Grow Learfield

Parrr-ty

One part of our Mission Statement is "Have Fun".  And we want our friends and clients to join us in our fun. There have been two recent receptions for our customers that you should know about.

Just last week Brownfield hosted its annual NAMA party which has become the "you just gotta have an invitation" event of the year (Photos at Flickr). Maybe 250 of our clients, customers and even a few competitors on the mezzanine of Kansas City's Hyatt danced, laughed and consumed for over four hours. A band played and huge banners proclaimed Brownfield. It always starts late and Stan says this year's event ran until almost 2 am. Our account execs and farm broadcasters were adorned in natty sports shirts sporting the newly-created Brownfield Logo. I greeted so many of my old friends (all my friends are old) and the evening was huge fun. I'll tell you, I was SO proud of our showing. Brownfield is clearly the leading news and sales organization in agriculture. There's no one even close. Good work Joyce, Myra, Stan, Cyndi and the rest of the crew.

Then earlier this month Learfield Sports sponsored its traditional reception on Friday of the Final Four.  It was held some 40 stories above Monument Circle in a floor-to-ceiling glass room allowing not only panoramic view of the city-scape, but also the lightening show accompanying a thunderstorm!  Everyone was there. All of our athletic directors and their staffs, a good many coaches--both old and new--enjoyed the music, great food and drinks. Estimates are that three-hundred people showed up.  Of course many of our managers and some of their crews were there too. It was one of those special events that cements relations of current clients and draws new ones to us. I was so proud of our team!  Thanks to Lori West and Beau Stephens for their work on making this happen. 

Clyde

Chris Clift, Jim Dick: On the road, in the studio

Chris Clift joins Learfield News on May 8th as the new Affiliate Manager for Brownfield ("Ag News for America"). Chris is a graduate of Missouri State University where he earned Master of Business Administration and B.S. in communications.  He's from southern Missouri and has worked in news, sales and has some management at KTTS in Springfield, KELE in Mountain Grove and KJEL in Lebanon. He will be leaving a Residential Lending position at Farm Credit Services to come to Learfield.

Jim Dick will join the Wisconsin Radio Network staff on May 1st as our new morning anchor. Jim worked for 16 years at NBC News in New York as news director/producer for the NBC News at Sunrise and Today Show. He became news director at WMTV in Madison in 1998 and then joined Clear Channel's station group a few years later. Jim's an outstanding guy and very excited about our plans to expand into blogging and podcasting.

Tom Wistrcill moving to Minnesota

It’s with mixed emotions that we announce that Tom Wistrcill has accepted the position of Associate Athletics Director for External Relations at the University of Minnesota. While we’re sorry to see Tom leave his job at Badger Sports Properties, we’re happy that he will remain in our "extended Learfield family" and now work with Greg Gerlach and our team at Gopher Sports Properties, along with our good friend Joel Maturi. As many of you know, Tom and his staff have been responsible for our outstanding partnership and success at the University of Wisconsin. Tom’s last day with us will be May 12. Please join us in wishing Tom, Kelly, Jonathan and Jack all the best on their journey. 

Bill Pollock promoted to Affiliate Team Leader

Bill Pollock has been promoted to Affiliate Team Leader at Learfield Sports. In addition to his primary affiliate relations role, Bill will be responsible for training and development of Affiliate Relations Representatives, radio market analysis, management of affiliate game plans, affiliate lists and programming clearance grids, affiliate presentations, local affiliate marketing and research development, manage "Learfield University" affiliate sales seminars, and various new property affiliate projects. Bill has a proven track record in affiliate relations and will do well in his new position.

Kearsten Huddleston new AE at Oregon State

Kearsten Huddleston will be returning to Oregon State and joining BSP. Kearsten started her sports marketing career as a sponsorship coordinator with BSP in 2000. Most recently she has been based in Seattle running Washington Huskies Sports Properties for Action Sports Media for the past four years. Kearsten is from Corvallis and has a long family history with OSU. She will have a major role in our Corvallis office filling in for Brian Mckinnell who took a promotion to San Jose State.

Matt Wrynn joins Clemson team

Matt Wrynn has joined the Clemson Tiger Sports Property staff as an Account Executive. Matt has a BA in Economics from Wake Forest University and also served as an intern in the Deacons’ Sports Information Department. Following graduation, Matt was an account manager at Apex Systems, Inc. in Annandale, VA before joining the Long Island Ducks’ minor league baseball organization. Most recently, Matt worked in Stony Brook University’s Athletic Department in both the marketing and media relations departments.

Laura Lakowske moving to Fresno State

We're excited to announce that Laura Lakowske is moving from her Internship position at the Sports Management Office to assume duties as Account Executive for Bulldog Sports Properties. Congrats to Laura on her promotion.

Learfield Acquires Waitt

Stan Koenigsfeld is announcing our purchase of the Waitt Farm Radio Network today. That's big news for us because as Stan puts it: "This deepens Learfield's commitment to farm information and the rural audiences it serves."  The Waitt Farm Network serves stations in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.  Stan says the new network will be operated as its own separate entity yet will utilize the expanded resources available from Brownfield. Welcome Kim (Dlouhy) Lang to Brownfield's nine member broadcasting team; another position will be added in Lincoln, NE. as part of the expansion. I am excited about it because it truly makes Brownfield the largest provider in the nation. Further, the announcement, coming as it does during the week of the National Agri-Marketing Association annual meeting in Kansas City, puts Brownfield in the minds of agri-marketers wanting to reach rural audiences. Congratulations Stan, Joyce, Roger and all who worked so hard on this.  Good going!

-- Clyde

Pesach, Easter, and high winds

Good Monday morning!  Eric Buchanan reports that Iowa City is getting back to normal: "Not sure of classes today but they were canceled on Friday.  Downtown is busted up.  St. Patrick's and a nearby sorority house are pretty much totaled.  The Iowa sports facilities weren't hit."  Yesterday I visited with Kay Henderson who told me about the excellent reporting job her team did on Radio Iowa.

And, Kay told me about her Easter where she invited eleven friends who weren't able to be with their families to her home for an Easter banquet and celebration.  She said it was huge fun with much laughter.   

Today is the seventh day of Passover (Pesach) celebration remembering the exodus from Egypt after centuries of slavery. See Exodus.: 1-15. Enjoy your families.  Enjoy your work.  Enjoy your associates.  Enjoy this week.

-- Clyde

On the Fly

This morning I was chatting with Phil Atkinson, our Director of Information Technology.  He was singing the praises of his team.  Last week they performed three office installs. Pam Smith and Jamie Thoenen flew to Texas to take care of two for Texas A&M while Joel Clardy and Christie Malone worked through our remote support agreement at Army to remotely install that office--a first!  Unfortunately, when Pam arrived on site the Houston office wasn't ready--on the fly she rescheduled everything, postponing the Houston office and accelerating the College Station install.  This involved rescheduling several contractors in Texas and St. Louis as well as juggling things with the University.  She didn't miss a beat.  All this while still helping to coordinate things with Army and the upcoming Iowa and San Jose installs this week! 

One of Learfield's Values is "Continually Searching for a Better Way to Do Your Job".  This very day there will be many examples I could cite; but I like Pam's from last week, don't you?  "on the fly..."  Sometimes that's the nature of what we do.  Thanks Pam, Joel, Christie, Eric, Jamie and Phil!  We're proud to work alongside.

By the way.  A few weeks ago we celebrated Pam's 40th birthday.  She's worked at Learfield nearly half her life--19 years!!

--Clyde