The 13-year Univision exec will head the new Raycom Centralized Traffic Operation, based in Charlotte, N.C., that will operate traffic for the group’s 51 stations.
Raycom Centralizes Traffic Under Garrett Pope
Raycom Media today announced that it will centralize traffic operations for 51 television stations it owns or operates. The new Raycom Centralized Traffic Operation will be located in Charlotte, N.C.
The company said this decision “comes following a careful evaluation of its current traffic organization, and an analysis of how other broadcasters have moved to this model.”
Raycom said its goal is to create a centralized traffic center that will provide the best structure, people, and service to support its stations’ ability to better manage and optimize their inventory, and provide the best service to the company’s stations and advertisers.
“Raycom television stations have benefitted from some of the best and most loyal traffic professionals in the industry, and we are deeply grateful for their service” said Paul McTear, Raycom president-CEO. “But to properly position Raycom — and our stations — for the future, we believe this is the correct course. Our expectation is that this operation will provide even better service, better systems, better management, better backup, and better standards for our stations.”
All current Raycom Media traffic employees will be offered the opportunity to apply for positions in the new Charlotte operation.
Raycom named Garrett Pope GM of the new Centralized Traffic Operation. He joins Raycom from Univision, where he was a 13-year veteran, serving most recently as traffic director of the Univision Television Group.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
At Univision, Garrett oversaw the training and traffic system support for multiple local and national sales offices. “I believe that traffic must be a customer service environment,” Pope said. “For our local stations to provide the best customer’s service to their advertisers, we must in turn provide the very best customer service to our local stations and sellers. That will be our constant goal.”
Pope starts today with Raycom Media, and will report to Raycom Media VP/Sales Wayne Freedman.
Comments (10)
Angie McClimon says:
January 15, 2015 at 2:23 pm
Traffic is customer service?
Wagner Pereira says:
January 15, 2015 at 3:23 pm
Yes. Screw up a schedule and see how well the customer takes it.
John McElfresh says:
January 15, 2015 at 3:44 pm
Everthing I just read is BS. Try changing a key clients copy at the last minute. The GMs have lost another bit of their operation to folks that have no idea about the markets they are dealing with. Their biggest concern is not changing anything to a log that was printed yesterday. Corporate is only interested in cutting costs at all costs.
frank quadreny says:
January 15, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Agree Bailusout!! How is customer service better hundreds of miles away?
Wagner Pereira says:
January 15, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Simple. Hundreds of miles away probably does not have the whole Department gone by 6PM local time – or have no one there at 6AM if changes need to be made. That’s actually better customer service for last minute changes.
Michelle Underwood says:
January 15, 2015 at 4:00 pm
Bailusout; how many years have you been out of the business. Have worked at a hubbed traffic operation for years and you can still write on and make changes if you bother to learn how. Is hubbing ideal? No, but times change. BTW, we stopped using 2 inch tape too.
John McElfresh says:
January 15, 2015 at 4:58 pm
Nice nickname, but not accurate.
mary lawrence says:
January 15, 2015 at 4:17 pm
When Media General went to Centralized traffic it was touted as a cost savings. Did not save money in fact cost more. The main reason Media General went to this system was to monitor individual stations traffic systems. Yes you can change at the last minute but it was quite the production.
Kristine Melser says:
January 15, 2015 at 4:31 pm
You bring up a good point about “monitoring individual stations traffic systems” … the local stations are losing more control. is this a way they can pay GM’s less since their actual responsibility locally is lessening? That’s a cost savings too.
Wagner Pereira says:
January 15, 2015 at 9:05 pm
If the GM has to spend that much of their time in the Traffic Department locally, then that person should not be GM in the first place – as something else is very wrong under that roof.