KBA WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

MAY 16, 2024

TRAGIC LOSS

WLEX-TV EMPLOYEE KILLED IN CAR CRASH

Billy Williamson, a 21 year veteran of WLEX-TV in Lexington, died late Friday night from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Williamson worked in various production roles with LEX18 from 1995-2002 before returning to the station in 2003. He worked on remotes for dozens of Kentucky Derbies, Breeders Cup, UK basketball and football specials, and many other special events. And for the last decade, he made his mark on LEX18's on-air look as a graphic artist.

"Everything we do, every job that it takes to make the news happen, has to be creative. It's all meant to tell a story to you, to convey exactly what you need to know in a way that connects with you. And graphics are certainly a part of that. Everything that Billy did was a part of that — he knew that and he wanted to make that experience for the viewer the best it could be,” said Nancy Cox, former anchor and colleague. “He was proud of what he did, and it took a lot of hard work for our product to come together, and Billy was a big part of that."

“Words cannot adequately describe the grief that our LEX18 family is feeling right now with the loss of Billy Williamson," says LEX18 General Manager Andrew Shenkan. "Billy was truly special and talented as he was involved in so many great projects that ultimately made LEX18 shine in everything he created for us. I found him to be a vibrant personality, but yet he was extremely humble especially when recognized for all he provided for the station. He will be greatly missed by us all.”

When he wasn’t working, he loved his sports, being outdoors, chili nights with co-workers, and just enjoying all that life had to offer.

The driver operating the other vehicle involved in the accident was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, no registration and failure to maintain required insurance.

Williamson was 54 years old.

SYMPATHY EXTENDED

TWO BROADCASTERS PASS AWAY

The Kentucky Broadcasters Association mourns the recent passing of two Kentucky broadcast legends, Robert Lindsey and Teddy Paynter.

Longtime Lexington radio host and Paducah native, Robert Lindsey passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer, at age 66.

Robert's career in broadcasting began at the tender age of 16, and for the next 5 decades, Robert informed and entertained listeners throughout central Kentucky.

Click HERE for complete obituary information.

Teddy Paynter covered Kentucky and West Virginia sports for more than 50 years, passed away on April 20th.

Teddy's career began in 1973 at the Logan Banner in West Virginia. He was the first writer assigned to cover all sports at Man High School. Throughout his career he covered sporting events for junior high, high school, West Virginia University, Marshall University, Virginia Tech, University of Kentucky and NASCAR.

At the time of his passing, Teddy worked for Mountain Top Media in Pikeville, serving as Sports Director since 2019.

Click HERE for complete obituary information.

SAYING GOODBYE FOR NOW

BRANDON ROBINSON RETIRES FROM WYMT-TV

Surround by his television family, exactly 17 years to the day that he started, WYMT Chief Forecaster and Harlan County native Brandon Robinson announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Shortly after he graduated from Morehead State University, Brandon began his career at WYMT on May 14, 2007. He began his journalism career as the assignment editor. He said during his time at WYMT he has served in nearly every position in the newsroom from producing, news and weather anchoring, to reporting. However, he spent the majority of his stint on the WYMT Weather Team as the morning forecaster.

As many have followed Brandon’s journey while he was at WYMT, he was open and transparent when he received a life-changing diagnosis of brain cancer in 2016. He is now a 3 time brain cancer survivor.

“I have been very public about my journey,” he said.

His journey also opened the door for him and Steph to start a charity organization known as “Grey Matters Whitesburg, Inc.” Through Grey Matters Whitesburg, the two co-founded an annual 5K/10K race which raises awareness for other brain cancer warriors and survivors.

“My goal is for it to not be the biggest race in Eastern Kentucky, but the whole state,” Brandon said. “I think we can accomplish that over the next several years.”

Brandon has also been heavily involved with Relay for Life for several years.

In October 2023, doctors found a spot on a scan, and Brandon discovered he would need another surgery.

His recovery at the beginning of 2024 became much longer than he said he expected which led to a recent diagnosis.

“I have expressive aphasia and my right hand is still not well,” Brandon said. “That’s why I have made the decision to retire. Not because I wanted to but because I have to. Plus, I will get to spend more time with my beautiful wife Stephanie.”

“I just want to live my life. Whether it be going to concerts, take a spontaneous vacation, or just lounging around the house,” he said. “If I live another three years or thirty years, I am not leaving Eastern Kentucky. I am not leaving the mountains. I am just saying goodbye for now.”

Courtesy of WYMT

THIRD THURSDAY WEBINAR

TODAY AT 1:00PM EASTERN

ELECTION COVERAGE DOWN THE BACKSTRETCH: GET OFF THE TRACK

with Kevin Benz, I-Media Strategies

The 2024 elections are testing journalists as never before as truth takes a backseat to self-interest and polarization makes neutral coverage almost impossible. How do we cover candidates who treat truth as a convenience and voters who look for agreement over clarity. This session will take political polarization head on, giving real options for journalists interested in telling the truth over talking points. We will also look at specific coverage examples that take coverage away from the horse race and focus on the candidate.

Complimentary for KBA member stations. Use promo code: BeThere24

THIS WEEKS MEMBER PIC

BIG SHOES TO FILL

Congratulations to Brittany Rowe, who has been named Sports Director at Mountain Top Media.

"I am excited to continue to grow our sports department and expand our coverage area for our local athletes,” Rowe said. “I have big shoes to fill, stepping into this role following the great Teddy Paynter, and I plan to carry on his legacy."

Rowe is a 2008 graduate of Pike Central, and a 2014 graduate of the University of Pikeville, where she majored in Communications and Mass Media.

We want to promote YOU! Send us your staff additions, promotions and special events. Email Chris at chris@kba.org

WANT MORE BUSINESS? LOOK INSIDE.

I could feel and hear her frustration. Ava used a great strategy to reach out to prospective clients, but she was frustrated: “Nobody is responding.”

Sound familiar? A common theme in our industry is MORE, whether publicly held or privately owned. More revenue creates more opportunities for companies to do the things we are great at. I have yet to meet a manager who believes, “We have enough right now.”

One commonly overlooked place for new business is your current customers. Depending on which research you read, getting a current customer to spend more is about five times easier than finding a new customer. Yet, in our haste and zest for new business, we look outside rather than inside. The reality is we should do both.

A recent MediaPost blog entitled Looking For Growth? Start With Your Current Customers reveals five innovative ways to drive growth from your current customers:

Better understand and optimize their journey to conversion. No matter how well you are converting prospects into users, there are likely parts of the process of conversion that can be improved and optimized. Review how current customers became buyers and identify process gaps and leaks that are softening conversion.
On-board new users to ensure they begin using your product. You may have converted a customer into a sale, but it’s important to ensure that they begin using and gaining value from your product or service
Improve customer engagement to turn users into fans. Just because customers use your products or services doesn’t make them loyal supporters of your brand. It’s important to communicate with them so they feel connected beyond the transactional, and that your product/service is more than just its attributes.
Increase lifetime value of current customers. Current users have chosen you for a specific solution you provide. But they may not know about others you have -- or higher tiers of your offering they might grow into.
Learn from them to improve your offerings, your marketing, and your success moving forward. A less obvious but no less tangible way current users can help you grow is to learn from them to create the conditions for growth. Dig into your customer data to know what makes them tick.

If the old ways are no longer working, it’s time to explore new ways. As always, if you have successes, we would love to share them with other members, so please email or call. We love celebrating member success!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. You can also connect with him by email JSchmidt@rab.com or on Twitter and LinkedIn.