(By Charese Frugé) Pat Bryson is CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that specializes in shaping and maximizing the revenue departments of radio and television stations around the world. “When my clients hire me, they get me,” she says.
“I have a wonderful IT guy; other than that, I do it all. I help hire, train, coach, and occasionally create complete revenue infrastructures for startup stations.”
Bryson earned her BS in Mass Communication with an emphasis on radio/TV from the University of Tulsa. Her first official job was a very brief one, on-air in Muskogee at KMUS, which lasted three months. “It proved that my talents are better served OFF air!” she says. Then she became a salesperson, then General Sales Manager, moving on to Market Manager, the Executive Development program for NAB, Broadcast Leadership Training for NAB, and finally, in 2006, she started Bryson Broadcasting International.
As a child, Bryson’s first choice for a career did not involve broadcasting. “I spent my youth in a ballet studio. By the time I reached my late teens, I was far too tall for a dancer and hadn’t fit into a size 2 anything since I was 10,” she says.
“Nor was I good enough to go professional. My dance teacher suggested broadcast because ‘I had a natural grace,’ which means I could walk across the floor without stumbling. So, I looked around at colleges and applied to the University of Tulsa as a Mass/Communications major. I received a John Doremus scholarship that paid for most of my studies there. At that time, Ken Greenwood was head of the department. He was a legend in the broadcasting business. I was very blessed to work with him. He became a mentor to me until he died a few years ago.”
“When I graduated, I left demo tapes all around Tulsa. I ended up getting hired in Muskogee doing an on-air show. Turns out that the PD had returned three months earlier and had fired the previous person doing the show. The manager and owner hired me without his knowledge. As you may imagine, I was NOT his favorite person. Took him three months to get rid of me.”
“I called Ken Greenwood, and he referred me to Carl Smith, who had just returned to KRAV. He hired me in sales. I never looked back. It was a ‘fit’ from the start.”
Bryson has a long list of accomplishments over the years. “I was the first person in my family to get a college degree. Made my mother proud!” she says. “I was one of two women selling broadcast in Tulsa when I began. The other worked for KVOO. The ABC affiliate had a female GM (VERY unusual at the time). I always felt being female was a distinct advantage. I was one of the first female GSMs in Tulsa. I was the second female GM in Tulsa and the first female president of the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters.”
“Another big accomplishment for me was graduating from Broadcast Leadership Training. It was life-changing,” says Bryson. “Being named four times to Radio Ink’s Most Influential Women in Radio and publishing two books were also big for me.”
“Since starting BBI, I have had the opportunity to work with many broadcasters from the former Soviet Bloc. After 70 years of communism, they were hungry to learn how to market their stations and how to produce revenue. I hope I may have helped them to be successful. I so enjoy watching my clients grow. I enjoy watching salespeople grow. I hope I may be passing my passion for our industry to the next generation.”
“One of my greatest strengths is persistence. And loyalty,” adds Bryson. “One of my greatest weaknesses is persistence. And loyalty. In my two previous careers, I stayed too long in difficult situations. I refused to quit even when my health and well-being would have been better served to have done so. In the first situation, my position was ‘eliminated.’ In the second, the owner had decided I was no longer of value to the organization. In both cases, these were the best things that have ever happened. I do believe in divine intervention, and sometimes God has to hit you over the head with a crowbar to get your attention. One of the best things my mother bequeathed to me is the absence of ‘failure’ from my vocabulary. No sense wallowing. Ask, ‘What’s next?’ In my case, the answer was BBI.”
“As for challenges in the industry, radio needs its mojo back,” says Bryson. “Through thick and thin, radio has served listeners since Marconi figured out how to send information over the airwaves. As new technologies have developed, naysayers have predicted the demise of radio. And yet, we are still here! The service that radio provided in 2020 should have convinced everyone of its importance. We informed, entertained, comforted, and provided companionship. We were a lifeline for our advertisers and businesses. No other media was able to respond as quickly to the changing needs of listeners and advertisers as was radio.”
