Saturday, May 16, 2009

My "Other" Job

Gee, with all my WBMW air time, when do I get time for another job? It goes back a ways. During one of my respites from full-time radio employment, I took an advertising sales job in 1988 in the Norwich office of Shore Line Newspapers, a group of weekly local publications which were part of ABC/Capital Cities. While I enjoyed the job, it immediately became clear to me that the sales manager, Allan Arico, was more adept at his craft than the people above him. He correctly foresaw the consequences of corporate missteps, left and started his own ad agency. I jumped ship a year later for Hartford radio while helping Allan start a leaner and meaner monthly direct mail shopping publication - The Extra - treating Jewett City/Griswold as more of its center as opposed to Norwich. I caught up with Allan again in 2002 and The Extra was still around, even though it needed a little attention. WDRC had just laid me off, so I had time to build it up. We even added editions of The Advertiser in Montville and East Lyme. It has made me a big believer in direct mail advertising. While many print media have taken horrendous hits, the "little shopper paper that could" continues its success. Allan appreciates loyalty, so I continue to be its main account executive. As far as radio vs. print is concerned, I see this and WBMW as more complementary than directly competitive. They have coexisted for me for six years now. In fact, I get to know many of our communities and businesses a lot better because of the combination of the two. My loyalties aren't divided - they are doubled.

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