U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1959)

W. C. Dekkei, V ice President McCaiui-Erickson Inc. W. E. Matthews, Vice President Richard P. Jones, Vice President J. Walter Thompson Co. Young & Ruhicam Inc ''Tinn'biiyer\s age tends to match youth of his media" ''For best buying, unified time and space" ''Group buying, with the accent on flexibility" llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllP^ operations range Iroiu ilu all-iiicilia plan of Y&R to the tlistinctly specialized broadcast buying organization ot D'Arcy, with D-F-S occupying what it terms a "niitldle ground." In general agreement on who makes the best radio tiniebuyer (i.e. someone with above-average intelligence, an aptitude for figures, a talent for dealing with people and a flair for "creative planning") , the six organizations outline similar job progressions for their timebuyers — but with differences in emphasis. Itemizing what they consider to be a radio timebuyer's biggest problems, the spokesmen are imanimous on one in particular — the lack of a stable, reliable rate structure. Comments range from this subject ("It's not a question of local versus national rates, but of 'off the rate card' deals which reflect badly on radio") to that of age ("Timebuyers may tend to be young and inexperienced — but so are the time sellers, who frequently don't know important marketing data about their own station areas.") . Timebuyers as a whole, according to the six agencies, are on the average in their middle 20's or early 30's and college graduates. Since World War II, an increasing proportion are women (about one-third of those at \>LR, nearly hall ol those at .M-E) . Where will radio timebuyers go in agency work? The media men queried by u. s. radio agree that with ambition and ability the man (or woman) who "watches the clock for the client" will very likely move up to a key position in his organization— probably in media itself, but frequently in some other phase of agency work. Here's the way radio timebuying ticks at the six agencies surveyed: McCann-Erickson (with an estimated radio billing of $15 million) : The New York (home) office, one of 10 in the United States, has a media department of 115 people, of whom 20 are actively engaged in timebuying. William Dekker, as director, guides the work of five associate media directors who function as group heads for specific lists of accounts. Each associate director, in turn, is assigned both a print supervisor and a broadcast supervisor plus as many buyers, estimators and clerical personnel as are necessary for the requirements of the accounts listed (which range from 6 to 12 per group) . The timebuyer, who is usually under 30, has most likely been promoted from an estimator's position or recruited from the com 2)any training program. Mi. Dekker explains; it hired from outside the agency, he will probably have two or three years of agency experience to his credit before joining M-E. "We have a definite policy of promotion from within," Mr. Dekker emphasizes. "Of the 20 buyers and supervisors who handle broadcast media, six at present are the product of our training for promotion. "VV'e try to 'cross-pollinate' both print and broadcast buying knowledge at a natural point in the media man's development. Our direct method is through transferring the timebuyer to print when he reaches supervisory level. Our continuing process is through giving him 'total media exposure' in recurring plans sessions with the associate director and print and broadcast supervisors." At M-E, a detailed job description lists the responsibilities of the timebuyer. Answering directly to the broadcast supervisor, he is charged with formulating specific plans for assigned accounts, purchasing time in accordance with the client's a]3proval and attending to subsequent details as well as contributing his ideas to the media group to which he's assigned. In addition to analyzing broadcast data and recommending and preparing media plans, the list specifies, he negotiates contracts. 24 U. S. RADIO • March 1959