The 27th annual installment of the talk media industry’s longest running, and most important national event took place this past Friday (6/7) at Hofstra University on Long Island. TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond was an advance sellout. The power-packed, one-day agenda featured a roster of more than 60 speakers from all ends of the talk radio and related talk media industries including talent, station owners, CEOs, programmers, technical experts, journalists, syndicators, and a wide variety of visionaries. The annual talk media industry tradition was presented by TALKERS in association with the prestigious university’s multi-award-winning station WRHU Radio and Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Key discussions included “Gaining Traction in a Noisy World,” “The Case for AM Radio,” “Generating News/Talk Revenue in the Digital Era,” “The State of Sports Talk Radio,” “The Brave New World of Technological and Generational Change,” “Programming News/Talk Radio,” “Perspectives on Hosting Television Talk,” “Philanthropy and Community Service,” “The Art of Story Telling,” “Talk Radio Programming Opportunities Beyond Politics,” “Meeting the Challenges of Being a Talk Talent,” “The Big Picture of Radio’s Role in a Rapidly Changing World,” and “The State of the First Amendment” among others. As the volumes of data generated by this gathering are sorted out, TALKERS will provide in-depth, detailed coverage of the conference in the days and weeks ahead including posting videos of its key segments. See a selection of photos from TALKERS 2024 Radio and Beyond below.
Pictured (l-r) are the industry visionaries who made the “Brave New World” panel one of the most illuminating highlights of TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond – Matthew B. Harrison, Esq., VP/associate publisher, TALKERS / senior partner, Harrison Media Law; Steven Goldstein, CEO, Amplifi Media; Heather Cohen, president, The Weiss Agency; John T. Mullen, GM, WRHU-FM/WRHU.org, Hofstra University; and Scot Bertram, GM, WRFH / Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. Not pictured, moderator Harry Hurley, morning host, WPG, Atlantic City. The session explored radio’s generational divide, the impact of YouTube and social media; changing technology, the protection of intellectual property rights, artificial intelligence and more.
Bill Brady, owner/host, KFNX, Phoenix “The Pulse of Arizona” delivered a compelling address appropriately titled, “The Case for AM Radio” that received a standing ovation.
WPG, Atlantic City morning host Harry Hurley (r) presented Broadcasters Foundation of America chairman Scott Herman (l) with a donation of $8,000 from the famous Hurley in the Morning Charty Foundation. Each year, beginning with a $1,000 donation in 2017, Hurley has presented a gift to the BFoA at the TALKERS conference increasing the sum by a thousand dollars each year. The total now stands at $36,000. Herman delivered an emotional address detailing the tremendous work the Broadcasters Foundation does each year in providing financial support and protection to radio and TV professionals who have fallen on hard times due to catastrophic health issues or natural disasters. For more information about the Broadcasters Foundation of America please click here. www.broadcastersfoundation.org
Rob Finnerty, host of “Wake Up America” on Newsmax TV, delivered an insightful lunchtime address titled “In Front of the Camera” expressing the perspective of talk show hosts on the television side of talk media. Newsmax sponsored the lunch at TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond.