2019 Speakers

Jason Bailey is president and founder of Sun Broadcast Group, Inc., a national radio sales and syndication company that has been at the forefront of innovation in the national radio space for more than 20 years and has championed new products designed to reshape how radio is programmed, measured, bought, and consumed. Among the most notable is Shazam for Radio, a first-of-its-kind platform allowing broadcasters to create live, interactive mobile content directly from their terrestrial radio broadcasts.

 

 

Angelica Balderas is senior vice president for Entravision Communications, overseeing all operations and sales in the Sacramento market, which includes top-rated KXSE (Jose 104.3FM) and Tricolor 99.9FM, as well as 101.9FM Wolf and Hot 103.5FM. Previously she was director of sales for Adelante Media Group, and before that she held the post of national sales manager, working with national advertisers and their agencies to execute advertising and promotional programs over Adelante’s nine markets. Balderas also served as president and principal of Aztec Media and launched KTTA (Kebuena 97.9FM), KLNA (Power 105.5FM), and KBBU (Ke Buena 93.9FM); those stations were sold to Bustos Media in 2004. Balderas’ experience includes over 20 years of local direct and agency transactional business and retail activation, as well as event marketing. National clients such as Tecate, Verizon, and Miller Coors have cited her work as examples of successful execution of events and retail programs.

Katie Beiter manages the Licensing and Enforcement team at SoundExchange, where for the last five years she has walked webcasters through the ins and outs of statutory licensing. Beiter is a graduate of the recording industry program at Middle Tennessee State University. and a member of the Washington, DC chapter of Women in Music. Currently, she is pursuing a graduate degree in library and information science from the Catholic University of America. In her spare time, Beiter enjoys cooking, reading, and yoga.

 

 

Cecilia Jato Bitz is account director for Nielsen’s National Audio Services division. In this role, she develops and manages relationships with prospective and existing audio clients. She is responsible for providing Nielsen’s audio services and solutions for radio networks, program syndicators, producers, and podcasters. Before Nielsen, she worked for Univision in its Network Radio division. She was promoted from network planning manager to director of strategic planning and account management, overseeing the account stewardship of all network audio clients and developing the network’s sales strategies. Bitz also worked on behalf of major advertisers as a supervisor of national audio investments at OMD. She started her audio career at Interep in 2003. She has earned awards for her team contributions, and has been recognized in Radio Ink’s “Future African American Leaders in Radio” issue.

Henry Cisneros is chairman of the CityView companies, which work with urban homebuilders to create homes priced within the range of average families. CityView is a partner in building more than 60 communities in 13 states. Cisneros’ community-building career began at the local level; after serving three terms as a City Council member, in 1981 he became the first Hispanic-American mayor of a major U.S. city, San Antonio, Texas. During his four terms as mayor, he helped rebuild the city’s economic base and spurred the creation of jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements. In 1992, President Bill Clinton appointed Cisneros to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In that post, Cisneros was credited with initiating the revitalization of many of the nation’s public housing developments and with formulating policies that contributed to achieving the nation’s highest ever homeownership rate. After leaving HUD in 1997, Cisneros was president and chief operating officer of Univision Communications. His books include Interwoven Destinies: Cities and the Nation.

As head of digital for Havas Media Group, Humberto Cruz leads a talented group of people who are transforming the digital media industry (Programmatic, Social, Performance, Mobile,DOOH, AdOps and Analytics), through constant Product Innovation and QoS development for Havas Media International – Americas office and its clients. With more than ten years in the digital industry, his experience includes clients from varied categories such as L’oreal Travel & Retail, Guess, Emirates, Tourism of Israel, Lacoste, De Beers, 20th Century Fox, Bluebay hotels & Resorts, Puig, Coty, Clarins, Shiseido, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Nintendo, Hugo Boss & Volkswagen, among many others.

