JULY 27, 2023

In a process not so different than selecting the next Pope, KBA's Ambassadors sequestered themselves behind closed doors last week to consider adding a new member to the fraternity. At the end of the meeting, green smoke rose over KBA and an announcement was made that the group had unanimously selected Jeff Ray as the Association's 9th Ambassador.

Jeff Ray, aka Mr. Ale 8, is in his 40th year with Gateway Radio Works and currently serves as Vice President and General Manager. "To say it is an honor would be one of the top 5 understatements of the decade," Jeff said. "As a 19 year old college sophomore in 1983, I attended my first KBA conference. I still remember being in awe of the people in the room. And 40 years later, it's still the same. I want to say a big thank you to the ambassadors for your confidence in me, and I am excited for this new opportunity." 

In 2017 Jeff received the Kentucky Mic Hall of Fame award and has served the Association as District Director and Chairman of the Board in 2010.

A spokesman for the Ambassadors said, "Jeff Ray’s years of service to KBA and being a great representative of small market radio was highlighted during the selection process".

Jeff joins Chris Aldridge, Mike Feldhaus, Ed Henson, Beth Mann, Jim Moore, Carl Nathe, Barb Smith and Barry Williams as KBA Ambassadors. He will be honored and presented with his green Ambassador blazer during KBA's Annual Conference, September 24-25th at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

KBA congratulates the entire team at WYKY-FM in Somerset for being named a 2023 NAB Marconi Radio Award Finalist for Small Market Station of the Year.

Mike Tarter, President & CEO of Forcht Broadcasting, said, "we are more than thrilled to be selected as a finalist for our industry’s most prestigious award. It’s an honor just to be nominated. Somerset 106 strives hard everyday to super serve the community to help local organizations, businesses, non-profits and to provide entertaining, informative and relevant content to our listeners".

The Marconi Radio Awards will be presented on October 25th during the NAB Show New York.

Monday, July 31st is the deadline to submit entries for the 2023 KBA Excellence in Broadcasting Awards. Click the button below for rules, category descriptions and instructions for submitting an entry.

Entires are not qualified for judging until entry fee has been received.

The Excellence in Broadcasting Awards will be presented, along with the 2023 Legacy Awards, on Monday evening, September 25th, during KBA's Annual Conference at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington.

Taking a huge risk, Bill Evans and his wife, Marilyn, moved from Grayson County to Elizabethtown in the late 1960s to start WQXE, an FM radio station.



“We got married in 1965 and moved here in the summer of 1969 with a baby boy and a piece of paper that said we could build a radio station and knew no one,” Evans said.

Evans said at that time cars only had AM stations and FM channels were almost unheard of.

“My friends in radio said I was crazy to put an FM station on the air and I’d be broke in six months. But I really showed them; I was broke in three months,” Evans said with a laugh. “But we persevered somehow through the ’70s, and it all turned around in the ’80s when people understood the fidelity of the FM signal. It was just like overnight it caught on, and we were good.”

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Did you see Speed & Swagger’s 100th episode on the Ten-Minute Trainer Network? We sure hope so! 

To celebrate Speed & Swagger are asking viewers to share what they want to learn during the next 100 episodes. Anyone who shares ideas by filling out the giveaway form will be entered to win prizes provided by Speed & Swagger, the Ten-Minute Trainer Network, AdCellerant, and the Swagger Institute. Prizes include T-Shirts, Water Bottles, Stickers and more. One lucky winner will win $100 CASH! Giveaway ends July 31st, so don’t hesitate!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Register for FREE to the Ten-Minute Trainer Network Click here. (If you have done this already proceed to step two.)
2. Fill out the giveaway form Click Here. 
3. You are all set!

Speed & Swagger can’t wait to hear from you!

Pictured above is Ron Sexton (aka Donnie Baker) and WYMT's Bridgett Turner. Ron sadly passed away of a sudden heart attack last Friday. Ron's characters were a staple on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Show. "I met him on multiple occasions and got to know him a little bit", said Turner. "He was completely opposite his public persona... very polite, down to earth and courteous to the point of being unrecognizable when you were looking for Donnie Baker and saw him instead."

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

WE DO IMPORTANT WORK

Because sales, in general, has a negative perception, it’s important to be reminded from time to time of the importance of our work. Sales is not about getting or taking; it’s about giving. We give our clients our advice, counsel, and resources so they can benefit from our expertise and watch their businesses grow and prosper. Yes, there is a financial exchange between us. Too often, we forget they are getting a great deal in return for their investment. This is largely why sellers have difficulty discussing or asking for money. They forget what we are giving as a result of the financial exchange. 

In Luke Sullivan’s book:  Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads, he says, “Advertising is one of the main gears in the machinery of a huge economy, responsible in great part for creating and selling products that contribute to one of the highest standards of living the world’s ever seen.”

In our Sales Essentials, I share my version of a “locker room speech” to the teams I’ve coached - We are on the frontlines of economic success and prosperity in our markets. Nothing happens until a sale is made. We put buyers and sellers together, and when we do, the magic happens. Jobs are created, companies flourish, people can send their kids to college, etc. Advertising is the fuel that keeps the economic engine running, and we are the people pumping the fuel.

As you wrap up the week, know that your work is not selling spots, sponsorships, and airtime. That may be some of the “what” you sell. Still, the bigger picture, which is helpful to remember, is the impact we can have on our communities, especially now in continuing economic uncertainty.

Our work is important, beneficial, and rewarding for all involved. Think about how you and your stations have impacted your local market and see if that doesn’t put you in a mood today that will make you unstoppable. 

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 complimentary access to RAB's online certifications.

AUGUST 17, 2023

9:00am - KBA Board of Directors Meeting @ Omni in Louisville

SEPTEMBER 24-25, 2023

KBA Annual Conference @ Northern Kentucky Convention Center

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

Midwest Broadcast & Multimedia Technology Conference in Columbus, OH

*All times shown are Eastern

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