwards for him.”

1. Hardly unusual.

2. So basically, will your sales rep do anything for money?

3. Either your station has — and enforces — standards, or it doesn’t. It’s all up to your station management.

A Loyal Reader Asks:

“Is there a book that you would recommend that is loaded with great ‘radio interview questions’? Questions that are out of the box and unexpected, when interviewing artists, for example?”

I don’t know of any such book.

I’d strongly recommend that you ask the questions you’d like to hear answered.

Here’s the test:

If you wouldn’t take $5 out of your own pocket and pay to hear the answer to the question you’re about to ask, why are you asking that question in the first place?

If there were a book like the one you suggest and you were to ask its questions, you wouldn’t be asking questions that are “out of the box.”

You’d simply be asking questions from inside someone else’s box.

Should radio personalities diversify or specialize in their radio shows? Tips from Dan O’Day, Gary Burbank.

Recorded at my Air Personality Plus+ seminar in Charlotte, North Carolina, 1991.