The NAB Education Foundation (NABEF) announced the new members of the 2011 Broadcast Leadership Training (BLT) program. Now in its eleventh year, the ten-month, MBA-style program is dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of purchasing, owning, and operating radio and television stations to senior level broadcast executives who aspire to advance as group executives or station owners.
To encourage diversity in broadcasting, NABEF offers fellowship opportunities to women and people of color.
Currently, NABEF says, a number of BLT graduates are in varying stages of station acquisition. Of the 169 graduates, 29 currently own or have owned stations and 60 have moved up to senior management or larger markets.
This year’s student roster includes:
Colin Benedict, News Director, WISC-TV, Morgan Murphy Media, Madison, WI
Carole M. Kozloski, COO/President, NEPSK Inc. dba WAGM-TV & Polaris Cable, Presque Isle, ME
Evelyn Chaparro, GM, WGES-Genesis 680 AM/Ark Communications Network, Tampa, FL
Derrick A. Martin, GSM, Clear Channel Communications, KMJM-FM/KATZ-AM, St. Louis, MO
Kervin L. Clenence, CEO, The Sales Department, Weston, FL
Christopher R. Münoz, Regional/National Sales Manager, KIDY/KXVA/KIDZ, San Angelo, TX
Dan Joerres, GSM, WXII, Winston-Salem, NC
Kristy Santiago, GM, KJCT News 8, KKHD/KXHD Telemundo, Grand Junction, CO
Jeffrey A. Jones, Dir. Of Sales, Clear Channel Radio, Memphis, TN
Shawneen C. Thompson, Station Manager, WFUN-FM/WHHL-FM Radio One, St. Louis, MO
Phyllis Kihara, VP/GM, KIKU-TV/Asian Media Group, Honolulu, HI
Koren L. Vaughan, Assistant Marketing & Promotions Director, Inner City Broadcasting Company, WBLS-FM/WLIB-AM, New York, NY
Michelle King, Dir. Of Broadcast & Technology, Ida Vend Broadcasting/KRPL/Inland Northwest Broadcasting, Lewiston, ID
Tracy Wright, Regional Marketing Manager, KLTV/KTRE Raycom Media, Tyler, TX
Melyssa Knight, GM, WMNT-TV/Matrix Broadcasting in assoc.w/ Community Broadcast Group, Toledo, OH
The BLT program consists of weekend sessions held once a month for ten months at NAB headquarters. Sessions focus on the process of assessing, purchasing, owning and operating radio and television stations. Students will have the opportunity to network with session instructors, consisting of broadcasters, FCC staff, communications attorneys and members of the banking community and academic faculty, while learning how to apply the skills taught in the program to real-world situations.
NABEF and BLT program founder Diane Sutter have tapped industry experts to serve as associate deans of the program. The 2011 associate deans are Dex Allen, CEO, California Communications; Marc Jaromin, president, Roundtable Broadcasting; Dennis Jones, president, RadioJones; DuJuan McCoy, president and CEO, Bayou City Broadcasting; Larry and Susan Patrick, managing partners, Legend Communications; Jeanette Tully, CEO, Aloha Station Trust; and James Yager, CEO, Barrington Broadcasting Group, LLC. Diane Sutter will continue to serve as the program dean.
Sponsors of the BLT program include NAB, Bayou City Broadcasting, Hearst Argyle Foundation, Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, Legend Communications, Morgan Murphy Stations, TDF and NewCity Foundation.
