The 51st Executive Conference held at the Sagamore Resort Hotel on June 24th and 25th, received rave reviews. We had a packed house for the Tony Malara Memorial Awards Dinner for Excellence in Broadcasting. In addition to outstanding business panels, attendees had a chance to network at our annual golf tournament. The second day was capped off by our traditional dinner and fireworks!
Monday Evening Reception
Monday night’s reception brought together broadcasters from across the Empire state to network with each other. It was a chance to talk business and renew old friendships.
Tony Malara Annual Awards Dinner
for Excellence in Broadcasting
Fifty-four awards for Excellence in Broadcasting were handed out at the Tony Malara Memorial Awards dinner. Conference Chair Alex Cameron (Emmis Communications) and NYSBA President David Donovan welcomed a packed ball room to the evening’s festivities. Alex acknowledged the hard work of all the broadcasters in the room and thanked them for their dedication and professionalism.
Major General Patrick Murphy, Adjutant General for the State of New York, thanked broadcasters for supporting the New York Army National Guard. He reminded us of the sacrifice born by the members of the Guard who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. General Murphy noted that the Guard was there during Tropical Storm Irene and during Superstorm Sandy.
New Yorker of the Year for 2013
The Honorable Peter King (R 2nd) was honored as our 2013 “New Yorker of the Year”. Congressman King received the award for his tremendous efforts in securing funding for the victims of Superstorm Sandy.
As NYSBA Chairman Deon Levinston, VP and General Manager of WBLS/WLIB, noted during his introduction, Congressman King is a New Yorker to the core and has an unflinching dedication to the people of his district and the state of New York. In accepting the awards, a grateful Congressman King praised the people of his district and all New York for their fortitude during Superstorm Sandy. He also recognized the importance of broadcasters during the storm as the key information lifeline connecting public safety officials to the community.
Broadcaster of the Year for 2013
Our 2013 “Broadcaster of the Year”, Seth Meyers delighted the audience. Seth thanked NYSBA for the award and recounted a number of stories from his years on SNL. Steve Baboulis, VP and GM of WNYT-TV, Albany, introduced Seth. As the NBC affiliate in Albany, Steve thanks Seth for his work on SNL, and congratulated him on his move to Late Night. 
Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting
After receiving his award, Seth helped present the awards for Excellence in Broadcasting. After dinner Seth graciously stopped to have his picture taken with a number of award winners and dinner attendees.
It was a tremendous night honoring broadcast professionals from across the Empire State. As we discovered during Tropical Storm Irene and more recently during Superstorm Sandy, local broadcasting provides and indispensable public service to the community. This dedication can be seen every day by members of the broadcast profession. Congratulations to all the award winner. For a list of this year’s winners for Excellence in Broadcasting click HERE.