(By Charese Fruge’) Devon Shuman is the SVP Director of non-metro audio sales for Gen Media Partners. She calls on agencies and helps them understand the value of small and non-metro market radio advertising and helps them with the process of buying.
She leads a team responsible for driving national spot revenue for small market broadcasters in trading areas outside of Nielsen’s 248-rated metros, partnering with 70% of the stations in the small market/ non-metro space, showing brands and agencies where they may be missing coverage by only buying measured markets.
“I started as a McGavren Guild sales assistant 23 years ago and am proud to have maintained relationships with many of the same broadcasters,” says Shuman. “From Interep’s Regional Market Radio (RMR) to Local Focus and now Gen Media Partners, I’ve committed my entire professional career to driving national spot sales for independent broadcasters. My mission was fortified in 2018 when Gen Media Partners acquired the Tacher Company and Regional Reps. The power of our collective roster of small market stations was now unmatched. We have been the authority on the space and a vital resource for our agencies ever since.”
“I am very proud of my contribution to it all. We have found unique and interesting ways to position the value of small-market radio and it’s now part of my DNA. I’m the type that would prefer to shop at a farmer’s market over a large grocery store or a cute boutique over a department store, so working with and for these independent broadcasters aligns with my internal compass and has given me great purpose. I want the underdog to win. I want the silenced to sing. I love giving a voice to these broadcasters and the communities they serve.”
“I didn’t find radio; radio found me,” explains Shuman. “My college roommate and ‘J school’ classmate graduated a semester earlier than me and was working at J. Walter Thompson in ATL. While visiting one weekend, she helped me fax my resume out to half of her Rolodex. I got a call back from a company called Interep which was looking for an entry-level sales assistant. At the time I thought of my new job as a stepping stone to the next opportunity, not my life’s work. Now it feels a bit like kismet, and it feeds me in ways that I would have never anticipated decades ago.”
Ironically, one of Shuman’s biggest accomplishments in her career came as a result of the pandemic. “They say crisis breeds ingenuity. During the original COVID lull, when we were out of our offices and at home hunkered down, our small market team began (Zoom!) brainstorming on new ways to organize our offerings. We spent much of 2020 building new programs and research tools that have now become our calling card. We opened new doors for new conversations about small-market radio sales at the agency and brand level.”
“These programs have been a game changer for us. We have systemized and organized radio markets in new and thoughtful ways that make small market planning and buying easier and therefore more viable to agencies. These programs were built around our agencies’ daily tasks so that non-metro radio could be done in a blink. They are FREE resources that help our agencies and brands find the right, high-quality, and performance-qualified radio stations FAST.”
“In the national agency space, buyers and planners are used to certain metrics and data sets that help them justify their campaigns and media choices,” says Shuman. “Many of these audience measurement tools are simply not available in small markets. Additionally, many believe if they buy all 248 of Nielsen’s rated audio metros or a ‘national’ radio network, they will get full coverage of the country. The lack of supporting data in small markets and the misperception of metro radio coverage are our biggest challenges.”
“There are around 3,000 counties in the US. Nielsen’s 248 rated metros are created by combining around 1,000 of them. 2,000 counties in the US are NON-METRO and represent 20% of the US population or the equivalent of NYC plus LA plus Chicago plus half of Dallas! No national buyer would ever exclude these population-dense areas for a national buy. They shouldn’t exclude non-metro for the same reason.”
“A national brand looking for national coverage needs to invest in the communities that live beyond the metro boundaries. We challenge our agencies to consider these growing communities with huge purchase power even though they don’t have a Nielsen market number in front of their name.”
“We believe in local radio, we believe in local broadcasters, we believe in local content, we believe in local connection, and we have the most powerful and viable network of stations to help brands activate their national message in local markets. We are successful because we lean into our passion for our partners and the research that highlights the value of their listeners.”
Why is Gen Media so different? And why is a position like Shuman’s so important? “Gen Media Partners and our list of radio partners is different from our competition,” says Shuman. “You will not find one publicly traded company on our list. We proudly work with independent and locally owned small business owners and operators who fiercely believe their FCC license is a responsibility to serve their local communities.”
“The competition is corporate radio. We are community radio. The competition has sanitized, syndicated personalities and cookie-cutter programming. We feature live talent and local reporting on things our communities need to hear. The competition airs national promotions. We promote giveaways and events that benefit the local community.”
“When we speak to agencies, we always champion real radio, or broadcasters who have committed to local talent, content, and community. We know how personal and powerful radio advertising can be. People don’t say ‘That’s my TV station,’ but they do say ‘That’s MY radio station.’ Radio’s broad reach with hyper-targeting is a perfect combination for national advertisers and we proudly share that story at every available opportunity.”
With such a specific focus and role in the industry, I wondered if Shuman experienced the same lack of DEI issues we face in all other areas of the radio industry. “While I don’t feel the glass ceiling like my mother or grandmother did, the truth is that most leadership positions are still held by men. I think the best way to break through is to break through,” says Shuman. “I don’t silence my voice and I don’t apologize for my ambition. I lead from the front; I contribute and collaborate at every opportunity. I have taken a more active role in my personal development; I am honing my own ‘board of directors’ and professional networks and am a steadfast champion for the women around me doing the same. We can’t wait for it to feel fair or right to do our best work. You don’t need a leadership position or title to be a leader.”
Fantastic advice from a mother of two young daughters. What keeps her up at night? “I am perpetually fearful of the divided and polluted world they are inheriting,” says Shuman. How does she find balance? “My mother has a saying: You can be a great friend, you can be a great employee, you can be a great mother, you can be a great wife, but usually- not on the same day.”
“Today, I think I feel grace more than I feel balance. What working mother doesn’t want more time with her children and more bandwidth to make the moments count? Can I ever balance those feelings? I’m not sure. I have become better at giving myself the grace to be okay with sometimes being good, not great. I don’t apologize to work for putting my family first, and I don’t apologize to my family for sometimes being unavailable because of work.”
What’s up next for Shuman? “We are starting a podcast! We want to highlight the value of small markets for brands and marketers. GMP worked with 1300 different non-metro broadcasters last year – 1300! So we have lots of amazing and inspirational broadcasters to pull from.”
“The podcast is interview style and meant to be a platform for our broadcasters to share their ‘small market secret sauce’ or what makes their area unique and worthy of consideration. We are highlighting the untapped potential and value of small markets and urging agencies and brands to consider the impact of campaigns in these communities. This is not a commercial for Gen Media, but of course, if we can show marketers the value in these areas, they may consider buying audio to support them. Follow us and listen in!”
Follow Devon Shuman on LinkedIn. Find Gen Media Partners on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talents, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. Find her at @MCMediaOnline. See more Women to Watch here.
