What’s Jim’s Problem With Prime?

Community Broadcasters President Jim Leven had a message for his Watertown, New York listeners this week: Don’t Do It. Leven was using his stations (12X per day), to tell the locals not to shop on Amazon.com during the online retailers’ highly publicized Prime Day, and instead shop local.

Leven says Amazon is going to be taking an unprecedented amount of revenue out of the market this year and he wanted to remind listeners that shopping local was the best way to go this year, especially when local businesses really need a boost during this pandemic.

Radio Ink: What is your beef with Amazon Prime Day?
Leven: I have no beef, per se, with Amazon Prime Day. Amazon is a great company. The fact that Prime Day exists, doesn’t mean that our audiences should participate, especially in the midst of this pandemic. Small businesses in all of our markets are struggling, mostly for reasons beyond their control. For the benefit of our communities, it is my hope that listeners would take heed. of our request that they buy local.

Radio Ink: What can radio do to bring as much excitement to local businesses as Amazon does to Prime Day?
Leven: I’d like to think that the Community radio stations are developing programs that create an environment in which our small businesses seem like great places to shop. We have taken part in reward programs for Hero Teachers, Heroes in Scrubs, Toy Drives, etc, all of which are heavily promoted on our radio stations and all of which force listeners to venture into stores of our sponsors to take part. Our “Saves” program which involves 50% off coupons or items at half price that we trade with advertisers hopefully draw our listeners to shop at those local businesses given the items are half priced and must be retrieved at the client’s businesses. In this way, it is our hope that those businesses will be able to upsell while enjoying “free” advertising to highlight their benefits to our audiences.

Radio Ink: Should all radio hosts across the country be banned, or discouraged, from talking about Prime Day?
Leven: Of course not.  Being topical and discussing what is on our audience’s minds makes our talent relevant and compelling. However, it would behoove our folks to impart our theory that buying local supports their friends, neighbors and local economy…and that saving a few bucks may not ultimately save them anything when shunning our local businesses can damage our local economies overall.

Radio Ink: How did you encourage your listeners not to buy on Amazon and shop local instead?
Leven: All the Community radio stations in NY, SC and FL broadcast a message to buy local and to think twice before sending local dollars to Amazon.  In Watertown and New York’s north country, we aired the announcements 12x/day on all 8 radio stations.  Our other GMs behaved similarly. Broadcasters are largely small, local businesses that have an obligation to do that which is best for their local communities. Radio is LOCAL. It’s essential we behave that way and focus our products to our local constituencies. Community Broadcasters is more than the name of our company. It is also our mission.

Radio Ink: You have to admit the marketing of Amazon Prime Day is brilliant and free delivery doesn’t suck.
Leven: Yes.  Free delivery doesn’t suck but most of our local businesses will allow customers to order on-line as well as shopping in the stores locally.

Jim Levin can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]