Kansas Association of Broadcasters

Leading Through Change and Chaos: A Panel Discussion with Kansas Broadcast Leaders

Join us for an interactive conversation with Kansas broadcast leaders. In this session, we’ll discuss overcoming industry challenges, developing a leadership mindset, and how to foster a team focused on innovation and success. You’ll walk away with tips for:

1. Recruitment and new ways to cultivate local talent
2. Engaging employees and creating a collaborative environment
3. New managers and how to excel despite not, initially, knowing it all
4. Developing your skills as a leader
5. What’s ahead for the broadcast industry

Location:
Great Plains E/F

Sponsored by

Covering Conflict Better: Techniques and Tools to Build Trust and Deepen Audience Engagement

Covering conflict well is essential to broadcast journalism but increasing polarization, a relentless news cycle and audiences fatigued by politics threaten to undermine the efforts of journalists to inform the public. In this session, we will discuss new approaches to reporting on conflict that help audiences better understand the roots of disagreements.

• Location: Great Plains G/H

Sponsored by

Chris Green

Modern Broadcast Propagation Prediction – Know Where Your Signal Goes!

Modern computing power and unprecedented access to spatial data combine to allow engineers to quickly calculate where a station’s signal will, and will NOT, be receivable.  This presentation will cover the basics of modern signal propagation prediction for FM and TV and how that compares to the FCC coverage maps that have traditionally been used.  See how interference areas can be calculated and population data used to predict a station’s true interference free coverage.  We’ll also consider how prediction can be used to quantify the benefit of a proposed move or facility change.

• Location: Great Plains I/J

Sponsored by

John Gray, VP/Director of R&D, V-Soft Communications

FCC Update

With a looming election that could change Washington’s agenda, what is the status of the issues facing broadcasters and how might things change in the future?  KAB’s Washington legal counsel David Oxenford will bring us the latest from DC, covering topics including the state of the FCC, where things stand on ownership rules, technical changes that can affect your operations, the latest in music licensing and where the FCC’s enforcement efforts are being spent.  Hear warnings of areas where noncompliance can cost your station money, and thoughts on opportunities that may arise as regulations change.

 

• Location: Four Winds

David Oxenford

New Revenue Streams

Kansas electronic media (major, medium, and small), both commercial and noncommercial, should always be searching for latest revenue streams. Combining quantitative research and boots-on-the-ground testimony from TV and radio managers, Dr. Ian Punnett, professor of media business at Kansas State University, believes he has discovered some forward-focused content options that can improve a bottom line.

 

• Location: Great Plains G/H

Dr. Ian Punnett

Last Minute Solutions for Cloud-Based Broadcasting

We all know that operating cloud-based automation and playout systems, along with audio processing, is a relatively easy project. But getting from the “Cloud” to an FM or AM transmitter site reliably, especially with last-mile issues of low bandwidth (or no bandwidth), is a significant issue. This session will look at a myriad of cloud to transmitter link solutions including a pair of real life examples using “unconventional” delivery methods.

 

• Location: Great Plains I/J

Mike Pappas
Field Engineer & VP of Business Development, Orban

Selling Advertising Amidst Economic Uncertainty

The fear of economic uncertainty makes advertisers run for the hills. Add to that the fact that most advertisers are just barely recovering from the pandemic and you have a recipe for canceled contracts and ad sales rep frustration. Multi-million dollar media sales coach Ryan Dohrn shares highlights from his book Selling Forward. Proven methods to sell to emotionally drained, financially fatigued, Zoomed out advertisers in an ever-changing world of political and economic uncertainty.

Sponsored by

Ryan Dohrn

Location: Four Winds

The HeArt of Storytelling

The answers are out there, Great news stories don’t just inform — they CONNECT with the audience. So, what’s the secret to memorable storytelling? We’ll discover the answer together by examining and analyzing some of the most compelling news stories.

 

• Location: Great Plains G/H

Denise Vickers

Breakthrough Talent Workshop

Why does so much of our TV, radio and digital content look and sound the same? If unique, compelling local content is the key to staying relevant in today’s media landscape, how can we identify, create, and present content that really “breaks through”?  In this session, Steve reveals the biggest obstacle to discovering and presenting the most memorable content and walks us through a creative process that will help anyone involved in content creation deliver more compelling, interesting, and unique breakthrough content.

 

• Location: Great Plains A/B

Steve Wexler

Real Hosts Working Virtually – How Real Humans Work with Containerized Broadcast Systems

This Containerized broadcast systems are now on-the-air in a variety of radio stations. What must engineers know about this technology, and are the human on-air users adapting? Radio broadcasters have been anticipating their eventual deployment of virtualized broadcast software as part or most of their studio and backend infrastructure. A few radio stations and radio networks have already moved to a largely virtualized infrastructure while others are now in the process. The virtues of virtualization have been the topic of several dozen professional presentations ranging from manufacturers’ revelations to scholarly presentations. With some systems on-air now, it’s time to ask, “What is working differently or the same – for broadcast engineers and for on-air talent?” This SBE Ennes Workshop presentation asks that question and presents answers from broadcast engineers, broadcast IT professionals, and on-air talent.

 

• Location: Great Plains I/J

Kirk Harnack
Telos Alliance

60 Sales Tips in 60 Minutes

Ryan has gathered the very best sales tips from around the globe – and is ready to share them with you. But can you keep up? This is 60 minutes of fun where Ryan shares 60 ideas in a rapid-fire format with one member of the group watching the clock to make sure he doesn’t go over 60 seconds for each idea.

 

• Location: Four Winds

Ryan Dohrn

Producers – Making Magic Happen

What does a newscast producer do? They make magic happen every day on DEADLINE. Master the craft and you’ll climb the career ladder fast. In this session, you’ll learn the tricks to have up your sleeve for success.

 

• Location: Great Plains G/H

Denise Vickers

14 Traits of Breakthrough Talent

When we recruit and coach talent, do we really know what we’re looking for, or are we relying on a subjective and imprecise method for selection and feedback?  Do we know what traits are inherent in the very best talent?  If we do, we’ll be more successful hiring and evaluating our on-air performers.  In this session, Steve reveals the specific 14 traits that are inherent in the most successful content creators. Understanding these 14 traits will help broadcasters recruit more interesting people and will unlock ways to coach our talent more effectively.

 

• Location: Great Plains A/B

Steve Wexler