Radiodays North America and Canadian Music Week (CMW) have opened nominations for the Pat Grierson Radio Sales Person of the Year Award, sponsored by Slaight Music.
Grierson, who passed away at the age of 77 on May 13, 2022, was widely known in the Canadian broadcast sales sector known for his unique panache. The founder and president of Canadian Broadcast Sales (CBS) had a 40-year career in radio advertising that included heading the Standard Broadcast Sales Radio division, following the Slaight family’s acquisition of the company in 1985, and the founding of United Broadcast Sales (UBS), which saw Standard Broadcast Sales merge with Western Broadcast Sales (WIC). He served as President and CEO of UBS until 1993, when he brought together UBS and All Canada to create one dominant Canadian radio sales company.
Grierson was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the 1st annual Allan Slaight Radio Salesperson of the Year Award at Radiodays North America in 2023. Going forward, the award will be known as the Pat Grierson Radio Sales Person of the Year Award, celebrating a Canadian radio sales professional for top notch performance, ability to lead by example and willingness to embrace new technologies and innovation.
Nominee criteria include:
- A top sales leader for existing and new business in their organization
- Motivated to innovate and create new revenue streams or packages
- Show leadership skills within their sales team
- Embraces new digital audio sales revenue streams
- Can define their clear vision about the future of the radio sales industry
- Works with a Pat Grierson-esque flair in their day-to-day work life
Industry members are invited to submit a maximum of six paragraphs with clear examples of how nominees meet each of the six categories. Submissions should include the name, bio and market of the submitter, plus a letter from their sales lead/manager stating they have reviewed and approved the submission as an accurate reflection of the nominee’s work.
Submissions are open until April 22. The winner will be recognized at the Radiodays North America President’s Reception at Corus Quay on June 3, and receive a $5,000 cash award.
“Pat Grierson was a true original in the Canadian Radio industry and a legend in the development and growth of radio advertising sales in Canada,” said Gary Slaight, President and CEO of Slaight Communications. “The Slaight Foundation is proud to present this award to a Canadian radio sales professional who represents the best in class, is an industry innovator and has Pat Grierson’s one of kind flair.”
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