Interning at CBS Boston

Promotions and Sales at WBZ NewsRadio

•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

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

Different Departments that make up WBZ

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

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

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

My Linkedin…

Writing at WBZ

Writing at WBZ

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

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

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

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?

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