account executive

promotions assistant

board operator

sales manager

digital assistant

Cumulus-Media

The Management team at Cumulus Media in Albuquerque, NM has little interest in taking the time to train you for success with Cumulus specifics and tools.  Instead, they look to "cherry pick", your client list from your previous employer.  The three sales managers think overly highly of themselves and are completely dismissive to those that don't agree 100% with their opinions of themselves.  Think - individuals that were probably picked on growing up and now that they are in a position of power, they have an expectation that you overly succumb to their position. 

The Managers act as Account Executives in addition to Managing team members as they also handle their own client lists.  Because of this, there is no equity in hot leads that call into the office.  The Managers will pick the leads they prefer for themselves and then disperse the much smaller ones to the new Account Executives.  Because they handle their own client lists among many other responsibilities, they have little time for support and training of new hires.

There is no training department for Account Executives. All training (or lack thereof) is provided by the Managers, who unfortunately are far too busy with their own daily responsibilities and client lists.  Ultimately, it is expected that you learn the ropes from the more seasoned Account Executives (all of whom were hired prior to the existing Management team being put in place), however the office comradery is non-existent.  The seasoned Account Executives are wonderful people, however the overall atmosphere of the office is quiet, introverted and extremely busy with their own tasks. 

Your employment package will state that the majority of your work day should be spent out in the field, cultivating leads and generating sales, however the expectation is the exact opposite.  This is an office, desk job and you are required to be in the office unless an in-person appointment is scheduled and confirmed by management.  

Initially the pay can be good for Account Executives depending on your negotiating skills.  Cumulus offers a "Guaranteed Pay Scale", however the guarantee amount decreases each month and your new sales are supposed to take the place of the decrease each month.  Keep in mind that radio marketing has a higher cancellation rate than other marketing platforms and a large cancellation can significantly impact the so-called "Guaranteed Pay". Clients can cancel their Cumulus Marketing at any time with a 2 week notice and with almost non-existing training and biased lead filtering, your "Guaranteed Pay" can decrease quickly and significantly.

Upon resignation, Cumulus will withhold 50% of your final commissions check if any current clients are past due on their bills.  These calculations are all handled locally rather than at a corporate level and it will be up to you to contact your previous Managers for updates regarding your withheld commissions - they will make ZERO attempts to fulfill your final payout on their own good faith.

Cumulus also has a 6 month non-compete agreement as well as a 12 month non-solicitation agreement that you must sign prior to being hired.  They will aggressively enforce this with their Cumulus attorneys and, "stalk" your professional and social platforms to learn where your new profession might be.  Should you decide to leave Cumulus and accept a position that compares in any way (sales, collections, billing, marketing, etc.), you and your new employer can expect a Cease & Desist email from the Cumulus attorney.  While their non compete agreement would fail to hold up in a court of law, by the time you weed through the process and pay attorney fees, the 6 months will conclude.  

Bottom line, you will be forced to be out of work for 6 months or choose a profession that has no similarities to your job responsibilities at Cumulus should you decide to resign.

Overall, Cumulus Media could be a wonderful opportunity in some markets, but seasoned sales/marketing consultants in Albuquerque should look elsewhere.

With 5 radio stations in the Nashville market, Cumulus Media would generally staff around 20 sales people to cover the sales for the the market. After 3 years on this job, I stopped counting the number of sales staff that had come and gone at 54. By the time I had left, It was much higher. Most of the revenue generated comes from business already on the books and has passed hands as staff turnover occurs over time. This philosophy of picking winners and losers makes for a very demoralizing work environment as 90% of the sales revenue is "earned" (loosely applied) by 10% of the team. New blood comes in, generates some new business but not enough to survive, and when they leave their accounts are handed to a chosen employee... and there are only a few of the chosen. It's like a private little club between a few sales pesonele and management. I have seen a lot of talented people whose sales and customer service accumin were hamstrung at Cumulus only to leave, put their talents to work for another company and become VERY SUCCESSFUL! It's quite a shame that they continuously waste so much talent on an antiquated sales and customer service philosophy. As a sales rep on straight commission, you actually are employees by the customer whose account you manage and who ultimately pays your salary. This relationship creates a genuine bond between you and them as they trust you with a sizable budget, to make marketing decisions which best meet the clients goals. 

As a Cumulus sales rep, ones finds themselves constantly torn between doing what's good for the client and pushing some new revenue generating gimmick dreamed up by management. You know it's not in the best interest of the client but management wants you to sell this new branding package orevent sponsorship with a lot of hype but very little return for the client. 

It seemed like every few months there was a big reorganization of how things were to be done. Some great new idea of how the company would generate new business and increase client spending. Three months later, "OK, forget what you've been doing, were taking a new approach." I stuck it out longer than I should have, met some great people in the building and established some business relationships that have lasted for years, but if your thinking if a career, here, look elsewhere.

