APRIL 21, 2022
IMPACT BROADCAST AWARD WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO ENTERED
The Kentucky Broadcasters Association would like to congratulate the 2022 Impact Broadcast Award recipients! We received almost 600 entries, showcasing the exceptional journalism by KBA member stations. Please click on the link below to learn more about this years winners.

Winners will be further recognized during KBA's Annual Conference, September 25-27th in Owensboro.
2022 KBA LEGACY AWARDS
NOMINATION WINDOW OPENS TODAY
KBA's Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Legacy Awards. The awards will be presented as part of the Excellence In Broadcasting Awards ceremony on Monday, September 26th at the Annual Conference in Owensboro.

The deadline to submit a Legacy nomination is May 27, 2022.

A description of each award and link to the online submission form is provided below.
Al Temple Award
Presented to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Kentucky Broadcasters Association over an extended period of time. Their volunteer service is an invaluable part of this organization’s success and ability to serve its members.
 
Kentucky Mic Hall of Fame Award
Presented to those individuals who have made outstanding personal contributions to the broadcasting profession in Kentucky. Since this award is considered to be the highest award given by the KBA to recognize accomplishments in Kentucky broadcasting, recipients are hereby inducted into the KBA Hall of Fame.
 
J.T. Whitlock Life Service Award
Presented to members who have earned perpetual membership and recognition as a result of quality and longevity of their service to their stations, communities and to Kentucky broadcasting. Participation in conventions shall be at no cost to recipients of this award and their spouse.
 
Ralph Gabbard Distinguished Kentuckian Award
Presented in recognition of the achievements and accomplishments of former Kentuckians who have earned fame or acclaim in their respected field or endeavor.
FRED HAGEN PASSES AWAY
HOST OF BARDSTOWN'S "WAKE UP WITH FRED"
Fred began his career in radio with WBRT after graduating from high school. His radio work took him to Scottsville and Lancaster before returning to Bardstown. 

Fred created the “Wake up with Fred Show” making him one of the most listened to personalities in central Kentucky. He retired from WBRT January 4, 2019 due to health reasons. His support of the community ranged from fund raising for the animal shelter, the Red Cross annual campaign, The Salvation Army Kettle Campaign and being greatly involved with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Fred Hagen was 82.
RISING THROUGH THE RANKS
APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED
Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), in partnership with Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and Mentoring and Inspiring Women (MIW) present the 14th annual “Rising Through the Ranks” Seminar in hybrid format with in-person sessions August 10-11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee and virtual meetings prior to in-person event. As in years past, BMI is offering 20 scholarships for this year's program. These scholarships cover the cost of the professional development course designed to foster and educate current and emerging female managers within broadcast radio.We encourage any and all talented, capable, dynamic women within your company to apply. Scholarship applications are being accepted April 18 through May 13, 2022 at 6:00PM CT. Scholarship recipients will be notified of their selection by Friday, June 10th.
UK ANNOUNCES NEW COMM FACILITY
STATE-OF-THE-ART STUDIO & LAB TO BE AT RUPP ARENA
Innovative New Studio Space Will Take Media Education,...

The University of Kentucky is widely regarded as an intercollegiate sports powerhouse. But UK also, increasingly, is known for its ability to leverage athletics and partnerships with the private sector for academic and career success for students.

Read more
uknow.uky.edu
JEFF SCHMIDT'S SALES TIP OF THE WEEK


13 LEADERSHIP LESSON YOU WILL LEARN HERE OR THE HARD WAY
I was called to the corporate office of the company that had just purchased our radio stations. They wanted to know if I would be willing to be the market manager of the cluster. I was experienced on air; I was a top-performing seller and sales manager. How hard could becoming a market manager be? Isn’t that the person who sits in the corner office with feet propped on the desk, attends Rotary and Chamber functions, and tells everyone what to do? Oh, and probably earns more than anyone else in the building? Sure, I’ll take that gig.

Boy was I wrong. Not about accepting the position, but about my perception of what a market manager/general manager did.  I remember driving back home from corporate when it hit me. I’m now responsible for the lives and the livelihood of 55 hardworking people in my market and I have no clue what I’m doing. I’m a sales guy.

My first task was to fill out the 167-page spreadsheet that corporate called a budget. I had enough trouble balancing my checkbook.  Then there was the format change and rebrand of another format, the HR issues, the fighting between sales and programming, the business office that thinks the sellers are a bunch of dopes, and, by the way, sales need to be in a double-digit increase from the previous year. Then the engineer calls. Your tower lights just went dark, and someone has to call the FAA. It never ends.

While others can leave the office at 5-ish, the office never leaves you. You are responsible 24/7 for everything that happens in this market. On top of that, you’re responsible for making it better than it was last year. This responsibility can be empowering and motivating, yet simultaneously crushing and debilitating.

Thank God I had other market managers, mentors, and general managers to call upon for my on-the-job training.

Bottom Line, Leadership is about More than the Bottom Line
 
Here are 13 lessons I learned that might benefit you:

  1. You have to care deeply about the people you work with.
  2. Trust the people you work with, and let them do their jobs.
  3. You don’t know everything, and you’re not supposed to.
  4. Find people better than you, and surround yourself with them. 
  5. Take responsibility for their failures and coach them to better performance.
  6. You work for them, they don’t work for you.
  7. Be the number one cheerleader of your team.
  8. Absorb 80% of the pressure from above and only disseminate 20%.
  9. Admit when you are wrong and fix it.
  10. Create a culture of empowerment, not micro-management.
  11. Manage and coach your department heads, and let them manage the department
  12. Have a group of trusted advisors (department heads) and meet regularly with no titles, where everyone can speak freely and openly.
  13. Encourage your trusted advisors to challenge and disagree with you.

Focus on your number one priority: the development of your people. Encouragement, discipline, praise, vision, and accountability. Focus on developing your people and let them do their jobs to the best of their ability.

Create a clear vision of where you want to go, and why. Then with the help of your team set objectives and create standards. An objective is what you want to accomplish in a specific time frame. Example: increase ratings by 2 shares; increase revenue by 10% this year. A standard is how that objective will be accomplished.

Let your team set and manage the standards to achieve the objective. You focus on the vision, the why, and the people, and they focus on the how.

The secret to success as a market/general manager is that there is no secret.

“Pluralistic Ignorance” refers to a phenomenon where we believe nobody is facing the problems we are. The truth? The problems you are facing today have already been solved. Connect with other markets/general managers. Compare notes, offer another point of view. Others are willing to help you and you can help them. Because it’s “lonely at the top” we need interaction with others in similar positions to help us achieve greatness. Not only is this good mental health therapy to remind you that you’re not alone, it’s a great business strategy for solving problems. 
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.
Your active KBA membership entitles you to the following:
KBA NEWSLETTER SPONSORED BY PEM
DATES TO REMEMBER
JULY 20, 2022
KBA Board of Directors Meeting - Louisville, KY

SEPTEMBER 25-27, 2022
KBA Annual Membership Conference - Owensboro, KY

OCTOBER 28, 2022
Midwest Broadcast & Multimedia Technology Conference - Columbus, OH

*All times shown are Eastern
USEFUL KBA LINKS