Sabo Sez: Make More Money Selling Emotion
By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media Implementers
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network
It seems every hour Nielsen and Pierre Bouvard of Cumulus fame (formerly of Westwood One) put out a release stating that radio is just fine, thank you. Radio is more persuasive than TV, direct mail, streaming and print. Radio is a proven success for over 100 years. Most of the buildings housing Procter & Gamble were built on radio – not TV – advertising success. Happily, P&G realized radio’s clout and is now a dominant radio advertiser – again!
Audience data, facts, do little, if any, good. Based on the facts, radio should be the number one local advertising medium. It’s not, direct mail wins. Value Pack.
Every year radio’s revenue goes down. Many stations deliver consistent ratings and consistent product – yet they are going down in billing. Selling hard numbers, provable numbers, is not growing the industry.
Why do you buy stuff? Quantitative numbers are not driving revenue. What’s an option? Why do you buy… anything? If you’re buying an essential item like milk, the purchase is price driven. But radio is not an essential ad buy, yet the sales challenge is met by lowering spot rates. That hasn’t solved anything. Lower spot rates make overall revenue worse by lowering perceived value.
Your non-essential purchases are determined by price and emotion. Do you need that? No, but you want it. What does radio provide to a listener? EMOTION. Music and talk radio elicit emotional responses. Profound, deep, emotional responses. Why do clients cancel talk radio? Because they are offended, embarrassed or angry. Why do clients cancel a music station? Because they hate, can’t stand or are offended by the songs. Media buyer emotions drive capricious, rapid ad campaign cancellations. (Why do you get fired even though your numbers are just fine? Because you offended somebody.)
If numbers don’t maintain a buy, what would compel a buy?
Tangibles plus on-air emotion. Tell you a secret. Most TV media buys are for shows, not audience. Right. Math-driven media buying services buy TV shows they like.
Suggest we look to move off the spreadsheet, the programmatic, and enter the warmth of emotional selling, selling to a buyer’s personal likes. (Jingle Ball – genius!) Personal likes. The numbers aren’t serving the need for revenue growth. Soft drivers: Concert tickets, prize winners, food, free tracks, buyer names on air, parties, gift for kids. Old school? No. Proven school. New school isn’t working. Turn radio’s air into tangible, shiny objects. Radio elicits emotional responses, let’s sell to them. That’s powerful! More powerful than time spent listening.
Walter Sabo has been a C Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General and many other leading media outlets. His company HITVIEWS, in 2007, was the first to identify and monetize video influencers. HITVIEWS clients included Pepsi, FOX TV, Timberland, Microsoft, and CBS Television. He can be reached at walter@sabomedia.com and www.waltersterlingshow.com. “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network airs 10:00 pm-1:00 ET, now in its 10th year of success.
total Audio campaigns — including radio, streaming and podcast advertising— with Veritonic allows us to show the power of Audacy’s content in connecting with audiences and mobilizing customers. We’re thrilled to continue our partnership and enable our clients and advertising partners to leverage audio to achieve the utmost in competitive edge, reach, and ROI.”
Survey says nearly half of all Americans over 13, nearly 135 million, listen to spoken word formats. The growth curve boasts an eye opening 52% jump in time spent listening at home.
Lucid, Bose, Samsung and Xbox, as well as on the TuneIn mobile app and TuneIn.com. The agreement also gives Audacy access to TuneIn’s advertising supply and brings select TuneIn original content to the Audacy digital platform. Audacy chief digital officer J.D. Crowley 
comments, “Streaming of AM/FM Radio is one of the fastest growing segments of all digital audio today. As consumer demand for Audacy’s best-in-class local audio content continues to increase, we’re committed to meeting the listener wherever they wish to consume, and we’re delighted to expand the availability of our unique live sports, news, and personality-driven audio content to over 200 new TuneIn-supported platforms. We’re equally thrilled to welcome TuneIn’s premium exclusive content to the Audacy digital platform.”
