Storyconnect The Podcast

WordSouth developed the industry's first COVID-19 resource kit for utility communicators. CEO Stephen V. Smith joins the show to discuss the free kit and strategies for communicating in this unprecedented time.

NTCA has rolled out it's brand new Smart Rural Communities Podcast. How is the association using podcasts to help tell the rural broadband story?

PRTC has received a fair share of media attention in recent years. CEO Keith Gabbard offers tips on being interviewed and discusses how telling stories can positively shape coverage.

The Tennessee Broadband Association has launched Lead Tennessee Radio as a tool to both communicate important policy issues with listeners and build relationships with legislators. Checkout Lead Tennessee Radio.

At Omnitel, storytelling is an important skill for all employees. CEO Ron Laudner tells us how and why it's important for everyone to be on the same page.

Scott Meyer of Innovative Systems shares insights from the 2020 Video and Internet Study, discussing DVR usage, streaming only households and an alarming decrease in customer satisfaction among rural telcos.

At RTIME, Fred Johnson was called on to articulate NTCA's position on electrics getting into the broadband business. He joined the podcast after his address to share his thoughts.

Tombigbee Electric Cooperative was early to the game on fiber optics. What can other electrics learn from Tombigbee’s Freedom Fiber service?

The demand for broadband was there, but Joe Wheeler EMC (Trinity, Alabama) needed approval from its membership to enter the business. In this episode, Director of Communications Michael Cornelison talks about the actions his electric cooperative took to inform members and hold an election to change the company bylaws.

In the summer of 2019, Director of Communications Patricia Contic and her team at Morristown (TN) Utility Systems were set to launch a company-wide rebranding effort. And then someone launched a DDoS attack on their network. In this episode, Patricia talks about how they managed the public backlash, deleted their Facebook page and started a new one, and came out the other side with a rebrand — and a new social media policy.

Appalachian Electric Cooperative in New Market, Tennessee, did its homework before deciding to enter the broadband business — what Director of Member Services Mitch Cain calls "the largest investment our cooperative had ever made." In this episode, Mitch talks about what led to AEC's decision to offer broadband, and how finding the right partner was key to making it happen.

If your company wants to reach its goals, improve its results and become more competitive, the Baldrige Framework provides a system for moving you toward excellence. In his presentation to on the conference main stage, Keiffer dove deep into the Customer Focus leg of the Leadership Triad, exploring how customer expectations, engagement and communication can inform your pursuit of overall leadership excellence. For more information on putting this training to work in your organization, contact Jim at jim.keiffer@wordsouth.com

Robocalling is a huge issue for all of us and continues to be the number-one complaint to the FCC and FTC. More than half the calls to all mobile phones in the US in 2019 will be robocalls. STIR-SHAKEN is a framework developed by the ATIS/SIP Forum NNI Task Force to reduce the number of illegally spoofed calls. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has demanded that service providers begin implementing STIR-SHAKEN in 2019. Jamie's presentation at the conference provided an overview of STIR-SHAKEN, along with additional methods to mitigate the robocalling problem in your network. For more information, contact Jamie at jgibson@rbbn.com.

Shawn Arner is the USDA RUS Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Loan Origination and Approval Division. He spoke from the conference main stage about the many funding programs available through the Rural Utilities Service. To learn more, contact Shawn at shawn.arner@usda.gov.

Federal and state grant programs are providing another source of funding for many to expand their broadband buildout. Whether an outright grant, a low-interest loan, or funding through the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunities Fund, there are several programs that can help fund your broadband project. Each program has detailed application requirements, but jumping through these hoops can be worth the effort. Many companies have won grants that have allowed them to complete buildouts to the most rural areas or expand into competitors’ underserved areas. To learn more, contact Valerie at vwimer@jsitel.com.

How can we diversify services to create market resilience, reduce churn, and increase revenue? What innovative methods can we use to add to the value we provide to customers? To explore these and other questions, NeoNova conducted an industry survey and hosted a small-group discussion workshop at the 2019 NTCA Technology & Business conference. We review the lessons learned from the survey and the discussions at the event, along with recommendations based on the results.

What can rural broadband communicators learn from improv and storytelling?

When Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative wanted to get into the broadband business, they created the Wave Rural Connect brand. How did they do it and what are the advantages of building a new brand?

Riverstreet is offering a broadband only package under the Opti-Fi brand. How is the brand being recieved? This episode also includes a discussion about tactics for online ad tactics.

Updating one of the year's most popular episodes, Scott Meyer of Innovative Systems shares summer quarter viewership numbers showing which channels are the most and least popular rural viewers.