Lakeville, Minnesota, July 22, 2020: The Independent Broadcasters Association announced today that it has filed articles of incorporation in the State of Minnesota and is officially in business. Ron Stone said “We filed the articles last Friday, on a day where we were 96% of our 3,000-station goal. 2,877 stations had signed up, represented by just under 600 owners / operators. We continue to have additional owners signing up every day.” Stone added “An initial board of Directors has also been selected. 1/3 of Board members will turn over every December 31, starting December 31, 2021.” Board members are, in alphabetical order:

• Deborah Barrera, CPA, CGMA, CFO, R Communications LLC
• Kristin Cantrell, CEO, 7 Mountains Media & Cap City Communications
• Darrell Calton, CEO, Illiad Media
• Allen Dick, CEO, Dick Broadcasting
• Michael J. Flood, Owner, Flood Communications, LLC
• Kenneth Forte, President & GM, R & F Communications, Inc.
• Charles Johnson, GM, Northstar Broadcast
• Kimberly Martinez, VP/GM, All Pro Broadcasting
• Kelly Radandt, GM, Woodward Radio Group
• Tony Renda, CEO, Renda Broadcasting
• Tony Richards, CEO, Kensington Digital Media
• David Stephens, Owner, Stephens Media Group
• Ron Stone, President/CEO, Adams Radio Group
• Cindy Taylor Chesson, GM, River Radio Network/Bridge Media/Ohio Midland Newsgroup
• Dr. Sandi Woodruff, Owner, Northwest Indy Radio

 Stone added “Our first board meeting will be scheduled for next week, to decide mostly organizational matters and to approve our business plan. We will have a conference call with everyone that has signed up on www.radioiba.org schedule shortly after the board meeting to review the business plan and goals of the IBA”. If you have not signed your company up, it is not too late.

Stone expects the membership section of the IBA web site to be operational by August 1. Everyone that has signed up at the link in the above paragraph will receive an email with instructions. Stone says “The IBA will be running at full speed in August. We anticipate delivering substantial parts of the program to our members before the end of 2020. We have some heavy lifting to do, and everyone is excited to get to it!”

About Independent Broadcasters Association
The IBA will serve independent radio stations in ways we are not being served by existing organizations and provide independent operators with ways to drive revenue and achieve cost benefits from scale that cannot be achieved alone. The following reflects what the organization would focus on right away and during the first two years. Revenue Generation, Digital Services, Shared Resources, Proprietary Systems and Services, and Group Employee Benefits.

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Lakeville, Minnesota, July 10, 2020: The Independent Broadcasters Association announced today that it is officially forming the organization within the next two weeks. Ron Stone said “We have 496 owners / operators representing just under 3,000 stations that have signed up supporting the idea of the organization. The next step is the actual formation of the IBA into a legal entity, forming an initial board and getting to work on all the elements we have been discussing that will benefit independent operators choosing to be members of the IBA.” Stone added: “We will see more owners / operators sign up now that the decision has been made to launch, as many have said to me “I will sign up when I know it is real. The IBA will make a significant impact on independent broadcaster’s bottom line. In three years, every member will echo that the IBA was exactly the right organization at the right time to meet the needs of independents.” 

The membership investment is a question many are asking, Stone says expect to have that answered soon as the board will take that up as its first task adding that “membership will be affordable and will not be a burden for any size operation”. 

Bud Walters was one of the early supporters of the concept of the IBA…and here are his comments why he believed the IBA’s time has come:

“Independent broadcasters outside the major markets have a lot in common as we seem to be in a different business than large markets broadcasters. There is good reason to explore this idea of working more closely together.“ Bud Walters, President

Owners / operators are still being encouraged to sign up at this web address: http://radioiba.org/ which will only remain active until the new IBA site is operational. Frequent updates will be emailed to those that have signed up on the site to receive communications. Additionally, those signed up will received specific instructions for membership once the new IBA web site (currently under construction) is launched. There will be a conference call scheduled for all members in the next few weeks with Ron Stone and the initial board to discuss the mission and goals of your new IBA. 

About Independent Broadcasters Association
The IBA will serve independent radio stations in ways we are not being served by existing organizations and provide independent operators with ways to drive revenue and achieve cost benefits from scale that cannot be achieved alone. The following reflects what the organization would focus on right away and during the first two years. Revenue Generation, Digital Services, Shared Resources, Proprietary Systems and Services, Group Employee Benefits.
 

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