Programme Directors vs "Brand Managers"

[J Kendrick]

When did the Programme Director become a "Brand Manager"... and why?

Does it really make a difference what you call the job? ...or... Is it just "uptitling"?

Is it yet another sign of what is now happening to a once proud industry?

Or... Does it actually serve some purpose?

[Aaron]

Had the traditional title been "Brand Manager" and the newer title been "Program Director," the board posts would have gone something like:

Oh, I see they're finally acknowledging that BMs are no longer really responsible for the whole brand, they just "direct programs"....yeah, head office says "Play Seacrest" and they direct some part-timer to upload it! What a sad state!

[jon]

Astral appears to be the first in Canada to start the trend. There is a thread on this site from about 2010 ridiculing the overuse of Brand in Astral radio management jobs of the time.

I don't think I kept the job ads of the time, but my recollection is that one described a Matrix Management (two bosses) approach where the Brand Manager (PD) reported to the Brand Director (GM) for some things and the National Brand Manager for others. Idea was that the PD was responsible to both the Station Manager, who was also responsible for other stations in the same geographic area, and to a manager in Head Office who was responsible for all stations with the same name, as in a set of stations across the country, all owned by the same company and all called "Cold-FM".

The purpose of the whole renaming job titles thing was to really drive home the importance of "The Brand" to all of the corporation's managers. Another attempt to take a good idea from another type of business, like soft drinks, to Radio. And to make it fit with a sledge hammer.

[Aaron]

Sort of, but really Brand Manager within Astral was simply the title catching up to the reality, and had no structural significance.

It's now moot, since Bell recently reverted all Brand Managers to Program Directors.

Corus remains the only big company employing the Brand Manager title.

[pave]

"Brand Managers" are just PD's with more jobs to do and fewer tools and time with which to accomplish them.{If the owners and title-makers only understood how foolish and ludicrous are these pronouncements and re-frames, they would start apologizing right away.)
The key, however, is the "understanding" part.
These are not bright folks - not when it comes to broadcasting. Perhaps they could choose other hobbies.

[Blabbermouth]

Any word on a new "brand manager" for CKNW?

[Mike Cleaver]

It's the old "give them a title, more work and the same money" mantra that's been used for years.

[J Kendrick]

It's the old "give them a title, more work and the same money" mantra that's been used for years.

As I suspected... What's now known as "Uptitling"...

From Collins English Dictionary:
Definitions: noun:
(jocular) The practice of conferring grandiose job titles to employees performing relatively menial jobs...

[tuned]

Cleaver is right on the money. When broadcasters turned positions into mcjobs they started handing out fancy titles. Board ops became producers, PD's become "managers". Glad I was around for the cash instead of the title.

I realized yesterday that I no longer use an am or fm radio at all. I listen to Leykis, Hendrie and Wattenburg via podcast. Even when I'm in the car I plug my iphone in and will stream rather than put up with the lousy quality of OTA signals. The tunein app can be flakey on my wifi at home due to the crap wireless router from Shaw but it works flawlessly on 3G when I'm out of the house. It will probably be even better when I upgrade my phone to 4G/LTE.
I sometimes listen to Sirius in my rental car for music. Great to have zero commercials but the repeat factor on the "oldies" channels is too high for my liking. CKNW is dead to me except maybe Brook Ward on the weekend. I tuned in Eckford and lasted about ten minutes. It's crap. He had some pal of his on talking and joking about her melanoma. Seriously. They were both too cool for school and it was boring.

[slowhand]

I'm still waiting to hear from all those production geniuses out there. To see if they are now Brand Production Specialists.

Good way to get fresh new business cards and be able to make shopping lists on the back of the old ones. Gotta have something new to show all those car dealers when they come to voice their own spots.

[pave]

Slowhand gets it, too.
Perhaps the newly-minted "Brand Creative Managers" could get a neat little slogan printed on the bottom of their cards. Something along the lines of "Come on in and make your best deal today!"

I worked for a number of years with a brilliant Creative Director who had a marvelous strategy for "suits" who thought they were also writers.
When the salespeople would arrive at his desk with an already-scripted "great promotion", he would listen politely for about 20 seconds and then reach down to the bottom drawer; pull out an actual rubber chicken; slap the chicken on the desk as he was putting on his ever-handy clown-nose, and say, "Will there be anything else?"