Green Bay, WI-based PMI Entertainment Group has sent out a warning letter 1-18 to several dozen Green Bay, central and lower Wisconsin and upper Michigan stations informing them they must cease and desist selling their promotional tickets garnered in ad trades for events such as hockey games. The stations have apparently been selling them below face value on weekend shopping shows and the like. When an event comes to town, promoters will purchase ad time at the stations. Free tickets are all part of the mix.
Terry Charles, PMI spokesperson, tells RBR-TVBR it is against their policy. “Our intention is when we make the deals with the stations they are to be given away to the listeners as part of a promotion.”
From the letter:
“On behalf of PMI Entertainment Group, the promoters and events we represent we are reaching out to you for one specific reason, we have been made aware that violations of our ticket trade agreements are being made. After doing further research, we have found this to be true of a number of stations.
As noted in our radio trade opportunities/agreements we email out to each of you, the tickets and/or vouchers that are traded with each of your stations are to be given away on-air and cannot be sold. Upon your signature agreeing to these terms and conditions, you receive these tickets/vouchers complimentary in exchange for dollar-for-dollar trade advertising and on-air promotion of these events. We have found these agreements to be mutually beneficial. It provides your stations the prestige of being associated with these great events and the ability to offer your listeners a chance to win tickets to them; and it provides the events a way to reach a larger audience with the potential to increase ticket sales.
Unfortunately, we have a number of direct examples of these violations of our trade agreements and how they have hurt events. Those of you selling these trade tickets/vouchers on your Shopping Shows have not only hindered our ability to sell group sales and caused confusion in the market, but it has also tarnished our reputation with the promoters…For those of you who have violated our agreement you have been taken off our list until further notice.”
RBR-TVBR got the letter from one of the stations. See it by clicking on the attachment, top right.
Charles says if the practice continues, they won’t do business again with the station(s).
PMI bills itself as a full service management company providing comprehensive services to venues and entertainment facilities. It offers venue & sports management, show & event production, ticketing, booking, marketing, food & beverage services, group sales, sponsorships and consulting.
RBR-TVBR observation: Of course, PMI, nor the station wanted to identify those broadcasters in question. We can understand how every dollar helps struggling stations, however, it’s an agreement and it serves a system that has been in place for quite a while. Stations make a good deal of money from event advertising. To be removed from the list from a company that services a lot of events could really hurt the bottom line. At least no legal action was taken this time around.
