Freelance Senior Television Media Buyer (Contract)

Freelance Senior Television Media Buyer (Contract)

Position: Freelance Senior Television Media Buyer (Traditional TV)

Duration: ASAP through year-end (with potential for extension)

Location: Remote (U.S.)

Overview

Cronin, a full-service advertising agency, is seeking an experienced Senior Television Media Buyer to support a significant traditional television buying initiative beginning ASAP.

This role is ideal for a seasoned broadcast media professional who can immediately step into an active buying environment with minimal training. The successful candidate will be responsible for planning, negotiating, executing, stewarding, and optimizing television campaigns across 15 television DMAs with 60\+ stations.

We are looking for someone who has spent their career buying television—not a digital media buyer with limited TV experience.

Primary Responsibilities

• Negotiate and execute local television buys across approximately 15 designated market areas (DMAs)
• Maintain station relationships
• Evaluate proposals and negotiate rates, inventory, added value, and positioning
• Build and maintain schedules within Strata
• Process revisions, change orders, and traffic instructions
• Steward campaigns throughout flight dates
• Secure and negotiate makegoods as needed
• Monitor delivery and resolve discrepancies with station representatives
• Review post logs and reconcile buys
• Collaborate with internal media planning and account teams
• Ensure campaigns are executed accurately, efficiently, and within budget

Required Qualifications

• 5\+ years of traditional television buying experience (7\+ years strongly preferred)
• Expert-level proficiency with Strata
• Extensive experience negotiating with local television stations
• Proven track record of negotiating premium programming placements while maximizing cost efficiency and meeting campaign goals.
• Strong understanding of:

+ Broadcast television

+ Local cable

+ Nielsen ratings

+ CPP and CPM analysis

+ Market negotiations

+ Stewardship and reconciliation

+ Makegoods

• Ability to independently manage multiple markets simultaneously
• Exceptional organization and attention to detail
• Strong communication skills and responsiveness

Preferred Qualifications

• Agency experience managing regional or national television campaigns
• Experience buying across multiple DMAs concurrently
• Familiarity with political buying environments and inventory constraints
• Experience working remotely with agency teams

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced television buyer who can quickly integrate into our workflow and requires little day-to-day oversight. They are confident negotiating directly with station representatives, highly proficient in Strata, and comfortable managing a complex, multi-market television campaign from start to finish.

Engagement Details

• Contract/Freelance
• Remote
• Starting ASAP through December (with possible extension)
• Project includes buying and stewardship for campaigns across 15 television markets
• Flexible hourly commitment based on campaign activity

To Apply

Please provide:

• Resume
• Summary of traditional television buying experience
• Years of experience using Strata
• Approximate annual television budgets managed
• Availability beginning ASAP

Important: We are specifically seeking a career television buyer with extensive traditional broadcast buying experience and expert-level Strata proficiency. This is not a digital media buying role, and candidates whose primary background is paid social, programmatic, search, or digital media—even if they have some TV experience—will not be a fit. We are looking for someone who has managed significant traditional television buys and can immediately step into a multi-market buying assignment with minimal training.