A 2019 Wrap Up and Looking Ahead

As 2019 wraps up and we all begin looking ahead to the new decade, we want to reflect on some of the amazing things that happened in the Missouri broadcast industry. The past year included great changes, continuing prosperity, and new opportunities for broadcasters across the state. Here at the MBA, we spent the year visiting even more cities across the state to offer free training opportunities, broadcast education, and more. Our CEO and President, Mark Gordon, had the opportunity to visit with junior high school and college-level classes this year, sharing with students the powerful advantages of a career in broadcasting. Here are some of the other highlights of our year:

January – March

In January, we brought sales trainer Paul Weyland to six stops around the state. His presentation was all about dramatically increasing both local direct and digital sales. This was the first of two sales training roadshows for 2019.

In February, we were joined by representatives from the MBA Board of Directors on a fly-in to Washington, D.C., where we were able to meet with key legislators and ensure that your biggest concerns were front and center. One of the many things we presented was a record of local events, charities, fundraisers, and other ways that your stations have benefited your local communities – we want legislators to know that their voters depend on broadcasters in many ways.

April – June

The second quarter was a big one for the MBA team! Starting in April, we attended the Missouri Broadcaster Educators Association career fair, where we met with tons of prospective future broadcasters.

In May, we went to Kansas City, where the MBA partners every year with the Kansas Association of Broadcasters to host the Sports Seminar! Discussions included how to sell for a sports show, how to produce sports shows, and more.

June brought our annual MBA Convention and Awards Banquet in Branson. During this two-day convention, broadcasters attended sessions that covered topics from all aspects of the industry – like how to use live video for play-by-play broadcasts, how to hire great team members, how to develop your storytelling skills as a journalist, why copywriting is just as important for sales teams, and so much more. Our keynote speaker was Mark Scharenbroich, motivational speaker extraordinaire, who kicked off our Route 66-themed event with a great anecdote about road trips and Harley motorcycles – and why making connections is so important.

(We also had a fantastic improv comedy contest that had us all in stitches!)

We were honored to recognize three new MBA Hall of Fame inductees this year: Gene Millard, Ned Reynolds, and the late Russ Withers, Jr. All three of these gentlemen dedicated their careers to improving Missouri broadcasting as a whole, and we thank them for their legacies of hard work and innovation.

July – September

At the end of July, the ten-day Radio Talent Institute kicked off in Maryville. This immersive program offers up to 25 broadcast students the chance to learn from industry veterans. Students interested in everything from on-air broadcasting, engineering, and sales were represented in this year’s class. They spent the ten days getting a crash course in more industry aspects than we could name – sales, on-air presenting, production, and more!

October – December

In October, we hosted our second MBA roadshow. This time, Jim Mathis visited five stops around the state to help broadcasters ask better questions to get better sales results.

In November and December, in anticipation of the upcoming election season, there were a few MBA webinars regarding political advertising rules and regulations.

What’s Coming Up in 2020?

Our goal for 2020 is to truly help you and your stations succeed – which is why we sent out an in-depth member survey in November of this year. We wanted to know what you really need from us, and your responses have helped shape what we’ll focus on in the coming year.

We’ll be putting our efforts towards even more free sales training opportunities for you, with a big focus on getting the best and most successful sales trainers operating today. This year, sales training will take place in a single central location so that the trainer can go even more in-depth.

We also can’t wait to see you at the annual convention! 2020 is the 100-year anniversary of broadcasting as we know it today, so what better way to kick off a New Century of Broadcasting? Join us for this 1920’s themed event June 5th and 6th in Lake of the Ozarks.

Radio Talent Institute will once again host up to 25 new broadcast students in Maryville, and we’ll also be back at the MBEA Career Fair, ensuring that the broadcast industry is in front of the brightest new job seekers out there.

That’s just some of what we have planned for this year. We can’t wait to get started!