As stations face declining revenues, two of the country’s top station trade organizations, Promax & BDA and Radio-Television News Directors Association, are banding together for a postwar workshop on news promotion.
RTNDA is partnering with Promax on its second annual Ratings Roadshow, a series of local ad-promo confabs scheduled in various markets next month. The Roadshow’s stops comprise full-day sessions meant to teach local stations the importance and proper techniques for news promotion. Following a war that drove most Americans to their sets morning, noon and night, the heads of Promax BDA and RTNDA said the timing was right for this alliance.
“So many of our members are looking for more educational opportunities closer to home, and when Promax topper Jim [Chabin] proposed a partnership to discuss news promotion for the Roadshow, it made a lot of sense, since that’s something we stress to our members every year,” said Barbara Cochran, president of RTNDA. “This was a way to reach a different audience and the match with Promax was a perfect fit.”
According to Mr. Chabin, CEO of Promax, BDA, nothing like this had been done in recent history, allowing news directors and promo staff to work together to fine-tune local promotion.
“The subject matter made perfect sense because news directors work so closely with their promo guys,” said Mr. Chabin. “It provides both parties the chance to get out of the office for a day and absorb material in a way that is cheap, fast and locally consumed.”
Each of the advertisers who participated in Promax’s Roadshow last year will return, including Paramount with King World. The tour is adding Denver and Seattle to its destinations, after hitting Dallas, Chicago, New York and Atlanta last year. This year’s slate will begin in Denver June 16, followed by Dallas June 18 and Seattle June 20. The traveling seminar will then head east to Chicago June 23, then to New York June 25 and Atlanta June 27.
The annual, comprehensive Promax conference will take place in Los Angeles from June 4 to June 6. NBC and ABC will hold affiliate meetings during the event.
The Roadshow’s opening session will feature Graeme Newell and Doug Drew on news branding. The afternoon workshop will feature Lee Hunt on the news promo.