
As Women's History Month draws to a close, we spent some time with Toni Coonce, Vice President of Sales, Television, to talk about her experience as a woman in sales leadership, both at WideOrbit specifically and in broadcasting in general.
History, from first job to a leader in sales:
Toni has been at WideOrbit for 14 years, serving as VP of Sales, TV, since 2018. Prior to joining WideOrbit, she worked at Marketron for several years, where she moved rapidly through various roles, from product and technical support, to installation, account management, sales engineering, and finally sales.
Toni says it was a funny side path that brought her into TV sales at WideOrbit. She originally interviewed for a position with what was, at the time, a newly forming radio sales team. But because she'd had experience selling broadcast TV solutions at Marketron, she was offered a spot on the WideOrbit TV sales team. She stayed in that sales executive position for ten years, moving into the role of Director of Sales, TV, in 2016 and then VP of Sales two years later.
Toni says she didn't start out with any aspirations toward a career in television broadcasting or advertising management software. She studied business in college, with an emphasis on finance, thinking accountants make a decent living, maybe she should become one. But she soon realized she doesn't have the personality for it. Right out of college she landed a job at a radio station, and that led her to Marketron, which led her into sales and, ultimately, WideOrbit.
The sales team at Marketron is where I cut my teeth on how television worked, as they spent two years trying to break into the Television market, Toni says. Then in 2006, I joined WideOrbit because, at the time, they were these new kids on the block, making all this progress, and clearly it proved to be the right decision.
Inspirational women along the way:
When asked about women leaders who have inspired her, Toni pointed out that, Broadcasting has traditionally been more male-centric. Acknowledging that the situation for women in the industry is changing, with more women moving up within organizations, Toni says, I will say of our client base, I'm seeing more broadcasters who have a lot more women now moving into VP or executive C level positions. She says Leslie Fein, Senior VP, Sourcing, at NBCUniversal has been an inspiration. Listening to her, and engaging with her, talking things through with her through negotiations, she came to appreciate what a strong female leader and influencer she was.
Toni also mentions Karen Youger, VP of Sales Operations at Gray Television, who she says has been a good sounding board because she knows the industry really well. I consider Karen a friend, but our relationship evolved because she knows the industry, is well respected, and adds tremendous value at her organization. She, too, has grown her position at a respected broadcaster that also has a high male to female executive ratio.
Toni says Susie Hedrick, WideOrbit's former Senior VP of Sales, also played a role. Toni worked with Susie both at WideOrbit and previously at Marketron, and she says, Susie did give me my opportunity to move up. She put faith in me. She took the risk.
Advice for colleagues finding their way:
Toni says that in looking back, she thinks one thing she might have done differently, an area that might have helped her move up in her career more quickly, would have been to take feedback less personally. We all have managers, she says, and criticism can sometimes be tough to hear. Ten or 15 years ago, I took it too seriously.
Her advice to colleagues is to take a step back, Look at how you're doing your job, areas where you might be struggling, and take manager feedback more as a tool to help you improve. She says reflecting on feedback and making appropriate adjustments can lay the groundwork for taking advantage of new opportunities.
Toni also says it's especially important for women to speak up. She says women often, Don't want to lean in and raise our hand to take the risk of either looking silly or just not being taken seriously. Toni wonders if she'd done more of that, maybe she would have been farther along than she is now. So, I would say, she adds, to any colleague who feels like they shouldn't raise their hand, think about what you are trying to convey, and take the risk. Your idea could be a game changer.
One final piece of advice for women colleagues looking to move into leadership roles?
If you're not going to raise your hand, then you're not going to get there. To be seen and heard, to be looked at with respect and for people to say, Wow, this is somebody we may be overlooking as an individual who can really contribute to our organization, you have to get over the stigma of being a little bit stronger and a little bit more vocal, and just do it.
For press inquiries, contact media@wideorbit.com.
More from WideOrbit
03/07/2025
In today's fragmented media landscape, advertisers expect more than just reach - they want seamless cross-platform campaigns that deliver measurable results...
18/06/2025
By Brian Thoman, WideOrbit Chief Technology Officer...
11/06/2025
In today's rapidly evolving media landscape, advertising is more complex than ever. As media consumption spans linear, streaming, on-demand, and digital pla...
30/05/2025
By Brian Thoman, WideOrbit Chief Technology Officer...
13/05/2025
More than ever, radio stations today are challenged to provide the best experien...
16/04/2025
Last month at Borrell Phoenix, Devlin Jefferson, WideOrbit SVP, Professional Services, teamed up with Brock Berry, CEO and Co-Founder of AdCellerant, to present...
27/03/2025
At Borrell Phoenix earlier this month, Devlin Jefferson, WideOrbit SVP, Professional Services, had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion on the importa...
27/01/2025
As 2025 begins, it's the perfect time to reflect on the milestones and trends that defined the media industry in 2024. At WideOrbit, last year brought excit...
05/11/2024
Local TV broadcasters face growing complexity in managing multi-platform campaigns. The demand for precise audience targeting and efficient workflow processes i...
30/10/2024
By Brian Thoman, WideOrbit CTO...
