Dec.

5, 11

Israel Sports Radio

www.israelsportsradio.com

Mission statement:

Building love for Israel one sports fan at a time.

Ari Louis - C.E.O Andy Gershman - C.F.O David Singer - Program Manager

Re: Key management issue and solutions. Honored board members and co-workers, I have been asked to address you today to discuss some key management issues I have found to be stunting Israel Sports Radios growth. I have taken a good look at the company, internally and externally, and I have found there are four main issues that need to be resolved. I would like to suggest to you all, solutions that in my opinion can help resolve these issues and put ISR on track to be a more profitable and efficient organization. On your handouts you will find an outline of the issues as well as the solutions, followed by a lengthier explanation of each one. The goal of todays presentation is to familiarize the board with the issues I have found, understand the external environment we are working in, and begin to draw up some solutions to the issues we are facing.

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

Distributing responsibilities Coordinating broadcast schedule Attracting on air guests Marketing the product

Hiring general manager Follow successful program Using social media Marketing through networking

ISSUES IN DETAIL
1. Distributing responsibilities. Currently Israel Sports Radio (from here on referred to as ISR) is facing a challenge possibly created by its staffs own devotion to the program. When an obstacle arises, whether its a budget issue, a scheduling issue, or even where to get lunch from, it seems that everyone is jumping at the opportunity to correct the situation without designating a specific person for the job. I have found this to

create disarray and miscommunication. ISR cannot let everybody tackle every situation. If three of us are looking for a guest for the 11pm segment we may end up with three guests and an uncomfortable situation. The same goes for other tasks, be they trivial or of upmost importance. This maybe the biggest issue ISR faces given the small size of its staff. A solution is necessary that will provide guidelines and structure for the tasks and requirements of each staff member.2

2. Coordinating broadcast schedule. The difficulty of scheduling radio broadcasts is not new. Radio, when focusing on news, sports, or anything else that is current, is extremely difficult to schedule. Constant changes in standings, new injuries, wins and losses; all create constant changes at the spur of the moment. There is no computer science that will do this for us. ISR needs to be ahead of the game, (figuratively and literally) as much as it can. Assuming it sticks to the eight pm to midnight schedule, there are quite a number of segments that can be filled ahead of time. The last minute text messages to frequent callers or sports personalities are not an optimal solution. The schedule cannot be left to plan itself out by itself and hope for the best. This current plan only hurts profit growth, causes confusion for the hosts, and distances potential guests of the show. A program setting must be created to avoid as much last minute planning as possible.3

3. Attracting on air guests. ISR is standing at the moment, very far behind. After a year of broadcasting, ISR has yet to land the big fish. While the current issue may go hand in hand with the next issue Marketing, it alone needs an immediate solution. As a sports radio show, the listeners are looking to hear from their favorite athletes. They want to hear their perspective on Israel. They want to hear if the athlete has been to Israel or if he plans to in the future. Furthermore, they want to hear the athletes opinion of Israeli sports. Having former has - beens and guests who are

second fiddle to the more popular players are not enough. ISR needs the LeBron James of the sports world, the Derek Jeters, or the Michael Vicks. The ability to reach out and make the connection is one of the first things a business based on sports must acquire. The lack of famous personalities being brought on has caused the shows ratings to drop tremendously. I have researched this myself and found this has been the most common reason former listeners have given for why they stopped listening. Below is a graph depicting audience size based on celebrity level of former guests. Please notice how the popularity of the athlete is what may be a key element to the audience size.4

Audience size according to guest popularity

4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 LeBron James Mark Sanchez (NBA Superstar) (NFL QB NYC) Ricky Rubio (Euroleague sensation) Landry Fields Jaylen Reynolds (NBA unknown (HS basketball rookie) player)

4. Marketing the product. The fourth and final key issue maybe the most crucial of all. ISR has yet to advertise the product after a full year of activity. It seems to have relied on word of mouth and social networking. It is not working. On a daily basis I hear from people that this is the first they are hearing about ISR. The goal in the short run is high ratings; this can only be achieved by getting the product out there. Potential listeners 4

do not know that ISR exists and are not learning about it from the media or anywhere else. ISR is a novel idea that many can appreciate and enjoy. The listener satisfaction thus far has been great. However, not enough people know about this show. ISR will never survive if its listener base does not keep growing. Advertisers will pull away, costing the program a lot of its funding, guests will feel this unknown show is not worthy of their time, and current listeners will feel they are tuning in to a dying program. The sports world in Israel must be made aware of what is being offered, when it is offered, and how it can benefit them.5

UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENT

Before I present the solutions I will suggest, I would like to pause for a moment to discuss the environment ISR is facing in general. I believe this to be crucial to understanding the importance of the issues I have mentioned as well as the solutions I will suggest. Israel is a young country with the average age of 29 years old.6 It is also the home away from home for many young adults coming from abroad to spend some time in Israel to further their studies or to just spend time in their cultural homeland. I have yet to see a sports fan leave their passion behind. We live in a time when people can watch their favorite sports team from the palm of their hands. Fans can constantly view their favorite athletes status updates with the flick of a finger. There is no reason to leave your team at home with all the availability of technology today. Israel Sports Radio has been catering to these young sports fans since October 4th 2010.1. The goal is to provide for them what other networks do not. ISR offers an array of show hosts who discuss sports, American and Israeli, from a Jewish/Zionist perspective. Focusing on sports and its effects on Judaism and vice versa creates great radio and an intriguing program. The aim should be to attract these young sports fans and encourage them to listen to the broadcasts as well as participate during the open lines segments. ISR must be able to offer at least a similar framework of radio that fans are used to from back home. While steps have been taken in the right direction until now, the

issues I have previously raised are key to future success. I will now present to you some solutions I would like to suggest to help further the mission in the short run as well as the long run.

