Community Leader Spotlight
Brian Dodge, Vice President, General Manager, WSBT-TV
Tell us about your journey to WSBT--what brought you there?
I lived in South Bend until I was 12 and then moved east across the state to Angola, IN., to help my mom’s side of the family farm. My wife is from St. Joseph, MI, so when the opportunity came up to make this move back while also advancing my career, it was a great fit! We both still have extended family in the area and love it here.
What do you like the most about being in the TV industry?
My wife says I’m a “fixer” — that I love to fix things. In this industry, what I’ve always loved and still like to do is meet with businesses and find ways to make them better and help them grow. “Selling” across different industries means it’s a different deal every day and every conversation. I like the diversity this brings and having now both linear and digital solutions makes it even more exciting. Additionally, having grown from sales to sales management, and now more of a generalized total operations manager as GM, I continue to meet with local businesses, and also help our internal teams, like News, Operations, and HR, find solutions to ensure that we are as successful with content as we are with sales!
What role has marketing played in WSBT's success?
Having the right messaging is critical, as it must resonate with what your audience wants. We are big fans of research and data-driven decision-making. The success that WSBT enjoys currently is the result of purposeful and intentional content designed to suit the needs of our viewing area based on data-driven research. Education, crime, politics, local news and sports—content drives community and community drives revenue. Our talented team at WSBT is the result of a terrific culture and leadership team that has been here for decades, with a singular driven purpose to win each day with the best content and coverage possible, delivered with flawless execution. It’s not always flawless, but it’s that drive and love of what they do that brings the community together to be informed and watch each day.
What's new or on the horizon for WSBT? And how do you see the station and South Bend five years from now?
We continue to learn and grow, pivoting with industry changes and how content is consumed on a daily basis. Five years down the road I see WSBT bringing even more local news, and especially local sports, to our viewers. With the continued proliferation of ATSC 3.0 (Next Gen TV), we will have more bandwidth to create more digi-nets that will carry content such as local high school sports, South Bend Cubs, and maybe even some partnerships to bring Notre Dame lacrosse or baseball, as well as local/niche podcasting.
Since we're in an election year... and music has increasingly become identified with political campaigns. If you could choose one song to play every time you walked into a room, what would you choose and why?
Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones. I’ve always liked the classic rock genre, and that song speaks to me of the rising up from hardship and finding success!
What was your first job?
Farming, mowing yards, baling hay/straw at 12 yrs of age. My first “W2” job was at 15, working at a local dime store sweeping floors and taking out the garbage. I’ve worked in factories, retail men’s clothing stores, have been a bank teller and a bartender prior to graduating college, before finding myself in media sales and management as a career.
Anything you'd like to add or share?
The changes in our industry are happening as result of changes in how we consume content. We have so many more choices! That said, local news and sports will always play a HUGE role in the content that people want daily. Yes, our industry has changed, but I think that change is exciting and offers great opportunities. South Bend is a terrific market and the growth we are seeing in our community is just as exciting. I’m thrilled to be part of such a great team here at the station and look forward to what is ahead for all of us in Michiana!
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