CPR Promotional Check-Up - Mar 2, 2021

Last July I compiled some policies and guidelines for remotes and appearances because it appeared that things were getting better. And of course we were wrong.

Right now things are looking “better” and more reopenings are happening. Ken Benson shared some info where “they” are thinking that April is going to be when the recovery really kicks in. My brother who has been on the frontline since this started said he saw only one COVID patient in ER on Saturday and thinks “It’s possible we’re in a trough but I think it’s a good indicator.”

So, since we’re still going to need to be careful, here are the aforementioned guidelines and policies.

COVID-19 Event/Remote Guidelines

Every group has their own policies on how to do these or even if to do these. There is no wrong answer.

So here are a few that you can look at for inspiration.

First from Dave Shakes who graduated with a doctorate in Binary Physics from Racine Community College:

• The guiding principal is to keep the staff safe. “We can’t keep them safe on their own time but we can try to when they’re working.”
• The group is not going to dictate to clients what they can do but work WITH whatever the clients policy is.
• There has been an addendum to the Promotional Request Form that asks for the name of the Event Manager (the client) and the on-site manager (who is working the franchise or store during the time of the event) and their phone number.
• On the checklist that the AE needs to fill out is whether the client has completed the county certification process for being re-opened. “That’s a big red flag.”
• Every client is different and has different “view” on COVID. As does the talent. The group is being very cognizant of the “culture” of the hosting client and will not be booking talent into events that differ with their own belief, ie: if it’s a client where they’re taking temps and everyone is masked and the DJ doesn’t follow that thought process in their own life, then they won’t be the talent who gets that gig.
• The radio groups requirement is that the talent and promo person and AE must be masked during set-up and takedown. “during” is based on the clients policy.
• When I worked in SFO the company that owned Wild was United Broadcasting. I don’t care how stringent and draconian you believe your legal team is, they would be rollicking circus clowns compared to United. So, before submitting anything to them I would play some mental chess and in the form would have already come up with answers and solutions to questions and objections that I knew they would throw back at us. Consequently, it appeared like I had put actual thought into it and we were getting stuff approved that the stations in Cleveland and Baltimore were getting shot down on. As the VP says, “We’re creating the impression with our advertisers that we have our act together.”

Next up is from a cluster:

Here are some of the things we’ve been looking at in consideration of remote appearances:

1. How will we insure that employees will not be exposed to groups of people and/or people who approach them without observing social distancing guidelines?
2. How will people we invite to the event (listeners) be protected from exposure to groups of people and how will social distancing practices be enforced on-site?
3. What precautions will be in place to manage traffic in and out of the venue to minimize the opportunity for people to gather and/or come into close proximity?
4. Do we have available talent who is comfortable being on-site?

We work with the clients to get answers to all of these before moving forward. We also have the client confirm in writing that they will enforce the guidelines we agree upon on-site. At this point we are approving appearances on a case-by-case basis.

And this is the policy of Stingray in Canada:

It is the responsibility of local management to stay informed of public health restrictions and ensure that no remote or public appearance violates any local, provincial, or federal directives. Assuming local, provincial, and federal directives allow for the appearance and all staff involved are prepared, we have developed guidelines to follow in order to stay safe and keep others safe.

1. The Stingray Radio COVID-19 Policy must be followed, and any staff member who is feeling ill must stay home. Any employee who does not feel comfortable doing a remote, public appearance, or event will not be required to attend. All public-facing programs will be optional for staff during the period of COVID-19 restrictions.
2. Prior to committing to any remote, public appearance, or event, the Promotions Director, or locally designated individual, must visit the location to perform a safety assessment to identify any potential hazards, ensure that applicable physical distancing requirements can be maintained, and confirm there is sufficient stock of protective equipment (masks, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, gloves) without depleting the stock required for in-office/studio use. If the event presents hazards that can not be sufficiently controlled through the measures below, then we can not attend the event.
3. Promotions Director/Program Director must have a safety training meeting with any promotions and on-air staff going on location to ensure they understand the safety requirements (hygiene, physical distancing, PPE, sanitization). Checklists should be developed by each location in conjunction with the local H&S committee and used to reinforce required procedures.
4. Keep our teams going out small, ideally limiting them to one or two people. Do not send large street teams out to any events of any kind.
5. Promotions vehicles and teams going out need to be equipped with portable hand sanitizer, wipes, and cleaning materials. The surfaces of all vehicles, tables, and equipment need to be wiped down before and after use. Note: scheduling adjustments may need to be made to allow time for this to be done thoroughly.
6. All staff need to be equipped with masks to wear during the appearance. These are not optional and must be worn anytime physical distance of 2m can not be achieved unless another physical barrier (ie: Plexiglas divider) is present. This includes station vehicles.
7. Any tables or booths need to be set up a minimum of six feet/two metres away from any other activities, booths, tables, or gatherings of people.
8. Using tape (on hard surfaces) or aerosol field marking paint (on grass or dirt surfaces), lines need to be drawn on the ground to make sure all people assembling remain at least six feet/two metres away from our staff as well as six feet/two metres away from each other.
9. Hand sanitizer must be placed on the booth.
10. Avoid handshaking, hugs, high fives, or physical contact between our staff and any listeners, or between our own staff. Maintain physical distancing whenever possible. Even our own staff should maintain a safe physical distance of 2m between each other.
11. After each interaction with a listener or visitor to our booth or table, the surface should be wiped down with disposable wipes.
12. No station or client products should be handed out. On-site draws should be done digitally, ie “Text Keyword xxx to ###” or “Visit website to enter”
13. Staff need to be aware of timing so that bathroom usage and food consumption happen before or after the event in safe, known, clean environments. No food should be consumed on site and bathroom facilities on site should only be used in an emergency with maximum attention paid to cleaning and handwashing.
14. At the completion of any event or appearance, all equipment and surfaces, including the station vehicle, need to be thoroughly cleaned per COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

On-air messaging is very important. We cannot be encouraging large gatherings of people the way we once did. We can do this by reminding listeners of the opening hours of the business, on-line purchasing options, and encouraging proper social distancing and health protocols. We need to avoid urgency and focus on the broader brand sell. Where we once tried to get people to “get here now”, we must instead find ways to tell people to take their time, be patient, avoid bad practices, etc.

Any questions about proper on-air messaging should be directed to the Program Director or the corporate programming team.

It is incumbent upon the Account Executive, General Manager, or Sales Manager to set the expectations of the client accordingly. The client needs to be aware of how the messaging will sound on the air in order to avoid client/talent conflict on site.