Vermont Association of Broadcasters
- Classes for broadcast professionals lead by experienced instructors
- 2 Kahoot Pop Quizes giving attendees multiple chances to win cash
- VAB Content of the Year competition awards ceremony
- Coffee social with continental breakfast
- Buffet lunch
- Peer Networking
- VAB Annual Meeting and Board of Directors election
Breakfast 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM:
Suggested Attendance: Everyone“General Assembly” 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM:
Suggested Attendance: Everyone
“First Period” 9:20 AM – 10:35 AM:
Class For Radio & TV Advertising Sellers & Local Sales Managers:
- “Building Today’s Breakthrough Sales Culture” – Today, the most successful sales organizations are re-imagining how they operate in markets large and small. We’ll discuss what our clients really need from us and whether we’re prepared to deliver it. We’ll challenge some long-standing broadcast sales practices (including the actual words we use to describe the sales process) and help sales professionals prepare for more strategic, powerful, and successful meetings with clients. We’ll also reveal, discuss, and debate the “top 10” traits of great salespeople.
- Instructor: Steve Wexler, WEXL Coaching
- Classroom: Edmundite Solarium (3rd Floor)
- Suggested Attendance: Radio Marketing Consultants, TV Account Executives, Sales Managers
- Instructor: Steve Wexler, WEXL Coaching
Class For Radio, TV & Digital Content Creators & Copywriters:
- “Crossing the Creative Chasm” – This provocative and practical session designed for copywriters, creative producers, on air personalities and content creators will challenge conventional thinking, explain why traditional branding often falls short, and learn how to craft messaging that delivers measurable results. This isn’t about being louder – it’s about being smarter. Walk away with fresh ideas, real-world examples, and a renewed sense of creative purpose.
- Instructor: Tom Ray, JDA Media
- Classroom: WWPV-FM Lounge (2nd Floor)
- Suggested Attendance: Copywriters, Radio Air Personalities, TV Creative Services, Digital Media Producers
Class For Radio & TV Station Owners, GMs, GSMs, OMs & HR Managers:
- “Recruiting in a Future Forward Workplace” – Stepping into 2025 we find ourselves amid a significant shift in HOW we work. New working dynamics are replacing the traditional work environment. So we must evaluate who we hire, how we hire and the way we find new hires to fit the future forward needs of our business. We’ll do that by exploring three topics all in one 75 minute session; “The Shift from Jobs to SUPER Jobs”; “Talent Mobility” and “The Alternative Workforce”
- Instructor: Lisa Fields, Media Staffing Network
- Classroom: Roy Event Room (3rd Floor)
- Suggested Attendance: Radio & TV Station Owners
“Second Period” 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM:
Class For Radio & TV Advertising Sellers & Sales Managers:
- “Selling Through Uncertainty; Real World Strategies for Today’s Media Sellers” – Proven, practical tips for selling and succeeding in today’s challenging conditions. From selling tips to advertising tips to being a better you, Tom relies on his four decades of media sales experience to offer real world action items to handle today’s uncertainty. This session offers actionable advice for traditional and digital sellers – and their managers – who want to stay strong when the market gets tough.
- Instructor: Tom Ray, JDA Media
- Classroom: Edmundite Solarium (3rd Floor)
- Suggested Attendees: TV Account Executives, Radio Marketing Consultants & Sales Managers
Class For Radio, TV & Digital Content Creators & Program Directors:
- “Creating and Presenting Breakthrough Content” – Today, much of the content we create in radio, TV and digital tends to look and sound the same. Audiences are seeking out unique, compelling content wherever they can find it. And most content creators don’t have a process to capture and present the most interesting content available to them. We’ll challenge some long-standing programming beliefs, reveal the biggest obstacle to creating the most interesting content (it’s likely not what you’d expect), and offer three powerful elements that must be part of any content presentation.
- Instructor: Steve Wexler, WEXL Coaching
- Classroom: WWPV-FM Lounge (2nd Floor)
- Suggested Attendees: TV Creative Services Directors, Radio Air Personalities & Program Directors, Digital Media Producers.
Class for Radio & TV Station Owners, GMs & HR Managers:
- 10:45-11:15AM: “What You Need to Know About the 2024/2025 Vermont State Legislative Session” – Learn about the new laws the Vermont legislature passed or likely will pass this year that impact radio & TV stations as owners, GMs and hiring managers.
