For buyers
Compare station dayparts, weekly availability, spot rates, projected impressions, CPMs, and clearly labeled alternatives before choosing a buy.
3 min readUpdated
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Each selected station answers in its own RFP Exchange. Open Avails after a station submits its response. Keep the original request visible while you compare what was offered, because a low rate is only useful when the inventory answers the same audience, daypart, spot length, and week.
Start with the Avail identity:
For radio, the exact time windows are canonical. A familiar name such as Morning Drive does not override different days or hours in the submitted Avail.
Every active week is either Offered or Not offered. For an offered week, the station supplies a spot rate and projected impressions per spot for the RFP's primary demographic. Tap shows those values beside the request target and goal CPM.
Use the weekly view to answer four questions:
A single flight average can hide an unavailable launch week or a large change in audience delivery. Check the weekly pattern before comparing totals.
A station can mark an Avail Alternative when its schedule varies from the requested line. Read the reason and compare the exact window, spot length, and weekly terms with the objective. An alternative can be useful, but it should never inherit the status of an exact match merely because its CPM is attractive.
Use the Exchange conversation when the reason is vague or the difference affects the Plan. Ask the station to clarify the schedule, format, placement, or projection instead of silently filling the gap yourself.
Compare like with like:
The goal CPM is a benchmark, not an automatic accept or reject rule. A higher CPM can still support the Plan when the station, audience environment, schedule, or incremental coverage justifies it. Record that judgment rather than letting one number make the decision invisibly.
The supplier must complete its exclusion review before submission. If it acknowledged a possible conflict, read both the warning and the acknowledgement before using the inventory.
A submitted response is immutable. A replacement becomes a new revision, and a withdrawn response can no longer support a new Order. Confirm that you are comparing the current, orderable revision. An Order already sent keeps its snapshotted terms even if the source response later changes status.
Shortlist the Avails that fit the requested line and the Plan's delivery shape. Then build a composition with exact weekly spot quantities. Tap can calculate projected impressions, cost, and effective CPM for the composition, but a person still reviews the mix and creates the station Orders.