How to say NO when sales or the GM wants their friend or client interviewed on air

From where I sit On The Kowch, the one word Program Directors and News Directors have a hard time saying to sales managers or general managers is NO.

How else would you explain some of the things we hear on the radio these days. Promotions that make no sense to the format of the radio station. Interviews that no one cares about. Topics on the talk shows that are self serving. Coverage of a story or non-event that makes listeners ask WHY?

I had a winning formula when it came to a sales rep or sales manager asking me to interview their client or a prospective client.

I would ask the sales rep or sales manager one question.

If this person wasn't your client, would you listen to the interview on the radio?

99 per cent of them said no.

Game over! No interview was conducted.

Sales also likes to connect a promotion to the client's buy. Or offer them a promotion in exchange for advertising on the radio station.

This is a bit harder but NO is still the word you need to use if the promotion doesn't make sense on you radio station. If it doesn't match your core demo.

Sales was on my case one year because they didn't think my programming was bringing in younger demos they needed in order to increase sales.

A week later sales is trying to convince me to approve a promotion for the Glen Miller Swing Band!

A band playing music for a much older demo that we weren't interested in pursuing.

Another rule I had is that sales reps could not talk to the on air talent about endorsements, promotions and hosting a remote broadcast for a client. Talent feel pressured by sales and end up saying yes for all the wrong reasons. Sales reps are great at playing the card if you don't do this for me I won't make my budget this month.

That's why I tried to keep sales away from hosts.

Now, it gets a bit difficult when the general manager or even the owner comes a calling looking for hosts to interview their friends.

If NO is not possible, then you need to negotiate when this interview will take place. Most times the GM or owner didn't care what show their friend would be interviewed on. All they wanted was to get this person off their back in exchange for an interview on the radio.

So I would go to a host outside of morning or afternoon drive and to ask for a favour. Need you to do an interview for the GM or owner.

I would leave the timing of the interview up to the host. I just needed to know when that person would be on the radio so I could tell either the GM or owner when their friend would be on the air.

From where I sit On The Kowch, News Directors also get hit on to interview the friend of the boss or cover an assignment of little news value except for sales or the GM's friends.

News directors need to stand up more for their departments. Just because they have to cover an assignment for the boss it doesn't mean they make it the lead story in the newscasts.

Steve Kowch was program director of two of Canada's largest newstalk radio stations for 14 years

He can be reached at steve@kowchmedia.com

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