(By Dennis Green) Growing up, when my family had a lot of folks over for Thanksgiving dinner, all I wanted was a chance to have a seat at the table. You know, that place where the best stories were being told. Where the adults were. I thought if I could only get out from the “kids’ table,” that would be huge. I don’t even remember what stories were told at the kids’ table, except about when the day would come that any of us would get a seat at THE table.
Those days at the kids’ table prepared me well for the path I would take as a radio syndicator. I never thought that radio syndication would be the route to a career in the medium I loved. When I look back, while I chose radio, it was syndication that chose me, and I’m glad it did. But, yes, in some respects I would be at the “kids’ table” as a radio syndicator.
One lesson learned at that table was that I would eat the same food and drink the same drinks (well, maybe not the alcohol), so was it really all that different? You had to listen to what was going at “the table,” then figure out how to be a part of that game from the kids’ table.
So what should a station consider when deciding to add a syndicated show to its “table”?
CAN SYNDICATION HELP MY STATION? What does the station need? How can the syndicator help the station succeed locally? How can the nationally syndicated product successfully integrate into the local station lineup?
NOT ALL SUCCESS IS LIVE & LOCAL The objection that has stuck with me for years is when a local broadcaster says, “I have to be live and local to be best.” That is not a bad objection, but there is an easy response to that. Think hybrid, something the pandemic has accustomed us to in many areas of business and personal life. I believe stations simply want to be the best, and to have the best products and services. Do you want to be local with a 20th-rated show and keep all that inventory that is worth less, or do you want to be number one with a syndicated show?
I am glad that many broadcasters have not subscribed to this “live and local or bust” mantra. Otherwise, would Casey Kasem and American Top 40 have ever been a national success? What about Paul Harvey News and Comment? Charles Osgood? Rush Limbaugh? Larry King? Ryan Seacrest? Tom Joyner? Shall I go on?
Unlike television, radio syndicators have to fight, claw, and scratch for every ounce of real estate in the way of clearing local markets. When Fox launched The Simpsons, did the local Fox TV affiliate say, “You know what? We don’t want a cartoon in prime time. We are going to go with John Doe, Local Explorer”? That’s not to say there isn’t some great local content out there, but access and available resources can also make a big difference in quality. Remember, it’s a two-way street, and good syndicators know the importance of delivering service and support to client stations, advertisers, and, yes, listeners.
I was fortunate to start my career learning from one of the best local broadcasters ever as an intern/producer at WGN/Chicago. The lessons I learned from Lorna Gladstone (who was the APD at the time and later went onto become PD, and was one of the best the industry every had) stay with me today.
LISTEN! To the clients, the producers, engineers, marketers, everyone who has a stake in the success of the radio station. I was fortunate to walk the halls with legendary broadcasters. Wally Philips, Bob Collins, Eddie Schwartz — all you had to do was listen to these guys and watch their teams in action. Those lessons work to put together any syndicated show.
GET TO KNOW STATIONS. Study what has worked for stations in their local markets with listeners and advertisers. Not every show will work in every market; you have to do things to make the shows fit in locally. A syndicator’s frustration is not being able to go to every market to help market the show. The local staff has to embrace the show as part of their station. The ones that do can succeed.
ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS. The national talent needs to establish a relationship with the local audience. While they can’t be there every day like a local talent, a talent and the syndicator can work together to be a part of a creating a winner in each market. Learn about the local market and the local talent, and go the extra mile to ensure that relationship is established. Guys like Ed Christian will call a syndicator for products if they believe the syndicator will respect the relationship and create winning products for their stations. Syndication is thankful to those broadcasters for believing in national programming and taking chances based on the relationships established at the local level to deliver products that work in their markets.
RESEARCH & STUDY! The relationship with a syndicator should not be one of a vendor. Watch your clients’/stations’ success and study it well. Scott Herman wouldn’t make a deal for his stations unless it was best for them. He also wouldn’t work with syndicators that didn’t understand the business. I thank him for giving syndication a chance when he had the resources so he didn’t have to use syndication. He had to be the best, and the syndicator has to meet that challenge every day.
BE PASSIONATE! When a local station makes the decision to put on a syndicated show, it is a major commitment. That station is allowing that show to be part of its brand. The syndicator should become part of the family that is that brand. The station has many choices, and the syndicator needs to respect the choice of the local station. Hopefully the local station will see the passion the syndicator has for the station. As the local station goes with the syndicator’s product, so goes the syndicator.
Thanks to all the local radio stations who have allowed us syndicators to have a seat at the table. While the kids’ table was always fun there is something to be said for sitting with the big kids!
Dennis Green is the Chief Revenue Officer at Key Networks/Sun & Fun Media and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]
