Jason Bailey is the founder and CEO of Sun Broadcast Group, Inc., a national radio sales and syndication company, recently named one of the fastest growing companies in America by Inc. Magazine. Bailey 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. The most notable is the recently launched 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.
Georgia Beasley is director of digital sales for Beasley Media Group-SWFL (Ft. Myers). Her professional background includes more than a decade of growing radio sales revenues in broadcast, digital, and NTR. Beasley has held sales management positions in Miami, Florida, and Wilmington, DE, followed by the role of general sales manager and digital sales manager for all seven of Beasley Media Group’s Augusta, GA radio stations. Most recently, she has relocated back to Florida in the Ft. Myers market as director of digital. Beasley’s passion is advancing radio in the digital space and exploring new opportunities as they evolve.
Liz Blacker is EVP of multicultural strategy and sales at iHeartMedia, which reaches 90 percent of the Hispanic population in the U.S. and more Hispanics than any other media company. Before joining iHeartMedia, Blacker was chief revenue officer at Terra, where she built the Hispanic and pan-regional sales teams and oversaw revenue across multiple platforms with clients in the U.S. and Latin America. Other roles she has held include senior vice president of digital sales for ImpreMedia, and executive director of sales for U.S. Hispanic and Latin America for Yahoo, where she co-launched Yahoo’s U.S. Hispanic efforts. Blacker is the co-founder and co-chair of Advertising Women in New York’s first Multicultural Task Force and is a founding board member for the Internet Advertising Bureau’s Multicultural Committee and ad:tech U.S. Hispanic/Latin America.
Micah Blehm is the chief marketing officer for Craig Zinn Automotive Group. Known for a strategic mix of digital dominance and community presence, he is revolutionizing the approach to automotive results-based marketing. This “DaVinci of Digital” began his career in fashion and events; he was chief marketing officer for Neiman Marcus and owner of Prestige Modeling Agency in Dallas. He is the founder of the Lexus Social Club, an experiential product that delivers larger-than-life programs for the future and current Lexus owners. As a digital marketing trainer, he has developed and delivered workshops on mobile, SEO marketing techniques, automotive consumer Life cycles, and niche consumer segments.
Jammin’ Johnny Caride is program supervisor for SBS Miami and PD of WXDJ/Miami. A Miami native of Cuban parents, he began his radio career in 1986 as a music mixer and radio host. After many successful years on the air, he was offered an opportunity to join SBS as a promotions director, expanding his career in radio and becoming an expert in his new role. But his love for the microphone and one-on-one connection with the audience brought him back to the airwaves as on-air talent for WXDJ-FM. His high-energy style and commitment to the listeners is his secret for success!
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Arminda “Mindy” Figueroa is president and founder of L2L and is a recognized leader in the traditional, multicultural, direct, and digital marketing fields. She has built a successful career focused on generating awareness of the essential role of the multicultural market in corporate America. Before launching L2L, she was project director for Scholastic Media and oversaw the launch of the children’s TV series Maya & Miguel. Figueroa previously held senior marketing positions at the Bravo Group (a Young & Rubicam agency), Univision.com, Verizon, and Anheuser-Busch. Figueroa is a frequent presenter at industry seminars and conferences, and is a board member of the Hispanic Federation of New York.
Mark Fratrik is SVP and chief economist at BIA/Kelsey, responsible for forecasting across all local media segments. He also manages the company’s numerous proprietary databases and conducts primary research on various trends as they affect the broadcasting and related communications industries. Additionally, Fratrik is heavily involved in BIA/Kelsey’s strategic and financial consulting projects, conducting research and analysis for clients on matters related to the broadcasting, digital media, and related communications industries. Fratrik has researched and spoken at numerous conferences on the impact of the economy on the broadcasting industries, revenue trends, proposed and enacted regulatory changes, and new media technologies. He is often quoted in the media and is a leading spokesperson concerning trends and forecasts for the media industry. He is the author of BIA/Kelsey’s series of studies on the state of the radio and television industry.
Bill Freund is EVP/chief revenue officer for Clip Interactive, a mobile and Web applications platform for broadcast radio stations and personalities that allows all forms of audio content to have rich interactive capabilities for the listener, whether on broadcast, Web, or mobile. Freund is responsible for all broadcaster and publisher partnerships and affiliations; over the past four years he has secured major partnerships with 14 broadcast groups and over 900 stations. Freund has over 20 years of experience in developing, building, and managing sales, marketing, and operations for digital media and broadcast companies. He co-founded Triton Digital Media in 2006 and served as EVP of Triton Media Group until December of 2012, prior to Clip.
