Nick Johnson, Senior Accountant for WBNS-TV, Selected to Receive 2016 Steve McIntosh Memorial Scholarship

     Nick Johnson, Senior Accountant for WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, has been selected to receive the 2016 Steve McIntosh Memorial Scholarship from Media Financial Management Association (MFM) and its BCCA subsidiary, the media industry’s credit association. Now in its fifth year, the scholarship covers the major expenses associated with attending the association’s 56th annual conference, Media Finance Focus 2016, which will be held May 23-25 in Denver, CO.

     Steve McIntosh, an executive at A.H. Belo Corp, was regarded as a forward-thinking member of the media industry and an active member of both MFM and BCCA until his tragic passing in 2011. To honor his many contributions and to help inspire rising stars in the media industry's financial departments, the scholarship is awarded to someone with fewer than five years of industry experience.

     This year’s recipient, Nick Johnson, has served as Senior Accountant for WBNS-TV, a broadcast affiliate of The Dispatch Printing Company, for the past year and a half. Beforehand, he spent two years as a financial analyst for the Dispatch Printing Company’s print division. Johnson, who earned an MBA Degree in Finance from Ohio University and a BA Degree in Business Accounting from the University of Toledo, previously held accounting posts at several Central Ohio companies offering financial and CPA services.

     When nominating Johnson for the scholarship, Patty Williams, Director of Finance for WBNS TV, cited his role as being “an advocate of positive change” who “approaches problems as opportunities and is a frequent contributor of new ideas.” In addition to streamlining the station’s budget, forecasting and sales commission calculation processes, Johnson was named to the station’s culture committee and recently given supervisor responsibilities.       

      “Nick Johnson reflects so many of the qualities that endeared us to Steve McIntosh, making him a perfect recipient for this scholarship” said Mary M. Collins, President and CEO of MFM and BCCA. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to support his professional growth and look forward to watching his star rise at Dispatch Broadcasting and as a member of the media financial management community.” 

About Media Finance Focus 2016:

     Media Finance Focus 2016 serves as the primary source of professional education for business and credit management executives in the media industry, including its newspaper, television, radio, cable, online, mobile and other digital media enterprises. The conference will feature presentations from more than 150 industry experts, who will provide the latest information on accounting, economic projections, valuations, M&A, taxes, human resources, regulatory, and technological developments affecting the media industry.

     MFM is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Registered participants can earn 20 or more CPE credits.

     BCCA, the media industry’s credit association, will provide a full track of sessions designed to meet the needs of today’s credit and collections professionals, including the latest trends in credit policies, initiatives for streamlining the financial management of integrated advertising campaigns, and tips for improving the collections process.

     In addition, the Association of New Media Internal Auditors (NMIA) is co-locating its 2016 meeting with Media Finance Focus 2016, providing its members an opportunity to participate in sessions offered by both events. Media Finance Focus 2016 is also collaborating with the Media Industry Tax Group to offer a full track of tax-related topics of interest to the media industry’s tax professionals.

     Media Finance Focus includes a number of formal and informal networking activities that are designed to foster idea-sharing and an exhibit hall featuring the latest in products and services for addressing the industry’s financial management and credit and collections requirements. Additional information about Media Finance Focus 2016 and an online registration form may be found on the conference Web site: www.mediafinancefocus.org.

About MFM and BCCA:

Media Financial Management Association (MFM) is the premiere resource for financial professionals for media industry education, networking, and information sharing throughout the U.S. and Canada. More information about MFM is available on its Web site: http://www.mediafinance.org. Its BCCA subsidiary serves as the media industry’s credit association. BCCA’s revenue management services encompass a variety of credit reports on national and local media advertisers, including Media Whys, a credit report for media businesses which offers a credit score based on industry-specific aging combined with trade data from Experian or D+B. More information about BCCA is available at http://www.bccacredit.com.