Four scrappy entrepreneurs have faced all of the threats and competition from digital media, streaming ventures and even cable television channels. How have these “Main Street Media” professionals succeeded? That’s a question former NAB EVP of Communications Dennis Wharton will ask on November 13 as his moderates a Forecast 2025 panel discussion devoted to economic success in the most challenging of times.
The panel sees Wharton chatting with DuJuan McCoy, Owner, President and CEO of Indiana’s Circle City Broadcasting; Barry Fisher, President/GM of Philadelphia-area broadcast stations WFMZ-TV and WDPN-TV; Kelly Trask, Owner of BK Media Solutions/Southern Indiana Radio Network; and José Villafañe, Founder/Managing Partner/CEO of Hispanic market-focused audio entities Nueva Network and Costa Media.
Each has gained audience, and advertising dollars, by serving their communities in unique ways. In a sense, it is Localism at its finest. Has Localism changed for broadcasters today since the days when Wharton first arrived in Washington, D.C., some 40 years ago?
“We have evolved as a business in terms of how we deliver our content,” Wharton says. “What is timeless is the credibility factor compared to the misinformation and disinformation being spread by some of our competitors.” This includes random websites and YouTube channels. “What you get from radio and television is accurate, unbiased information in a timely manner,” Wharton says. “It stands the test of time.”
This is important in today’s highly politicized environment in Washington, and he hopes regulators and Members of Congress appreciate broadcast media’s role “as they should.”
Asked about McCoy, Fisher, Trask and Villafañe, all of whom have unique success stories they’ll share at Forecast 2025, Wharton says, “I love the scrappiness of what they represent, and I’m impressed with how many independent broadcasters are still out there, and are street fighters. In this age of consolidation and disinformation, you have to be.”