streaming, podcasting, and wagertainment properties. Under Davis’ leadership, the team will be responsible for sales and execution, managing the entire client lifecycle.” Audacy chief revenue officer Brian Benedik comments, “No medium delivers more value for sports than audio. People are spending more time than ever with broadcast radio, streaming and podcasts, and the demand for compelling sports content across these channels is growing exponentially. Through our best-in-
class sports audio portfolio, powered by over 150 flagship team partnerships, iconic local broadcast brands, award-winning podcasts and sports betting content, Audacy is uniquely positioned to capitalize on a new sales strategy in this arena.” Audacy says, “From 1990 to 2005, Davis was key in building WFAN into America’s #1 sports radio station, overseeing local and national sales, programming and marketing, helping shape it into the highest-grossing station in the country.” Davis rejoined Audacy in 2018 to lead the reboot of Traffic Weather Information Network’s on-air content and ad operations teams. 
I’m sorry.
content like additional news, interviews or songs, all while remaining in sync with the live broadcast.’… The survey asked Audacy listeners to choose how much they’d be willing to pay for commercial-free radio, with the prices starting at $1 per month and going as high as $11 a month, according to a copy of the survey reviewed by The Desk. A follow-up question presented a similar list of options, but asked users to weigh in on the maximum price they’d be willing to pay before they thought a premium radio subscription was too expensive.” 
planners). Suchman writes that this argument “is among the ultimate tussles between media planners and publishers. While some may lean more heavily toward video, we at Audacy respectfully disagree.” He makes a five-point argument in audio’s favor saying it wins in reach, time spent using, is more immersive, activates all senses, and drives recall. 
own. It remains competitive with podcasts and DSPs (Digital Streaming Providers, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and others) when consumers are in vehicles or public transit during the early morning and late afternoon commutes, and on weekends.” Respondents were asked to select a top preference from a list of audio entertainment choices and their top choices were (for morning commuters), broadcast FM/AM radio with 19% of the sample, followed closely by podcasts, with streaming coming in at third. The study indicates the competition is closer during the late afternoon commute, where podcasts and streaming barely eclipse radio as the top choice among commuters at 15% vs. 14% of the sample, respectively. And radio remains competitive as an audio entertainment favorite among listeners on the go during the weekend, sharing the top spot with DSP’s and eking ahead of podcasts. 
#2 (77,602 AAS), and Audacy at #3 (58,527 AAS). Other commercial broadcasters making the top 30 include Cumulus Streaming Network at #4 (40,999 AAS), Beasley Broadcasting Corporate at #6 (18,862 AAS), Hubbard Broadcasting at #8 (14,792 AAS), Urban One at #11 (9,601 AAS), and Salem Communications at #12 (8,244 AAS). 
podcasting, downloaded audio, smart speakers and other sources of audio content… Edison Podcast Metrics measures persons-based listening estimates using frequently updated surveys to provide a complete view of the rapidly growing podcast audience.” Jon Kaiser is head of Nielsen’s agency and advertiser-direct businesses and he says, “The media landscape is evolving quickly and agencies have a vital need to understand how all the media puzzle pieces fit together. Edison’s insights are best-in-class and Nielsen is excited to work together with them to provide media planners and buyers with deep insights into the total audio landscape and the rapidly growing podcasting audience.”
daily morning program streaming on audio and video from 7:00 am to 10:00 am CT and available as a podcast that the company will produce, distribute and sell. Bring Me The News says, “Barnard will be joined by a co-host, producer, and a number of other guests and contributors. Barnard left KQRS on Dec. 23 after 37 years hosting 92 KQ’s Morning Show, which for a period in the ‘90s was the highest rated morning radio show in the entire country. As he prepared to leave the station, Barnard claimed in an interview with the Star Tribune he had been forced out the door at KQ by parent company Cumulus Media, which had described Barnard’s departure as a ‘retirement.’” Barnard’s new show is expected to debut sometime next month. On Monday of this week, KQRS launched its new morning show hosted by radio personality and former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman.
