Bonita Elias is the general manager and general sales manager of National Communications, Inc.'s KUIL FOX 64 TV in Beaumont, Texas, where she oversees all operations of one of the newest stations in the Beaumont, Texas market. Bonita has been with KUIL since October, 2006. She is also an active member of the Beaumont Rotary Club which is the 60th largest Rotary Club in the world. She participates in community events and is also active with various charity organizations within the community.
Prior to joining KUIL in Beaumont, Bonita served as president of Bay Area Media Network, a Tampa, Fla., chapter of American Women Radio and Television. Bonita was also sales manager of WMOR TV32 in Tampa Bay. As sales manager, she was the head of a team of local sales account executives for generating spot, web, event, print and cause marketing campaign revenues for the station. Bonita also chaired numerous media social. An active member of her community, Bonita was the treasurer of the Hidden Oaks of Hillsborough Homeowners Association where she was instrumental in getting neighborhood grants for improving and beautifying her neighborhood.
Prior to joining WMOR TV32 in October, 1999, Bonita was senior account leader with WBDC in Washington, D.C. She also served as an account executive with WOIO and WUAB in Cleveland, Ohio, her hometown. Prior to joining the ranks of media, Bonita held management positions in the industrial chemical industries as well as the steel industry in Cleveland, Ohio.
What impact did BLT have on your broadcasting career?
Executive training is very important to our industry because rarely do we get an opportunity to have formalized training on a daily basis. The BLT program helps to teach us what we miss in the day-to-day handling of our positions. Going through BLT was like getting an MBA in broadcasting. Typically an owner and/or general manager can be responsible for millions of dollars in revenue. Having the knowledge on handling the business from the balance sheet to the forming of departments, to the acquiring of capital equipment is paramount to the success of the organization. Recognizing you can not do it alone and surrounding yourself with experts is key to helping you succeed in the business.
What is the last business book you read and what insight did it give you on the broadcast industry?
The last business book I read was recommended to me. It is titled “The Art of The Start” by Guy Kawasaki. I liked this book because it spoke about how to start anything; from something as small as a church group to something as grand as a corporation. It was a quick read with lots of inspirational insight on not giving up your dream and how to make the dream a reality with strategic planning.
What are the three strongest opportunities for the broadcasting industry today?
The three strongest opportunities for the broadcasting industry lie within the ability to embrace the ever-changing media platform with digital environment and online platforms. These opportunities will allow us to approach media from a viewer-participant standpoint which is also a change. Typically the traditional broadcast environment is great for giving information to educate and inform; now we will be better equipped to receive feedback from our viewers to help our advertisers and our communities. Convergence in communications systems, dramatic growth in residential broadband penetration, user-generated content and shifting consumer habits are requiring traditional broadcasters to re-evaluate their distribution strategies. Our industry has an opportunity to meet the challenge of coming up with more original content that is compelling and germane to each market on a more localized basis as we compete with the many distribution outlets.
Name a broadcaster - current or past - whom you admire and why?
There are two broadcasters that I admire. Diane Sutter of Shooting Star Broadcasting and the other is a group that sold several years ago. That group was Malrite Communications Group. I admire Diane because she operates her stations with complete knowledge of the industry and a strong since of integrity. She is a strong leader and truly dedicated to our business. Malrite Communications gave me my first TV legs in the business. They hired the best people, had staff members who believed in the company with their longevity and commitment to the business and love of innovation. Malrite stations were selling NTR before NTR became a buzz word.
What is the toughest business lesson you have learned since you have been in the broadcasting business?
The toughest business lesson I have learned since I have been in the business is that it is detrimental to business to ignore signs of when to walk away from a deal or negotiation that does not make sense. This analogy can apply to any business deal from buying a station or negotiating an advertising buy. Not all business is good business for your overall goals.
