Great Lakes Media Show

Michigan Student Broadcast Award recipients were invited to Lansing for a day of education and celebration. The day began with two rounds of educational sessions. Students then heard from thought leaders in the industry with a series of keynote conversations.

9:00 - 10:00 am Student Breakout Sessions

• Award-Winning Journalism
  with Ken Rogulski, News Director, WHMI-FM (Howell) and Jam Sardar, News Director, WLNS-TV (Lansing)
  Putting together a strong, accurate news story is a process that requires planning, research, and patience.  Hear from news veterans on the news gathering process and get an up close look at what has made their news content 'award worthy.'

• Social Media Success: Connecting with Your Audience and Defining Your Brand
  with Annie Scaramuzzino, Social Media Manager, WWJ-AM (Detroit), Zach Clark, The Daily J Podcast, WWJ-AM (Detroit), Rachel Passer, Executive Producer of The Julia Show, Audacy (Detroit), and Elizabeth Washington, Digital Editor at WDIV-TV.
  Social media is a tool for any broadcaster to expand the reach of their work, connect with new audiences, and gather more information.  But, it's a tool that must be handled with care and responsibly. In this session, learn how to maximize social media to enhance your personal brand and your station's.

10:15 - 11:15 am Student Breakout Sessions

• Proper Podcasting Production
  with Rachel Ishikawa, Podcasting Producer, Michigan Radio
  People listen to podcasts – a lot.  Data shows that nearly one third of people over the age of 12 have listened to a podcast just in the last week. So if you have a story you want to tell, podcasts are a great platform to get some attention. But how do you make a podcast that stands out in an already saturated market? Well first you have to start with a well conceptualized and produced project. In this workshop, we’ll go over some of the basics components you need to produce a podcast, have a listening session of some of your own podcasts, and get to brainstorm with each other using a podcast project blueprint.
• The Write Way
  with Jennifer Williams, VP of Digital Marketing, Beasley Media Group, LLC
  Dynamic writing is important in any aspect of a career in media.  In this session learn how to identify stories, improve your interview skills, enhance your research, and better understand sourcing and media literacy.  You'll also have the opportunity to do your own writing and garner peer feedback.

11:30 am - 12:15 pm Keynote Conversations

• Lee Thomas, WJBK-TV (Detroit)
• Rachael Gray & Jackie Green, The Gray and Green Show, WHTC-FM (Grand Rapids)
• Ronnie Duncan, WWJ-TV (Detroit)

12:15 - 2:00 pm Lunch and Student Award Presentation

2:00 - 4:00 pm Media Career Fair

ATSC 3.0 Standards Update
9:00 - 10:00 am

This presentation will provide an overview of the ATSC 3.0 system, focusing on the major features and functions of the NextGen TV standard. Current work to extend the capabilities of the system will also be explained and the potential benefits outlined. In addition, the status of the ATSC 3.0 rollout in the U.S. and elsewhere will be provided.

Amy Lodes
Director of Communications, Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)

Amy Lodes is the Director of Communications for ATSC. Building on her 29-year career in business-to-business bank marketing, she serves the members, sponsors, and partners of ATSC, working to optimize the value of their participation in a leading standards development organization in the broadcast industry.

She began her career in banking in 1992 in Colorado. Throughout her career, she developed and implemented strategic marketing plans for clients and organizations in the banking and finance industry, applying comprehensive data analytics to identify actionable insights, implement programs, and manage initiatives. Lodes is a strategic executive with a proven track record of delivering an exemplary return on investment from a range of marketing and outreach programs, including rebranding projects and corporate communications during mergers and acquisitions.

She graduated from the ABA School of Bank Marketing & Management and is an avid life-long learner, most recently attending Front Range Community College in her spare time. She has spoken at the Western Area Broadcast Engineer (WABE) conference in Toronto Canada, at the AWARN Alliance, and the ATSC NextGen Broadcast Conference. She lives outside of Denver, Colorado with her husband, four cats, and foster guinea pigs and is an avid traveler.

Defending Against an Online Attack: A Sit Down with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
10:15 - 11:15 am

Bill Nash, Region 5 Cybersecurity Advisor for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will talk about the cybersecurity challenges and opportunities organizations face, and how the agency works with the public and private sectors including broadcasters to keep critical infrastructure and the public safe from cyber attacks.

Bill Nash
Cybersecurity Advisor, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Bill Nash serves as a Cybersecurity Advisor (CSA) in Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Based in Madison, Wisc., he supports CISA’s mission of strengthening the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure.

Prior to joining CISA, Mr. Nash served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the State of Wisconsin. In this role, he developed, maintained, and oversaw IT security programs across Wisconsin state agencies. Mr. Nash was appointed by the governor to serve on the Homeland Security Council and as part of the council was the lead of the Wisconsin Cyber Strategy & Planning Working Group (WCSPWG). In addition, he led the Wisconsin Cyber Response Teams, which support cyber incident responses by local governments in Wisconsin.

In total, Mr. Nash has over 35 years of information technology experience in the areas of application development, infrastructure support, and cybersecurity. He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems and is a Certified Information Systems Security Officer (CISSO). Mr. Nash was also the recipient of the Thomas M. Jarrett Cybersecurity Conference Scholarship, due to his dedication and leadership in the cybersecurity field.

Thank you Engineering Session Track Sponsors 

Station Idea Share Summit
9:15 - 11:15 am

The first of its kind in Michigan - station leadership and staff will gather for in-depth roundtable discussions about the future of the industry led by Good Karma Brands' Steve Wexler.

Steve Wexler Leadership Coach
WEXL Coaching & Development, Milwaukee, WI

Steve Wexler rode his bike to WTMJ in Milwaukee when he was 17 years old and asked if he could be on the radio. That began a broadcast career that included on-air work at WTMJ and WISN in Milwaukee before beginning his management journey, building talk stations in Milwaukee for Hearst (WISN) and Portland, OR for King Broadcasting (KGW). He later programmed KING/Seattle and returned home to WTMJ as program director in 1993 for Journal Communications. Journal promoted Steve to market manager positions in Tucson, AZ and Omaha, NE where he began overseeing TV and Radio operations, including WTMJ-TV/Milwaukee. In 2014, he was named head of the 36-station, 8-market Journal Radio Group, a position he continued through Journal’s merger with E.W. Scripps. In 2018, he led the sale of the radio group to four different broadcast companies, including Good Karma Brands in Milwaukee, where he remained as market manager. Steve is now coaching teams and talent at WEXL Coaching & Development. Steve and his wife Amy live in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and have two children and two grandchildren.