Sales and Promotions Intern, Fall 2011

1. Interning at CBS Boston
Promotions and Sales at WBZ NewsRadio

2. •WBZ is an AM radio station in in
Boston owned by CBS Radio
•WBZ was the first commercial radio
station in the United States
•The station has long been one of the
highest-rated stations in the Boston
area, and covers much of the
eastern United States with its 50,000-
watt clear-channel signal

3.  WBZ currently runs news,
traffic and weather
throughout the day
 At night it features a talk
radio format with hosts
including Dan Rea, Steve
LeVeille, and Jordan Rich

4. Different Departments that make up WBZ

5. The Promotions Department
 Help achieve station strategic marketing goals and
objectives of the station
 Develop and execute news topics and event series
 Maintain station image and think of ways to increase
brand awareness and sales
 Communicate effectively with the media, community
groups, and the public
 Coordinate with PR so they can put together publicity
elements of special events and broadcasts including
telethons, network and syndication talent

6. Who can intern at CBS Boston?
 Internships at CBS Boston are offered to college
sophomores, juniors and seniors, as well as
graduate students who are interested in a career in
broadcasting
 Typically participants major in communications or
journalism, but broadcasting is comprehensive
enough to interest students who major in English,
History, Political Science, Fine Arts, Marketing, and
Computer Science

7. What I do…
 Work with account executives to plan weekly radio contests and manage contest prize
distribution
 Regulate contact/contest-winner database to maintain client and listener relationships and
records.
 Update weekly spreadsheets with upcoming contests and alert sales team if a contest slot is
open
 Write and edit copy that is read on-air and contribute to weekly internal newsletter
 Assist the Sales and Promotion Departments with the creation, development and execution of
promotion campaigns for radio advertisers
 Contribute to weekly internal newsletter to showcase what our department has been doing in the
community
 Assist in planning station events and community outreach efforts
 Attend weekly sales meetings and assist in developing new ways to create revenue

8. My Linkedin…

9. Writing at WBZ

10. Writing at WBZ

11. The significance of what I do
 Situation
 Write and edit copy that is read on-air
 Action
 Satisfy client needs by working directly with account executives to
produce creative copy for our on-air giveaways
 Results
 Pleased advertisers and clients of CBS by writing copy that clearly
communicates the message of what the client wanted to get
across to their target audience
 Produced on air copy that increased press coverage on their
upcoming events and increased ticket sales

12. The significance of what I do
 Situation
 Manage contest prize distribution
 Action
 Provide exceptional customer service and build lasting
relationships with our audience. Go a step further in customer
service by calling all the winners directly to congratulate them on
their prize and thank them for listing to WBZ
 Results
 Increase brand loyalty by providing memorable customer service
contributing to the strength of WBZ as a station and our consistent
high ratings throughout the region. High ratings create value for
advertisers and therefore lead to generating more revenue

13. The significance of what I do
 Situation
 Help plan and execute station events
 Action
 Help choose the topic of the business breakfast (the trending
theme of social media to garner interest of small business owners
in Boston region)
 Researched potential panelists, businesses to invite and
competition
 Sent out special invitations to targeted guests
 Results
 Increased brand awareness by successfully producing a large
scale event for CBS.
 Gained media coverage on boston.com and cbs local pages
 Generated conversations on twitter live from the event

14. Controversy in the newsroom…
 In the news…
 Earthquake
 Gaddafi’s death
 Behind the scenes…
 Making Q4 sales goals
 Events
 Happy listeners
 Angry listeners
 Is radio dying?

15. Key things I have learned at BZ
 How departments work together to develop and produce news stories
 How sales teams generate new leads, put together sales pitches and
create new ways to generate revenue
 How sales teams build and maintain client relationships
 Database entry and organization is essential to maintain client
relationships
 How large scale events are successfully put together
 The importance of being attentive to detail