Karina Dobarro is SVP of multicultural and international brand strategy at Horizon Media. With over 15 years of experience, Dobarro joined Horizon in 2014 to launch the multicultural practice. She leverages her extensive knowledge of the U.S. multicultural market to develop comprehensive marketing strategies for clients. In addition, as Horizon’s international lead and member of Local Planet, the only independent media agency network in the world, she is responsible for supporting Horizon’s clients with their global marketing needs across Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Dobarro is a member of Horizon’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, where she facilitates agency events and partnership initiatives to help the advancement of inclusion and diversity efforts within the agency. Before Horizon Media, Dobarro was at GroupM for seven years where she oversaw multicultural initiatives for AT&T, Macy’s, Unilever, and Volkswagen, among other top brands.

 

Jennifer Hungerbuhler is EVP and managing director of local video and audio investment for Amplifi USA, overseeing the investment strategy for local video and audio space across all screens/devices for clients within the Dentsu Aegis Network. She is charged with reinventing the supply side of media, innovating consistent and scalable buying and investment capabilities, and developing richer media owner partnerships, locally and globally. She oversees staff in New York, L.A., Detroit, and Atlanta, and is responsible for over $2.5 billion of media spending. Hungerbuhler began her career at BBD&O Atlanta as an assistant media buyer, and she has worked across a variety of categories including quick serve restaurants, automotive, and travel and entertainment. Her roster of high-profile clients includes General Motors, P&G, The Home Depot, Jack in the Box, Disney Parks and Resorts, Pfizer, Smucker’s, Anheuser Busch, Massage Envy, LongHorn Steakhouse, MasterCard, Fox Broadcasting, and Microsoft.

Adam R Jacobson is editor-in-chief of Radio+Television Business Report. A veteran journalist and advertising industry analyst, Jacobson held editorial positions at former industry trade paper Radio & Records and helped launch Latina Style Magazine. He served as principal analyst for Arbitron’s Hispanic Radio Today 2010 and 2011, and has worked with several radio companies as a corporate multicultural strategist and marketing consultant. He was previously senior editor at Hispanic Market Weekly and a multicultural analyst for Mintel, a global market research firm based in Chicago. Jacobson has been a frequent conference speaker and panel moderator, and his work as a journalist has appeared in the Miami Herald and other publications. He is an avid supporter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Miami’s Chapman Partnership for the Homeless. Jacobson is also an active marathoner and a certified race walk coach.

Sherman K. Kizart is founder and managing director of Kizart Media Partners, Inc., a national media sales and marketing consulting firm headquartered in Chicago that partners with clients to generate greater sales that focus on revenue opportunities for Urban-targeted media platforms. He has acquired his expert knowledge from over 20 years of experience as a marketing specialist. Kizart is one of the leading advocates and authorities in the U.S. on Urban radio and multicultural media strategies and tactics. Before founding KMP, Inc., he worked for Interep as senior vice president and director of Urban radio. He is recognized for his experience in the media and telecom industry. Kizart serves as an Urban sales and marketing expert to the industry’s leading advocacy organizations including the RAB, the NAB, and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.

Ron Mendez is managing partner at MediaCom, having joined the company in 2016 with over 20 years of multicultural experience. As the multicultural lead, Mendez plays a key role in all aspects of media and marketing efforts dedicated to the various multicultural segments. The goal of the division is to develop a cohesive strategy that is inclusive of all target segments while recognizing the nuances between them. Since joining MediaCom Mendez has ensured multicultural is embedded in everything the agency does by helping solidify the business opportunity and go-to-market strategies for clients. Additionally, he is a member of the 4A’s High School Education Steering Committee.

Jesus Lara is president of Univision Radio, leading the company’s radio business and overseeing the development and implementation of strategies that take UCI’s digital, content creation, programming, and entertainment efforts within radio into the future. He works closely with general managers across the country as well as leaders across Univision Local Media to drive innovation and operational leadership of the radio business. Lara joined UCI with more than 20 years of experience leading digital, programming, content, and marketing teams in the radio, music, and entertainment industry. He has worked with top media and content companies including Viacom, EMI, and most recently, Spanish Broadcasting System. During his career he has been known as a trailblazer in the execution of digital, programming, content, and talent strategies to reach Hispanic and international audiences.

