What follows are three different NBA reports summarizing the 2010 NAB Convention that was held last week in Las Vegas. Bob Fisher writes about his day spent with Sue Keenom, NAB Senior Vice President, State Associations; our time at the NBA office with Senator Gordon Smith, NAB President and CEO; the annual NASBA Barbecue; and the NAB / BEA Career Fair.
Adam Sandler writes a very positive overview of the convention -- from the excitement of the new technology on display, to the hundreds of the workshops that were offered. He summarizes the State of the Industry Address and highlights the amazing future ahead with both 3D TV and Mobile DTV.
Adrienne Abbott concludes our coverage of NAB by sharing her week of important meetings. Combining together the thoughts of Bob, Adam and Adrienne -- we hope that we were able to "Capture the Moment" for you.
One of the first decisions that our new NAB President and CEO made was the appointment of his long-time Senate staff member, Sue Keenom to become the Senior Vice President for State Associations. His recognition of the importance of state associations opens the door for a new partnership era as together -- we will fight for Nevada's broadcasters and America's broadcasters. It was my honor to pick Sue up at the airport and spend the day together. With the support of Tom Axtell, Sue and toured Vegas PBS. The new facilities showcase how a local broadcaster really uses spectrum for education, health, safety and public programming. Just a few days earlier, Aneesh Chopra, President Obama's CTO also had the opportunity to tour Vegas PBS.
On Saturday prior to the start of the NAB, Senator Gordon Smith came to the NBA office and met with a group of general managers and owners who represented southern, northern and rural stations. A report of this meeting appeared in the April 12, 2010 issue of The NEVADA Broadcaster, and currently is archived on our new website, www.nevadabroadcasters.org
Senator Smith was very generous with his time and also taped a half hour interview at the NBA radio studio for OBSERVATIONS -- which began airing statewide over the past weekend. On Tuesday evening, I hosted our annual NASBA Barbecue at my house in Henderson. Thirty people were in attendance with representation coming from 18 states.
On the last day of the NAB, the annual NBA / BEA Career Fair was held. I was asked to be part of the event enhancement that enabled job seekers to sit down for a one-on-one meeting to review an applicant's resume, to answer questions about networking for a job and to provide positive reinforcement for a career in broadcasting. There were eight of us sitting at different tables. For five hours straight (with no breaks and no interruptions) I met with anxious but hopeful job seekers. I spoke with a diversity of applicants -- a college Junior who wanted to get ahead of the process; an experienced woman from the east coast who had received a number of Emmy Awards, but was unable to find a job. There were a few engineers with strong resumes. And I was surprised by how many people had left stations to become independent videographers. Another constant theme heard was the desire of these folks to be a "storyteller" and to make a difference in broadcasting.
It was a great experience to meet so many wonderful people from Las Vegas, California and all over the country. It was also painful, knowing just how tough it is going to be for these job seekers to find employment at a television or radio station.
NABSHOW 2010: 2-D and Beyond
Adam Sandler
Last week, close to 90,000 broadcasters, technologists and video and audio enthusiasts descended on Las Vegas for NABShow 2010. Anyone who stepped inside the Las Vegas Convention Center could immediately sense that this really is "where content comes to life." For some who have said broadcasting is a dying medium and ancient, they would have experienced close to two million square feet of bleeding-edge content creation and consumption. If they had attended any one of the hundreds of conference sessions, they would learn that broadcasting is better than it's ever been and is only getting better. After a financially poor 2009, the excitement inside the convention center pointed to a much improved 2010 for the industry.
This year's show, the first for NAB president & CEO Gordon H. Smith, kicked off with the customary State of the Industry Address. Smith, who was the U.S. senator from Oregon for twelve years, had a chance to lay out his vision and priorities for the future. Coming from the political world, his address was filled with reminders that he knows how to get things done in Washington and plans to use the relationships he's built to broadcasters' advantage. If you didn't have a chance to attend the speech, the full text has been
The biggest buzz, by far, was 3D television. For many this show was the first time to see this new technology in action. While still a technology in its infancy, it's clear the future is here and it's three-dimensional.