Eric Garcia is radio revenue chief of SBS and VP/general manager of WSKQ & WPAT in New York. Garcia manages revenue for the local, national, digital, and entertainment divisions at all SBS O&Os across six markets: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, and Puerto Rico. In addition, he manages the overall operations at WSKQ and WPAT. Before his current role, Garcia served in various executive positions at SBS in New York, as general sales manager, national sales manager, and account manager. Before joining SBS in 2004, he worked at Interep National Radio Sales in New York as an account manager. Garcia’s hands-on approach to business, open-door policy, and overall passion to continuously evolve and redefine radio as the leader in the revolutionary nontraditional media are the things he considers most exciting about the industry.
Richard Harker is senior partner at Harker Research. He began his radio career in 1970, working part-time for an “underground” FM station while attending the University of Oregon. He spent the next 13 years working at radio stations owned by some well-remembered groups like RKO General, Metromedia, Atlantic Ventures, and King Broadcasting, gradually working his way through the ranks ultimately serving as general manager. Harker made the transition to radio market research and consulting in 1983, first serving as vice president for Coleman Research, then forming his own company in 1990. Harker Research now provides a wide range of research services to media outlets throughout North America, South America, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
Thomas Hawing is a multicultural supervisor at MediaCom. Originally from Sonoma, California, Hawing moved to New York in 2009 to study economics and information science at Cornell University. Upon graduating, he started his media career at MEC, where he worked on national, regional, and local campaigns for AT&T Mobility, targeting the Hispanic audience and later, on DirecTV, creating plans that speak to the total market.” His team won an Innovation in Media award from The Internationalist in 2016 and was responsible for recommending, creating, and executing high profile partnerships such as the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Copa America Centenario. At MediaCom, Hawing oversees national and local campaigns for clients that include AARP, Bayer, Quaker State, and Whole Foods. He is an outspoken advocate of Hispanic media and is continually stressing the importance of connecting with the multicultural consumers with colleagues and clients.
John Hesano is senior vice president of Katz Digital and Katz Partnerships for Katz Radio Group, the largest audio aggregator in the country and leading national expert in audio solutions. Hesano is responsible for leveraging the company’s terrestrial, sports, and online audio assets to provide marketing solutions for advertisers and agencies. Hesano began his career at Katz as an AE; he then joined ABC Radio Networks as a senior AE before returning to Katz as Detroit sales manager. In 2000, he was elevated to VP/director of sales for Katz in New York, and later promoted to roles including SVP and general sales manager. In his current role, Hesano leads a high-energy team to create and drive revenue across multiple platforms and vertical categories, as well as build strong, long-term partnerships.
Adam R. Jacobson is editor-in-chief of Radio+Television Business Report. A veteran journalist and advertising industry analyst, Jacobson has also held editorial positions at former industry trade paper Radio & Records and helped launch Latina Style magazine. Adam 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. He 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.
Anne Kensington-Lott is vice president, Southeast region and Hispanic platform for Gen Media Partners. Her responsibilities include growing the entire Gen Media Partners platform, with a particular emphasis on expanding Hispanic business through additional station representation and utilization of the company’s radio, digital, audio, television, and out-of-home assets. Kensington-Lott’s experience includes over 25 years in the industry, encompassing a variety of perspectives, including agency and client roles, advertising sales and management/executive leadership in both Hispanic and general market radio, television, and media sectors. The bilingual executive has been with Gen Media Partners since 2014.
Manuel E. Machado, co-chairman of C-Com Group, has more than two decades of experience in branding and reputation, strategic marketing, public relations, and business management. His diverse, cross-cultural industry expertise, proven leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit allow him to elevate brand practices and business models for companies and organizations, while increasing visibility amongst its stakeholders. In 2015, Machado joined forces with Luis Gonzalez to co-chair C-Com Group, Inc., a Miami-based full-service agency with a wide portfolio of national clients including Florida Power & Light Company, Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, Neutrogena, Johnson’s, Outback Steakhouse, and Aveeno. Earlier Machado was the CEO and co-founder of MGSCOMM, an integrated marketing communications agency that under his leadership became one of the fastest-growing in the country. Before that, he developed successful communications programs for renowned brands including McDonald’s Corp., Coors Brewing, Ford Motor Co., Bacardi, Coca Cola, MasterCard International, Procter & Gamble and Nike, among others.
