If there’s such a thing as a protected species at commercial stations, surely it’s sales people. Regardless of the way in which radio is delivered, whether on-line, terrestrial or podcast, while there are ads to be sold, the people who go out and bring in the revenue will always earn the big bucks and management’s plaudits. The business model of a sales team that goes forth into the marketplace and solicits business is as old as Radio itself. But things may be about to change.

If airline tickets and holidays can be booked online without the need a travel agency, why not radio ads without an ad agency or even a local sales exec?

The thing that’s made sites such as wotif.com and justflights so successful is that you can compare competing outlets side by side rather than having to contact them individually and listen to a sales spin.

In the US, a company called TargetSpot that allows advertisers to create and book their ads online has just raised over $US8.6 million ($A9.4 million) in venture capital to expand their business that was a start-up just last year. The sector was estimated by J.P. Morgan to be turning over around half a billion US in 2006 and growing at around 27% per year.

Is this the way of the future? Are the days of radio sales teams numbered? Has Radio been its own worst enemy because of the way each station spins the survey results? How will radio sound if advertisers make their own ads using rudimentary tools on the net?

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