[BC] Stupid cross-promo of competitors

[David Lawrence]

On 12/25/05 6:21 AM, one WFIFeng at aol.com <WFIFeng at aol.com> wrote:

>> My station is an NPR affiliate and there is actually an underwriter credit
>>  that we air from the network for Sirius Radio! How stupid is that!
> 
> In the no-so-recent past, our Network News provider wanted us to air spots
> (it's a trade) that promoted satellite radio. We said "Fat chance!" and we
> aired 
> something else from the Network, instead. They quickly dropped those spots,
> as I would imagine we weren't the only group to object.

Ahem. What a 1935/1952/1965 move.

I spoke about this at the last NAB, and actually had over a dozen GMs come
up to me and thank me for correcting their thinking on this.

Here's the real bottom line: I'm assuming that you all that are so
righteously indignant about refusing the filthy lucre of satellite radio
advertising dollars, are also just as quick to refuse the advertising
dollars of:

 - television
 - cable systems
 - cable network shows
 - auto stereo dealers
 - DirecTV
 - movies
 - movie theaters
 - DVD releases
 - CD/DVD/MP3 player manufacturers
 - computer manufactureres
 - Internet service providers
 - any entertainment or informational Internet web sites
 - video games
 - sports teams
 - live entertainment venues
 - and churches

...since all of those activities are also mutually exclusive to listening to
the radio, and compete directly and fiercely with radio for your listener's
time, attention, entertainment expenditures and mind share. And you also
fought tooth and nail and refused to air promos from your other group-owned
local stations.

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Just because someone installs satellite radio in their cars or homes doesn't
mean they don't turn to your station when you have something they want. To
refuse satellite radio dollars with the excuse that you're promoting a
competitor is to tilt at windmills - if you're going to refuse one
competitor on your moral high horse, you should be isolationist enough to
refuse them all.

And don't think the listeners don't get it. The industry's not quietly
refusing to accept the dollars, they are vocally rejecting something the
listeners actually like. And the last dying gasp of a dinosaur, denigrating
a new choice of which the population has become enamored, is a pitiful and
off-putting thing. Acting that way, downing any other entertainment source,
accelerates listeners to move away from an industry that perceives
themselves in such a way. Who wants to be stuck with yesterday's technology?

So...don't do that. Don't position yourselves as the whining cry baby that
is "losing market share" and "refusing to promote the competitor".

I would suggest that instead being busy for busy's sake and using defensive
sales-based measures that, in the end, harm your bottom line, you take that
same energy and use offensive programming-based efforts to make your on air
product better, promote what makes you special, reminde listeners of your
unique attributes and stay friendly with all of your competitive
entertainment services so that listeners would rather listen to you than
take their time up with any of those other competitive pursuits, and when
local radio serves their purpose, they listen.

David
-- 

David Lawrence
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