“We have to sell ourselves to a new generation. We must become more competitive in our opportunities. We compete for talent not among ourselves but with other ‘flashier’ industries. Showcase your station to your local communities. Get involved. Encourage your staff to do the same. Speak to high schools and colleges. Become ambassadors for our industry.”
As for advice for seasoned professionals who answer to younger management, Bryson says, “Have patience. Seasoned professionals have a wealth of experience and knowledge. So do younger and newer managers. The knowledge and experience of the two groups are different. Younger managers can have much to teach ‘seasoned’ employees. Hopefully, younger managers will realize that their more tenured employees may have much to teach them as well. Share experiences. Learn from one another.”
And for younger managers, “Just because your more ‘seasoned’ employees were not born with a mouse or cell phone in their hands, does not mean they have nothing to teach you,” says Bryson. “Have patience as you teach them new technologies. Utilize their experience and many relationships to understand the market. They have history you do not.”
“As for the use of AI on the sales side of the business, I am looking for the best AI system available to write and produce ads,” says Bryson. “Most of my clients have small staffs, and having a source for the creative element of a campaign could be invaluable. I’m still looking. Suggestions?” she asks. “I hope that AI will be used to remove much of the mundane elements of our work, leaving us more time for the things only human-to-human can do.”
Bryson’s strongest argument for buying radio: “It works! We humans learn through the ear. Studies have shown that information seeps into our brains through the ear, consciously and unconsciously. We can give businesses real estate in the brains of consumers (share of mind) more economically than can any other medium. We aren’t the only form of advertising to use, but we should be the base of any advertising program.”
“When it comes to DEI, considering that I was one of two women selling radio when I started, I think we have come a long way,” says Bryson. “Now, many sales staff are mostly female. I hear female voices on air as well. Today, as hard as it is to find PEOPLE WHO WANT TO WORK, I can’t imagine anyone being concerned about race or gender. Maybe I am Pollyanna-ish, but I’ve never cared about either of these things. I just want someone whom I believe can do the job. For the same reason, I would never hire anyone just BECAUSE of race or gender. The best candidate wins.”
Her advice for Women who want to be successful in the business: “Go for it!!!! Women are not headline people: we want the entire story,” she says. “This natural curiosity makes us great at digging for information from our clients. The more we know about them, the better we can create effective campaigns. We are also good at multitasking. That’s important in this business.”
“I’ve never found a glass ceiling in radio sales. Perhaps I have been lucky not to have been held back because I’m female, but I think I’ve made my own path by hard work. For someone who is willing to learn, is willing to work hard, is persistent, the sky’s the limit. You can truly vote your own raises (pay cuts, too, if you don’t work hard). No waiting around for cost-of-living increases. Go sell something! Reap the rewards. Oh, and get with a company who will train you. Find a mentor.”
What keeps Bryson up at night? “My clients,” she says. “Or, more specifically, their problems. In the middle of the night, I’ll wake up thinking about a challenge one of my clients might be having and how to help them solve it. I think my brain goes on autopilot while I sleep to work out sticky problems. I jot down the idea on a pad I keep next to my bed and then act on it in the morning.”
What keeps her balanced? “In the summer, when I’m home, I leave my office and retire to my backyard to sit by my pool (or in it) with a good book,” says Bryson “In the winter, I retire to my fireplace with the book and maybe a glass of wine. Books are my escape. I also exercise each morning before I start my day. It energizes me. And weekends are spent with friends and family reconnecting with those close to me.”
What’s ahead for Bryson? “I hope more of the same,” she says. “I’ve had the opportunity to speak to several US state organizations, Canadian associations, and European associations this past year. I always enjoy meeting new broadcasters. I hope to speak to more groups next year. And I hope to see my consulting clients grow and prosper in the new year. And, yes, there might be a new book looming in the next months..”
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Charese Frugé is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talents, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. Find her at @MCMediaOnline. See more Women to Watch here.
