Cumulus Media Reviews

Pros

The pros of working at Cumulus Media include: the perks of meeting celebrities, in certain departments, management allows for good flexibility with your schedule, and networking opportunities are easily available.

Cons

The cons of working at Cumulus Media include: lack of intra/inter communication between departments, there is no opportunity for growth, long hours for poor pay, and unfair treatment to subordinates.

Advice to Senior Management

Better communication skills would help to improve office morale and temperament. Ensuring that individuals are treated fairly in all departments would also help eliminate adverse impact.

Pros

Dallas is a great market, but work for someone else

Cons

Micro management
Most of the good people left a long time ago

Advice to Senior Management

Let the experienced leaders lead.

Pros

Nothing. Outside of being passionate about radio itself, there is literally nothing positive I could say about working for Cumulus and their management.

Cons

Everything. From inept upper management to a "Yes Man" work environment to meager salaries to zero emphasis on creativity to calling the sales staff the most important facet of the company, Cumulus, which is led by one of the most crooked CEOs on the planet, Lew Dickey (the man gave himself a million dollar bonus while laying off thousands of employees), is a terrible place to work. One would have to be desperate to work for an evil corporation like Cumulus.

Advice to Senior Management

Encourage creativity, don't stifle it. Promote those who speak their minds, not those who only aim to make the bosses happy.

Pros

Training is very strong. You can make good money quickly. It is a great way to develop your contacts with key business decision makers throughout a region. There can be nice perks such as concert tickets and prizes for sales contests. Local managers try to be supportive.

Cons

Overall corporate morale is very low. Almost all employees with 2+ years of tenure are making 20% less than they were 2 years ago due to a bad economy. Also there have been major cuts to the rank and file while large bonuses were doled out to the top level execs. After 2 years you will see your pay max out or even slide.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in a better product. Develop strategies to provide career advancement for your upper level producers. Don't take an $8mm bonus the year you lay off 10% of your workforce.

Pros

High commission %, opportunity to make $ quickly
Good event perks: Tickets to entertain clients at local sporting events, concerts
Local management very friendly and supportive
Full sales cycle allows you to learn a variety of skills

Cons

Commission only, no bonuses for hitting sales goals, no bonuses period.
Lots of cold calling, lot of client turnover
Corporate management constantly inventing new ways to micro-manage (endless reports, planners, pointless trainings,etc.)
No budget to entertain clients other than with tickets

Advice to Senior Management

Stop trying to micro manage so much and do more to make employees feel that they are valued and appreciated.

Pros

The other employees were nice and I had a great boss.

Cons

Pay was terrible for everyone but the sales team, and we never had enough staff.

Advice to Senior Management

You need to pay everyone better, especially if you are going to be short of help.

Pros

There are fantastic people who work for Cumulus.

Cons

Demoralizing work environment. Company takes advantage of its employees love for radio. Building is falling apart. What are the sales people selling? Other than morning drive and afternoons, this station has become jukebox. There is barely any community involvement with listeners. The owners are onely concerned about making a buck.

Advice to Senior Management

Put some equity into this property and turn it around into a thriving local radio sation that serves Westchester County.

Pros

I worked for Cumulus for 5+ years and locally, the people you work with are like family. You are all just trying your best to get by and earn a living. Although corporate tries to kill it, you can still serve your community.

Cons

Nationally, Cumulus (or Clear channel) does not care about you, your family or the community the stations it owns serves. The bottom line to the investors trumps all reasoning. They expect one person to do the job of 4 for pitiful pay. If you live in a smaller market (50+), I challenge you to find a live, local DJ outside of morning drive on a Cumulus or Clear Channel radio staion.

Advice to Senior Management

You know, revenue is not down because of additional competition from sattelite or ipods. It's down because corporate took the local flavor out of it's smaller market stations. Kid Kraddick, Ryan Seacrest, Carson Dailey.. etc can't tell the listeners about what is happening in my hometown U.S.A. Nor can some jock voice tracking in Chicago be local in Mayberry. You want to be successful again, put live LOCAL air-talent on the air 24 hours a day!

Pros

Good system for training, but no one has time to train you. Extremely high turn over. Nothing else positive to say

Cons

Management does not care about the individual. Horrible pay structure and accounts are given out by the good old boy system.

Advice to Senior Management

You are too number oriented and do not care for your employees. Picks favorite reps for good accounts. Racial undertones

Pros

The company has invested a lot of money in a fail-safe plan to be sucessful in sales. If you have the drive and the thick skin to be in radio sales, then I think this company definitely has the best tools around in the industry to help you suceed in this. Also, a great bunch of stations.

Cons

Out of nowhere firings and letting go of quality people. Also seeing them make part time people do the work of a full time people with part time pay. The uncertainty of not knowing when the other shoe will drop.

Advice to Senior Management

Taking agency accounts away from you because you think a "Key Account Manager" can handle it better then you is not the best idea...especially if you are taking away something without replacing it. Also, splitting stations you can sell and limiting your sales ability isn;t the best way to motivate a sales person in a down economy