Selling your product to a TV station?
- Thread starter buzne676
- Start date
RollItTakeIt
Member
Is this a commercial station?
If so make sure you have advertisers lined up because you will be buying the air time for your show from the station.
If so make sure you have advertisers lined up because you will be buying the air time for your show from the station.
JonathanLB
Carbonite Member
I don't assume that's what he's wanting to do. I've never even heard of that, I don't think he's making an informercial. If you're making content for a station, it's THEIR job to sell commercial time. In fact that's really all a TV station does. They have no other job besides that, ultimately. If you say, "Well they commission content and they buy content and they..." Yes, why do they do any of that? Right, so they can get advertisers. Haha, that's really their only function. It's not rocket science. 
RollItTakeIt
Member
If you're making content for a station, it's THEIR job to sell commercial time. In fact that's really all a TV station does. They have no other job besides that, ultimately. If you say, "Well they commission content and they buy content and they..." Yes, why do they do any of that? Right, so they can get advertisers. Haha, that's really their only function. It's not rocket science.
Hey Rocket Scientist, when was the last time you tried to sell a show to a local commercial station? How about a public tv station?
I've sold programs on local stations, produced national public tv specials, as well as packaged programming for networks like ESPN and no matter how logical your theory may look on the screen it's incorrect.
Yes stations have a sales staff, but they are there to sell advertising for their local news broadcasts and local spots during national programming they get from their parent network.
(Public TV stations want programming that will raise money for them during pledge drives.)
The station's sales staff have no interest in selling your program because:
1. Most stations only have 2-3 sales people and they work on commission. Why would they waste time selling your show when there is no guaranteed income?
2. they already have their hands full selling to and maintaining the accounts the already have.
3. It's a pain in the ass to sell an unknown quantity. Nobody likes to stick their neck out for something new, especially if they didn't develop it.
What they really want is for you to buy their airtime, that way they are guaranteed income without any effort.
The downside is that you have to sell advertising in your own program, the upside is you keep more money.
The other downside is that you will only get "off" hours (after midnight during the week, early morning/after midnight on weekends.)
That's the way it really works, in both commercial and public television.
mediatvguy
Member
I respectfully disagree with RollItTakeIt in everything.
There are so many different scenarios. Stations are very often looking for content, specially if it is local content. And specially if they are a low power and double-specially if they are a Class-A. They need local programming to stay alive.
It is not uncommon for the stations to sell the spots within the program for a percentage. I have seen this % go from 25%-65% depending on the deal obviously.
And of course there is the traditional "sell me the space I'll sell the commercials" which is good but then you will be competing with the station.
I recommend you talk to the Station Manager and not somebody else, unless he or she tells you otherwise.
I know this because I have been in both ends many times: Station side and selling programs to the station. Currently I am a manager at a group of five local stations.
There are so many different scenarios. Stations are very often looking for content, specially if it is local content. And specially if they are a low power and double-specially if they are a Class-A. They need local programming to stay alive.
It is not uncommon for the stations to sell the spots within the program for a percentage. I have seen this % go from 25%-65% depending on the deal obviously.
And of course there is the traditional "sell me the space I'll sell the commercials" which is good but then you will be competing with the station.
I recommend you talk to the Station Manager and not somebody else, unless he or she tells you otherwise.
I know this because I have been in both ends many times: Station side and selling programs to the station. Currently I am a manager at a group of five local stations.
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mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
And in addition to all those options, another thing to look into is providing "barter programming".
Works like this:
You make a 30min program (for example) with 5 minutes of advertising space in it.
You sell 3 minutes of the space to your advertisers .. this is to pay for the production of the program, and where you'll make your money.
The station then gets to see the other 2 minutes for their advertisers, which goes to paying for the air time.
It's a common model and similar to how network programing is done (where a network program will have both "national" commercials (as part of the program) and "local" commercials for the local station.
But first you have to have good enough content that you can successfully sell your program to the station to even want to air. This threshold varies greatly between stations from "please give us stuff to air." to "you want to air a program, that'll be a brazillion dollars please."
- Mikko
Works like this:
You make a 30min program (for example) with 5 minutes of advertising space in it.
You sell 3 minutes of the space to your advertisers .. this is to pay for the production of the program, and where you'll make your money.
The station then gets to see the other 2 minutes for their advertisers, which goes to paying for the air time.
It's a common model and similar to how network programing is done (where a network program will have both "national" commercials (as part of the program) and "local" commercials for the local station.
