Business Sessions Educate and Inform
The conference was all business Tuesday morning as we began the morning sessions. This year, we tried to include speakers that would provide unique insights and present “out of the box” ideas to members. Spotting new trends in today’s highly competitive and chaotic business climate is essential to economic survival. By all accounts this year’s speakers provided attendees with highly valuable information that they can use every day.
Keynoter Jeremy Gutsche Excites the Audience
Keynote speaker Jeremy Gutsche excited the crowd with an insightful look at future trends and innovation. Speaking to a full house, Jeremy focused on the tools we need to compete in this chaotic marketplace. His message in trend spotting – Chaos means opportunity.
This word renowned innovation expert captivated the audience as he focused on the business challenges confronting radio and television stations.
Jeremy provided several examples of businesses confronting new, chaotic marketplace challenges. His final message – business must not be complacent, we must adapt and compete.
Industry Panel – Competing in the Chaos
Of course stations must compete in this chaotic marketplace. We were privileged to have key industry leaders to discuss confronting the competition. Patrick Walsh, COO & CFO Emmis Communications described the challenges confronting his company. He outlined the radio industry’s plans with Sprint to have FM receiving chips placed in mobile phones.
Morris Davenport, Sr. VP ESPN Radio, described ESPN’s approach to competition in a multiplatform environment. He noted the unique aspects of producing and developing sports content. Mark Hyman, Sr. Executive Sinclair Broadcasting, noted that Sinclair is “bullish” on television broadcasting. Observing that Sinclair is in the process of acquiring television stations, Mark supported the development of a new digital standard for television broadcasting.
The panels discussed a number of additional topics such as whether stations should have separate digital sales forces as well as the future of local broadcasting in general. The panel fielded several questions from the audience.
Profiting from Social Media
In a fact filled presentation, Harvard Business School Professor Mikolaj Piskorski captivated the audience with his analysis of the market for social medial. The session was very interactive, as members in the audience asked numerous questions. Professor Piskorski answered all questions and provided new insights as to how broadcasters may profitably approach social media. He provided numerous examples of how companies, our advertisers, will approach social media in the near future. He outlined approaches that broadcasters should consider in facing the challenges of new social media. The session lasted more than 45 minutes past its scheduled end-time.
Time to Network
Surf, Turf and Fireworks