Jaime “Jemmy” Legagneur is founder and chief enthusiasm officer for Florida Podcast Network. Her podcast career began in 2014, when she launched her first show, Curve the Cube. She spent the following years honing her podcasting expertise and founded the Florida Podcast Network in August 2017 with the goal of helping local brands and businesses get into the space and propel Florida’s entrepreneurial prosperity forward. Legagneur is also the owner of Flint Stone Media, a podcast and website production house, is the winner of the 2017 “In Yo Face” podcasting award, and has been the production coordinator for the Horse Radio Network since September 2017. With her business partner and co-host, Glenn “The Geek” Hebert, she has been traveling around the state for their show, Finding Florida, for the last year. And, last but not least, she is also the organizer of the Palm Beach Podcasters Meet Up group, which is planning an upcoming relaunch.

 

Tomás Martinez is CEO and owner of Solmart Media, responsible for all management aspects of the company’s three Southwest Florida stations: WZSP-FM, WZZS-FM, and WTMY-AM. Martinez has been involved in the radio industry for more than three decades. He earlier spent three years as GM and COO of Actualidad Media Group in Miami, managing four stations, and before that he was associated for 10 years with Prisa Radio as general manager of Radio Caracol Miami. While there he executed a power upgrade from 5,000 to 50,000 watts and secured the rights to the Miami Dolphins and the Soccer World Cup. He has also run the Miami and New York properties for the Radio Unica network.

 

Closing in on 14 years with Univision Radio, Haz Montana is the L.A.-based VP of content for the Regional Mexican and Adult Contemporary brands, covering 25 radio stations in 15 markets, four multi-market or network shows, and strategy oversight for Los Angeles and four additional markets. Before joining Univision Radio, he was the VP of programming for Entravision Communications, and a Miami-based program director with SBS. Before Spanish-language, Montana’s career in the English sector included positions in market research (Critical Mass Media), programming, and on-air. He has also programmed CHR, Rock, and Oldies.

 

 

Frank Montero is a co-managing partner with the law firm of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth. He focuses on telecommunications, broadcasting, media, and technology. Montero’s practice includes FCC regulatory counseling, corporate finance, asset and securities acquisitions, intellectual property, and real estate and commercial transactions. Montero was an appointed member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age, and he has served as the director of the FCC’s Office of Communications Business Opportunities. While at the FCC, Montero worked extensively with industry, trade associations, financing institutions, and governmental agencies to create business opportunities for entrepreneurs, startups, and other small businesses in the telecommunications and technology sectors. Before his appointment, Montero was a partner with the Washington communications law firm of Fisher Wayland Cooper Leader & Zaragoza.

 

 

Steve Newberry serves America’s broadcasters as EVP/strategic planning and special projects for the NAB. Newberry began his career as a broadcaster at the age of 14 and owned his first radio station at 21.  He eventually co-founded and led Commonwealth Broadcasting. It was during his years with Commonwealth he first became engaged with the NAB as an active member; as an NAB board member, he served as Radio Board  and NABPAC chair, and was eventually twice elected Joint Board Chairman. He is a past president of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association (1993) and a member of the KBA Hall of Fame.  He received its prestigious Distinguished Kentuckian Award in 2009.  He previously served on the board of directors of BMI and as a member of the RAB executive committee.

Jose Antonio Ortega is the CEO of Prisa Brand Solutions in the U.S. and executive SVP for Prisa Noticias Latam. He is responsible for leading and managing the strategy of Prisa Brand Solutions in the U.S. Before joining Prisa, he was the chief transformation officer and CIO of GroupM LATAM in Miami, collaborating with other company leaders on the operational transformation of the group. Jose Antonio has extensive experience in the media industry, yield-management projects, operational transformation, and post-merger integration.