One technology which will undoubtedly transform how we watch TV is mobile DTV. An entirely free service courtesy of your local broadcasters that allows you to watch TV on your DTV-equipped cell phone, laptop or any other device with a proper receiver. Expect to see devices with mobile DTV capability hit the market this summer. For more on mobile DTV,
NAB is known as the nexus of broadcast technology but it is also a gathering place where broadcasters share information on both a formal and informal basis. Over the years, this one-on-one contact between broadcasters, vendors and regulators has built valuable relationships that have been of benefit to our audiences. This year was no different and considering the challenges facing our industry, this year’s conference was one of the most intense and valuable in recent years.
FEMA’s visit to KDWN
Last Monday, Walter Florence and other FEMA officials toured the KDWN transmitter site with Chief Engineer Stephen Rutherford and Beasley Corporate Chief Mike Cooney. The FEMA representatives indicated their approval of projects that Beasley had recently finished at the site. They declared that the site was now ready for installation of the dedicated phone line and other equipment needed to tie KDWN into the nation-wide Primary Entry Point network. KDWN becomes Nevada’s second PEP station and will provide coverage for Southern Nevada including the densely populated Las Vegas area as well as Northern Arizona. Once achieved, a 15 year goal of the NBA will have been achieved.
Meeting with Rear Admiral (Ret.) James Barnett, Chief of the FCC’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau.
Admiral Barnett brought Tom Beers and Lisa Fowlkes of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau with him to Wednesday’s invitation-only meeting with representatives of several state broadcaster associations. During his distinguished Navy career, Admiral Barnett, known as “Jamie” to friends and associates, was responsible for operations at Naval Air Station Fallon and toured the area several times. I reminded Jamie that we had met during one of those tours and that the experience gave him an idea of the particular issues facing Nevada broadcasters and broadcasters in other Western states. The discussions centered around the role of broadcasters in EAS and what his agency could do to improve EAS as the Next Generation project becomes reality. Several broadcasters stressed the need to get Emergency Managers at the state and local level involved in EAS so the network that broadcasters provide them will be used in disasters and emergencies.
The Sunday afternoon meeting of the Society of Broadcast Engineers EAS Committee.
Committee Chairman Ralph Beaver told the group that the new SBE Board of Directors wanted the group to refocus on educating and informing the SBE membership about EAS issues. SBE President Vinny Lopez backed up the Board’s position. Beaver also told committee members that the Board wanted to see the specific member benefits clearly defined before they would approve any future FCC filings on EAS related matters. Beaver added that the Board would like SBE to partner with other organizations in filing any comments with the FCC. Several members of the committee voiced their concerns about the change in direction and pointed out that the FCC has been very forthcoming in their expectations of receiving comments from the group.
Personal Meeting with Dick Zaragoza Sunday
Dick was helpful in providing direction for several complex problems that had been brought to my attention by NBA members who had been unable to find solutions on their own. In addition, I brought to Dick’s attention several areas of conflict and shortcomings in the FCC Broadcast Checklists. He agreed to present my suggested changes to the FCC for the next update to the Checklists.
In addition.....
I met with engineers, general managers and other broadcasters to answer their questions about technical problems, license and compliance issues, employment prospects, and station operations. I also met with Wade Witmer of FEMA; Chris Murray, the SECC Chairman for Oregon; Art Botterill, designer of CAP; Gary Timm, SECC Chairman for Wisconsin; and broadcast consultant Tom Fahy at the FEMA booth where we all received a briefing and live demonstration on how the Next Generation EAS equipment functions.
Most useful info to come out of the NAB
The FCC’s 180 day countdown to the Next Generation EAS deadline will likely begin on Sept. 30. The manufacturers say they will be ready to go and capable of meeting the demand for the new equipment. That new equipment will include both a totally new, CAP-compliant EAS box as well as a CAP-compliant interface box that will tie into most existing or legacy equipment. Prices will vary with the various features.