Gerardo Martinez is a broadcast media veteran with 18 years under his belt, mostly in Spanish-language media. In his current role as general manager for Lazer Broadcasting’s Sacramento, Modesto, and Merced radio stations, Martinez leverages his expertise to navigate the rapidly changing media environment and best position the properties to benefit local and national clients by connecting them to the thriving Latino listeners. Prior to joining Lazer Broadcasting, Martinez served as VP of sales and marketing for EMC Advertising, a national law-firm marketing advertising agency that developed and executed targeted advertising campaigns using a combination of traditional and digital assets. Martinez currently also shares his knowledge, experience, and passion facilitating marketing and business courses as adjunct professor for University of Phoenix in Sacramento.
Mike McVay is SVP/programming for Cumulus Media and Westwood One. His career spans over 35 years as a programmer, with consulting, management, ownership, and on-air experience, as well as having developed and launched several nationally syndicated programs. He has programmed over 300 stations around the world. Among his numerous awards, McVay is a recipient of the Rockwell Award and was named one of the 40 Most Influential People in radio by Radio Ink on its 2016 annual list. He is a member of the Country Radio Broadcasters board of directors and serves as an adviser to several media organizations.
David Mesas is director of sales for Geoscape. He joined Geoscape in 2005 to consult clients on the opportunities in multicultural consumer markets. Mesas works with advertising agencies and clients across various industries including telecommunications, retail, and QSR. The U.S. Army, Comcast Cable Communications, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, The Home Depot, and Advance Auto Parts are just some of the companies that have achieved successful results working with him. Before joining Geoscape, Mesas began his career at Clear Channel Communications, designing and implementing radio and outdoor billboard advertising campaigns. He benefited from the extensive sales training and gained invaluable experience in working directly with advertising and PR agencies. He was born in Miami and is one of three children of Argentinean parents from Mendoza.
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. He has served as the Director of the Federal Communications Commission’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, start-ups, and other small businesses in the telecommunications and technology sectors. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner with the Washington communications law firm of Fisher Wayland Cooper Leader & Zaragoza.
Harvey Nagler is vice president of CBS Radio News, responsible for CBS News radio operations worldwide. During his tenure, the network has won dozens of national and international awards, including the coveted Edward R. Murrow Overall Excellence Award from the Radio Television News Directors Association for seven of the last eight years. In 2010, Nagler was honored with the RTNDF’s First Amendment Service Award, which is presented to a person of distinction who works in an off-air, management capacity. Before joining CBS Radio News, Nagler was director of news and programming for WCBS-AM Newsradio 88; he joined WCBS-AM from the United Stations Radio Networks, where he had been VP/news and sports and director of news operations. Nagler began his career in 1966 as a reporter for WCTC-AM/New Brunswick, NJ.
FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly was nominated to the commission by President Obama in 2013 and sworn in for a new term in 2015. A graduate of the University of Rochester, O’Rielly served as a policy adviser in the Office of the Senate Republican Whip before joining the FCC. He is an experienced policy analyst and has worked on banking, technology, transportation, trade, and commerce issues for the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee. O’Rielly has also served as legislative director for U.S. Sen. John Sununu.
Mary Ann Gomez Orta is president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute. Before joining CHLI, she was the executive director of the National Association of Hispanic Publications. She is a former corporate marketing manager with Coors Brewing Co. and McDonald’s Corp. and has managed multi-million-dollar advertising and marketing campaigns, collaborating with advertising and public relations firms as well as multi-lingual broadcast, print, and outdoor media. She earlier represented the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America as a national alliance development consultant and managed business development and multi-cultural projects for small and mid-size public relations agencies as well as national agencies such as Fleishman-Hillard. Orta has taught business, marketing, and public speaking at the University of Phoenix and Heald College and has conducted workshops for small business owners on marketing, public speaking tips for women, networking and Hispanic marketing.
