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Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Washington’s Kevin Latek is Paving the Way for Local TV Stations to Link Up With National Outlets

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Kevin Latek, Dan Meyers, Alex CastellanosKevin Latek with Dan Meyers and Alex Castellanos

Kevin Latek, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs at Gray Television, spoke with TV News Check about all the innovations that his company can bring to local stations.

According to TVNC, “Gray has become a Wall Street darling for its disciplined acquisition strategy of buying only top stations. And despite being a small-market operator, it has also emerged as an innovator, using LPTVs and subchannels to extend its reach and multiply its Big 4 affiliations, while pioneering new technologies and bringing national sales in-house.”

On the recent fortunes of Gray Television Latek said, “We have reported better revenue growth — core growth, not make-believe growth — in our business that has surprised Wall Street. I think we now have an incredibly efficient company. Our stations run faster, smoother and more efficiently than most broadcast stations precisely because we had a brush with death.”

Latek joined Gray as general counsel in 2012, and, according to TVNC, “has been front and center in executing the expansion strategy.”

“We certainly have grown faster than I imagined. I don’t know any other advertising medium that succeeds as well as television. Everything that sells on digital, if it’s just on digital, it’s going to die,” said Latek. “If you put it on television, it’s going to succeed. The business has been going extinct since I was alive, but yet it’s still here. We’re doing great and I think we’re entering into a new Golden Age of broadcast.”

Kevin Latek is a resident of McLean, Virginia.

Meyers and McCurry Host Junior Statesman of America

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Dan Meyers and Jeff Harris host JSA Event

Junior Statesmen Foundation and Junior State of America alumni and friends gathered at the Arlington home of Dan Meyers and Kevin Latek last week to hear a presentation from the CEO of the Junior Statesmen Foundation, Jeff Harris. The event was held to raise awareness of the Junior Statesmen organization, which provides opportunities to educate high school students on the American political system throughout the DC area.

“Our challenge is getting high school students to be excited about their government, their chance to participate, their chance to make a difference,” said Harris. “JSA is all about giving high school students the skills, the knowledge that they need to become active, involved participants in our democracy for the rest of their lives.

Mike McCurry, the former Press Secretary to President Clinton and JSA alum, co-hosted the “friendraiser” along with fellow JSA veteran Dan Meyers, Rich Galen, Sarah Hoffman, Junelle Cavero, Andy Green and Tammy Haddad. He told the gathering that his first and only political campaign was through the Junior Statesmen of America Foundation while he was still in high school. McCurry ran for the position of Junior Governor of California, which he won.

“[JSA] is a program unlike some of the others that I think many [people] are familiar with… this one actually allows people to be involved, get involved, and really learn by doing,” said McCurry.

Dan Meyers joined the JSA when he was a student in Ohio. Today, he serves on the JSA board and sees it as his way of giving back to the foundation for the support it gave him throughout his high school years.

“The foundation is something that is very close to my heart,” Meyers said. “It’s something that inspired me to get involved in politics.

Guests included JS Board members Doug Bailey, Chris Dunn, JSA staff alum David Mark, Susan Sher, the former FLOTUS Chief of Staff, Jessica Stuart, Junelle Cavero, CEO of Blue Knot Strategies LLC; the divine Chris Edwards, wowed the crowd with the families fabulous Edward Marc Chocolates.

Check out photos from the event below: