Joan Barrett
general manager of Sunflower Broadcasting Inc
Joan Barrett is the president and general manager of Sunflower Broadcasting Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Schurz Communications Inc. Sunflower operates five television stations: KWCH, KSCW, KBSL, KBSH and KBSD; and four websites, KWCH.com, kansascw.com, CatchItkansas.com, NoticiasKansas.com, and manages KDCU, under a joint sales agreement with Entravision.
Joan was named general manager in October of 2003. Before her promotion, Joan was the news director at KWCH. The Great Bend, Kansas native worked in the television broadcast industry as an anchor, reporter, producer and news manager at stations in: Lubbock, Texas; Topeka, Kansas and Austin, Texas. She was also the vice president of news at KPNX in Phoenix, Arizona. Before coming to KWCH, Joan worked as a consultant and trainer for “The Broadcast Image Group.
Joan served as the Board President of The Kneeland Project for more than five years and was member of the group of Carole’s friends and co-workers who established the Project. She was instrumental in helping to develop the organization’s one-of-a-kind training, which is based on many of the principles Carole advocated. For the training of new directors, Joan provides training in delegation, decision-making, time management and managing multiple priorities, all based on the lessons she learned from Carole.
She has served on a variety of boards, including: the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, Goodwill Easter Seals, the Kansas Food Bank, Wichita State University Elliott School of Journalism Advisory Board and the A.Q. Miller School Advisory Board at Kansas State University. Under her direction, the KWCH 12 news team won two national Edward R. Murrow Awards. She was also awarded the prestigious Gannett Broadcasting “Award of Excellence.” Joan is a graduate of Kansas State University. She now resides in Wichita with her husband Jeff and their three beagles. Her son Jake attends North Carolina State University and her son Josh is a reporter for WAAY TV and SpaceAlabama.com.