Jose Otero (Gonzo) is national Hispanic brand manager and program director of WZTU/Miami. He was born in San Diego, CA, and started his radio career in 1998 in Tijuana, on air and in the creative department. He joined Univision Radio in 2004 and later worked at MVS Radio and Grupo Uniradio. He came to iHeartMedia n 2009 and has served as an air personalty, PD, digital brand coordinator, operations manager, and national Hispanic brand manager, as well as supervised and developed multiple brands in Chicago, Fresno, and most recently Miami. Otero was instrumental in branding the iHeartRadio app to the Hispanic community nationally, working closely with local and national sales teams, and has produced iHeartMedia’s international tentpole event Fiesta Latina since 2014. Otero recently moved to Miami to program WZTU 94.9 and work with the recently created iHeartLatino platform.
Albert Rodriguez is COO of Spanish Broadcasting System, a job he had held since 2012. He 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, Rodriguez was the chief revenue officer of SBS’s television segment and GM of the Miami television market from October 12, 2010 to January 6, 2011, GM of the Miami television market from January 21, 2010 through October 11, 2010, and GSM for the Miami radio market from November 1999 through January 2010. Before joining the company’s television segment, Rodriguez was the GSM of SBS’s radio properties in Miami.
Michelle Zambrana Rosenberg is an account supervisor at FleishmanHillard, where she specializes in social content strategy and community management for clients in the U.S. Hispanic and general market. She has over five years of experience creating content and analyzing data in order to guide the strategy and counsel for her clients on their approach to reaching the U.S. Hispanic consumer. Zambrana’s work includes such high-profile brands such Procter & Gamble, AT&T, and Hallmark.
Gary Rozynek is a senior partner at Vici Media and an entrepreneur, teacher, innovator, and well-rounded media executive with over 36 years of experience in the media sector. As a results-oriented, hands-on executive, he uses his leadership skills to help companies build a high-performance culture and challenge the status quo through innovation and creativity. Vici Media is a full-service digital marketing agency. Working with the traditional media sector, Vici creates and executes online marketing campaigns that drive awareness and engagement for brands across the country. Its multi-platform approach includes targeted display, video, mobile, IP targeting, Facebook, and Instagram.
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 #1 most listened to Latin station in the nation (WSKQ-FM Mega 97.9, in New York) and he most recently launched the first “Cubaton” music formatted station in the world (WRMA-FM Ritmo 95.7). Salas is also responsible for all of 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 also makes a consistent and concerted effort to strengthen the local community. He is an active member of the Educational Excellence School Advisory Committee (EESAC).
Isabella Sánchez is Zubi Advertising’s vice president of media integration. She has over 20 years of Hispanic media experience with many of the largest advertisers in the U.S. Hispanic market. At Zubi, she oversees all integrated media for American Airlines, Chase, Ford Motor Co., California Ford Dealers Association, Olive Garden, and Sunny Delight. Before Zubi, Sánchez was VP and managing director of Tapestry, a division of Starcom MediaVest Group. Previously, she served as vice president and director of media services for the Bravo Group, part of the WPP family. Sánchez currently serves as chairperson of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies Media Committee. In 2003, she was honored as the AHAA and Hispanicad.com Media Planning Executive of the Year.
Norberto Sanchez is chairman and CEO of the Norsan Group, which runs Norsan Multimedia, a Spanish-language communications company that includes 12 radio stations in the Southeast, four of them covering the Charlotte market; the company also owns Spanish-language newspapers. Sanchez started his company in Atlanta and has gradually been moving more and more operations to Charlotte. Apart from the communications industry, the Norsan Group has a large role in the food industry, including a restaurant and catering division and Prime Meats, a USDA meat-processing facility serving the hospitality industry.
Ismar Santa Cruz is vice president/managing director of radio strategy for Univision Communications, overseeing content strategy, music genre curation, and continual success for Univision’s radio portfolio and leading programming initiatives for its 64 owned-and-operated stations in 15 top U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico. He also plays an integral role in Univision Music’s multi-platform strategy. Santa Cruz joined UCI to co-found the internal strategic consulting and consumer research division of Univision Radio. Santa Cruz has been instrumental in achieving double-digit audience growth year-over-year on broadcast and digital platforms, developing Univision’s Sonic Logo across all brands, and identifying Univision’s 2014 FIFA World Cup anthem, “Adrenalina.”