What is the best part of working at the company?
At the Cumulus outlet I worked at, our Market Manager counted on hiring the right people for the job and as such, counted on you to perform.  I enjoyed the freedom and the accountability. I got most of the tools I needed and what wasn't available at the time, was considered in the following budget year.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The market in which I worked was always short staffed. We never had every position filled and there was always more than one job to do for each staff member. We were a small operation but mighty in our resolve to get it all done.  I never worked an 8 hour day in my entire tenure, it was always more. If your a person who wants to work eight hours and go home, don't get a job at Cumulus.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I enjoyed the culture at the Company for the most part. Things were usually upbeat and you were responsible for your station and managing your people. The Programming staff at Corporate were always available to lend an ear or provide research answers (if they had it) for your question.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Up at 7:00 and listen to the morning show while getting ready. At work by 8:00A or 9:00A. Attend any management meetings with Corporate or the local management. Check in with the staff to see if everything is going well that morning. Check the overnight reports to see f there are any issues that have to be addressed (missed spots, music issues, etc.) Schedule two to three days of music logs, attend any management or client meetings, cut spots, write and record promos, write sweeper copy, check in with the Promotions Department for current and future promotions and plan any upcoming remotes or personal appearances. Then, do my show prep and my daily airshift, check the merged log for errors, check automation for syndicated show downloads, check in with Production Director and Traffic Department for any last minute adds or drops from the following day's logs and complete any outstanding reports. Listen to the night jock on the way home.

Cumulus has THOUSANDS of great employees. But as it is with any company, it only takes a hand full of bad actors to ruin it for everybody. 

This company has so much potential for greatness, but they miss the mark by empowering decision makes that ruin it for everybody. They seem to be out of GREAT ideas. I mean, just listen to what’s coming out of the speakers. 

This company excels in the arena of BAD ideas and in the lack of value it brings to its audiences. As the world changes around us, Cumulus doesn’t. It’s so bizarre how a multi-billion dollar company employs a one-size-fits-all philosophy that can’t work everywhere. It just can’t. Yet, they keep pushing the same tired ideas across the board, some of which make no sense, and execute them with under-appreciated talent; some of whom can truly be difference makers for the company. But the culture of harvesting difference makers has been terminated by unscrupulous, self-righteous brand managers that fire people when their own directives fail to measure up. I don’t know everything, but I know you can’t survive in an industry that ignores ingenuity. It matters not the industry. Take K-Mart and Sears, for example. They kept doing the same thing over and over again while ignoring the expectations of their customers, and you know what happened. They forced themselves into obsolescence. Cumulus, and most of the radio industry, is on the same path. 

It’s hard to find compelling local radio, especially in Nashville, where listeners continue to discover alternate forms of entertainment. Wait, entertainment? What is entertainment? (Who knows, but if the audience doesn’t like it, it’s the DJ’s fault, which is you’re reading about another job posting on INDEED.)

I say these things because I still care about radio, and it hurts me to see what’s happened to a great industry and a company for which I would love to work again. (But I won’t because I know it would be for less money than I earned last time, and it wouldn’t lead anywhere.)

UGH!! That’s all I got! 

It seems that this is a great place to work. But sometimes the effort doesn't equal the reward. The company seems to really be driven by a corporate goal that has the bottom line and numbers as its' core concerns. Folks try to have fun around here, and it seems to work well. Most everyone if friendly and friends with each other, to some extent. There is not much done as far as development done for new shows or much anything local for on air up and coming talent. You are not going to cut your "on-air" teeth working for these guys, even if you're talking about something late night and non-peak. Typically doing promotions is about finding ways to enhance the listening experience and put a face on the station for them. Daily I give input and help coordinate and implement on site interactions for listeners. I plan and develop contests. I database confidential information from listener entries. I wish I could learn more about the business, but there seems to be this sentiment that if you don't already know it, we won't show it, yet, because we don't have time today. However, I enjoy almost every one of my co-workers. Management does recognize when you do good work or exhibit talent, they just don't have many opportunities for you to shine, if it doesn't make or save them any money. Mostly, I enjoy interacting in the Public relations function; interacting with our listeners and clients. I love people in general and can start a conversation with anyone. So, getting to go on locations and rub elbows with everyday people who are there to have a good time, is very positive and personally enjoyable to be around.

Typical day at work:
Cold calling, going to appointments, using 3 or more different software's, clerical work, collecting checks, sales, and meetings.

What I learned:
A lot about media, sales, marketing, different business practices, and inside information on several different companies.

Management:
Took the job specifically because I thought I would work well with my manager.  He got sidetracked and had to keep up with superfluous corporate nonsense.  This made it difficult to get trained here and, even though her wanted to help me more he couldn't.  Both of the managers I reported to were later fired and then I REALLY had no one there for me.

Co-workers:
My mentor was the person who helped me the most.  Without her I wouldn't have known how to do  most of the things at work.  A lot of people were great and very nice to me, but some who were more senior with more experience seemed to look down on me a bit since I am right out of college.  I understand this, but instead of writing me off it would have been more beneficial to help me out.  Most of the staff was very friendly and helpful, though.

