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A reason why advertisers don't target 55+ audiences

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secondchoice said:
If your station is in a smaller market (sub 200) your marketing is different. You can't count on agencies to pay the bills. That's why when you buy a small market station that has good sales, you make sure the existing sale team is part of the deal.
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Advertisers want to maximize bang for their buck. Radio stations target narrow demographics. That becomes a contradiction. For music stations, that target gets smaller and smaller, depending on the format. There is no music that is mass appeal anymore. That's not good for advertisers. So unless you own several stations in that small town, or other things you can package with your single station, it will be hard to attract an advertiser if the spots will only get heard by 2% of the market. You need something else. Combine a radio station with a direct mail service or billboard advertising business. Then you've got something to sell. You need more than spots & dots.

Regarding 55+, that restricts potential advertisers to only certain things. One station I know that targets 55+ also has a DJ service that provides music for dance parties at retirement communities. Once again, finding ways to offer more than just on-air advertising.
 
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TheBigA said:
Regarding 55+, that restricts potential advertisers to only certain things. One station I know that targets 55+ also has a DJ service that provides music for dance parties at retirement communities. Once again, finding ways to offer more than just on-air advertising.
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It can be done. If a business can't change with the times it might not service.
 
There are examples of stations in the past doing more than "pure" radio. When I was a kid I can remember the "lights in the sky" Where the station had a huge spotlight (WW2 surplus I think) shining in the sky at a Christmas tree lot during a remote. Of course Santa was there too. They had traffic backed up for a couple of blocks. Do stations still have a promotions department. A well run promotion department should be an asset to the station not a cost.
 
TheBigA said:
It depends on the station. Yes, promotions departments are usually judged by the amount of money they make, rather than spend.
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Promotion Departments consist of interns and minimum wage part timers these days. I doubt that very many clusters have a Full Time Promotion Director. That's been taken over by a Sales person...
 
tbolt909 said:
Promotion Departments consist of interns and minimum wage part timers these days. I doubt that very many clusters have a Full Time Promotion Director. That's been taken over by a Sales person...
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Here's one example of a full time promotions person, who is leaving one station for another in Houston:

Urban One/Houston Dir./Promotions & Digital Content Bill Tatar, whose oversight included Country KKBQ, will join Audacy/Houston, which includes Country KILT, as Dir./Regional Promotions on Feb. 5.

If you search any of the trades, you'll see lots of them, and they're not interns or minimum wage.
 
The coolest promotion I ever saw was WQXI's. Rambling Raft Race in the mid to 1970's. Even rumor has it, then President Carter partook. I bet the Service Guys hated getting their suits wet.
 
Prescott Joe said:
There are PLENTY of stations that make or could make money targeting older
listeners. Simply stated, it probably takes more WORK and the likelihood of
making LESS MONEY.
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Only in smaller markets and with local direct accounts where the management wants older customers or where the owner is a listener. The problem is that most of those local direct accounts have disappeared due to the Internet, big box stores and the current difficult inflation and economy for seniors.
 
TheBigA said:
Here's one example of a full time promotions person, who is leaving one station for another in Houston:

Urban One/Houston Dir./Promotions & Digital Content Bill Tatar, whose oversight included Country KKBQ, will join Audacy/Houston, which includes Country KILT, as Dir./Regional Promotions on Feb. 5.

If you search any of the trades, you'll see lots of them, and they're not interns or minimum wage.
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Not Station as in singular --Digital Content of multiple stations and possibly multiple markets...
 
tbolt909 said:
Promotion Departments consist of interns and minimum wage part timers these days. I doubt that very many clusters have a Full Time Promotion Director. That's been taken over by a Sales person...
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I second BigA’s response. The two promotions directors I hired in LA came from junior positions in marketing at “brand name” companies. Their experience was in direct to consumer activities to promote their brands. They were high five to low six figure positions.

Your lack of knowledge of how stations work continues to amaze and astound me.
 
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tbolt909 said:
Not Station as in singular --Digital Content of multiple stations and possibly multiple markets...
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Sometimes. Clusters will have one promotion director, but may have a complete promotion staff.

How many significant stand-alone significant single station operations in a major market are there? Of course, most promotion directors handle several stations because, like general managers, clusters work as a synchronized group.
 
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tbolt909 said:
Not Station as in singular --Digital Content of multiple stations and possibly multiple markets...
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I don't see why that matters. In either case, it disproves your opinion that they're interns or part time. They're not.

But since you want to play games, here are some single station promotions directors, plus one job opening:

Midwest KTCO/Duluth Dir./Promotions Taylor Fideldy

Steel City KFKF/Kansas City Promotions Dir. Ashley Snow

Cumulus KATM/Modesto, CA has a Dir./Promotions opening.

Maybe you should apply, since you know so much.
 
DavidEduardo said:
The two promotions directors I hired in LA came from junior positions in marketing at “brand name” companies. Their experience was in direct to consumer activities to promote their brands. They were high five to low six figure positions.
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What year was that? Entercom was well known for posting job openings they had no intention of filling. Big A and yourself are quite adept at bending reality to fit your narrative...
 
TheBigA said:
I don't see why that matters. In either case, it disproves your opinion that they're interns or part time. They're not.
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The interns may handle the physical work of a promotion department, ranging from personal appearances to station-sponsored concerts, but the promotion director is in a management position.
 
tbolt909 said:
What year was that? Entercom was well known for posting job openings they had no intention of filling. Big A and yourself are quite adept at bending reality to fit your narrative...
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I have not been in a line position for two decades. But I've been involved in the hiring of promotion directors at Top 50 markets as recently as just before the pandemic.

New hires can come from marketing positions in any area, an all are college grads or the equivalent in experience. Some may come from the entry level positions if they have the education and skills to handle budgeting, meetings with clients and agencies, interfacing with venue management and record artists and the like. They also have to have a great familiarity with FCC rules for on-air contests, local regulations for station events, insurance coverage needs, and corporate legal guidelines that protect the station and its license.
 
Don CT said:
So why does anyone advertise on cable news. Isn't 55+ the people who watch.
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1. Cable is national. One buy.
2. Cable is video. The bulk of products that do target 55+ need a visual presentation.
3. Local radio is harder to buy, with a need to select stations on a market by market basis.
4. The products advertised specifically target older people.
 
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