Some 25 years ago, at about the half way point in AIMS’ long history, a relatively new member, Richard W. Chapin, was appointed chairman, succeeding a pattern of yearly rotations of chairman and vice chairman. As head of the highly successful Stewart Radio Group headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, Chapin brought to AIMS an extensive broadcasting background, including national chairman of NAB for radio and television. In the early 70’s, he received the coveted NAB Distinguished Service Award and is the only US broadcaster to have served both as NAB chairman and head of RAB.
Under Dick’s leadership, the Stewart Group grew from a single market (Lincoln, NE) to include stations in Springfield, MO; Grand Island, NE; Salina, KS and Oelwein, Iowa, among others. Always a hands-on operator, Dick was seldom concerned about ratings, though his rated stations were frequently #1. Revenue and bottom line were paramount; his stations being noted for high revenues and 50% margins.
Having the best people was an absolute priority. The Chapin management team developed sales promotions into a productive art form. Every few months, clients and perspective clients were presented a new value added idea to enhance closing the sale and develop clients of long tenure. Dick has shared these ideas with AIMS for a quarter of a century. Chapin-trained managers have gone on to highly productive careers throughout the nation. These now-senior managers recently gathered to tribute their often cantankerous boss, who this year was honored as an inductee to the NAB’s elite Hall of Broadcast Pioneers.
Remarkably, when Dick sold the Stewart stations, he soon bought a stand alone FM in nearby Grand Island; one of the reasons being to stay in AIMS. Dick’s personality, energies and perhaps most important, his enormous personal commitment to lead AIMS, helped galvanize the organization with an improved sense of discipline and purpose. With Dick as chairman, members became more keenly aware of their obligations, requiring (at a minimum) an organized presentation of productive sales and promotional ideas knowledgeably presented in sufficient detail to enable a fellow member to readily duplicate a money making sales idea, a productive promotion or any of the myriad of operational facts, figures and suggestions contained in a typical AIMS presentation. These tenants are, to a large extent, the legacy of AIMS’ most honored chairman.
Over the years Dick’s cache of industry contacts served exceptionally well as an aid to recruiting new members and critically examining applications for AIMS membership. Though many existing members regularly put forth suggestions for membership and participate in the recruitment effort, more often than not it is Dick who secures the commitment.
In the following years, larger broadcast entities, among them several publicly traded companies, joined in AIMS membership. From the very beginning, the announced aim of AIMS was to recruit new members from the best radio stations. Never to be intimidated by the size of a company or the ego of its CEO, Chapin issued to prospective members and existing members alike a clear understanding of their required commitment. His final comment often issued a warning that only death was accepted as excuse for a missed meeting. Usually stated with a wry smile, Chapin would note that he conducted a scheduled AIMS meeting only a week following open heart surgery! Such was and is Mr. Chapin’s commitment to AIMS…a legend in his own time, to be honored by past and future AIMS members for a long time to come.