But first you have to have good enough content that you can successfully sell your program to the station to even want to air. This threshold varies greatly between stations from "please give us stuff to air." to "you want to air a program, that'll be a brazillion dollars please."
- Mikko
RollItTakeIt
Member
How can you disagree with me when you say at the start,
"There are so many different scenarios."???
You've only added to the information I gave, plus you reinforced a couple of my key points.
BTW - Since you are a pro in the biz, why don't you add to the discussion....
what kind of "manager" are you?
Sales? Engineering? News?
What market size are your stations?
How big is your sales staff?
How many local shows have you developed with local producers?
What kind of advice can you give based on those experiences?
I agree about the percentages, but again the common refrain you will hear from stations is that the more packaged your show comes, the better. They will always want ad space in the breaks so they can sell as a bonus to their established clients.
They will not help you sell ad time though because they don't want the competition.
As for local stations needing local programming to stay alive...
if that's the case then why aren't they investing in production facilities and equipment and trying to work with local producers and production companies?
Plus they aren't investing in more production gear and facilities.
If anything they are trying to do more with less gear and less staff.
I'm not talking about the odd HD handicam for the news shooter to carry, I'm talking about the big iron like cams, lights, etc...
It's so much easier to do the local news, take the national feed and sell ad time around that. Sell off the rest of the time for infomercials and you make a tidy little profit with very little overhead.
"There are so many different scenarios."???
You've only added to the information I gave, plus you reinforced a couple of my key points.
BTW - Since you are a pro in the biz, why don't you add to the discussion....
what kind of "manager" are you?
Sales? Engineering? News?
What market size are your stations?
How big is your sales staff?
How many local shows have you developed with local producers?
What kind of advice can you give based on those experiences?
I agree about the percentages, but again the common refrain you will hear from stations is that the more packaged your show comes, the better. They will always want ad space in the breaks so they can sell as a bonus to their established clients.
They will not help you sell ad time though because they don't want the competition.
As for local stations needing local programming to stay alive...
if that's the case then why aren't they investing in production facilities and equipment and trying to work with local producers and production companies?
Plus they aren't investing in more production gear and facilities.
If anything they are trying to do more with less gear and less staff.
I'm not talking about the odd HD handicam for the news shooter to carry, I'm talking about the big iron like cams, lights, etc...
It's so much easier to do the local news, take the national feed and sell ad time around that. Sell off the rest of the time for infomercials and you make a tidy little profit with very little overhead.
I respectfully disagree with RollItTakeIt in everything.
There are so many different scenarios. Stations are very often looking for content, specially if it is local content. And specially if they are a low power and double-specially if they are a Class-A. They need local programming to stay alive.
It is not uncommon for the stations to sell the spots within the program for a percentage. I have seen this % go from 25%-65% depending on the deal obviously.
And of course there is the traditional "sell me the space I'll sell the commercials" which is good but then you will be competing with the station.
I recommend you talk to the Station Manager and not somebody else, unless he or she tells you otherwise.
I know this because I have been in both ends many times: Station side and selling programs to the station. Currently I am a manager at a group of five local stations.
mediatvguy
Member
You know what RollIt.. you are right. Here is my advice to this person:
1.- - Make sure you have good content. Content is king. However, do not neglect audio, graphics, video quality. But gain, content will get you there.
2.- If you can sell and if you can support the production and airtime costs, try to buy the airtime from the station. You'll make more money in the long run.
3.- If you can't or don't want to sell, go in offering 25% of the sales if the station doesn't charge for airtime AND they do the selling. Be prepared to go down to 50/50.
Let us know how it goes BUZNE.. and good luck!
1.- - Make sure you have good content. Content is king. However, do not neglect audio, graphics, video quality. But gain, content will get you there.
2.- If you can sell and if you can support the production and airtime costs, try to buy the airtime from the station. You'll make more money in the long run.
3.- If you can't or don't want to sell, go in offering 25% of the sales if the station doesn't charge for airtime AND they do the selling. Be prepared to go down to 50/50.
Let us know how it goes BUZNE.. and good luck!
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I don't know the answer, but there is that requirement for locally produced content. Could it be the cost of production facilities?
Anyone know?
grinner
Carbonite Member
never give your idea to a local affilaite production manager. Even if you have ot protected you are waisting your time. Go abve them. Pitch to the network itslef, never a local affilaite.
I still have shows airing today as a result. I sure hope that localmanager enjoyed his buck an hour raise.
lol
I still have shows airing today as a result. I sure hope that localmanager enjoyed his buck an hour raise.
lol