Hardest Part of my Job:
Staying motivated when I had absolutely no supervision.  I could not come to work on certain days with no one noticing.  I also did not like cold calling and realized that sales probably was not the place for me.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:
The perks we got such as free food and meeting celebrities.  It was also nice to have goals to meet even if the ones given to us were somewhat unreachable and kind of discouraging.

The Cumulus/Wilmington broadcast cluster was, at one time, among the most profitable in the entire company. It was also once a vibrant and dynamic workplace   All of this changed when the former manager left in 2009. 

I will detail the work environment under the halcyon days of Cumulus/Wilmington:

My days were often long, but usually rewarding. I was hired to increase ratings and bring more of a desirable listener demographic to my broadcast radio brands. I supervised a staff of 7, scheduled music, wrote promotional copy and also produced the overall on air sound of two radio stations. In addition, I wrote two weekly reports for corporate directors and sat in on two conference calls per week.

The most important thing I learned at Cumulus was adapting and thriving in a corporate situation.

As stated previously, original management was stellar.

My co-workers in other departments, were often very helpful. Of course, some more than others. There were some ego problems on my staff. This often created quite a challenge.

The hardest part, as discussed above, was dealing with egos. This is not an uncommon trait in creative and sensitive people. There were never any problems that couldn't be solved.

The most satisfying part of this job was watching my radio station(s) increase market share. A few months after my arrival, my main radio station greatly increased it's rating points and began to deliver a younger, more desirable audience.

This is a great place to get a professional start in mass media/marketing. Very few opportunities, however for upward advancement. Typical shirt and tie office environment, and Cumulus Media, Inc. is publicly traded on the Stock Exchange, meaning that the share holders are first priority (not always the people who help the share holders make money). Workload is heavy, but then that is why it is called work! Management will not always come to you, but they are generally approachable if you go to them.
Headquarters is in the Terminus Complex right in the centre of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta's wealthy Buckhead Community. This means one must dress accordingly. (Guys should be clean-shaven, pressed shirt and tie, ladies should stick to conservative business attire). The culture is more of a "no fear" type of environment meaning if you make an occasional mistake which human beings have a tendency to do, you won't be crucified for it. Great first company for those needing professional experience upon completion of their University Education. This is an adult environment, however and the management will expect you to behave as such. Not lecturing, but it is strongly recommended to leave politics, gossip, and excessive ego at the door. Keep your head down, work hard, and Cumulus if nothing else will be great to have on your resume along with some solid references.

A typical day at Cumulus starts of with a sales meeting, then calls to new leads/prospects to set appointments and to confirm appointments already set for that day.  Update calendar.  Work on client presentations and spec spots.  Meet with my appointments and drop in on new prospects to introduce myself and try and set appointments with them so that we can talk more about their business.  Back to station at the end of day to write up orders, write creative copy for spots and email to clients for approval.
I learned a lot about getting past the gatekeepers and reaching the decision maker in a business, persistence pays off, understanding what's behind the objection in order to find ways to overcome it.  Organization and communication are vital.
Most of my management was fantastic.  They were highly encouraging.  They were confidence builders.  They were sometimes burdened with too much of a workload though, to be as effective as they needed to be.
Most of my co-workers were amazing individuals that taught me a lot about business and sales.  They were motivators and encouragers.  They were often available to help me professionally and personally.
The hardest part of the job was sometimes keeping up with demanding calendar expectations handed down from corporate, and presentation role play with co-workers.
The most enjoyable part of the job was landing new accounts and the relationships I built with my clients and certain co-workers.

From the time I interviewed for the position, I should've realized something was wrong. The manager was an account executive before getting the sales manager position. She had NO management experience and was very narcissistic and degrading. I witness her demeaning a sales person in front of me. I wish I would've walked away but I was so excited to  work for KSMB. Working at Cumulus Lafayette was a nightmare. We had last minute meetings and had to cancel appointments with clients to appease the sales manager last minute meeting. She got into screaming matches with sales people and other managers. Due to the reputation of the sales manager, businesses in the area refused to do business with me and Cumulus. The environment was just toxic. She played favorites and if you happened to question something she made you pay for it by withholding leads. I asked for help in learning certain programs and she told me that there were videos I can watch on my own time at home. The market manager struggled to keep a positive atmosphere, but was bullied by the sales manager. Anyway, aplly at your own risk.. I've been a peace since I've left. Best of luck, By the way I paid about $300 a month in gas driving all over the state for appointments not knowing if I'd even get a sale. They don't help with cell phones or anything for that matter. Be prepared to miss doctor's appointments unless you take the entire day off, she'll make you cancel them, and be prepared to work late and weekends. YOU ARE 100% COMMISSIONS and it costs a lot out of pocket to work there..

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