Another in a series of video interviews with one of the most successful program directors in radio history, Chuck Blore.
July, 1996:
The month started with me in London, England, for the second European PD Grad School. A few days later I was in Cleveland to speak at McVay Media’s Programmers’ School.
It was while preparing to check out of the hotel in Cleveland that I became consciously aware of the tendency of certain people to refuse to answer direct questions — choosing instead to answer questions they weren’t asked.
Case in point: I knew I wanted to arrive at the airport no later than 5:00PM. So I asked the hotel’s concierge, “If I want to arrive at the airport not later than 5:00, what time do I need to leave the hotel?”
“What time does your flight leave?” she replied.
In courtroom terms, that was a non-responsive answer.
By the way, the hotel concierge should be the most knowledgeable, most resourceful person in the building. In certain American hotels, however, the “concierge” is an entry-level position filled by the lowest-paid, least experienced person available.
The hotel in Cleveland was one of those hotels.
“No, listen: All I want to know is when I have to leave this hotel if I want to reach the airport by 5:00.”
A desk clerk overheard this and interrupted, with great assurance: “What time does your flight leave, sir?”
“No, no, no! It doesn’t matter when my flight leaves! All I want to know is when I have to leave this hotel if I want to reach the airport by 5:00.”
The front desk manager appeared. “May I help you, sir?”
“I hope so,” I sighed. “I’ll be taking a taxi from this hotel to the airport later this afternoon, and I’m trying to find out when I should leave the hotel if I want to arrive at the airport by 5:00.”
“Ah, I see,” he purred. “And what time does your flight leave?”
“That’s none of your business! That’s completely irrelevant to my question! Maybe I want to reach the airport 15 minutes before my flight. Maybe I have to take care of some ticketing and want to get there 90 minute early. Maybe I have a meeting scheduled there two hours before my flight. Maybe I just want to hang out at the airport and watch the planes take off! Just tell me how long it takes to get to the airport late this afternoon!”
Until now, I’ve shared this commercial only with a few clients.
If you like it, you have my permission to adapt it (but not to reprint elsewhere) for your own on-air use.
If you don’t like it, then you don’t have my permission to adapt it for your own on-air use.
NOTES
1. Do not create a fictitious client and storyline. It must be real to be effective (although it certainly can be exaggerated).
2. Do have the actual client voice the spot (even though you will write it for the client).
“APOLOGY” COMMERCIAL @2010 Dan O’Day
(ANNOUNCER) The following is an Official Apology by Radio X. It is not now and never has been our intention to cause physical discomfort among the members of the (LOCAL) business community. But to our shock and dismay, it appears that we have. Here to explain is Mr. Edwin Schmidt, the owner of Schmidt’s Department Store.
(CLIENT) My name is Edwin Schmidt, the owner of Schmidt’s Department Store. When Radio X agreed to advertise our big Summer Clothing Sale, they said we should expect to see even more customers in our store than usually turn out for one of our sales. They did NOT tell me, however, that our radio commercials would cause SO MANY more people to shop at our big Summer Clothing Sale that our entire staff would have to skip our meal breaks and rest breaks in order to serve all of our customers. This happened not just one day, but ALL THREE DAYS of our sale.
As a result, all of us at Schmidt’s Department Store went without food, beverage or rest from the time we opened our doors at 9 o’clock in the morning until the last customer left at sometime after 5 in the afternoon. While it certainly was wonderful to have had our most successful Summer Clothing Sale ever, some of our more delicate staff members mentioned to me that it WOULD have been nice if we had had time at least to use the bathroom facilities once or twice.
(ANNOUNCER) The staff and management of Radio X sincerely apologize to the employees at Schmidt’s Department Store. If you are a business owner who would like us to help you attract more customers than YOUR employees can comfortably handle, please call Ms. Sally Sikorski, Sales Manager at Radio X. Thank you.
A Loyal Reader Writes:
“I am a morning drive announcer with an adult contemporary station that serves three different cities. My manager wants me to be more ‘local’ in my on-air chat.
“How can I do this without alienating the other cities? Or should I keep on doing what I am now, which is sharing stories and information that can be of interest to all three communities?”
Both you and your manager need to redefine your understanding of “local.”
“Local” does not mean it happened within your geographic community.
“Local” = anything that is of interest to your listeners…regardless of where the event occurs.
And the more skilled you are as a personality, the more able you are to make practically any topic “local.”
In my radio advertising workshops, I teach the importance of selling the results promised by the product or service.
Please Do Not Watch This Video If You Are Offended By “Adult” Material
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This TV commercial illustrates one way in which you can sell the negative results which may occur if you don’t have the advertiser’s product.
