Radio Sales Café

Just wondering who you consider your main competition; and what you are doing. "on-air" and other ways to combat it?

We have an AM and an FM in Williston, ND (16,000 people). There is also a daily afternoon newspaper, a weekly shopper, two over-the-air tv stations (NBC & CBS), a cable company, several websites, and another 100,000 watt FM.

In Sidney, MT (5,000 people), we have an FM. There is also a twice-weekly newspaper, a weekly shopper, a cable company, several websites, and another 100,000 watt FM.

In both markets, the locally-owned and operated shoppers are our main competition, by far!


We have the updated Media Audit Reports for both newspapers, but rarely use them.
We do air what I consider are "mildly" anti-newspaper, tv and cable promos on a regular basis; but let it go at that.

Does anyone go at the competition on-air, up-close-and-personal like?
Will you share the script/audio, so I can steal them?




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Well it's a tad different here in Greensboro .. we have 28 local radio stations .. 3 cable companies .. 3 - 4 outdoor companies .. and a host of local magazines and daily newspapers .. basically we focus on what we do .. stay on top of our music .. keep the talk relavant and local .. short news / Traffic / Weather in AM drive .. traffic / weather in PM drive .. being an "oldies" station it is imperative that we keep the music rotating in such a manner as not to repeat to often and keep fresh promotional concepts on the air 24/7 .. we're doing our 4th annual "Thank God The Kids Are Back In School" promoiton withh the beginning of school .. simple idea .. we take 50 Mom's and a guests to lunch at an area restaurant the week after kids go to school .. this helps with our TSL since you hve to listen to get invited .. helps with our revenue since we sell a "title sponsor" and 4 or 5 participating sponsors .. we'll do this in Winston-Salem and again the next day in Greensboro .. other on air and promotional elements include "Flashback " on "Way back Wednesdsay" .. Dinner and A Movie in PM drive daily (movie tickets and dinner for 2) .. The Majic Cafe which is nothing but a reques lunch hour .. 2 -3 winners a day for lunches etc. We also work hard to maintain a high level of presence in the community working with charitiese and "causes" in the community.

Hope this helps you some .. focus on what you do best and try to improve it daily.

Brad .. great advice! The numbers that count are the ones the client sees in his/her business .. I agree 100%!

We are a small market and to combat competition we do over and above in customer service and in the traffic and billing side. The more we can assure our clients and develop confidence and make their life easy the more dollars that will come our way....

I work at a small group of 3 -3,000 Watt stations in the Missouri Ozarks. Our population is about 5,000. Our competitors include a local newspaper (owned by the same company that owns the 3 stations..funny story for another post..) two local shoppers, a 50,000 Watt Station, Cable, Yellowpages and a digital billboard. The best way I've found to compete is not to compete so to speak. What I mean by this is we don't consider it a competition, because we stay in a league of our own. We strive to provide excellent customer service first and foremost. We stay involved in the community through several diferent venues: charity and fundraising efforts, community events and organization, local sports to name a few. We choose to focus on being the best rather than claiming to be the best. In the last year and a half we've really become a front runner among the "competing" medias. Our "small little stations" is giving the newspaper and local "big station" a real run for their money simply by serving the client with the best possible service and a quality product. Sometimes actions do speak louder than words and I'm seeing the proof of that here.

Beware, especially in smaller markets, the cable company presenting themselves as "TV", but at "radio rates" with free production. . . like anyone would pay very much for those embarrising and usually ineffective commercials! Seemingly high freq attractive packages. i.e. 500 commercials for $750. And of course they talk a lot about Fox and ESPN, but what the advertiser is getting is a stupid version of a ROS pkg. Try dividing 500 commercials over, let’s say 120 channels = less than 5 per channel. . . and those channels include the former left handed vegetarian volunteer firemen (FLHVVF) channel.