Chapter 9: Winning The Long Game

If you work at a local broadcast station or network (it doesn't matter which one), you know you'll eventually have your big event, your place in the Sun, so to speak.

At some point or other, you'll have The Grammys, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the Oscars or The World Series, complete with lots of eyeballs on your screens.  These are like trains hurtling toward you at 100 miles an hour...and you're standing on the tracks.  Whether or not you're in a sweep or the dead of summer, this is your chance to shine.

The big question is--will your boss let you?

I've worked for some great general managers in my career, and the best ones were true visionaries and leaders in the station's journey.  Of course, they were the guardians of the famed Bottom Line, but the best ones push you harder than you push yourself and really see the forest...and the trees.  They know that a spot is worth X inside the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, but that the value to his or her own station brand can be invaluable.  Promoting your own station is winning the "long game," so to speak.

There are still a few of those managers who think of their promotion departments as bottom feeders who only deserve unsold inventory, and the used car dealer with a $5 stapled to his head can bump you because it's $5 they didn't have last week.  That's the "short game" and it always loses.  Always.

Two of the biggest influences in my career were Bill Bolster and Ron Longinotti.  Both were winners at both the short and long games.  Both were masters at building a brand and making the most of big events.  They both saw the value in investing heavily in the station brand for every event that was guaranteed to spike for that night or fortnight.

Dominant stations all have these things in common to take advantage of what seldom comes around in the course of a year for folks sitting in our chairs:

*  They maintain a detailed calendar of all big events one year in advance (your rep firm has all this for you).
*  The director of sales and promotion director collaborate on what avails will be available to the station, but
    be prepared to fight for what you deserve.
*  The GM and news director have a clear vision of what the three to four spots in the campaign should be. 
*  They have a promotion director who is prepared to fight for having at least one :30 an hour.
*  A promotion team which will create all new campaigns for each event.
*  A promotion leader who knows how to continue the campaign AFTER the big event to keep the
    momentum going. 
*  A promotion leader who will start writing and conceptualizing your campaign at least three months before
    the event.  Your news director and GM deserve a big hand in what you're doing.  Just don't let them
    "dumb it down" by turning each spot into a glorified topical.

It's almost Oscar night, and I hope my ABC pals have at least three spots in the big broadcast next Sunday.
Then comes March Madness and The Masters on CBS, The World Series on FOX and before you know it, the Winter Olympics next Feb.  I hope you're planning already, because the train is coming.

Everybody is going to be watching you, especially your GM and news director.  Don't disappoint them with the same old topicals or air the tired old image spots you've already had on the air for a year. Now is the time to be bold, brash and new.

Here in Portland, we really geared up for the Olympics.  It was all hands on deck three months before the opening ceremony and everyone in the department was writing and producing.  Everyone had a voice.  It was a long process, but with from six to eight new spots in the Games each time, each one was high concept and aimed at a specific need for the news brand.

While I really liked my news director, when I told him the new spots were going to be fresh and different, he actually said "I HATE different."  Ooh, tough room.  Hardly inspired me to do my best, but too bad for him.

The Number two, three and four stations in each market will sell that big spot before kickoff to the local car dealer.  The dominant station will give it to you and understand that your Brand is the most important thing (in this case).  It is forever.  Bill Bolster and Ron Longinotti knew this and were masters at taking advantage of the Big Event.

Now is the time to think ahead, really understand what your station's needs are, and deliver a campaign they will never forget.  The audience can't take their eyes off you. 

Even if it's a year from now, let's give 'em something to talk about.  

--Rich Brase

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