GRAY AND RAYCOM TO COMBINE IN A $3.6 BILLON TRANSACTION
“Gray is very excited to add WAVE, WXIX, WFIE and KFVS to the family. Combined, the stations reach virtually every county in the state of Kentucky .”   Chris Mossman, VP/GM WKYT
NEWS RELEASE
Companies Will Form Third Largest Television Broadcast Group
Atlanta, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama - Gray Television, Inc. (“Gray”) (NYSE:
GTN and GTN.A) and Raycom Media, Inc. (“Raycom”), an employee-owned company, jointly
announced today that they have entered into an agreement to combine their companies in a
transformative transaction that will create the single largest owner of top-rated local television
stations and digital assets in the country.

This transaction marks Gray’s transformation from a small, regional broadcaster into a
leading media company with nationwide scale based on high-quality stations with exceptional talent in attractive markets. Gray and Raycom have highly complementary portfolios of television stations as well as highly complementary company cultures, award-winning journalistic commitments, and long histories of commitments to exceptional community service. Gray in particular is delighted to announce that, upon the closing, Raycom President and CEO, Pat LaPlatney, will become Gray’s President and Co-Chief Executive Officer. In addition, Mr. LaPlatney and Raycom’s former President and CEO, Paul McTear, both of whom are currently members of Raycom’s Board of Directors, will join Gray’s Board of Directors. At that time, Hilton Howell will become Executive Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Gray.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The
parties expect to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2018. Gray also announced today that, on July 1st, Bob Smith will become its Chief Operating Officer and Nick Waller will become its Chief Administrative Officer. Currently, Bob and Nick serve as Co-Chief Operating Officers. In his new role, Bob will oversee station operations and sales operations through the closing of the transaction. During that period, Nick will oversee human resources, information technology, traffic and CRM systems, capital projects, and performance benchmarking. Nick also will focus on the transition and integration of pending acquisitions.

As detailed below, Gray and Raycom will host a conference call for all stakeholders and
other interested parties beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern today to discuss this transaction further. Additional information about the transaction can be obtained from Gray’s Current Report on Form 8-K being filed with the SEC in connection with the announcement of this transaction, including the investor presentation furnished therewith, which presentation will also be available on Gray’s website. CLICK HERE to continue reading
2018 KBA AWARDS - Now Accepting Nominations
The KBA is now accepting nominations for the 2018 KBA Awards to be presented during the KBA Annual Conference, Tuesday, October 9, Holiday Inn University Plaza, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

To submit a nominee; state the award that you are nominating the person(s) for and give a brief overview of the accomplishments of the individual(s). Your contact information must be included. Nominations can be emailed to Karen@KBA.org , faxed to (502) 848-5710, or mailed to 101 Enterprise Drive, Frankfort KY 40601. 
 
Winners will be announced October 9th at the KBA Annual Conference in Bowling Green .
The Kentucky Broadcasters Association award winners are selected by a committee appointed by the organization's Chairman and shall be comprised of three representatives of member stations and the sitting executive committee. Nominations for awards may be made by employees of any member station or by members of the awards committee.
 
Al Temple Award Presented to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Kentucky Broadcasters Association over an extended period of time. Their volunteer service is an invaluable part of this organizations success and ability to serve its members. The award is named in honor of the extraordinary service of Al Temple a pioneer secretary-treasurer of the KBA.
 
Kentucky MIC Hall of Fame Award Presented to those individuals who have made outstanding personal contributions to the broadcasting profession in Kentucky. Since this award is considered to be the highest award given by the KBA to recognize accomplishments in Kentucky broadcasting, recipients are hereby inducted into the KBA Hall of Fame.
 
J.T. Whitlock Life Service Award Presented to members retiring or leaving the profession who have earned perpetual membership and recognition as a result of their contributions to Kentucky broadcasting. Participation in conferences shall be at no cost to recipients of the Life Service Award and their spouse. The award is in honor of a life of service by J.T. Whitlock, longtime KBA Executive Director / Secretary-Treasurer.
 
Ralph Gabbard Distinguished Kentuckian Award Given to present or former Kentuckians who have earned fame or acclaim in their field of endeavor and presented in recognition of the value of those achievements and accomplishments to the state and nation. This award is in honor of distinguished television broadcaster and former Kentucky Broadcasters Association Chairman Ralph Gabbard. 
 
