2004 Conference Archives

Jim Yorgason, VP General Manager
KSL TV Salt Lake (NBC affiliate)

Although he's worked with Bonneville International Corporation for nearly 30 years, Jim Yorgason, Vice President and General Manager of KSL-TV, the group's NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, has only attended NATPE for the past three years.

Yorgason, who took over as GM of KSL four years ago, says he thinks that NATPE has taken on a new dynamic over the years. "It seems to me that by the time you get there a lot of the programming decisions have been made," says Yorgason. "But we have relationships that we've built up over the years and it's good to see people and get a feel and a flavor of where these folks are going with their product."

Says Yorgason, "It's a reunion, people come and go and change and NATPE is a great opportunity to stay connected. We also use it as a barometer to determine what's going on in the business from a programming point of view. This will be my fourth year at NATPE, so I don't know what things were like before, but it works for me. If there is somebody you want to see, you'll see them. Sometimes it's very congested on the floor or in the suites, but if you schedule your time, you see who you need to see. We do book some appointments in advance but we're not terribly regimented or regulated about it."

Continues Yorgason, "We've negotiated for programming before and after NATPE, but we come with expectations on many levels. Basically, we come to see what's available and if there's something there that fills a need and has an opportunity for you, then you dig deeper into it. But we're there on many levels. We meet with NBC, who generally has something going for the affiliates during NATPE. We have had one-on-one meetings with NBC, in fact, a couple of years ago, we initiated our network renegotiations at NATPE. It served as our first real fact-to-face meeting with the network. We also meet with other affiliates that we've come to know, a loose knit group of relationships that exist. We talk and see how they're doing and what they're doing. Although our challenges may be unique, there are some commonalities between us."

Yorgason started with Bonneville International Corporation as a cameraman, moving through various technical operations to become a departmental supervisor before abruptly switching from technical operations to sales. Explains Yorgason, "I enjoyed local sales. And it was the early 80s, which were really great years. At that time in Salt Lake City, there were only three stations." Successful in sales for some ten years, Yorgason was then promoted to general manager of Bonneville's Video West Productions, a film and video production facility. In early 2000, Bonneville offered him the general manager position with KSL Television.

Two years later, Yorgason had the unique experience of working at the Olympic Games' network affiliate in the host city for the global sporting event. "It came at us like a freight train but it was the most spectacular experience I've ever had. I met John Glenn, Desmond Tutu, the participants in the opening and closing events, world-class athletes. We had other NBC affiliates on the rooftop here. There were challenges, certainly, but over all, it was a phenomenal experience. I was definitely in the right place at the right time."

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