CEO Emily Barr tells Broadcasting & Cable what sets GMG stations apart

Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group -- not to mention, Broadcasting + Cable’s Broadcaster of the Year for 2020 -- was recently featured in an online article from B+C, appropriately titled “Best in Broadcasting, Barr None.”

Barr spoke about what sets her stations apart, the stations’ coverage of COVID-19 and racial equality, how they reach younger viewers and what the future looks like for local broadcast.

“I have great faith in local television,” Barr told B+C. “I believe it’s incredibly important -- maybe more important today than ever.”

Here’s an excerpt from the interview.

B+C: Do you look to acquire stations?

EB: Gee, no one ever asks me that question! [Laughs.] We kick the tires quite often. We’re always very conscious of the cost. We’re in somewhat volatile times in our industry, so it would have to be just the right deal for us to make a purchase. But we certainly have made it known that we’re interested. If the right opportunity comes along, I’m sure we’ll take a very close look at it.

You can read a more complete transcript of Barr’s conversation with B+C here.

Graham Media Group was named B+C’s Station Group of the Year in 2016.

Graham Media Group makes headlines at 2019 Promax Station Summit

Graham Media Group’s Emily Barr never imagined she’s be the president and CEO of a major media group.

Growing up, she wanted to be a filmmaker.

But here we are: it’s 2019 and Barr has made her way from news editor to creative services director to general manager to CEO. At this year’s Promax Station Summit, held this week in Las Vegas, Barr shared her path to success with moderators Natalia Egan, creative services director at KPRC-TV Houston, and Jamie Kay Walters, creative services and programming director at WDIV-TV Detroit, which are both Graham Media stations.

Speaking to an audience in the session about leadership, Barr offered the following advice, or lessons to lead by: Failure's just a bump in the road -- even if you fail in front of Oprah, and "When the door opens, don't ask why. Run through it!"

You can read a fantastic write-up about all Barr’s comments on Promax’s website.

The Promax Station Summit describes itself as the only business event created exclusively for and by television station marketing and creative services professionals.

Promax Station Summit brings together the top broadcast networks, program distributors and station ownership groups under one roof for a powerful week in the broadcast industry.

The event also featured speakers Sherry Carpenter, who does creative services and local programming for Graham Media stations WJXT and WCWJ, and Apryl Pilolli, the head of innovation for Social News Desk, a Graham Media company.