We’ve been working with stations in Cleveland for a while now. We asked Account Executive Sandy Lyon to answer a few media sales questions for us.
What station do you represent?
WMJI, WGAR AND WMVX
What Market are you in and what is the rank of this market?
Cleveland We are in the top 30 markets
What makes your station stand out in your market?
WMJI’s classic Hits and WGAR’s Country format are exclusive formats in Cleveland. WMVX has an Adult Contemporary format. It’s about reliving the past and being part of the present. Playing music from MTV, but also hits from the 90’s and today.
What is your current position with your station?
Account Executive
What brought you to radio?
The energy and constant change. It always keeps me on my toes.
How long have you been with your station?
With the group 24 years
Are you the only person at the station that sells the ½ hour blocks?
In my group yes. We have three other stations in the cluster.
Are there other stations in your group that offer ½ hour blocks? If so which ones and if not why?
WTAM offers ½ hour blocks.
Has your station ever sold out of block time?
They are always sold out.
Have you found that more direct response companies are looking to buy more time right now?
Yes
We hear all the time that ad revenue for all the major radio groups is falling. In what categories are you losing the most ad revenue?
In 2009 Auto had the largest decrease. In 2010 we are seeing a resurgence in the category.
Have you seen the long form and other direct response advertisers pulling back due to the recession?
No
In your experience what has long form media brought to your station. Has it been positive or negative?
In the right time slot it’s great.
What feedback have you received concerning the half hour programs that run on your station?
I really don’t get any feedback on the programs.
Are there certain topics of infomercials that you prefer to have on your station? Are there any topics that your station will not play no matter what? If so, what are they?
There are no shows on that can cause any controversy at all.
If stations don’t currently sell ½ hours to clients like 2 Lights Media would you recommend that they add this form of programming to their stations?
Yes, in an appropriate time slots that work for the programming of the station.
Do you find it easy to work with long form DR companies or are they more difficult?
In some cases more difficult.
Do you think your listeners would prefer to have a different show each week?
No, but I think there is a fine line between frequency and over kill.
How does your station calculate rates for half hour blocks?
What the market will bear and return on investment for the client.
Do you track your listenership through a service like Arbitron?
Yes.
And if so, have you seen an increase or decrease in listenership during 30 min blocks since they switched to the PPM?
There has only been one book with PPM. I think there needs to be a few more books before we can actually get a good handle on the numbers.
