The West Virginia Broadcasters Association represents 100% of television and a majority of radio stations in the state of West Virginia.  The association provides continuing education and government affairs information and serves as a liaison between members and the FCC.

The WVBA has been a client of Bricks Without Straw’s since its earliest days.  Executive director Michele Crist was responsible for the choice of BWS for the association’s website needs.  “My secretary had tried to make one.  And then I lost my assistant.  You’ve got to be a jack of all trades running this association and I couldn’t do that too.”

Jamie’s concise design and organization of the website serves the association’s members well.  “He does what suits us.  If you looked at the website, it doesn’t have a lot of things.  But it serves it’s purpose.”

Members often need access to legal operating information pertaining to the industry, and can find it quickly in the resource section of the site.  News stories of interest to the industry are highlighted on the home page.  Crist stated that Jamie “enhanced tenfold “ the PEP Program section of the site. 

PEP, which stands for “Public Education Partnership”, benefits both non-profit and government agencies in the state by providing low-cost advertising opportunities; it benefits the association by providing funds designated for trade association costs (for such things as conventions, scholarships, etc.).  Members can now quickly and easily find and download PEP announcements for use on their stations.   “He saw what we had.  Ours was just the starting block.  He enhanced it tenfold, making it user friendly—there were a lot of clicks to get to stuff--he streamlined it.”

Employment Board Improvement

Bricks Without Straw improved the job board section of the site, a valuable tool for both employers and job seekers.  It also fulfills a federal licensing requirement for member stations;  Jamie redesigned the section so that members can directly add information to the board themselves.  When members have difficulty, Jamie is quick to respond.  “I send him an email, it gets corrected.  His servicing is great because he gets it done within the day.  Members love it; they always end up satisfied.  They always get taken care of.”

An asset to a Small Staff

As the association’s sole staff member, Crist appreciates the dependability of Jamie and his staff. “I simply send him updates when I can and he takes care of it; I hear back from him usually within a day.  If it’s something that takes a little bit longer--designing and posting--it may be a couple (of days), but he’s always carried out whatever we need him to.”

Crist also appreciates Jamie’s expertise in the IT business, knowledge that helps the West Virginia Broadcasters Association meet its goals.  “ He does exactly what I need him to do. For somebody like me that needs that type of service, I think that’s a compliment to him, because I don’t need anything else.  He services everything I need.  He always there and he always gets what I need, 100% of the time. He does what he does very well.”