Radio Ink Magazine October 4, 2021

Two steps forward. One step back. That’s how it’s been with the pandemic. Just when we thought it was safe to come out of the harbor, a variant called delta has whipped up more storm clouds. Only this time, rather than rushing back to safe havens, we find ourselves trying to sail carefully around and through it. We have vaccines offering some measure of security, at least against worst cases of the deadly virus, we have masked up again, and we’ve mastered the art of fist bumps, albeit some at a six-foot distance. And as life has stumbled into a new normal, as listening levels have snapped back, and retail on Main Street is cautiously reopening, there is a hopeful sense we can do anything if we set our minds to…

A branded keyword is one in which the name of your company appears. When a customer types the name of your company into a search string, they are looking for you. They believe in you. A friend might have recommended you, but usually it was your advertising that won them over. Either way, you have done well. Unbranded keywords include phrases like “air conditioning repair” and “diamond engagement rings.” When a shopper types an unbranded keyword into a search engine, it is a clear signal that they have no preferred provider in your category. No one has won them over. The best online marketers track their branded and unbranded keywords separately because they know that when you follow unbranded keywords all the way from the search string to the gross profit made…

“There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’tcha know that?” Homespun and true wisdom from Marge Gunderson, brilliantly portrayed by Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand in the 1996 movie Fargo. In 1996 Gina Nelson became an RN with a passion that superseded the pursuit of the legal tender: working with children. Clock ahead to 2013 in Morehead, Minnesota, just across the border from Fargo. Gina Nelson, along with her husband, Bill, opened Lilac Homes Enhanced Assisted Living Memory Care. “My wife, Gina, is an RN, and we saw a need,” says Bill Nelson. “She found a real passion for working with the elderly. She still loves working with the innocence of children, and, as people regress with various forms of brain disease, oftentimes they regress themselves, some to childhood memories.…

With such a crazy time during the pandemic, we anxiously awaited the results of the 2021 Radio Sales Compensation Study to see what is different. As this is the third consecutive year we’ve conducted the survey, we are now able to gauge trends, see what sales compensation models are strong as-is, and see what needs the industry’s attention. This year we added new questions that address areas we hadn’t examined in the past. Here are some of the interesting facts that showed up. Once again, we received a well-balanced response from all market sizes, which helps give us a truer picture on all topics. Surprisingly, with COVID, most respondents stated that they still employ the same number of sellers on their teams, almost equal between one and four, five and eight, and nine-plus,…

Back in April, National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Gordon Smith announced his plans to step down as CEO and transition to an advisory and advocacy role at the end of 2021. Smith joined the NAB as CEO in November 2009 after serving two terms as a U.S. senator from Oregon. Smith worked closely with the NAB Board leadership on a succession plan, and, also in April, it was announced that NAB COO Curtis LeGeyt will become president and CEO on January 1, 2022. LeGeyt has been with the NAB for nearly a decade. Before assuming his current role as COO, LeGeyt served for five years as NAB’s executive vice president for government relations. Here’s what the retiring CEO had to say about the incoming CEO: “Anybody who knows Curtis knows he…

They are the behind-the-scenes warriors, executing a long list of important duties flawlessly and without much fanfare or recognition. Every general manager knows how vital a radio station’s traffic manager, business manager, production director, and promotions director are to the success of the multiple operations the GM is responsible for. They may not be the face of the station at remotes or golf tournaments, but without them most radio stations would fall apart. Here are the top 10 Unsung Heroes of the radio industry for 2021. Stuart Abrams Longport Media Traffic Director 37 years in the radio industry “Stuart is one of a kind and he is truly an unsung hero for Longport Media. There is no one more worthy of this recognition.”Longport Media Director of Sales Vince Gambino Stuart Abrams began his radio…