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Smith: Radio/TV Are as Relevant as Ever

He opens the annual convention in Las Vegas

“Even in a world of tablets, smartphones and digital dashboards, broadcast radio and television are as relevant today as ever. And some might say more relevant.”

So said NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith in opening the NAB Show in Las Vegas today.

“Not too long ago some within our own industry raised the question of whether radio, specifically, was on the verge of being pushed out of the automobile. I think consumers and the leaders in Detroit said it best with a resounding no! But it is a good reminder that broadcasters can’t take their place in the dashboard for granted … we must continue to innovate and provide the content listeners want on many different platforms.”

Among other highlights:

-Smith reiterated NAB’s theme of radio as an “indispensable lifeline to every local community.”

-He said future radios in smartphones “will combine over-the-air and online content for a rich, ‘hybrid radio’ experience that provides interactive enhancements, along with potential new revenue opportunities,” and added that NAB Labs has been working on this technology along with radio owners.

-Broadcasters need to continue “incentivizing our friends in the wireless industry about the benefits of voluntarily providing their customers with the instant emergency information broadcasters provide.”

-And he said consumers ultimately will decide if radio’s future is in streaming or over the air. But, he continued, “I have no doubt we will continue to retain our rightful place in the automobile, and that we’ll be offering not just AM, not just FM, not just HD, but an interactive hybrid experience that gives our listeners more options than ever before, all for free.”

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