The StoryConnect Podcast

In under three years, Central Rural Electric Co-op moved from breaking ground to 85% buildout of their broadband service, CentraNet, in Oklahoma. During a break from the Calix event, Larry Mattox shares how the small team managed this growth, a new brand and evolving member expectations.

In an effort to move beyond features like speed, CL Tel has begun discussing its broadband based on what their service can do for specific customer profiles of personas like gamers, remote workers and families. Special: Recorded LIVE at NTCA

Now that the rules have been finalized, Dereck DeVries, of Vantage Point, shares the latest on what marketers, communicators and executives need to know about the where, what and when of broadband labels.

Sioux Valley Energy's staff LEAD program builds a culture of cooperation across the utility, creating a competitive edge when recruiting talent. Learn how projects from the leadership program improved volunteerism programs, removed silos and strengthened the co-op's internal communications.

Food co-ops, credit unions, utilities and other types of co-ops may serve different needs, but we share many of the same stories. Cooperative educator Cathy Statz talks about the power of sharing the cross-sector co-op story with young people, then offers advice for building your local cooperative community.

Chris Pietsch, director of photography for Gannett Newspapers in Oregon, shares tips on "making — not taking" better photos while previewing the sessions he will lead at StoryConnect in April.

Teddy Feinberg, managing editor at the Idaho Press, gives us a preview of his sessions at StoryConnect 2024, where he will be the writing instructor. In this episode, Teddy focuses on the value of concise writing and gives tips on how to improve your writing by self-editing.

John Marling has been conducting market research for almost four decades. In this episode, he shares insights on what marketers and communicators need to think about in order to get meaningful, actionable data from their research. Learn more at pioneer.coop/surveys.

Today's jobseekers are watching your utility's communications to see what kind of organization you are. And while your primary audience will almost always be your members or customers, Weston Putman says it's crucial to signal to potential new hires that your organization is a place they would want to work.

With a story-packed career spanning three different types of co-ops, WCTEL’s Mary Miller shares ideas for co-op culture-building, effective campaigns and co-opportunities for growth.

Communicating in a competitive community? Prepare yourself by learning who you're up against — and know your differences — focus on your community, get peer support and strengthen your story.

How can you get an engineer excited about telling your utility story? Gregg Hunter, one of Nemont’s storytellers, sits down to talk culture and the value of story with network engineer Peter Davies.

Like many broadband storytellers, Bonnie Baty began working on the electric utility side. She offers advice for communicators making the switch and shares her take on how broadband communications will evolve over the next 5 years.

Launching or refreshing a brand? Get storytelling tips and tactics from Elizabeth Kuhns, who partnered with Pioneer to create the Ignite Broadband brand.

Thinking about creating a podcast? Michael Rovito, host of “Alaska Powerline,” explains how he prepared to launch the podcast, built a content strategy and measures success.

Ed Wolff says trust, urgency, empowerment and other elements of strong organizational culture can be the keys for telcos and utilities having to reinvent themselves due to changing demands. Special: Recorded Live at the KYRBA/TNBA Fall Conference

How can your utility achieve a 4.8 out of 5 stars on Google reviews? Hunter Communication’s Anne Tetamore, VP of marketing, and CEO Michael Wynschenk tell us how valuing both customers and employees plays a key role into achieving success.

Calix Marketing Giant Award winner Lynn Hall shares her utility's Go to Market campaign strategy, with tips to prepare staff for action when marketing is successful.

From community coffee chats to branded coolers for football teams, the WAVE Rural Connect shares fresh ways they build the broadband story into their Arkansas community.

Geni Whitehouse left a career in an accounting firm to help people tell their stories in a more interesting way. She says one key to making your stories more interesting is to understand the four types of personalities in your audience. Recorded live: at the NWPPA's NIC

Wells Rural Electric Cooperative is taking a multichannel approach to motivate members to take action on hydropower regulatory issues. Special: Recorded live at the NWPPA NIC

Want to track consumer sentiment but not sure where to start? CTC's Kelly Burns shares her telco's experience with the net promoter score and how the utility lets the voice of the consumer guide its marketing strategy.

From harnessing net promoter scores to refining your strategic marketing plan, Schurz CEO Tom Williams shares highlights from his speech at Calix ConneXions 2023.

Wi-Fi wizards and tour guides are part of how the Jade Communications team powers up the customer experience. Get takaways from the team's session at Calix ConneXions 2023.

Make subscribers heroes, find foggy-night scenarios and focus on service, not speed. Those are a few of the broadband storytelling ideas “StoryConnect” hosts Andy and Megan share from the annual Calix software conference.