Dear Mel Karmazin

The Wall Street Journal quoted Viacom President/COO Mel Karmazin at the Deutsche Bank Media Conference last week as saying:

"there's nothing out there that is wrong with radio" that can't be solved by "a kick in the ass of the 3,500 radio salespeople, and if I have to do it to each one, I will."

Dear Mel;

Before kicking the collective or individual asses of 3,500 of your own salespeople, ask yourself the following question:

"What is holding my radio properties back financially?"

If you honestly believe the answer to be 3,500 salespeople, do us all a favor and bang your head on the hardest surface you can find. The top of your desk will do. Go forehead first. I'll wait while you do. (...fingers tap tap tap tap...)

OK. Now that you've hopefully knocked a little sense into yourself, I want to assure you that your problem is absolutely positively not "3,500 salespeople!" A few losers here or there is one thing, but if the problem is your entire sales staff, or even a significant portion of it, that points to a bigger issue higher up. '"Hey, I resemble that remark!" ' Yes indeed, you do.

I understand that it's easier to blame the little guys at the bottom, but c'mon Mel... what's the real goal here? Do you want to generate more sustainable revenue, or do you want the yes-men to bob their collective heads and grin as you walk by?

Let's get to the root of you problem with this little exercise: Think of a product that doesn't interest you at all. Picture something you wouldn't buy even if you could. Let's imagine that Ford is re-introducing the Pinto and your neighbor is a salesman who keeps trying to convince you to buy one. You overhear one of the suits at Ford say he's going to kick all of his salespeople's asses because Pintos aren't selling.

Ah, but you're a bright guy, Mel, right? You know your neighbor isn't the problem at all. You explain to the suit that his problem is the product itself rather than the person selling it.

"What? Hhhmmm?" Exactly. (feel free to pause for a moment as the light comes on.)

Mel, your problem isn't 3,500 salespeople. Your problem is that you're selling 1200 Pintos. Oh sure, you've got a few Explorers and Mustangs in the bunch. Your stations aren't ALL Pintos, but a hell of a lot of them are and I don't see you headed back to the drawing board to do a damn thing about it. Why should you expect anything other than 1200 Pintos in next year's lineup?

Your people aren't losers, but too many of your stations are. In my book, that makes you a loser too because it takes one to ruin one.

You've forced your programmers to lower their standards by denying them the tools they need to win, and the sad truth is that some of those tools don't cost you a dime.

Creativity is free Mel. You need your people to take great pride in working for a company that embraces and fosters creativity. A company that rewards creativity. A company that knows it's local markets and celebrates them as special places with unique tastes and preferences. Oh, if only that were the kind of company you're running. Today, it's the model CBS/Viacom is running from.

Change doesn't begin at the expense of the asses of 3,500 salespeople. Change begins with you.

So Mel - I ask you: What'cha gonna do?