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Jim Willi “Turning a station around requires total buy-in and daily nurturing. Your entire organization must believe in it, and live it every day. Make no small plans - only valuable, blog actions make customers go 'wow!'”
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Principal and Senior Vice President, Multimedia Innovation Jim Willi has a successful track record of doing what's almost impossible in television - taking third place stations to first. It only happens five-percent of the time, and is rare in today's environment. Yet Jim is making it happen. He has an uncanny ability to see the big picture and even the smallest details of the strategy. Jim identifies barriers, then helps stations break through them.
Getting people to execute strategy is hard. That's why Jim innovated Buy-In Day - station management holds group and individual meetings, explaining the strategy, setting individual goals, and getting signed commitments for the plan. It comes down to trust.
Trusted Motivator
One person calls him The Pied Piper of TV Stations because of how well Jim wins over people. His clients will follow him anywhere. He connects with them, giving them the confidence and power to get things done.
Clients on all levels trust his advice. Jim understands their job, its demands, and the tough realities everyone from reporter to general manager face. Having served as a reporter, anchor, producer, news director, and general manager of TV stations, he offers a unique perspective making people comfortable with his advice. Many advisors have theories - but Jim has been there, done that.
Trust and the ability to motivate were instrumental when Jim helped launch one of the first and most successful state-wide 24-hour cable news networks. He also helped develop programming for CNN and MSNBC.
Jim has also served as a trusted advisor for CBS, NBC, Lin Television, Media General, Journal Company, Emmis, Belo, Newscorp/Fox, Tribune Broadcasting, Hearst-Argyle, Raycom, Young, and Pappas.
Weather Innovator
"Every station has meteorologists. The weathercaster of the future will be a weather scientist who is comfortable forecasting the path of a toxic cloud as a run-of-the-mill thunderstorm."
As Director of the Weathercast of the Future initiative at AR&D, Jim is building the next generation of weathercaster - a certified weather scientist - who will offer a unique benefit for viewers. Weather still is the most important element in a TV newscast, but Jim says, "The weather wars are over - they ended in a tie."
His innovations include:
- Forecast First
- Severe Weather Index
- Weather Story of the Day
- Weather Scientist
Jim is a sought after keynote speaker and counselor for national weather organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Association. With a number of clients in hurricane markets, Jim collaborates with national hurricane experts so his stations win when hurricanes strike.
Personal
Jim loves sports of all kinds. He is an avid fisherman, and recently became hooked on Texas Hold'Em. Sherri, his wife, tolerates this latest passion, as long as he takes time out for a movie date at least once a week. He is very proud his two sons who have both found wonderful wives and careers.
You can reach Jim Willi at jwilli@ar-d.com or 972.989.9894.
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