Comments on: Are your commercials slowing you down? http://brownmedia.net/blog/2010/01/28/are-your-commercials-slowing-you-down/ Makin' Radio Waves Sun, 13 Jun 2010 04:45:16 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Randy Brown http://brownmedia.net/blog/2010/01/28/are-your-commercials-slowing-you-down/comment-page-1/#comment-1297 Randy Brown Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:17:13 +0000 http://brownmedia.net/blog/?p=152#comment-1297 Well, there are two issues here, really. One is when the sales department sells "adjacencies" to specific features. Like when you've got a "this day in music history" feature running at the start of a stopset, it's understandable that any sponsor of that feature would want their spot to run first in the set. But generally speaking, the main issue I see in your comment is that no station I was ever a part of would have allowed the sales department to dictate what order spots would run inside a stop set...unless it related to selling an adjacency (like the first spot is for the traffic report that preceded the spots -- an understandable exception to the rule). Other than that, this ought to be under the jurisdiction of programming. Otherwise, the inmates are running the asylum. Well, there are two issues here, really. One is when the sales department sells “adjacencies” to specific features. Like when you’ve got a “this day in music history” feature running at the start of a stopset, it’s understandable that any sponsor of that feature would want their spot to run first in the set.

But generally speaking, the main issue I see in your comment is that no station I was ever a part of would have allowed the sales department to dictate what order spots would run inside a stop set…unless it related to selling an adjacency (like the first spot is for the traffic report that preceded the spots — an understandable exception to the rule). Other than that, this ought to be under the jurisdiction of programming. Otherwise, the inmates are running the asylum.

]]> By: Chris http://brownmedia.net/blog/2010/01/28/are-your-commercials-slowing-you-down/comment-page-1/#comment-1296 Chris Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:00:09 +0000 http://brownmedia.net/blog/?p=152#comment-1296 Great idea! One problem I see with it in this wonderful, digital age, is the inability to move spots around. Based on the Sales Dept and Traffic Dept specs, stop sets are scheduled ahead of time, including what order. Lots of Sales Directors, PDs and GM/VPs that I've worked with ask that stop sets not be messed with. They always come back with the generic paraphrase of "if the reconciliation log doesn't match the printed log perfectly, we run the risk of giving make-goods on stuff we actually ran". It's a valid point, but I feel like we've boxed ourselves in with these digital reconciliation logs so tight, that there's no point as a jock or producer, to rearrange a stop set if we think it will "sound better" or hold an audience longer. Personally I love stop sets! It gives me the opportunity to hear other producers' work and source ideas that might make my spots more entertaining/informative. So having a stop set that is worth listening to is actually important to me. What are your thoughts on this situation? I love the idea but don't know how to get around the Sales/Traffic blockade. Great idea! One problem I see with it in this wonderful, digital age, is the inability to move spots around. Based on the Sales Dept and Traffic Dept specs, stop sets are scheduled ahead of time, including what order. Lots of Sales Directors, PDs and GM/VPs that I’ve worked with ask that stop sets not be messed with. They always come back with the generic paraphrase of “if the reconciliation log doesn’t match the printed log perfectly, we run the risk of giving make-goods on stuff we actually ran”.

It’s a valid point, but I feel like we’ve boxed ourselves in with these digital reconciliation logs so tight, that there’s no point as a jock or producer, to rearrange a stop set if we think it will “sound better” or hold an audience longer.

Personally I love stop sets! It gives me the opportunity to hear other producers’ work and source ideas that might make my spots more entertaining/informative. So having a stop set that is worth listening to is actually important to me.

What are your thoughts on this situation? I love the idea but don’t know how to get around the Sales/Traffic blockade.

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