Ohio Association of Broadcasters

What Ohio Association of Broadcasters does

The Ohio Association of Broadcasters (OAB) is a 1937-established nonprofit trade association headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, representing more than 95% of Ohio television stations and 90% of Ohio radio stations. It operates three service pillars for member stations: legislative advocacy at state and federal levels, regulatory and FCC compliance support delivered through dedicated legal counsel (Vorys in Ohio; Brooks Pierce at the FCC), and a professional development stack spanning sales (P1 Plus new-seller training), engineering (ABIP, EAS, SBE), HR/operations (annual employment law webinar, Workers' Comp savings), and journalism (Poynter Beat Academy). On the commercial side, OAB runs the Public Education Partnership (PEP) program, brokering 13-week statewide broadcast campaigns at $90,000 with a guaranteed 300% ROI for government agencies and nonprofit sponsors, typically activating 175-200 stations to reach Ohio's 11.7 million residents. Revenue is generated from three streams: recurring membership dues (Broadcast and Associate tiers), PEP sponsorship income from government and nonprofit partners, and fees from training programs and events such as the annual sales seminars ($65-$80 per registrant).

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its technology footprint is limited to a GrowthZone-powered member portal, website-based event registration, and webinar delivery infrastructure. Affiliate programming partnerships extend its capabilities beyond what staff alone could deliver: Michigan Association of Broadcasters co-presents the Third Thursday Webinar Series, Local Broadcast Sales runs monthly 2nd Tuesday sales webinars, P1 Learning provides the new-seller onboarding curriculum, Poynter Institute delivers journalism training, Omnia Group supplies free hiring assessments, and legal partners Vorys and Brooks Pierce provide continuous compliance counsel. An affiliated educational entity, the Ohio Broadcasters Foundation, administers scholarships for dependents of broadcast industry employees.

Name

Ohio Association of Broadcasters

Legal name

Ohio Association of Broadcasters, Inc.

Website

https://oab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ohio Association of Broadcasters is a 1937-founded nonprofit trade association serving more than 95% of Ohio TV stations and 90% of radio stations through advocacy, FCC compliance support, and professional training, plus the PEP public-education campaign program for government and nonprofit sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from radio and television stations throughout Ohio. Membership categories include Broadcast Membership for stations and Associate Membership for industry suppliers and service providers.
2. PEP Program Sponsorship: Public Education Partnership program generates sponsorship income from nonprofit organizations and government agencies seeking to reach Ohio audiences through broadcast airtime. The OAB distributes these campaigns to member stations statewide.
3. Training and Event Fees: Revenue from sales seminars, training programs, and industry events. Registration fees for events like sales seminars ($65-$80 per registrant) and P1 Plus training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ohio Association of Broadcasters is a not-for-profit trade association that provides legislative advocacy, regulatory compliance support, and professional development training to its member radio and television stations across Ohio. It also operates the Public Education Partnership (PEP) program, which connects government agencies and nonprofits with member stations to deliver statewide public education campaigns. The association is funded through membership dues, PEP sponsorship income, and training/event registration fees.

Product overview

The Ohio Association of Broadcasters operates as a trade association offering a unified platform of advocacy, compliance support, and training services for radio and television stations across Ohio. The core product portfolio centers on Training & Events (including live and on-demand training calendars, the Third Thursday Webinar Series, and LBS 2nd Tuesday Webinars), the Public Education Partnership (PEP) program for nonprofit and government agency campaigns, Career Center job board services, and specialized resource modules covering Sales (P1 Plus training, political broadcasting guides, Ohio advertising regulations), Engineering (ABIP program, Emergency Alert Systems), HR & Operations (employment law, workplace safety), News & Programming (Poynter Institute training), Scholarships (OAB Kids Scholarship), and Compliance resources (FCC hotline, EEO rules, music licensing). The association connects member stations with industry partners including P1 Learning, Local Broadcast Sales, Poynter Institute, and Vorys/Brooks Pierce legal counsel to deliver these services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ohio Broadcasters Foundation: Educational foundation affiliated with the Ohio Association of Broadcasters, the not-for-profit trade association of radio and television stations in Ohio

