ABA Members, With the start of a new year, it’s been an important time for the Arizona Broadcasters Association to take a close look at its mission and focus. Thanks to feedback from so many of you, we’ve made several tweaks and enhancements to where the ABA invests its time, money and energy. In the simplest of terms, the ABA focus in 2019 is to help stations build their current businesses stronger alongside investing in projects that can help futureproof Arizona’s broadcast industry. Here’s a list of all the FREE services and focus areas you can expect from your ABA during the next 12 months. Feel free to reach out with questions about any of the programs, all of which are available today:

1. FREE on-demand training modules for your staff in sales, marketing, management, HR, on-air, etc..No matter your size, we know we all see how quickly the world around us in changing. The ABA offers access to a comprehensive on-demand training service called P1. Any of your employees can use this service at no cost to the station. The online training groups courses together for things like entry-level broadcast sales, advanced sales, customer service, human resources, management, on-air, recruitment, health and wellness and more. This is an extensive program that would otherwise cost an individual station thousands of dollars to purchase. As an ABA member, you receive full access for your teams.

2. FREE one-on-one training each quarter for a limited number of member station AEsHave a new seller on your team? Make sure they get the proper training needed. The ABA offers member stations a FREE 7-week on-boarding program designed to build confidence and know-how with media sales. The P1+ program will take your rep from “rookie to ready” without interrupting their day-to-day.  The program includes weekly discussions with trainers and individual course testing & homework assignments. At the close of the program, trainers will take sellers through the entire sales cycle resulting in a presentation with a real account.

3. ABA leadership as a vocal advocate with Arizona advertising agencies (to highlight broadcasting’s distinct advantage)The ABA is doubling down in 2019 on partnerships with Arizona’s advertising agencies to lobby for larger ad spend in broadcasting. This effort will include looking at the commission of research, soft-sell events to bring buyers and sellers together and an overall focus on highlighting the distinct advantage that broadcast radio and television can bring to the growth of any business.

4. FCC inspection fine protection with the ABA’s Alternative Broadcast Inspection ProgramMany stations call ABIP their single most valuable ABA member service. ABIP protects member TV and radio stations from routine FCC inspection and fines that often climb into the tens of thousands of dollars. The ABIP program allows stations to volunteer for an authorized inspection ahead of any unannounced FCC inspection. When passed, the ABIP inspection provides you with a 3-year moratorium from any future routine FCC inspections.Here’s more information: https://azmedia.org//ABIP-Programs

5. Focused scholarship and workshop support at state universities to drive new interest in Arizona broadcast jobsThe ABA funds college scholarships and workshops in Arizona with the key goal of financially supporting programs that lead to the hiring of young broadcasters at Arizona stations. In 2019, this effort will put a deeper focus on recruiting and building the next generation of sales leaders, while continuing to support emerging journalists and tough-to-fill areas like engineering.

6. FREE seminars to explain new broadcast technologies, sales tactics, content strategies, etc..Do you need help understanding a new technology or strategy in our broadcasting world? The ABA funds digital seminars each year to cover key topics ABA members are asking about along with access to many national webinars. Have a request? Email Mary Kate Lau, mklau@azbroadcasters.org

7. FREE journalism hotline for public access questions, FREE legal support for courtroom access casesThe ABA lends sizable financial support to Arizona’s First Amendment Coalition.  That Coalition has a free hotline that any Arizona broadcaster can call with basic legal questions about information access under the Arizona Public Records Law or Arizona Open Meeting Law. No need to pay outside counsel for first-line questions. As part of the coalition, Lawyer Dan Barr from Perkins Coie will also represent member stations in many journalism camera access cases at no additional cost to stations. This service is meant to help reduce the legal financial burden that so many of our stations with newsrooms face.

8. Funding for Arizona’s only broadcast industry lobbyist at the state legislature (tax law, public records, etc)Whether your stations are part of a large corporation or a locally-owned group, the ABA funds the only lobbyist to advocate on behalf of Arizona broadcasters at the state legislature. This includes fighting against new tax law that might hurt business, protecting libel/open meeting law and shutting down (or supporting) legislation that may impact the future of our over-the-air signal. If you are hearing concern about a new bill (or want to see new legislation introduced), we’ll track it (and lobby if needed).

9. FREE hotline for business legal questions about advertising, FCC rules, licensing, etc…Because every dollar counts, you have access to our Washington DC counsel as a member station to help answer any FCC legal question at no charge. This includes questions about advertising, EEO, filings, compliance and audits. Even if you work for a corporation with its own outside counsel, we hope this contact may complement what you already have.

10. FREE access to (2) EEO-compliant broadcasting job fairs in ArizonaThe ABA funds and manages TWO media career fairs in Arizona each year to help stations recruit for positions and meet FCC EEO outreach obligations. One career fair is in Phoenix and one is in Tucson. The ABA strives to host these media career fairs in high traffic areas alongside broader career fairs at colleges and universities around Arizona.

11. ABA leadership with the National Association of Broadcasters (to represent Arizona interests at the federal level)The ABA represents Arizona’s broadcasting industry in Washington, D.C. This effort is made possible by a direct partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters and includes an annual trip to Washington with Arizona broadcast GMs to lobby Arizona’s congressional delegation. The partnership means the ABA can also get you in contact with any Washington government contact that your station may need to reach, and often times we can take care of an issue on your behalf.

12. Legal cost support for unplanned needs that affect a large swath of Arizona broadcastersThe ABA reserves budget dollars each year to help fund legal issues affecting multiple member stations and broader broadcasting issues. Think of this fund as a safety net to ensure you can continue operations despite unplanned legal costs.

13. ABA leadership to help champion next gen TV (ATSC 3.0)As our industry inches closer to the rollout of next generation TV in 2020, Arizona is on the forefront of testing for our country’s new television standard. The ABA is aggressively supporting the effort both with Washington lobbying and by partnering with stations to help identify the content, marketing and sales implications of this new technology.

14. Legal cost support for Phoenix’s South Mountain Usery Association (TV and radio towers)The ABA funds the legal costs and defense of the SMUA (South Mountain Usery Association) in Phoenix. This is the main tower facility for most FM and TV radio stations in the greater Phoenix area. In 2018, many of these legal costs involved issues related to the TV re-pack. Without this partnership, each station would face added (and duplicate) legal fees in their budget. If your Chief Engineers make you aware of any troubles on South Mountain, let us know and we’ll work on your behalf to resolve the issue.

15. Lead AMBER Alert and EAS partner to update and evolve emergency communicationThe ABA leads all Emergency Alert System (EAS) plans, problems and evolutionary needs on behalf of the Arizona broadcasting industry. Historically, this included the creation of Arizona’s AMBER Alert system and more currently includes laying the ground work to move existing EAS technology at broadcast stations to a more stable and digitally-supported system.