I started in radio because I love the medium. Initially, I was working for a company that produced cable documentaries for the History Channel and I spent a lot of time in the car. I slowly developed an insatiable addiction to talk radio. When I found out you could actually sell talk radio, I knew that I had no choice. So, I kicked down the door at KFI AM 640--the leading News Talk Station in the country.

I was almost a year in to my sales career and they were ready to fire me, when I happened to stumble across some books about advertising. More specifically, books about how to advertise so that it produces results. I soon became obsessed with learning, not only how to sell ads, but how to make them work how to make them more effective. It’s embarrassing to admit this now, but at the time, this seemed like a revelation. Sadly, many people who share my job title have not taken the time to study this crucial element. In my opinion, it is the bane of our industry, just as the desire to create ads that are merely “sexy or entertaining” (instead of creating ads that sell), has been the poison in the world of ad agencies. After a little practice, (with other people’s money), I have found myself among the most successful radio sales people in the country.

So, here I am. I don’t want to waste your time telling you all about KFI’s demographics. Yes, there is a weekly cume of 1.5 million listeners in Southern California and it’s strong with 25-54, 35-64 and 35+. Yes, it reaches a high-income audience and 75-80 percent of cume are homeowners. KFI is about as solid a vehicle for direct response as is available anywhere in the world. But at the end of the day, your campaign can still bomb on KFI and or it might still succeed on the weakest station in the market. The most important variables include your frequency and the content of your message. Do you truly have something to say? Ad campaigns rarely fail because they are reaching the wrong people; they frequently fail because they are saying the wrong thing. That being said, here are some facts about KFI and KTLK that make them compelling venues for launching your ad campaign:

KFI is interesting as an advertising vehicle largely because it is electric. You cannot passively listen to the station.  Our line up includes the nation’s most popular syndicated personalities, including Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura and Coast to Coast with George Noory and Art Bell. Even weekend personalities, like Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI, have a staggering following. Leo hosts the most downloaded podcast in the world. Even more impressive is our AM and PM drive line up, including Bill Handel and the John and Ken Show. These local shows are so successful that some of our syndicated programming strives to catch up in ratings. And these hosts have cult followings. Of course, all of this is only enhanced by L.A. traffic. Many listeners end up spending more time with these hosts every day then they do with their own families.

Moreover, the KFI mindset is activism-oriented. John and Ken are masters at mobilizing their audience toward a cause. KFI is frequently at the center of controversy, which translates into great ratings and programming that demands a listener’s full attention. My point is if you have a compelling message on KFI, this intense atmosphere will only enhance its salience.

KFI is largely an advertising phenomenon due to the success of the personality endorsements available. Every advertiser has to answer the same question: How will I get this audience to trust what I am saying? To win them over, you must introduce yourself and win them over slowly over time, or have an offer that is so compelling it sets you apart from anyone in your industry. Having a personality endorsement has been a popular path to success. A fitting analogy would be that instead of showing up at the party and awkwardly trying to make friends, the host actually takes you around, introducing you to everyone and telling them how great you are. See the difference? It starts with the audience trusting the host. The host recommends you. Therefore the Audience trusts you. It is this transfer of trust that can make all the difference.

KTLK AM 1150 carries many of the same benefits as KFI. Like KFI, there is a blend of local and syndicated programming and endorsements are available on both stations. The audience is also passionate, actively listening and activism-oriented. One difference is that while KFI is primarily conservative, the personalities on KTLK are mostly liberal. This station is the only outwardly liberal news talk format in Los Angeles. It fills a void that has been needed in this market for a long time and makes a great vehicle to deliver an ad message. The station started from scratch in early ’05 and is showing slow but steady growth. If you have a smaller budget, KTLK is a tremendous value for your dollar and if you like to work with an underdog, it may be a good fit for your campaign.

Again, it is more important that you are mindful of your strategy, message, and frequency then which station you run on. On VERY rare occasions, it might be necessary to use stations that reach a different demographic. For example, if you need to reach 18-34 year olds but your customers are older folks, this is as good as it gets. That’s why I work with these two stations almost exclusively. These two properties are as powerful environments for stimulating results for your business as any stations in the country.