Media buyer?

Question

I have an interview at a media company for a "media buyer" position... has to do with tv and radio... but can anyone out there fill me in on the details of a position like this so I don't go into the interview looking like an idiot...

Please help!

Answer 1

I hope the position is an assistant media buyer, where you are to get training.  If they are looking for someone to walk in and do the job it will be short interview, and both you and the person who scheduled it will look like idiots.

TV and Radio buying requires the ability to understand the terms:  Ratings, Share, HUTs, PUTs, Trends, demos, CPP, CPM, Reach, Frequency, avails, Cume, Avg quarter-hour, Gross, Net, dayparts, Nielsen, Arbitron etc.  If you are familiar with each of the terms here, you can't even speak the language.  Those are basics.  I am assuming this is with a small agency.  They will have software to help you, probably SmartPlus.  You would use this software to enter or download available inventory from the various stations in the market you are buying.  It will be able to perform various analyses to help you project what ratings each of the avails would generate.  You will compare the costs per points, negotiate them and put together the buy that best reflect the objectives with the given budget.  You then issue reports to tell the client what you bought.  When the invoices come in, the software will help you match the spots to the buys so that you know the stations ran the schedule the way you wanted.  You will negotiate makegoods or credits for any spots that ran in ways you did not want.  When the ratings come in a couple months later, the software will perform a post-buy analysis and tell you how many rating points the schedules achieved.  If they did worse than you projected, you may be able to go back to the stations and negotiate more spots for free.

The job requires a strong backbone, and abililty to get along with people and be demanding at the same time, an abililty to work well with numbers, an appreciate for programming so you can project ratings success to some extent, and ceaseless attention to detail.

It is an interesting job, but it requires a lot more than keeping a few files.

Answer 2

nothing complicated. you have to keep a file with tv and radio programs, what they are about, and to know the appropriate budget (and the process of purchasing ads) for your companies at the best slots at minimum price. as the process of buying and paying for time slots is sometimes negotiable depending on volume and creative work involved you need to have good/excellent communication and organizational skills plus some number crunching abilities. sense for art, abilities to convey message with words and visuals is also a benefit.