What advise does the VP of Sales for Local Media at The E.W. Scripps Co. have for women who seek advancement in broadcast media?
Missy Evenson shared her thoughts in a virtual “coffee talk” hosted by TVB EVP and Chief Communications Officer Abby Auerbach.
Evenson oversees all revenue for the Scripps local media division — including national and political revenues across all platforms, Connected TV, too.
Auerbach asked to share her career path, and if there were any pivotal moments on the way up the ladder. Evenson noted that following college graduation, she took a post with Katz Media as a national rep. “In that role, I fell in love with the ad agency side of the business,” Evenson said. She spent the next six years of her career on the agency side. Then, she return to the national rep firm side of business after determining she was more of a sales person.
As such, Evenson became National Sales Manager of a television station in San Antonio, and later at KMGH-7 in Denver, then owned by McGraw-Hill Broadcasting. Scripps bought 9 stations from that company in 2011, and Evenson stayed on following the sale of KMGH.
Today, Evenson also serves as Chair of the TVB Board of Directors — a role she says she takes very seriously.
With career development, DEI initiatives, mentorship, and leadership insights the focal point of her chat with Auerbach, the TVB leader asked what Evenson’s vision is for local TV as someone in key roles at Scripps and at the television industry sales advocacy group.
The first subject of importance for Evenson is measurement — and how to get consistent cross-platform measurement. This, she says, includes evaluating all of the newcomers to the space.
Another hot topic is “pay on delivery” or “pay on performance.”
Evenson is also proud to simply serve as advocate for the TVB’s station group partners, working on D.C. legislative issues and partnering with the NAB on certain initiatives.
At Scripps, DEI initiatives are a big growth opportunity, not only for women but for underserved groups — including veterans, Evenson said. “We have got to bring new diverse topics and we can’t just have the same people over and over again in the same rooms,” Evenson said.
How can women who want a seat at the table set themselves up for a leadership role? “We are very hard on ourselves, and I think we need to be more proactive, find our voice, and not be afraid to use it,” Evenson said.
She also pointed to job categories in broadcast media — including engineering and technology — as big areas for opportunity. There’s also a “tremendous space” for female advancement in the data analytics, software solutions, AI arena. “There are not enough women in tech, for sure,” Evenson said.
And, she believes there remain good opportunities inside sales for women in media. Evenson concludes, “There are not enough female GMs in this business.”