08/10/2024
The convergence of linear and digital media presents both opportunities and challenges for traditional TV and radio broadcasters. Robust linear and digital syst...
03/10/2024
With the WNBA's semifinal playoff round underway, and the first gender-equal...
20/08/2024
With National Radio Day on August 20 and Radio Commercials Day on August 28, this is the perfect time to reflect on the profound impact radio continues to have ...
13/08/2024
WideOrbit worked with Comscore to make person-level demographic data available i...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games present a unique and exciting opportunity for local...
23/07/2024
WideOrbit is celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2024 - 25 years of revolutionizing the media advertising industry. Founded in 1999 with the visionary goal o...
10/07/2024
In today's rapidly evolving media landscape, where consumers are inundated with content across multiple channels, advertisers must make strategic choices wh...
12/06/2024
In today's dynamic and hyperconnected digital landscape, media advertising h...
21/05/2024
WideOrbit congratulates Susie Hedrick, President and Managing Director, on her i...
17/05/2024
WO Traffic provides a solid foundation from which stations can manage, execute, and scale end-to-end ad trafficking and sales, both today and into the future. W...
06/05/2024
For years, radio stations have used on-premises servers to broadcast content and manage automation, traffic, and billing systems. As technology continues to adv...
16/04/2024
With the number of digital platforms continuously on the rise, a consolidated digital order management system is critical - now more than ever. WO Digital Hub u...
01/04/2024
WO Fusion is our next-generation, direct-sales platform, offering powerful new sales workflows and functionality for cross-media, multi-market selling across al...
20/03/2024
Television advertising has traditionally revolved around linear broadcasting, with advertisers purchasing airtime spots to reach a broad audience. But with shif...
06/03/2024
The world of advertising has undergone a transformative evolution. As a percenta...
31/01/2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing processes across virtually all industries, and the media world is no exception. In the constantly evolving media...
24/01/2024
While expectations are high for the anticipated increase in political ad spend for this year's elections, that influx of cash is just one of several trends ...
08/01/2024
WideOrbit began 2023 with the merger with the Lumine Group (TXSV: LMN.V) in February. Our partnership with Lumine builds on our 25-year foundation and contribut...
15/11/2023
In today's increasingly competitive landscape, radio broadcasters demand a strong, flexible, and user-friendly automation system to keep listeners engaged a...
16/10/2023
Traditional sales processes have presented significant challenges to broadcasters for years, involving highly manual workflows and high-touch, low-tech, back-an...
11/10/2023
WO Digital Hub is a consolidated digital order management platform for unifying digital ad sales, operations, execution, and finance across multiple properties ...
29/09/2023
We had a great time at the 2023 WideOrbit Connect User Conference and hope you did as well.
Here's a quick recap of the conference by the numbers.
Total r...
20/09/2023
Broadcast TV has long been proven to be the most effective medium for building brand awareness. It is also perceived as both difficult and expensive to buy, res...
06/09/2023
For brands looking to scale their campaigns, there's little question that br...
16/08/2023
Seamless integration of radio automation and traffic systems saves time and money WUIS-NPR, the University of Illinois Springfield's NPR radio station, is r...
09/08/2023
The latest release of WO Network, our flagship network ad sales and commercial operations platform, introduces key benefits to help cable and broadcast TV netwo...
07/08/2023
Purpose-built for the media industry to extend automation throughout the entire accounting cycle, WO Payments Suite helps media finance teams manage unique acco...
31/07/2023
As media consumption patterns evolve, advertisers want to buy TV, audio, and dig...
12/07/2023
WO Automation for Radio (AFR) Mobile is an iOS application specifically designed to enable control of WO Automation for Radio from anywhere.
Other systems usin...
05/07/2023
The hotly contested elections of both 2020 and 2022 drove record-breaking political advertising spend, demonstrating that TV remains the best choice for achievi...
05/07/2023
The latest release of WO Traffic, our flagship broadcast media ad traffic operations platform, introduces key benefits to stations and station groups, helping g...
14/06/2023
Radio stations are facing unprecedented cost pressures and need to deliver quali...
10/05/2023
With the increasing risk of a major recession, increasing interest rates, and historic inflation, brands are scrutinizing ad spend more closely than ever. When ...
26/04/2023
In today's rapidly evolving media landscape, streamlining the ad buying and ...
27/03/2023
For as long as we've been talking about linear and digital convergence, we h...
08/03/2023
Increasing audience fragmentation and shrinking ad budgets are hallmarks of toda...
06/03/2023
In today's media landscape, sales teams are challenged with generating impression-based proposals. Inefficient workflows slow execution time and new dataset...
27/02/2023
WO Omni helps broadcasters with bespoke regional requirements save time and increase revenue by centralizing cross-media sales, traffic, and billing operations ...
21/02/2023
The growing demand for omnichannel marketing campaigns highlights the need for automated marketplaces that provide brands and agencies with simplified access to...
08/02/2023
The convergence of traditional, over-the-air broadcast TV and connected TV (CTV) presents new opportunities for advertisers to engage with their audiences. CTV ...