One Part Recorded Promos, Zero Parts Creative

I was having an exchange with a friend of mine who works for a company that advertises on radio stations and also partners with them for promotions. I had been the conduit that connected him with some radio station folks I know. It turns out that the new business relationship is going well. It was nice to receive a complimentary note, but it was depressing to read of the grim reality of the radio business today from someone who is an advocate for our business.

Here are the germane parts of that note:

...they at least make the effort to be creative in their promotion proposals...no one has the time to be creative. I miss seeing what fun things radio is going to do with [events]...yes, I care how many recorded promos I'm gonna get, but I will always believe good creative sells more than frequency...these days, because everyone is so cookie cutter, any sign of creativity in a proposal TOTALLY stands out...good promotion proposals, we talk about 'em, play the airchecks for each other, and wish our [others] would be a 1/4 as creative.

Need I say more?