Do we buy GRP’s (gross rating points), or do we buy calls? The answer is really both–in a way. We buy spots to generate calls, not deliver points. We use points as a tool for negotiating low rates as well as adding free spots (via quarterly posts). Stations are held accountable for the rating points that we buy.
Our decision to buy a program is not based on how many points that program will deliver, it is based on how many calls that program has delivered. We analyze program tracking when placing a buy, and then analyze it again every month after the schedule is placed, when we have the newest tracking in hand. This is all an effort to ensure that the buy in place is the most effective it can be—that is, it is generating the most calls, not necessarily the most points.
So, points are important, but calls are king.