Products and services

• Broadcast Membership Annual membership in OAB's nonprofit trade association for Ohio radio and television stations and associate industry suppliers, providing access to advocacy, FCC compliance resources, training programs, and industry networking.
• Public Education Partnership (PEP) Program Multi-week statewide broadcast campaign program connecting government agencies and nonprofit organizations with 175-200 Ohio radio and TV stations to deliver public education messaging, with a 300% ROI guarantee based on $90,000 for a 13-week campaign yielding at least $270,000 in documented return.
• Training & Events Comprehensive training program including a live training calendar, on-demand training library, annual sales seminars, and the OAB Executive Forum for broadcast industry professionals across Ohio.
• P1 Plus New Seller Training Seven-week onboarding certification program for new broadcast sellers, including 40+ online video courses, individual trainer sessions, testing, and a final project certificate, delivered through P1 Learning partnership and fully subsidized by OAB for member stations.
• Third Thursday Webinar Series Monthly webinar series presented jointly with Michigan Association of Broadcasters covering sales, engineering, news, and HR topics for broadcast industry professionals.
• LBS 2nd Tuesday Webinars Monthly expert sales training webinars held on the second Tuesday of each month at noon ET, providing sales content and marketing solutions through Local Broadcast Sales partnership at no additional cost to OAB members.
• Poynter Institute Beat Academy Webinar series providing journalists with beat expertise, data know-how, and access to leading national journalists through Poynter Institute partnership, with OAB covering the $75 enrollment fee for member station news staff.
• OAB Annual Employment Law Webinar Annual employment law update presented by OAB's Ohio counsel Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP, covering DEI programs, religion at work, PWFA requirements, and pay transparency laws for Ohio broadcasters.
• Career Center Job board and career resources connecting job seekers with employment opportunities at OAB member radio and television stations throughout Ohio, including Working in Radio and Working in TV career guides.
• OAB Kids Scholarship Annual scholarship program awarded to graduating high school seniors whose parent is employed by an OAB member station, administered by the Ohio Broadcasters Foundation.
• Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio Professional development program focused on mentoring and inspiring women working in Ohio radio broadcasting.
• OAB Internship Support Program Program supporting OAB member stations in developing internship opportunities for students interested in broadcast careers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300% ROI guarantee on PEP campaigns - $3 return for every $1 invested
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational umbrella organization for state broadcast associations enabling multi-state campaign coordination for PEP programs and shared advocacy on federal broadcast policy issues affecting all state associations.
• National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational broadcast industry organization providing federal advocacy, policy resources, and annual State Leadership Conference enabling OAB members to participate in Capitol Hill visits.
• Michigan Association of BroadcastersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint presentation of Third Thursday Webinar Series providing shared access to training content for members of both state associations and cost efficiency in program delivery.
• Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOAB Ohio counsel providing annual employment law webinar and Ohio Info-Line hotline for members with questions on state regulations and advertising law. Legal guidance on Ohio-specific requirements.
• Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOAB FCC counsel providing political broadcasting resources, compliance guidance, FCC hotline support, and biennial political broadcasting webinar updates for members on federal regulatory requirements.
• P1 LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner providing P1 Plus new seller onboarding program. OAB subsidizes registration fees ($685/person) for up to two new sellers per station group annually, covering the full cost for member stations.
• Local Broadcast Sales (LBS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner providing monthly 2nd Tuesday webinars, on-demand training resources, ad intelligence tools, and BEST program for new sellers. Available at no additional cost for OAB members.
• Poynter InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJournalism training partner providing Beat Academy enrollment and news webinars. OAB covers $75 Beat Academy enrollment fee for limited number of news staff at member stations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Broadcasters (NAB): National umbrella trade association for U.S. broadcasters. Comparable to OAB as the apex trade body, and OAB has a strategic partnership with NAB for federal advocacy and the annual State Leadership Conference.

Direct peers

• New York State Broadcasters Association: State-level broadcast trade association providing advocacy, legal/compliance resources, and training to New York radio and TV stations. Comparable organizational structure and revenue model.
• Illinois Broadcasters Association: State broadcast trade association for Illinois. Provides the same core suite of advocacy, regulatory compliance, training, and public education partnership services as OAB.
• Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters: State broadcast trade association serving Pennsylvania stations with advocacy, training, and public file compliance services. Closely mirrors OAB's mission and product portfolio.
• California Broadcasters Association: State broadcast trade association serving California radio and TV stations. Mirrors OAB's mix of legislative advocacy, regulatory compliance support, and member training services.
• Michigan Association of Broadcasters: State-level broadcast trade association serving Michigan radio and TV stations. Directly comparable to OAB in mandate, membership structure, and service offerings, and is an actual joint programming partner via the Third Thursday Webinar Series.
• Indiana Broadcasters Association: State-level broadcast trade association serving Indiana radio and TV stations with similar advocacy, compliance, and training programs. Operates an analogous PEP-style Public Education Program for nonprofit messaging.
• Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA): Trade association for broadcast and digital news journalists, providing training and ethics standards that complement OAB's Poynter Institute news programming partnerships.
• Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE): Professional society for broadcast engineers that operates in parallel to OAB's engineering resources, providing certification and technical training overlapping with OAB's SBE chapter information services.
• National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA): Umbrella organization for state broadcast associations that OAB partners with for multi-state PEP coordination and federal policy alignment. Provides shared services and advocacy across state members.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OhioBroadcaster
• Facebookfacebook.com/OhioBroadcasters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohio-association-of-broadcasters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ohio Association of Broadcasters