Greetings from the 2007 annual conference of BCFM and its Broadcast Cable Credit Association subsidiary.

As I write this column, we are moving into the final hours of the event, which is being held in Las Vegas and living up to its promise of “Learn More … Win Big.” 

It's on its way to ranking as one of the best educational and networking events we’ve ever done.

Thanks to our conference committee—Co-Chairs Tony Vasconcellos, of Regent Communications and John Kampfe, of Turner Broadcasting System—every session has been programmed to provide our attendees with valuable information they can take back to their companies.

To deliver on our promise that what we have learned in Vegas shouldn’t stay in Vegas, here are a few happenings that I wanted to pass along to those of who were unable to join us.

A Night Out With the Rat Pack

Despite what you may think, a conference devoted to the industry’s finance and accounting issues isn’t dull.

In fact, thanks to support from Szabo Associates, Sunbelt Communications and BET, the opening night party was a star-studded affair, where attendees enjoyed talking, dancing and getting their picture taken with Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. 

The celebrities may have been likenesses, but it was genuinely a good time.

The Rat Pack camaraderie also provided attendees the perfect setting for catching up with colleagues who are conference regulars and for welcoming the many first-timers.

Attendees consistently tell us that getting to know their peers from across the country is an important part of why they come to the conference.

Not only do they get to discuss what they’ve learned with people who may have different approaches, it’s easier to call a colleague and find out how they are handling an issue after they’ve met them face to face.

Lisa Birnbach: A Preppy Start

Many of this year’s discussions centered on incorporating new media practices into our traditional media businesses.

There’s probably nothing more traditional than a book about the preppy look, and nothing more representative of new media than Internet broadcasting.

So who better to provide the opening keynote than Lisa Birnbach, a best-selling author whose titles include The Official Preppy Handbook and who now hosts The Lisa Birnbach Show, a radio show syndicated by Greenstone Media, the all-women’s enterprise whose co-founders include Gloria Steinham and Jane Fonda. 

Lisa’s presentation demonstrated why her show is resonating with listeners and receiving two Gracie Awards from AWRT next month.

Joking that “I’m blogging” is now the 21st century version of “I’m consulting” for unemployed TV talent, Lisa contrasted old and new media. “Radio continues to be a place where people enjoy the privacy of not being seen,” she said. However, with cameras now appearing in radio studios for use with Internet broadcasts and podcasts, Lisa says she’ll lose some of that privacy. “I’ll need to start using blush again,” she quipped.

Something that hasn’t changed? “My publishing agent once noted that I used the phone like some women use a plunging neckline, and that’s pretty true to my style with our radio community today.”

Plunging into New Strategies

Following Lisa’s entertaining opener, attendees plunged into some serious discussions about the impact of new media on our traditional business models.

For example, in a session entitled Sales Structure for New Media, attendees learned from Scripps-Howard’s VP of ad sales/accounting how the company is combining the resources of its seasoned spot sales account managers with its interactive sales team to create cross-platform packages that target viewers and increase sales.

Jim Birschbach, president of mediarecruiters.com and a spots advertising veteran for TV, radio and cable, described the factors affecting sales team development.

Examples include the plethora of advertising opportunities available to advertisers, which have mushroomed from a few networks to more than 4,500 network, VOD and online outlets competing for ad dollars today. 

The dramatic increase in media to sell also increases the importance of employee retention. It’s no longer a matter of having folks coming in off the street who can replace an account exec. Recruitment competition is keener and the skills an ad sales rep needs have become more complex.

Some of that competition is provided by new media companies like Google, which provides a different work environment and invests in developing a shared understanding and commitment to its vision. 

Moreover, feeling valued by your employer is one of the expectations that younger recruits, whose parents have encouraged and rewarded their performance more than previous generations.

Dana Golden, VP of business development at CelebTV.com, described what’s involved in establishing a new sales force for a new media venture.  By striking distribution deals with many of the most popular sites for video, the startup has generated 70 million downloads in three months. Reinforcing Jim Birschbach’s message, Dana outlined the challenges CelebTV.com now faces in developing a sales team that won’t be selling traditional spots using traditional metrics.

Next Steps with Nextel

Of course, there’s nothing traditional about media today, especially as radio, television and telecommunications continue to migrate toward digital. This year’s conference sessions are covering a wide range of digital topics, including the move toward sharing services like traffic management and master control across entire station groups or geographic regions. 

Many of these sessions bring together vendors and other third parties that are helping our members to accomplish their new technology objectives. One example was the session featuring presentations from Nextel and stations like Landmark’s KLAS Las Vegas that are in the process of the ENG microwave equipment exchange.

KLAS General Manager Emily Neilson encouraged attendees not to underestimate the time and expense involved in the process, which now often includes HD upgrades.

She also encouraged stations to involve their news departments and think about having a temporary live receive site in the event that a major news story coincides with a cut-over that takes longer than expected.

Award Winning Contributors

More than 80 BCFM committee members spend an average of 30 to 45 minutes on monthly conference calls discussing the issues that the organization needs to address.  Thanks to their contributions, the 2007 conference theme of “Learn More …Win Big” is a promise that our organization delivers on every day. 

We are also fortunate to have a very dedicated staff to execute on the association’s educational programs, which include the conference, our monthly distance learning seminars and the next edition of our Understanding Broadcasting and Cable Finance handbook and such members services as the BCCA credit reporting system and our industry benchmarking reports. 

What makes the associations’ programs and services responsive to the needs of our members, and the industries we serve are the insights we receive from these accounting, credit and finance professionals who are dealing with these issues every day. 

Our annual conference provides an opportunity for the entire membership to recognize the contributions of their peers to our organization and our industry. I hope that you will join me in thanking the following individuals for their contributions, which also help to bring about excellence in broadcast and cable financial practices throughout the media industry.

To recognize members who contribute so much to the Association, we’ve added three new member awards. The Peter F. Szabo Career Achievement Award and the BCFM Rainmaker and Working Capital Awards.

We announced the winners of all the BCFM awards yesterday morning, which TVNEWSDAY duly reported.

Hillary Clinton, then First Lady and now a U.S. Senator and a presidential candidate, wrote a book about child rearing whose title included the African proverb “it takes a village.” Our 2007 BCFM and BCCA Award winners exemplify this type of involvement. Their efforts are helping to raise our members and our industry to higher levels of professional performance.   

The conference is wrapping with remarks by NAB’s David Rehr; a CEO super session moderated by financial analyst Tom Wolzien and featuring Clear Channel’s Don Perry, Hallmark’s Henry Schlieff, Regent Communications’ Bill Stakelin, and Jim Fellhauer from Time Warner Cable; and a pep talk from Bill Resler, Heart of the Game coach and director of the Graduate Tax Program at the University of Washington’s Business School. 

So please be sure and check back here at TVNEWSDAY for my June 8 Front Office column to hear what they had to say. I am confident, beyond the measures of a Vegas bookmaker, that their insights will help you to “learn more and win big.”

Mary Collins is the president of the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association, a professional society for financial, MIS and HR executives in the electronic media. Her column appears here every other Friday. She can be contacted at mcollins@bcfm.com or 847-716-7000.