Belia Paz is a market manager for Aerostar Marketing Concepts in Salt Lake City, overseeing most of the day-to-day operations at the marketing media company’s KNIV (Mi Preferida 104.7 FM) and KEGH (Placer 107.1 FM). Before joining Aerostar Marketing in 2017, she was with Radio Rancho LLC — which has two Spanish-language radio stations in Boise, Idaho — as a senior marketing consultant and promotions director. Before that she was a program director and on-air talent for Treasure Valley Broadcasting, which had two Hispanic radio stations. Paz’s experience includes more than 18 years of on-air, production, promotions, programming, sales, and events experience.

 

Danny Peña is founder and co-host of the Gamertag Radio podcast. He started his career as a podcaster working as a promoter in the New York and Miami hip hop scenes. In the spring of 2005, Peña, known as “Godfree” in the gaming community, began Gamertag Radio, a successor of other online radio ventures he had started as a teenager in the 1990s. In 2015 Gamertag Radio joined Radio.com, a website featuring top podcasts owned by CBS, and he became the first Hispanic to be inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame. Gamertag Radio, which earns millions of lifetime downloads and listens, is a well-respected and sought-after outlet for fans, experts, and companies in the gaming community.

 

 

With an extensive career in media sales, Rick Ramos, SVP of business development with Katz Media, has established himself as a multicultural expert with over 23 years of experience. Throughout his career, Ramos has managed, trained, and mentored many media professionals and has been nominated multiple times for  Marketer of the Year awards. As a multicultural specialist, he has worked with many of the top broadcast radio companies that provide information, entertainment, and content for the Hispanic audience, like Univision Radio, HBC, SBS, and Tichenor Broadcasting.

Albert Rodriguez was appointed COO of Spanish Broadcasting System in 2012. Rodriguez is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company and oversees the revenue and profit performance of the company’s consolidated operations, including radio, television, interactive, and entertainment divisions. Previously, he was the chief revenue officer of the television segment and general manager of the Miami television market from October 2010 to January 2011, general manager of the Miami television market from January 21, 2010 through October 11, 2010, and general sales manager for the Miami radio market from November 1999 through January 2010. Before joining the company’s television segment, Rodriguez was the GSM for the company’s radio properties in Miami: WCMQ-FM 92.3 (Clásica 92), WRMA-FM 106.7 (Romance), and WXDJ-FM 95.7 (El Zol 95).

Jesus Rodriguez, who has been a MusicMaster scheduling and sales consultant for seven years, says he most enjoys “helping our clients win.” Rodriguez began his radio and music career early; at age 12, he was working as a club DJ. By 15, he was producing and hosting a mix show in Dallas. During college at the University of Texas at Arlington, Jesus worked as a morning show sidekick and producer at KDGE/Dallas. Rodriguez’s talents took him to Univision Radio, where he worked as national music director doing daily logs for eight bilingual CHR formats simultaneously. At MusicMaster, Rodriguez is in charge of assisting all Spanish-speaking clients in the U.S. and Latin America with their music scheduling needs. He also is a support and sales team member for all MusicMaster clients in the U.S.

Orlando Rosales is CEO of Media Vista Group, LLC. He is originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela. Rosales has a degree in computer science and experience in developing smart computer systems and sophisticated programming databases for several companies. When he immigrated to the United States in 1996, he continued working as a software developer with a marketing company, and in 2001, Rosales continued his full-time job while creating a new venture, Media Vista. His leadership has influenced all aspects of Media Vista Group’s production and growth of operations, including new media product development. In 2007 Rosales participated in the Broadcast Leadership Training program at the NAB in Washington, DC, while simultaneously acquiring his first TV station, the local Azteca America affiliate for Fort Myers-Naples. He has been responsible for the expansion and growth of the company and in 2013 completed the acquisition of several Univision TV stations in Fort Myers-Naples, Kansas City, and Minneapolis.

