Five Country Radio industry veterans have been selected to moderate all panels to be held during Country Radio Seminar’s 50th Anniversary event. They are Tom Baldrica (Midwest Communications), Becky Brenner (Albright & O’Malley & Brenner), Beverlee Brannigan (SummitMedia), Erica Farber (Radio Advertising Bureau), and Bob Richards (Emmis-Indianapolis). The five moderators will share the responsibility of overseeing and directing the educational panels over three days at CRS 2019, to be held Feb. 13-15, at the Omni Nashville. All moderators are returning and have served in previous years.
About the Moderators:
Tom Baldrica was the first program director and afternoon air personality at K100/USA Radio from 1987-1993. In 1993, he joined BNA Records as the Southeast Region Promotion Manager. In 1997, he was promoted to Vice President National Promotion BNA Records. In 2006, Tom was elevated to Vice President of Marketing Sony Music Nashville, (which included the Arista Nashville, BNA Records, Columbia Records and RCA Records imprints), where he directed the artist development, media, creative and strategic marketing departments—working with Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Jake Owen and more. In 2010, Tom was named President, Average Joes Entertainment, in Nashville, TN. In 2012, he was named Vice President, Radio Promotion & Marketing for Show Dog-Universal Records. In 2015 Midwest Communications created the position of Corporate Country Brand Strategist for him.
Becky Brenner, Consulting Partner at Albright & O’Malley & Brenner, has over 40 years of experience in radio. She has held management, programming and on-air positions with Midwest Family, EZ Communications, ARS, Infinity, and CBS. Her primary station for 26 years was 94.1 KMPS-FM (Seattle), the 2004 CMA and the 2010 ACM Major Market Station of the Year. She was also awarded the 2010 MIW Radio Group’s “Achievement in Programming” Award. Brenner was listed as one of the Top PD’s (of all formats) in America by Radio Ink Magazine and has been named Radio Ink’s No. 1 Country Programmer five times including recognition as one of this year’s “Most Influential Women in Radio.” She has served on the Country Radio Broadcasters Board of Directors for over 16 years (three years as President) and is a thirteen-year member of the CMA Board of Directors.
Beverlee Brannigan is VP/GM for the five SummitMedia radio stations in Wichita, Kansas and in her spare time serves as a VP/Programming for SummitMedia. Brannigan’s career includes successes as air talent and programmer before moving to the general manager’s chair in 2014. In 2012 Brannigan was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame.
Erica Farber is the President and CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau and leads Radio’s advocacy efforts by helping to drive business, grow advertising revenue, and communicate Radio’s digital transition. Farber joined the organization in January 2012, as Executive Vice President, responsible for membership, services, and professional development. Most recently, she was the CEO of the radio consulting and Internet service provider, The Farber Connection LLC, a firm she founded in 2010. During her 15-year tenure at Radio & Records, Farber held various positions including COO, President, Publisher, and CEO. Farber has held nearly every position in Radio Sales & Management including rising through the ranks at the INTEREP Companies and serving as Executive Vice President/Radio Development Director. During the early years of her career, she held positions at KRTH-FM, KABC-TV, and KIIS-AM in Los Angeles. Her radio management career grew quickly when she was appointed General Sales Manager and General Manager of WROR-FM in Boston in the same year. Her success then led to an appointment as Vice President/General Manager of WXLO-FM, In New York. In 2000, Ms. Farber received an American Broadcast Pioneer Award from the Broadcasters’ Foundation and has consistently been voted one of “The Most Influential Women in Radio” by the readers of Radio Ink Magazine. In 2009 she was awarded the inaugural Trailblazer award by the Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio Group, a group she was a founding member of in its inception in 1999. In 2012 she was named one of the Giants of Broadcasting by the Library of American Broadcasting. She currently serves as Chair of the Radio Creative Fund. She serves as a Director on the following Boards: Advertising Week, Broadcasters Foundation of America and the Library of American Broadcasting. She is also on the Alliance for Women in Media advisory board.
Bob Richards is Vice President/Market Manager for Emmis Indianapolis, which includes WLHK (HANK-FM) WYXB, WIBC, WFNI, and Network Indiana. Richards has over 30 years of radio experience including on-air, program director, operations manager and market manager for Susquehanna Radio (WFMS, WJJK, and WRWM,) Cumulus and now Emmis Communications. Richards has appeared on the Radio Ink list of top country program directors multiple times and in 2014 was named Radio Ink’s top medium market program director in all formats. The stations he has programmed have won multiple CMA Large Market Station of the Year awards, multiple ACM Large Market Station of the Year Awards and multiple NAB Marconi Awards. Since 2016 Richards has served as the co-host of the nationally syndicated show “Investing Sense” airing in over 70 markets nationwide. Additionally, in 2013 Richards formed the Rith Group, a marketing consulting agency with longtime associate Charlie Morgan.
Registration for Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2019 is currently available at the rate of $599 (Register here). Tickets to the New Faces of Country Music show are already sold out, and no longer available for purchase with registration packages.
For more information, visit www.CountryRadioSeminar.com. Additional information can be obtained by calling 615-327-4487.
