A: I’m glad you asked.  Market equity refers to your value in the market.  It’s more than just a popularity score.

When your station does market research they ask who listeners like or who they listen to more than two hours a week.  If your name or your show’s name comes up a lot you are deemed to have equity in the market.

Market equity works to your advantage because managers like to have staff that seem to attract listening to their station and their more willing to pay for it.  Market equity works well for popular talent that have been in the market year after year after year.  You can make a great living by simply performing well and staying put. 

You should take your market equity into consideration if you plan on moving through several markets before you find the big time that’s right for you.  Sometimes staying put in a market that you like and perform well in can result in more fruitful compensation than moving up to a larger market!

Big fish in a small pond, medium fish in a medium pond, small fish in a big pond it’s up to you.  Of course if you think you have the skillz (with a Z) to be a big fish in a big pond then start swimming!

sd

sean@seandemery.com