- Instructor: Lucie Garand, MMR & Wendy Mays, VAB
- Classroom: Roy Event Room (3rd floor)
- Suggested Attendees: Radio & TV Station Owners, GMs & HR Managers
- 11:15-11:45AM: “Understanding Emotional Compensation for Retention & Culture” – Gallup’s annual State of the Workplace report is clear: we are in an engagement and wellness crisis. Only 1/5th of employees are engaged and less than 1/3 say they are thriving at work – financial compensation has a hard ceiling – benefits compensation is under-utilized and very expensive. Emotional Compensation is the new HR concept for creating workplaces that attract, retain, and grow first-class talent. We’ll do a quick dive into Emotional Compensation basics and then Peter will demonstrate a survey tool that gives organizations actionable data to support a healthy workplace. Emotional Culture is the soundtrack of your workplace – what are your people listening to?
- Instructor: Peter Anderson, Inner Citadel Consulting
- Classroom: Roy Event Room (3rd floor)
- Suggested Attendees: Radio & TV Station Owners, GMs & HR Managers
Lunch, Annual Meeting & Content of the Year Awards 12:00 PM – 2:00
PM:
Buffet lunch, VAB Board of Directors election, annual meeting with another Kahoot Pop Quiz giving you three more chances to win cash and the reveal of the “Content of the Year” competition award winners. Lunch is generously sponsored by Inner Citadel Consulting.
VAB Summer School Tuition:
Classes, Annual Meeting & Content of the Year awards presentation are open to all VAB members at $0 cost, but you must pre-register.
Add Breakfast & Lunch (register by 5/29): $30
Add Breakfast & Lunch (register after 5/30): $40
Non-VAB Members: $100
Speak to your manager about group enrollment or CLICK HERE to enroll in VAB Summer School individually
VAB Summer School is generously sponsored by Nielsen
About the VAB Summer School Instructors:
At the age of 17, Steve Wexler (aka “Wex”) rode his bike to WTMJ in Milwaukee and asked if he could be on the air, which began a career that has taken him from the control room to the board room. After stints in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA, Wex returned to Milwaukee in 1993 to become the program director of WTMJ and was later promoted to market manager positions where he oversaw TV and Radio markets in Lansing, MI; Boise, ID, Green Bay, WI, Tucson, AZ and Omaha, NE where he was the VP/GM of KMTV-TV in Omaha, NE. In 2012, he was named division head of the 36-station, 8-market Journal Radio Group and in 2018, he led the sale of the radio group to four separate companies. In late 2022, Steve launched W-E-X-L Coaching & Development.
Lisa Fields is the President of Media Staffing Network, provider of staffing solutions tailored specifically to the media industry. With over three decades of experience, the company has earned a reputation for excellence and a commitment to delivering exceptional service to both clients and candidates. Media Staffing Network serves a diverse range of clients, from major broadcasters to small-market organizations with unwavering dedication and a partnership mentality. Because hiring has changed dramatically over the years, it is essential to implement new practices to hire the right people and the creativity you use to match the right person to the right job is what will make the difference.
Tom Ray, EVP of JDA Media, brings 35+ years of local advertising experience to the table. Working for media companies the first half of his career, in his second half, he successfully leverages local media platforms including radio, television, streaming video, and local digital marketing, to drive results for local advertisers. For 18+ years, Tom has traveled the country working with sales teams and advertisers, sharing what drives results (and what does not) in local advertising today. His Amazon bestseller, Branding is OUT, Results are IN! Lessons for the LOCAL Advertiser is a well-respected hit with marketing professionals as is his second book, Recession Lessons: Selling Through Adversity, released in May 2020 to help advertising professionals during the pandemic.
Understanding the nature of the Vermont state legislature, Lucie Garand has spent decades carefully building long-term relationships with key lawmakers, members of the administration and fellow advocates, to accomplish long-range client goals. Lucie has successfully shepherded a number of legislative proposals that have helped her clients, but more importantly, Vermonters and works directly with the VAB on issues that impact broadcasters.
Peter Anderson is a certified executive coach through the global Center for Executive Coaching and holds the PCC credential from the International Coaching Federation. His Burlington, VT based national firm, Inner Citadel Consulting, specializes in emotional intelligence development, team behavioral dynamics & performance, and organizational mindfulness. For organizations and teams, Peter leads human-centered change focused on culture and productivity, using his training in dialogue facilitation, mindfulness, and executive leadership.
Vermont Association of Broadcasters 