Chapter 7: Promotion
Overview
Topics for this chapter will include past and purpose of promotions, promotions practical and bi-
zarre, the promotion director’s job and the staff he or she is responsible for hiring, types of promo-
Student Objectives
Upon completing the study of this chapter, the student will have acquired the following competen-
cies:
xThe purpose of promotions
xOn-air and off-air promotions
Discussion Topics
xWhat are some of your favorite contests/promotions on local stations. Why do they ap-
peal to you?
xHow do FCC rules affect contests?
xDiscus the elements of a “positioning statement”—who, what, and why—and how they
are used in on-air station promotions.
Class Activities
xHave students examine station promotions by visiting radio station websites, to heighten
awareness of how stations self-promote and also directly counter the competition.
Assignment
xRun a contest for the entire class. Give each student twenty-four hours (or more) to find
as many off-air promotions as possible within the boundaries of your school’s town/city.
Students should then submit a list indicating the nature of the promo and its location. The
student with the longest verifiable list wins a prize (something material, not a grade).
QUIZ: Chapter 7: Promotion
1. Which promotional stunt was fictionalized on the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati?
__a. The Valhalla gas credit card
__b. Turkeys being dropped over a shopping center
__c. Hidden money in a local public library
__d. Overturned cars on a highway
2. How do radio stations know that their promotions are working?
__ a. By increased listener complaints
__ b. By increased rating surveys
__ c. By decreased commercial loads
__ d. By increased competition from other media
3. Due to greater competition, radio stations must promote themselves:
__ a. Only during quarterly rating periods
__ b. Only during the daytime
__ c. Continually
__ d. Only on special holidays
4. Most successful radio promotions involve what kind of incentives?
__ a. Large cash or merchandise prizes
__ b. Fundraising events
__ c. On-air auctions
__ d. An increase commercial availabilities
5. What is the preferred way for the promotion director to acquire prizes?
__ a. The station cannot give out “prizes”, which are forbidden by the FCC
__ b. By arranging to give out only cash prizes to winners.
__ c. Through direct purchase and trades
__ d. By soliciting donations from listeners
6. Which form of radio promotion is the most prevalent?
__ a. Off -air promotions such as advertising
__ b. On-air promotions using station call letters
__ c. Sales promotions designed to increase the commercial load
__ d. Advertising through print media
7. To “bookend” call letters is to position them in what way?
__ a. Once in the middle of the break
__ b. Voiced over a musical segue
__ c. At the beginning and end of a break
__ d. Include them with all informational announcements
8. Off-air promotions are designed to do what?
__ a. Retain current listeners
__ b. Give away money
__ c. Provide entertainment
__ d. Reach people not tuned in
9. To offset the cost of promotions, stations will do what?
__ a. Collaborate with sponsors to share the costs
__ b. Cut back on off-air promotions
__ c. Do more on-air promos
__ d. Do more on-air contests
10. What is considered to be the ultimate goal of any promotion?
__ a. To improve area signal coverage by increasing the power
__ b. To compete with other media such as newspapers
__ c. To provide better coverage of news and information
__ d. To enhance listenership
11. What is the preferred solution to planning the budget for a promotion?
__ a. To spend no money at all
__ b. To exchange available airtime for goods and services
__ c. To spend as much money as possible
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12. What are the basic FCC policies governing promotions?
__ a. A station may not promote sponsored contests
__ b. A station may not operate lotteries, endanger contestants, or mislead listeners as
to the nature of the prize.
__ c. A station may not disclose the names of winners on the air
__ d. A station may not award cash as prizes
ANSWER SHEET
Chapter 7: Essay Questions
1. How do radio stations know that their promotions are working?
2. Due to greater competition, radio stations must promote themselves how often?
3. Most successful radio promotions involve what kind of incentives?
4. What is a practical way for the promotion director to acquire prizes?
5. Which form of radio promotion is the most prevalent—on-air or off-air?
6. To “bookend” call letters is to position them in what way?
7. Off-air promotions are designed to do what?
8. To offset the cost of promotions, stations will do what?
9. What is considered to be the ultimate goal of any promotion?
10. What is the preferred solution in planning the budget for a promotion?
11. What are the basic FCC policies governing promotions?
Chapter 7: Essay Question Answers
1. How do radio stations know that their promotions are working?
By increased rating surveys. As ratings assumed greater prominence in the age of
2. Due to greater competition, radio stations must promote themselves how often?
3. Most successful radio promotions involve what kind of incentives?
Large cash or merchandise prizes. Big prizes, rather than stunts, tend to draw the most
interest and thus are offered by stations able to afford them. Cash prizes always have
4. What is a practical way for the promotion director to acquire prizes?
6. Which form of radio promotion is the most prevalent—on-air or off-air?
On-air promotions. The on-air category is the most prevalent form of radio promotion.
7. To “bookend” call letters is to position them in what way?
At the beginning and end of a break. It is a common practice for stations to “bookend”—
8. Off-air promotions are designed to do what?
Radio stations employ off-air promotional techniques to reach people not tuned in.
9. To offset the cost of promotions, stations will do what?
Collaborate with sponsors to share the costs. This way both the station and the sponsor
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10. What is considered to be the ultimate goal of any promotion?
Of course, the ultimate goal of any promotion is to enhance listenership. To effectively
11. What is the preferred solution in planning the budget for a promotion?
Since promotion directors frequently are expected to arrange trade agreements with
12. What are the basic FCC policies governing promotions?
Stations may not operate lotteries, endanger contestants, or mislead listeners as to the
nature of the prize. Stations are prohibited from running a contest in which contestants are