By Holland Cooke
Consultant
As a newly minted program director (remember them?), I found the 1980 “NAB Radio Programming Conference” downright enchanting. New-tech cart machines (remember them?) would FIND the splice! And after the cart played, a flashing light saved careless DJs from accidentally playing it again.
Back to The Future: Hello from fabulous Las Vegas, where radio has been folded-into what is now called The NAB Show. Among sessions I will be attending here this week:
- “Improving the Listener Experience,” which has suffered from cutback-after-cutback;
- And I will be the guy typing as fast as I can at “The Local Advertising Buying Landscape: Find Out What’s Driving Digital Sales, Revenue and Growth Opportunities.”
At the annual TALKERS conference 20+ years ago, publisher Michael Harrison coined the term “Media Station,” meaning: “Analog-rooted media such as radio stations, TV stations, and newspapers will have the digital capability of assuming each other’s roles in the multi-platform environment of the 21st century. No media brand will be limited to the AM/FM dial, the VHF/UHF TV set, the printed page delivered to the front porch, or even a specific channel. Every small AM radio station could be a sleeping SiriusXM Satellite Radio.”
This year’s NAB Show goes-there, with, among other sessions:
- “Hot Digital Trends: What to Know About Video, Podcasts and AI;” and
- “The Omni-Media Landscape: Mapping Reach, Affinity, and the Future of Media.
Recently, when CBS Legal wouldn’t let Stephen Colbert air his interview with surging Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D), he posted it to YouTube, where it got roughly FIVE TIMES the views his TV show gets most nights. So… with technology now enabling individuals, I sure won’t miss:
- “A Crew of One: Solo Storytelling Strategies,” where the NAB Show says we will “Learn how to manipulate space and time as a solo storyteller, getting set up for success, working with multiple cameras, and keeping the flow from start to finish.”
- Ditto “The Ultimate Creator Studio Tips and Tricks;” and
- “The Fandom Flywheel: Building Scalable Media Ecosystems in The Bravoverse.”
With Uncle Sam’s big birthday looming, there’s “America 250: Owning the Moment – How Radio and TV Will Drive Community, Culture and Revenue in 2026;” and “The First Amendment and Press Freedom in Today’s Media Landscape.”
If you are in ‘Vegas this week, look for me at all-of-the-above. Maybe we can grab a cuppa cawfee. And no matter WHAT the dealer is showing, always-always split Aces and 8s. If you aren’t here, look for my NAB Show report again here tomorrow.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn