Radio World - April 8, 2009 - (Page 16) 16 Radio World | radioworld.com April 8, 2009 RADIO Q&A What’s on Managers’ Minds Radio World Asked Several Radio Executives To Discuss Issues on Their Minds as NAB Show Season Rolls Around Amador S. Bustos President/CEO Bustos Media LLC ‘If they impose an additional royalty, then broadcasters should also be free to charge for promoting artists and their recordings; like any other product.’ Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing you as a radio manager in 2009? The severe decline in national sales and the larger regional retail accounts. Q: How will your business overcome the economic climate in general and the tough time for radio revenue specifically? Increasing attention and service to the local direct clients who are trying to survive as much as we are. Q: What business initiatives has your organization explored in your efforts to grow? We launched a company-wide campaign called “United for Prosperity,” where we designed a high-frequency advertising schedule to run Sunday through Wednesday. Q: What is your assessment of digital radio at this juncture? We have not implemented HD Radio due to cost of installation and the lack of receivers in our audience segment. The Hispanic market is usually a lateradopter, compounded by the fact that it is not being addressed directly on this technical radio innovation. Q: Does radio need to embrace online and mobile platforms further? How much does the future of the industry lie in these applications? I think radio does need to embrace these platforms but they will only be complements to radio advertising; not its savior. Q: How will the change in the presidential administration affect you, and the industry? I see no significant benefit, despite its advocacy of greater minority participation in broadcasting, but I do not see any harmful effects either. Q: Should lawmakers allow the adoption of royalties to artists, what NAB is calling a “performance tax”? Absolutely not! But if the legislators are so inclined, then they need to open up the market at both ends. If they impose an additional royalty, then broadcasters should also be free to charge for promoting artists and their recordings; like any other product. Q: How will your business overcome the economic climate and the tough time for radio revenue? Perhaps we should ask for earmarks for all our retail advertisers. Seriously, we are encouraging the managers and sales people to embrace, and help their clients embrace, the multiple facets of their radio brands. Use the listener loyalty programs, the texting, Internet and other platforms to generate revenue for both the stations and the clients. To combine advertisers together who have common targets and tangential marketing goals. And provide the sellers with material to demonstrate that advertising, especially on radio, helps build businesses Mary Beth Garber President Southern California Broadcasters Association ‘Use the listener loyalty programs, the texting, Internet and other platforms to generate revenue for both the stations and the clients.’ Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing you as a manager in 2009? Getting my people to maintain confidence in themselves and radio’s ability to sell for clients. now, throughout a recession and into dominance and prosperity at the other end of this cycle. There is no other medium like radio. It is the only mass medium left that delivers virtually all of its reach in real time with live listening. As long as 235 million people need us and use us every week, radio will be a viable, valuable part of the communications industry. Now if we could just fix the advertising and retail industries Q: What business initiatives has your organization explored? We are working on programs in conjunction with Arbitron, the local Advertising Club (thinkLA), and the Media & Marketing Research Council of LA to expose advertisers and agencies to ways to use the new media side of radio, and new ways to make the “old” radio work like new. We’ve developed working relationships Bill Stakelin President and CEO Regent Communications ‘The current Congress and administration reminds me of the early ’80s when liberal thinking nearly destroyed free over-the-air broadcasting.’ Q: What’s your biggest challenge this year? Revenue generation. With the deep recession the country is experiencing, advertising expenditures are being greatly impacted. Q: How will your business overcome the economic climate and the tough time for radio revenue specifically? Regent will manage through the current downturn by aggressively pursuing local ad revenues in our markets with large, welltrained and motivated sales staff offering value added proposals for the advertisers. This [strategy] combined with cost controls in every area have worked for us in the past during severe downturns and we anticipate their success again. Q: What initiatives have you explored in your efforts to grow? Our Internet initiative is bearing very good growth to complement our strong platform of traditional over-the-air radio stations. Multiple platform performance for our product combined with aggressive event marketing is offering a very good return for the company. Q: What notable capital improvement projects do you have on the calendar? Fortunately for Regent, most of our facilities are state of the art, so the only big capital Report smart Microphone and recorder in one unit. So simple. And yet so much! Stunning features, easy handling, incredible stamina. iXm, designed for broadcasters worldwide - made in Germany. 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