Ed Ryan is the editor-in-chief of Radio Ink magazine, the host of the Podcasting for Radio Dummies podcast, and editorial director of Streamline Publishing’s recently launched Podcast Business Journal. Kim Ryan is an occupational therapist in Lee County, Florida. In August 2018, Ed and Kim launched a podcast on Fort Myers Beach called Beach Talk Radio. In addition to featuring guests from businesses and community organizations, government officials, politicians, and a cast of local characters who drop by regularly, the bantering between this loving but lively couple provides plenty of laughs and entertaining moments on the weekly program. And if anyone is keeping score, Kim usually gets the best of Ed!

 

 

Jesus Salas is the executive vice president of programming and multi-platform coordinator for Spanish Broadcasting System. In this capacity, Salas oversees the radio programming of the number one most-listened-to Latin station in the nation, WSKQ-FM (Mega 97.9)/New York and, most recently, he launched the first “Cubaton” music-formatted station in the world, WRMA-FM (Ritmo 95.7)/Miami. Salas is also responsible for all the SBS stations in the top Hispanic markets throughout the United States, including Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Puerto Rico. In addition to his considerable success in the professional radio community, Salas makes a consistent and concerted effort to strengthen the local community, and he is an active member of the Educational Excellence School Advisory Committee.

 

Justin Sasso has served as president and CEO of the Colorado Broadcasters Association since 2011. Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, causing a multitude of questions to arise surrounding broadcasters and federal and even state law. Sasso spent 25 years in radio broadcasting, working for multiple broadcast groups along Colorado’s Front Range. Prior to his current position, he was a CBA board member for over five years while operating his Northern Colorado radio station. Having parents who were both in radio and television, Sasso was bitten by the broadcast bug early in life. In his spare time he enjoys skiing, cycling, and aviation.

 

Oscar Sermeno is director of market development/LATAM for Triton Digital. He is an expert in international market development, with more than 17 years of experience in and around Latin America. Before joining Triton Digital, Sermeno served as international sales manager at Future Electronics, building strategic partnerships between supply chain and distribution companies within the automotive, industrial, and contract manufacturing organizations. At Triton Digital, he leverages his expertise in programmatic and direct sales, digital audio measurement, and content distribution to increase audience and scale for Ibero-American publishers and advertisers, while strengthening the digital audio marketplace by educating the power of its reach, audience engagement capabilities, and revenue-generating opportunities.

 

Charlie Sislen is president at Research Director, Inc. Before joining Research Director, Inc. he was VP of marketing and research for Eastman Radio, a subsidiary of Katz Communication. During his 12 years at Eastman he sat on the Arbitron Advisory Council and headed up the RAB Goals Research Committee. He also worked at Arbitron as a client services rep for the ad agency division. He started his radio career as a sales rep at WWDC-AM & FM in Washington, DC. As a member of the ARAC, Charlie was introduced to PPM at its beginning. Since then he has been working with broadcasters to understand how the transition to PPM will change day-to-day radio.

 

Jenni Skaug is the president of Sonic Influencer Marketing, based in Austin, Texas. Sonic Influencer Marketing is a leader in the audio advertising space, using the most influential voices in podcasting and radio to drive performance and increase brand awareness for clients. Skaug has been in advertising for 18 years, including an 11-year stint at Ad Results Media, where she developed the skills and expertise that led her to launch Sonic Influencer Marketing. Since its inception over the summer of 2018, Sonic has become one of the leading agencies in the audio endorsement space. As a true believer in the effectiveness of audio, Skaug is able to help companies build their brands and increase revenue by using the power of the personal relationship that podcast and radio hosts have with their listeners.