SOLUTIONS IN DETAIL
1. Hiring general manager. - To address the first issue I have raised, I believe the solution is quite obvious. We are facing a situation where every task falls on everyone; this has to come to an end. My suggested solution is to hire one general manager who will supervise the entire staff. The hiring of someone who meets the following requirements will greatly enhance the entire staffs productivity. The manager must have great peoples skills as well as general managing experience. The position must be filled by someone who exudes confidence yet is understanding of his or hers subordinates capabilities. I would like to see a manager who can properly delegate responsibilities to the staff. Most importantly I would like to see a general manager who can allocate resources necessary for the program and use them efficiently. In the industry we are working in there are many resources to be exploited. Filling ad slots, bringing in people who have pre-existing sports connections, making the brand known to athletes, are some of many resources a manager should be allocating or putting to use. When working with something so delicate as an athletes ego, a manager who exercises qualitative methods more than scientific management. A strict, quantitative, and mechanical program cannot succeed in this business. I believe hiring the proper manager may be the first step to resolving many of the issues ISR has been facing recently.2

2. Follow successful radio program. The issue of coordinating a

broadcast schedule is not a simple one. As I have mentioned there are too many unknowns in the sports world to have a daily schedule that can be 6

adhered to perfectly. Emulating an existing program may be the only possible solution. While creativity is always superior, my research has not found an alternative. There is no computer program that will solve it all. Mimicking the likes of ESPN or FOX will help change the frequent scheduling blunders ISR has been encountering. Proper networking steps must be made by the one given this responsibility to obtain the schedule guidelines used by these successful programs. With a successful model to follow, the program should be able to begin creating its own schedule that maximizes efficiency.3

3. Using social media. There is no point in waging a battle against social media. The phenomenon of social websites that is taking place is widespread and growing. As a solution to the issue presented earlier of bringing on popular guests, social media is definitely the answer. Learning from contemporaries at other networks, it has become obvious that this is the new way. ISR has in the past needed to send a hand written fan mail to reach out to a sports figure. Today thing are done differently. ISR must adapt to the world of Facebook, Twitter, and other social websites. Every one of those sports celebrities that ISR would like to attract to its show has some form of an account on one of these social websites. By messaging them or posting on their wall ISR has the advantage of reaching them immediately and receiving a reply in a more prompt fashion. ISR has the proper accounts in place and time is just needed to make the right connection. Viewing potential guests profiles also gives the opportunity to familiarize the hosts with their likes and interests and helps prepare for a more entertaining interview.7 4. Marketing through networking in discussing the fourth and final solution I believe we should take the flow from the previous solution. Advertising the program is essential to its existence. The environment today, having media communications at our fingertips, gives the public unlimited choices of sports media. Why should someone choose to tune

into ISR over ESPN or the likes? ISR must get out in the face of the Israeli sports fan. It must present itself as a unique program that offers something no other sports radio show offers. If the ultimate mission is to talk sports from a Jewish or Zionist prospective then the message must be carried. Fans must see the ISR wherever they go. They have to know they have a place where their voice can be heard, and where they can discuss sports with their co-religionists in a professional matter. Sports fans must know there is only one radio show that dedicates its time to American and Israeli sports equally. And fans must know that ISR is the only radio show in the world that looks to have guests that have an interest in Israel or Judaism.

At this time I would like to hear from you all, the ones who makes this show happen every single day. Your comments and critique can only enhance our decisions and revised policies. It is of upmost importance that you, the staff of ISR, are the ones to design strategies and objectives to help reach the goal. I appreciate your comments and suggestions and hope to take them all into consideration. In conclusion, these four key issues and their solutions are what I believe to be the most important steps for Israel Sports Radio to take in order to improve itself. While the initial investments may be costly, they are not prohibitive and will yield impressive results in the near future. I thank you all for your time and I thank you for listening. Good evening.

References

1. http://israelsportsradio.com/ 2. http://www.inc.com/tools/general-manager-jobdescription.html 3. http://espn.go.com/espnradio/ 4. http://www.radioconnection.com/radio-info-course.html 5. http://advertising-campaignservice.blogspot.com/2009/01/necessity-of-advertising.html 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Israel 7. http://www.slideshare.net/corywilliamson/creating-a-socialmedia-plan-2529114

General Information http://www.jpost.com/Sports/Home.aspx http://www.vosizneias.com/65329/2010/10/04/jerusalem-allsports-talk-radio-debuts-in-israel http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/sports/sports-talk-radiostation-to-debut-today-1.317021 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3962255,00.html

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