Overview
You run the Texas division for iHeartMedia, overseeing multiple radio markets and their sales teams. You're selling terrestrial radio advertising (plus digital/streaming add-ons) to local businesses, regional chains, and some national advertisers. You manage a P&L, multiple sales managers, and are responsible for keeping legacy radio revenue stable while growing digital.
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Regional VP / Division President |
| Sales Motion | Field sales org, relationship-driven, some programmatic |
| Deal Complexity | Mix of transactional local deals and consultative multi-market campaigns |
| Sales Cycle | Immediate to 90 days depending on advertiser |
| Deal Size | $500/month (small local) to $50K+/month (regional campaigns) |
| Quota (est.) | $20M+ annually across your division |
Company Context
Stage: Public company (emerged from bankruptcy in 2019)
Size: 12,625 employees
Growth: Traditional radio declining industry-wide, but iHeartMedia is pivoting to data/analytics and multi-platform audio
Market Position: #1 in traditional radio reach, competing with Spotify, streaming platforms, and digital ad networks for advertiser dollars
GTM Reality
Pipeline Sources:
- 60% Existing clients - renewals and upsells on annual/quarterly contracts
- 30% Outbound - AEs prospecting local businesses, agencies, regional chains
- 10% Inbound - some inbound from iHeartMedia's national sales team pushing local market activations
Sales Structure: You manage market-level sales managers who each run teams of 5-15 AEs. AEs are hunter-farmers managing their own book of business.
Support: National analytics/attribution team provides data to prove ROI, but reps still have to sell the value of audio vs digital display/social.
Competitive Landscape
Main Competitors: Spotify Ad Studio, SiriusXM, local TV stations, Google/Meta ad platforms, other radio groups (Audacy, Cumulus)
How They Differentiate: Massive reach (9 in 10 Americans monthly), local market presence, data/attribution capabilities, live event tie-ins
Common Objections:
- "Radio is dying"
- "Digital is cheaper and more measurable"
- "We can target better on Facebook/Google"
- Budget shifts to streaming/podcast advertising
Win Themes: Local reach no one else has, live and local content listeners trust, bundled digital+audio packages, attribution showing radio drives website traffic
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Team Management (35%) | P&L/Ops (25%) | Client Escalations (20%) | Hiring/Training (20%)
Key Activities
- Weekly pipeline reviews with market managers: You're looking at each market's revenue vs forecast, riding managers to push deals across the line, identifying slipping renewals
- Ride-alongs and deal coaching: You jump on calls with big prospects or struggling reps, help close enterprise/agency deals, occasionally take over key accounts
- P&L management: Tracking expenses, managing sales comp plans, negotiating rates with national advertisers, explaining variances to your boss
- Hiring and replacing underperformers: Radio sales has high turnover. You're constantly interviewing, onboarding, and managing out bottom performers
- Market visits and team meetings: Flying/driving between Texas markets (Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, etc.), running monthly sales meetings, dealing with morale issues in a declining industry
- Agency and key client relationships: Maintaining relationships with major ad agencies and regional advertisers who buy across markets
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- Traditional radio advertising budgets are declining industry-wide as dollars shift to digital—you're fighting headwinds
- You're managing veteran reps who've been selling radio for 20 years and may resist change, plus younger reps who don't believe in the product
- Comp plans and rate structures are complex and often frustrating for your team
- You spend a lot of time explaining why revenue is down even when your team is working hard
- Balancing corporate mandates from Dallas HQ with what actually works in local markets
- Your job security depends partly on macro trends you can't control (advertiser preferences, listenership trends)
What Success Looks Like
- Hit or exceed your annual revenue target across all Texas markets
- Maintain or grow market share against other radio competitors
- Successfully transition some revenue from pure terrestrial to bundled digital/streaming packages
- Keep turnover manageable and have a bench of talent ready to promote
- Build credibility with your boss and corporate by delivering consistent forecasts
Who You're Selling To (Your Team Sells To)
Primary Buyers:
- Local business owners (auto dealers, restaurants, home services)
- Marketing directors at regional chains
- Ad agency media buyers placing local/regional buys
- Some national advertisers activating in specific markets
What They Care About:
- Reach in their geographic market
- Cost per point / cost per listener vs other media
- Attribution and proof that radio drives results
- Ease of execution (creative production, trafficking)
- Live/local personality endorsements
Requirements
- 10+ years in media sales, with at least 5 years in sales leadership managing multiple teams
- P&L accountability and proven ability to hit revenue targets in a mature/declining market
- Experience managing and developing sales managers (not just ICs)
- Comfort with data/analytics and ability to sell ROI in a skeptical environment
- Willingness to travel extensively across Texas markets
- Thick skin—you need to stay motivated selling a product many people think is irrelevant
- Track record of driving behavior change and modernizing legacy sales orgs