My Entry into Broadcast Media Sales – The View from Lajeune

It was 1989, and I had been working as a local sales associate for the past three and a half years at what was then WTNH Action News 8 TV in New Haven, Connecticut.

I was relieved when I originally got this support position because even though I had a bachelor’s degree in media studies from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, it took a long time for even a college graduate to get a decent job in the media industry. .

These were, I discovered much later, the glory days of television. Al-Tarazi, Janet Pickingbaugh and Mike Boguslawski were the local news anchors at the time. There were only 3 networks at the time (ABC, CBS, and NBC), so the local ABC affiliate’s stake was huge and the money was rolling in!

Again, I originally took this support position because I realized how difficult it was to break into “the business” so I realized that if I was around those who had done what I aspired to do, it would be much easier. Boy was I wrong! Because in the past I wanted to be the host of my own community affairs show. So I worked all day as a local sales assistant for 6 to 8 salespeople and 3 sales managers; At least two to three nights a week, I would hang out and shadow the Community Affairs Director. To my delight, the host position finally came up for the new community affairs program and was immediately given to a TV news reporter – not only was I not considered, I wasn’t even on the list!

Then came the big surprise. The Sally Jessy Raphael Show (a national show!) has moved into our studios in New Haven to tape their daily 10 a.m. show. My world has now changed for the better. I managed to sneak downstairs to check on famous people practically every week for the next two years. It was a huge professional advantage and a big reason for me to stay here. I met then President Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn, Suzanne Somers from Three’s Company, the infamous Donna Rice, Marlo Thomas from That Girl and her husband Phil Donahue from The Phil Donahue Show to name a few. When The Sally Show moved to New York, it was time for me to go too.

I decided to pursue broadcast media sales. So, in my last week, the local sales team and the local sales managers, who I loved working for, gave me a leather briefcase and told me to fill it with lots of contracts. I had previously met with a few local account managers on my own time and basically asked them what to expect in the world of radio media sales. It was very helpful but to be honest, selling is something you really learn by doing. Either you have, or you don’t. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done in my life and I still enjoy it, even in this day and age…

When I left Action News 8, I was making a measly $19,500 a year (after a $3,000 raise!) which was enough to pay the rent on my very nice, small studio apartment in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, but not enough to buy or own a car. This was with the waitress on weekends at Friendly’s Ice Cream in Hamden, Connecticut. Here I was working two jobs and working Monday evenings as a volunteer community radio announcer for WYBC 94.3FM in New Haven. Lovers’ Corner with Lajeune was the name of my show – the best in R&B love songs. A true labor of love (smile).

My first job was in broadcast sales at WEBE 108FM in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Lucky for me, my older sister Dana bought herself a new car so she gifted me her older AMC Gremlin to commute back and forth every day from New Haven to Bridgeport. My selling area was Fairfield and New Haven counties, so I would be spending a lot of time on the road. The Gremlin wasn’t perfect but by the grace of God and the proximity of Firestone tire centers, it held its own (smile).

At the time I was hired, there were two radio stations in the same building and on the same floor: WEBE 108FM and WICC 600AM. I was hired by WEBE so I was literally selling to the account executives at WICC, who sat next to me. It was a strange feeling for sure. After I completed my first year in selling, the radio station became a “combo” which meant they wouldn’t need as many of us in sales, so they reduced the sales teams to 9 sellers out of a total of 15 sellers. I was a goner because I was still green and still cutting my teeth but they said I would stay because they liked my sunny and positive “can do” attitude (smile).

Here is my photo taken from the newsletter they sent out to Fairfield County residents welcoming the newly combined WEBE and WICC radio stations:

I loved selling WEBE and WICC radio stations not only because I was learning a lot working with an experienced sales team but also because the company provided us with a comprehensive radio sales training program and lots of radio industry resources to support them. But to be honest, I’m into year 2 and I haven’t made any money yet. I worked for 100% commission for withdrawals, but since I didn’t have a list, I had to constantly call for appointments and then start from scratch when I got a new account. Since I was mostly working on promotional accounts that required a lot of moving parts, it was exhausting…

And then, as luck would have it, I received a phone call from the local sales manager at WNHC 1340AM, Rhythm City. WNHC was an R&B (no rap!) radio station based in New Haven, Connecticut, so I figured I had nothing to lose. During our interview, the local sales manager painted the right picture for me – yes, you’d leave a 50,000-watt FM radio station in affluent Fairfield County for a 1,000-watt AM radio station in New Haven, but with us, the sky is the sky. end. When I told my local sales manager that I was leaving to work at WNHC in New Haven, not only did she think I was crazy, but so did the majority of the team (LOL!)

It’s no secret that I enjoy a challenge and what I saw in front of me was an opportunity for growth and a new, tight-knit work family that I could really get behind. Thus, during my five and a half years at WNHC, I excelled greatly. I went from account manager to national sales manager to finally national sales manager. I also enjoyed meeting a lot of celebrities at the free concerts and plays – mostly singers and performers. I review African American books on the air once a week with my partner LaMonda (L & L Book Review) and have been consistently selected to serve on numerous panels, judge area fashion shows, and speak to New Haven youth in public schools about careers in Media sales field, etc.

When WNHC Radio went bankrupt (this will be covered in another blog) I decided to pursue the world of printing. I traveled back and forth to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to work at Umoja News, a startup monthly urban newspaper covering events I felt passionately about. The founder and I worked closely together. I handled the day-to-day operations and I managed the sales department. I wrote a sales training manual, hired 3 local salespeople and handled regional accounts. I stayed for a little less than two years because I couldn’t keep up with the pace of the business, i.e. working like a crazy woman for a little less than a week every month to meet those crazy deadlines and then spending the remaining three weeks of the month calling for new business. I found it exhausting.

In my next blog I will talk about my journey back into podcast sales this time with knowledge, negotiation skills and a lot of multimedia experience.