A: In most cases the General Manager is a very misunderstood creature.  He/she has a really hard, stressful and at times blurry job.  (I don’t care how lazy they might appear)

They have their fingers in managing the station over all, sales, HR, and at times programming.  Your GM is also judged by the owners differently than you. 

In programming your job is to deliver the highest numbers possible and create an on air product that serves qualitative parameters that allows sales to sell.

You GM on the other hand is judged by the net amount of income the station generates.  Gross income means little to the bottom line if the majority of it is spent generating it.  This is where your GM may seem at odds with programming.  Though he/she fully understands what you’re trying to accomplish, the GM has other considerations.  Besides keeping costs low, your GM needs to appear to those up above as a true manager of people and products.  He/she is constantly scrutinized on these parameters.  Also something to consider is that in many cases your GM’s only chance at a corporate bonus is to keep costs low.  So the next time money is not available for on air promotion, billboards, TV, chachkies or salaries you’ll know that the GM can’t make all the numbers between revenue and costs add up to an acceptable ratio.

More than likely your GM is not evil.  More than likely your GM is stressed, challenged and in need of a nice lunch and a round of golf.

Instead of grumbling about “the power” try thinking of new ways to promote your station, creating programming systems that might alleviate your salary problem and might in fact change the sound of your station for the better. 

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.”  (I’ve always loved that quote)

Resources and your GM aren’t really a problem, it’s an opportunity to force yourself  into a new headspace and create product that might attract new attention!

sd

sean@seandemery.com