Maxagrid started in 1982 when Jim Tiller, as founder, recognized the potential of day and daypart pricing keyed to demand and the impact on a station’s bottom line. At the time, rates at most radio stations were quite static; pricing differentiation by program and day was mostly ignored. Jim created a system that determined rates based on fluctuating demand and the varying characteristics of buyer groups, allowing the negotiation process to go beyond simply a price per commercial. Maxagrid systems, customized to each station’s unique set of market and client conditions, transformed the “seat of the pants” pricing tactics of broadcast into a strategic process.

With the power of the computer, combined with Maxagrid’s software and strategic support, managers were able to consider many more issues when pricing their inventory. Sales managers benefited from knowing where the bottom was on rates, account executives became empowered with actionable data and clients learned to buy early to get the best deals on the stations. As a result, station revenues grew. With a single focus on helping stations adopt supply-demand pricing, now referred to as “yield management,” Maxagrid has spread the bottom line benefits, identified almost 20 years ago, to hundreds of stations around the world.

Supply-demand pricing is still key to many stations’ revenue success in markets of all sizes, despite the impact of station clusters, publicly held companies and the slowed economy that has changed the negotiation climate. Maxagrid today incorporates a variety of solutions keyed to the specific needs of media companies, revenue managers and sales organizations. Against the backdrop of deregulation and on-going technological advances, Maxagrid continues to help stations achieve revenue growth.