October brings the return of the NAB Show New York conference and the separate but collocated AES Show New York at the Javits Convention Center in the Big Apple. Here’s an advance peek.
The NAB show this year will emphasize “Culture, Creativity and Commerce.” The event last year drew about 12,300 people, almost a quarter of whom had technical job titles, according to the show website.
Many of the techie folks are drawn by an exhibit floor that also provides access to AES Show booths via connecting hallways.
Radio-related content includes a forum about radio and podcasting issues; the Marconi Radio Awards; and presentation of the National Radio Award to David Santrella.
NAB: Forum
The “Radio + Podcast Interactive Forum” takes place on Wednesday Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.
“Innovators in radio, podcast, tech and marketing share winning strategies to leverage technology for content and profit.” These sessions will include roundtables at which attendees can share ideas and network.
According to organizers, the forum is centered on the synergies of radio and podcasting. “Learn specifically how technology is being used to support programming and marketing. Conversations will center on AI, social media/platforms and leveraging creators and influencers.”
“It Takes a Team: How Talent Works Across the Team to Create Winning Shows” — Podcast and radio talents discuss how to create successful shows and promotions. Guests include Patty Jackson, host on iHeartMedia station WDAS(FM) in Philadelphia; Sarah Jenness, executive producer of The Moth podcast; and Harlen Lobley, director of sales and sports director for AlphaMedia East Texas. Consultant Mike McVay moderates.
“How Marketing and Technology Work Together to Grow and Engage Audiences” — This session promises to provide perspectives from marketing and technology experts about promotions and monetization strategies and how technology can support those efforts. Speaking are Jason Hoch, CEO and chief creative officer of Wavland, and Alex Roman, CTO at MediaCo New York. The moderator is Julie Koehn, president of Lenawee Broadcasting.
“The New Playbook: Producing Innovative Sports and News Content” — A panel of news and sports radio programmers, podcasters and tech professionals talk about fresh approaches including the role of AI. They include Sarah Foss, CTO of Audacy; Mary Menna, regional VP and market manager for Beasley Media Group Boston; and Jonathan Williamson, executive producer and head of production at Men in Blazers, a soccer media network.
“Innovative Sound Design and Video Strategies for Radio and Podcasts” — Matt DeGroot is VP of production for Crooked Media/Pod Save America. Yervant Keshishian is sales engineer, trainer and technical director of Varto Technologies. Dan Hirschl is VP of engineering for Red Apple Media and chief engineer of WABC. John Clark is senior vice president of emerging technology and executive director of NAB PILOT.
“Leveraging Data Insights to Improve Programming, Promotions and Bottom Lines” — Panelists explore how radio and podcast programmers and producers use data to home in on audiences and understand where the opportunities are. Dan Bobkoff, CEO of Rhyme Media; Laura Ivey, director of research at Edison Research; Sam Milkman, executive VP of Coleman Insights; and Colby Tyner, senior VP of programming for Radio One and Reach Media. Consultant Andy Meadows is moderator.
NAB: Honors
David Santrella will be honored with the 2024 National Radio Award.
The NAB said he has been a pivotal figure in the radio industry for nearly 40 years.
“Since becoming CEO of Salem Media Group in January 2022, he has led the company through significant growth, particularly in its digital platforms. Under his leadership, Salem has launched the successful Salem Surround, Salem Podcast Network, SalemNOW and Salem News Channel, establishing the company as a leader across 30 markets.”
He chaired the NAB Joint Board of Directors from June 2021 to June 2023 and has served on the board of the NAB Leadership Foundation.
“Santrella’s career began in Chicago, where he worked with NBC’s WMAQ and CBS’s WBBM before joining Salem in 2001,” NAB said.
“He quickly ascended through the ranks, taking on roles of increasing responsibility, including operations vice president, president of Salem’s Radio division, and eventually president of Broadcast Media.”
NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt called him “a leader whose belief in radio’s unique ability to serve the public is second to none” and highlighted Santrella’s “public service ethos, along with a keen business acumen and authentic leadership style.”
NAB Marconis and Elections
The evening of Oct. 9 will also bring the 2024 NAB Marconi Radio Awards, given at a dinner event that also will be live-streamed. The awards recognize radio stations and on-air personalities for excellence.
A big category each year is Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year. In 2024 Reach Media/Urban One has three of the five finalists. They are Erica Campbell, D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley. Also making the finalist cut are Dan Patrick of Premiere Radio Networks and Enrique Santos of iHeartMedia.
Another notable category is Legendary Station Manager of the Year. Finalists for that include Julie Koehn of Lenawee Broadcasting, Joe Bell of Beasley Media Group, Nick Martin of Big River Broadcasting Corp., Timoty P. Davies of Urban One and Bennett Zier of Audacy.
And with an eye on November, the show will feature an Election Coverage Summit.
“Key topics will include improving trust in political coverage with a deep dive into RTDNA’s research and best practices to address skepticism about media bias,” organizers said on the website.
“The summit will also tackle ensuring verified news in the age of AI and social media, discussing how stations are combating misinformation and the rise of deep fakes. Also important is how journalists prepare their audience for the aftermath of the election and stay safe while covering political events.”
AES: Sampler
While all that is going on, the Audio Engineering Society will be holding its annual flagship event for audio professionals, enthusiasts and exhibitors next door within the Javits Center.
The society expects around 10,000 people to attend and promises workshops, panels, demos and training sessions.
Of note to RW readers, the conference will include a session about NPR’s “Tiny Desk” program.
“Neil Tevault, the NPR audio engineer who turned a colleague’s request into the iconic ‘Tiny Desk Concerts’ series, will present early Tiny Desk concerts to reveal the small recording footprint used before it became a must for artists,” the organization said in an announcement.
“Josh Newell, NPR Music’s current technical director, works to keep today’s standards at the highest level. He will share some recent concerts to demonstrate how the audio has evolved.” He will also discuss increasing efficiencies of the recording process and his vision for the sound of the concerts in the future.
That session will be held Tuesday morning Oct. 8.
Producer and engineer Ebonie Smith will be the keynote speaker at the show. Smith is senior audio engineer and producer at Atlantic Records.
A presentation called “BBC Pop Hub” will describe the move of Europe’s largest radio station. Another will dive into generative AI and machine learning workflows in audio. A “town hall” will explore issues around diversity, equity and inclusion.
Other topics on the AES agenda include adventures in live streaming, audio design, the state of the music business, sustainability in music technology manufacturing and the technical legacy of Robert Moog.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the debut of the Moog modular synthesizer and Moog’s AES paper “Voltage-Controlled Electronic Music Modules.”