John Santiago is CEO of M8, a leading digital advertising agency throughout the Americas representing clients such as Sprint, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hertz, SAB Miller, Visit Florida, and other Fortune 500 brands. Santiago began his career in interactive marketing during its infancy stages in 1996. Since then, he has been involved in launching two industry-leading digital agencies and is recognized as an industry leader and veteran digital marketer. M8 helps brands and consumers connect in a Life On Screens™. It is a team of creative, multicultural, multiscreen marketers, combining storytelling, insights, and technology to create experiences that connect brands with consumers who are now living their lives on screens.
Enrique Santos is chairman and chief creative officer of iHeartLatino, heading iHeartMedia’s Latin direction and strategy. His daily morning show is syndicated nationally via Premiere Networks and airs live from iHeart’s TÚ 94.9 in Miami. Born to Cuban parents in Chicago, Santos moves freely between the Hispanic and mainstream American radio landscapes. His bilingual broadcasts are a crossover hit, combining humor, social satire, and political commentary to bridge the cultural and generational divide of a diverse cosmopolitan audience. No matter how busy his schedule, Santos has never lost his community ties and continues volunteering as a reserve police officer for the City of Miami Police Department. In 2015, Enrique was also named National/Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year by Radio Ink and was awarded the prestigious Medallas de Cortez award.
Michelle Savoy is SVP/Sales for Zypmedia. She has 17 years of experience in digital media where her expertise in sales development, operations and transformation has influenced sales teams at media powerhouses like Gannett and iHeartMedia. She has held several positions at both corporate and local level working across print, TV and radio, giving her a unique POV on local activation with national reach. In 2016, she took a leadership role at zypmedia, a speed-up in the local programmatic advertising space, as Head of Sales and Business Development, working with media companies to leverage technology for revenue growth. As a former entrepreneur herself, Savoy serves as an advisor for start-ups who can benefit from both her entrepreneurial spirit and experience as an operator. She is an active member of The Pipeline Angels and on the advisory board of the Austin-based entertainment start-up Letsbevy.
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. As director of market development 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.
Eduardo “Piolin” Sotelo is host of the nationally syndicated morning show El Show de Piolin, which debuted in 2015 and currently airs on 60 stations across the country. His career in U.S. radio personifies a modern day cross-cultural success story. After catching the attention of HBC in 2002, his show Piolín Por La Manaña soon dominated the ratings and was syndicated coast-to-coast. In 2006, he was credited with mobilizing the largest civil demonstrations in American history through massive rallies in Los Angeles and other major American cities on behalf of immigration reform. He has been inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and was named Top Spanish Format Personality by the NAB for 2006, 2008, and 2010.
Rich Tunkel is SVP/business development for Nielsen Audio. He works with the largest Hispanic broadcasters in the country and is responsible for strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and systems development at Nielsen. Tunkel is connecting Nielsen Audio to the other divisions of the company and in turn expanding radio’s exposure with the country’s largest brands. He earlier served at Arbitron as the key liaison with television and cable networks during the first U.S.-based test of the Portable People Meter. He also oversaw sales for Arbitron’s online radio ratings service and was previously vice president of radio sales at Scarborough Research.
Jose Valle served as president of Univision Radio from 2010 to 2015, leading the transformation and modernization of what was a traditional radio group into a best-in-class “listener first” based organization. Over the last year, he served as president of Political & Advocacy Group Sales for UCI, overseeing political advertising strategy and sales to advocacy groups, trade associations, and campaigns for all UCI’s platforms. Earlier in his career he was VP/GM of Univision Radio Los Angeles. Before joining UCI, he was president and GM of Telemundo’s flagship station, KVEA. Valle is also a former NAB Board chair.
Jose Villafañe is president of national sales for Entravision Communications, where he oversees national sales for spot radio, television, network syndication, and events. He is a 20-year broadcast media veteran and has worked in both national and local management sales for both radio and television. He has previously worked at Univision, Radio Unica, and Katz Media Group.
As executive vice president of communications, Dennis Wharton oversees the NAB’s Media Relations, Research and Information, and Public Service Initiatives departments. He is the association’s chief spokesperson, responsible for outreach and public policy advocacy to the national news media and trade press and serving as strategic adviser on media relations issues to NAB leadership, the NAB Board of Directors, and NAB member stations. Wharton is also responsible for NAB’s social media advocacy outreach and messaging. Working with NAB’s External Affairs department, he engages third-party advocacy organizations and beneficiaries of broadcasters’ charitable outreach to better position NAB’s image on Capitol Hill, at the FCC, and with the public. Wharton joined the NAB in 1996 after a 16-year journalism career.
