John Emrich
Changes in Broadcasting
By Kathleen Swift • Photo by Savanah Mandeville
Life is full of changes, and as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus told us, nothing is permanent except change. John Emrich can attest to this statement in both his life and in his work as a local sales manager for KSN and KODE television and their digital product fourstateshomepage.com.
“I traveled an interesting path to get where I am,” said Emrich. “Out of college, I started working in a clothing store named the Oxford Shop, which was inside Ramsey’s department store in downtown Joplin. After the change of ownership there, I went to work in the beverage business, sold Freightliner trucks, and ended up in the automobile business in Joplin and in Decatur, Illinois. After returning to the Joplin area, I ultimately connected with KODE television. At that time, I wanted a new line of work and thought television would be a good fit for me.”
Emrich embraced the change and worked at KODE for seven years before moving to KSN in 1998.
“I have always felt that everything I have done has been a true benefit to where I am today. I’ve ridden some unusual waves in my career such as the price of gas going up when we were selling large automobiles and interest rates were 20 percent. Those life experiences helped me understand my customers and their daily challenges of doing business.”
Change has also been a part of the television industry over the years.
“Things are more competitive,” said Emrich. “There are more players in the market and our customers have more choices of where to spend their advertising dollar. But keep in mind, television has made some significant changes, as well, with the introduction of high definition.
“Is change bad? Not necessarily. I believe it makes you better at what you do.”
The introduction of digital media, which consists of websites, banner ads, pre-rolls, etc., has brought a whole new line of products to offer local customers along with their television advertising.
“It’s a fast-changing world, and it’s easy for anyone to see that change.”
Emrich acknowledges its fast-changing world. Although he can’t predict what lies ahead, he believes television has been resilient to the changes in broadcasting in the past, and he knows they will continue to be open to changes in the future.
“Television is here to stay as long as there is a thirst for visual products,” said Emrich. “We’re a visual society, and I believe we always will be no matter which screen you might be watching.
“KSN and KODE have been resilient to the changes in broadcasting. We will continue to be open to changes. Television is still a form of entertainment in our area, and we continue to make capital investments in technology to bring our services up to date for the local community.”