Diane Sutter is president and CEO of ShootingStar Broadcasting. Her career has included radio and television station management, overseeing a television and radio station group, and owning and operating television stations. She currently consults for radio and TV stations, media companies, financial institutions, and other organizations. ShootingStar is the company she formed to acquire and operate TV and radio stations; it owned the CBS affiliate in Abilene, Texas (KTAB) and MyTV New England (WZMY-TV) in the Boston market. Sutter earlier served as president of Shamrock Television. She now serves as the chair of the FCC Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment. She also created and developed the Broadcast Leadership Training Program for women and minorities sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation.

Raymond Torres is program director of WRUM-FM/Orlando and WRUB-FM/Tampa and iHeartRadio Hispanic Brand Coordinator. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he grew up listening to great radio stations in hopes that one day he would work at one. The realization of this dream began in his hometown of Ponce, on Radio Zar, and continued with his transfer to the capital city of San Juan, where he worked for stations like KQ105, Z-93, and La Mega, where he worked as a DJ and program director. Torres’ vast experience led him to aspire to move from Puerto Rico and work for iHeartMedia’s Hispanic Division. He has been a program director for more than 25 years.

 

Bill Velez, executive director of the Radio Music License Committee, is an industry veteran of 46 years. His career has come full circle; his first job out of college was working as a radio licensing executive for ASCAP, and, prior to joining the RMLC, his career was distinguished by his having been employed by all three performance right organizations in the U.S., most recently as president/COO of SESAC. Under Velez’s direction, SESAC introduced pattern-recognition technology for the purpose of monitoring radio airplay and digital watermarking for monitoring music performances on local television. This pioneering application of state-of-the-art technology led to SESAC’s introduction of an unprecedented “per play” form of radio-industry license as well as the most accurate and fastest royalty distributions in the industry.

Jose Villa is the founder and president/chief strategy officer of Sensis, a cross-cultural marketing agency driving behavior change. Villa has more than 20 years of experience in advertising and multicultural marketing across a variety of industries. He has pioneered a new “cross-cultural” approach to reaching the diverse American mainstream and been on the forefront of the debate regarding the “total market approach.” His thought-provoking analyses of advertising at the intersection of technology and culture are published regularly on MediaPost, Ad Age, and numerous industry trade publications. Villa is also a regular speaker at advertising and digital conferences such as SXSW, MediaPost, and Ad:Tech. He has co-authored a ground-breaking five-part study into multicultural millennials, the Hispanic Millennial Project, as well as the innovative new study on cross-cultural youth entitled the “We Are Gen Z” Report.

 

Paul Weyland is an international speaker, humorist, marketing, branding and sales strategist, consultant, trainer, author, and university lecturer. Weyland started in the late 1970s as a radio personality. He went on to prove himself on the street as a leading broadcast salesperson, specializing in long-term local direct sales. Weyland made a name for himself speaking to and working in executive-level positions in the television and radio business, including a three-year assignment managing and training overseas broadcasters in Prague, Geneva, and London. In 2000 he started his own marketing and consulting business. Since then he has been featured in sales symposiums worldwide, including sessions with the NAB, Europe Radio Day,s and with virtually every state broadcast association in the U.S. Weyland’s speaking style is described as “dynamic,” “inspirational,” “engaging” and “hysterically funny.” His humor and real-world experience combine to create relevant tools people and organizations can implement immediately to increase their bottom lines.

Charles Andrew Whatley is SVP of business development and partnerships for Instreamic.ai, a San Francisco-based company providing an end-to-end advertising and data solution for managing, measuring, and monetizing voice-enabled audio ads powered by AI. Over his 25-plus-year career he has developed a broad base of knowledge across various media and technology platforms, in corporate as well as entrepreneurial environments. Whatley began his career in radio and TV while attending the University of Texas at El Paso and Austin, and grew up in a bilingual environment. He pursued the study of electronics to better understand how radio stations functioned from a technical perspective; that love for engineering resurfaced later as he reinvented himself as a digital media specialist. The advent of the Internet helped him recognize early that engaging audiences at a deeper level was paramount to be successful online and offline. But equally important were the revenue-generation strategies that would need to be executed on a parallel path with the overall sales and marketing plan.