To review past award recipients,  click here.  
WYMT ON FIRE!
WYMT is now available on Amazon Firestick. It’s free and listed as WYMT NEWS.
PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
ATSC 3.0 SUMMIT - COLUMBUS, OH
Chris Winkle
KBA President/CEO
I had the privilege this week to attend the ATSC 3.0 Next-Gen Television Summit in Columbus, OH. Attendees enjoyed educational sessions scattered over two days that addressed the technical complexities and overwhelming benefits of ATSC 3.0. We were also treated to a special visit and remarks from the Honorable Michael O’Rielly, FCC Commissioner. The Summit was a collaborative effort between the Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky Broadcast Associations. Below are a few pictures from the Summit.
JULY'S TRAINING FROM RAB
RAB WEBINAR CONNECTION DETAILS
Enter as a GUEST using your FIRST AND LAST NAME.
Audio : over computer or 800-244-2500, PIN 550122#
SUPPORT
Contact Adobe Support at: 800-422-3623. International support numbers are available at http://www.adobe.com/support/connect/connecthostedsupport.html
To contact RAB, call 800-232-3131 or email member_response@rab.com
BUSTING THE BUDGET BLUES
One-Hour, Live MANAGEMENT Webinar
 
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018
(1:00 pm Eastern/12:00 pm Central/11:00 am Mountain/10:00 am Pacific)

Presented by: Jeff Schmidt

What are the most critical strategies when preparing a budget? How can your budget help you meet your strategic goals? Budgets should be ambitious but realistic; and they must align with the organization’s overall strategic priorities.
Learn to:
• Identify drivers of future financial performance 
• Account for seasonality and market-moving events
• Base forecasts on reality without excluding exciting possibility
RAB WEBINAR CONNECTION DETAILS
Enter as a GUEST using your FIRST AND LAST NAME.
Audio:  over computer or 800-244-2500, PIN 550122#
SUPPORT
Contact Adobe Support at: 800-422-3623. International support numbers are available at http://www.adobe.com/support/connect/connecthostedsupport.html . To contact RAB, call 800-232-3131 or email member_response@rab.com .
Feature Heading
One-Hour, Live SELLER Webinar
 
TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2018
(11:00 am Eastern/10:00 am Central/9:00 am Mountain/8:00 am Pacific)
OR
THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018
(4:00 pm Eastern/3:00 pm Central/2:00 pm Mountain/1:00 pm Pacific)

Presented by: Jordyn Byington

Advertisers often don’t know themselves what they want and, even when they do, they have difficulty communicating it well. Deliver definitive results from digital - for the clients that know exactly what they want and those that don’t. 
Learn to:
• Identify your advertiser’s true goal
• Determine which digital platform(s) will do best
• Measure and recap your client’s campaign success
  • July 19, 2018 @9:30 am ET, KBA Headquarters
  • October 8, 2018 @ 9:30 am CT, KBA Annual Conference, Bowling Green
Broadcasters Cup Scramble
October 7, 2018

Details and registration coming soon!
KBA Annual Conference
October 8- 9, 2018
Bowling Green
LBS FEATURED SALES VIDEOS
Eric Moore highlights some of the key elements that distinguish successful independent coffee shops and failures. This is great information for you to use to enhance your value to LOCAL independent coffee retailers!
Paul Weyland shows you the value of customer-focused headlines for getting your calls returned.
Sally Kohn discusses the importance of knowing your local competition and how you can position yourself as the lead sales professional in your market regardless of your station’s ranking.
Did you know you can add all team
members at your station to the eCast distribution list?
Simply send a list of all email
addresses that need to be added to  kba@kba.org
The next required monthly test will be Wednesday, July 18 at 10:37 am ET and will originate from WHAS-AM.
This eCast is Sponsored By...
This eCast is sponsored by
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Helpful Links
Wedding Planning With Pem:
Step by step directions/satellite dish registration:
Staff Emails:
Chris Winkle, KBA President/CEO
Karen Mucci, Director of Member Services
Liza Livers, Administrative Assistant kba@kba.org
Our PEP Sponsors...
Chris Winkle
KBA President/CEO
Marti Hazel
KBA 2018 Chairperson