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[Monday at NAB]
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NAB Demonstrates Commitment to Content
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~ April 14, 2008
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Shortly before the start of the 2008 NAB Show, the NAB Show Daily News spoke with NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr about the focus and goals for the NAB Show, along with some issues facing the broadcasting industry.
NAB Show Daily News: I see the new tagline for the NAB Show is “Where Content Comes to Life.” How is NAB demonstrating its commitment to serving the entire content community through this year’s show?
Rehr: Content is what drives the electronic media industry and it’s the primary focus of the 2008 NAB show. Our business is all about creating compelling content for distribution on every imaginable platform. The show addresses every stage of the digital content lifecycle from creation and management to commerce and delivery.
As the professionals who attend the show know, there’s a tremendous amount that goes into this process and the NAB Show is where it all comes together. Throughout our educational conference programming and across the show floor, attendees will find the information and tools they need to succeed.
We face an industry that’s transforming in light of new media and technology, improved high-definition digital programming, and emerging content delivery options. The show reflects this environment and presents incredible opportunity for broadcasters and others to expand their business and explore new business models.
NAB Show Daily News: Do you expect the NAB Show will expand its exhibitor and attendee base as it moves to encompass the entire content community?
Rehr: Yes. Growth is evidenced by the 200 companies that are exhibiting at the NAB Show for the first time from industries such as social networks, IPTV and mobile entertainment. We also have more than 225 companies that have significantly expanded their exhibit space over last year, and we have added Content Central as a new highlight in the exhibit hall. The NAB Show is the largest event and expo of its kind generating an incredible $50 billion dollars in commerce.
We’re also reaching out to new audiences through expanded conference programming and an impressive line-up of speakers.
NAB Show Daily News: We’ve noticed a strong Hollywood contingent in the speakers slated for the show. What role does the Hollywood community play?
Rehr: As I discussed before, it’s all about creating compelling content and Hollywood produces the highest-rated programming in the business. We’re honored to have some of the most creative minds in the industry here to share their thoughts on creating effective content for multiple mediums. The caliber of speakers we’ve secured demonstrates the power of the NAB Show’s brand.
NAB Show Daily News: International attendance has grown steadily over the past few years representing almost one-third of your overall attendance. How are you reaching out to this audience?
Rehr: We recognize that media and entertainment is part of an increasingly global market. That’s why we’ve positioned the show to play a leading role in that arena. The international community will be here in force from some 160 different countries.
We have an extensive international pavilion showcasing technologies from around the world. We’re also working with representatives from Bollywood to develop an International Super Session focusing on business opportunities available in India as a result of the country’s rapid economic growth and advances in technology.
NAB Show Daily News: Let’s talk about some public policy issues. This will be the last NAB Show before all full-power TV stations transition to digital broadcasting. In terms of educating Americans on the shift, where do we stand?
Rehr: The NAB Television Board has made the DTV transition its top priority. Broadcasters are committed to ensuring that no viewer in America is left uninformed about this historic shift. After all, over-the-air viewers are our lifeblood, and it is in our own best interests to make sure that this transition goes as seamlessly as possible.
For that reason, NAB has developed a multiplatform, multifaceted marketing campaign that will include DTV action spots, 30-minute educational programs, screen crawls and other innovative messaging techniques. In the end, the value of this campaign will amount to more than $1 billion and will generate some 132 billion audience impressions. It is a Herculean effort, and one to which NAB is wholly committed.
NAB Show Daily News: And how do you see NAB and broadcasters leveraging digital TV to enhance their program offerings?
Rehr: A lot of those content opportunities are on display here at the NAB Show this week — on the exhibit floor, in the Content Central area, and through a number of different educational conferences. For broadcasters, the digital era of television will give us a prime opportunity to increase the value proposition we deliver to our viewers. Whether it’s through HDTV, multicast programming, IPTV or mobile broadcasting, the one unifying element is content — an arena in which broadcasters are the undisputed leaders.
Last year, NAB launched the FAST-ROAD program – Flexible Advanced Services for Television and Radio On All Devices. Through a FASTROAD-commissioned study, we learned that TV broadcasters could reap an additional $2 billion annually by 2012 through digital mobile broadcasting technologies. That is a staggering figure and just one of the many opportunities available to local broadcasters in the digital era.
NAB Show Daily News: And what about digital opportunities for radio stations? Are we on the brink of a radio revolution?
Rehr: Well, HD Radio has certainly come a long way. On Sunday of this year’s NAB Show, the NAB HD Radio Technology Advancement Task Force will hold an extremely important news conference to unveil a just-completed project involving improved and lower-cost HD Radio implementation opportunities for broadcasters. [Editor’s note: To read more about yesterday’s announcement, see the NAB Show Daily’s coverage in the today’s PM edition.]
The momentum continues to build for HD Radio. Ford has announced that they’re incorporating HD Radio across its entire line. iBiquity and Apple have teamed to allow listeners to “tag” songs heard on their HD Radio and later buy them on iTunes – a technology that not only shows radio’s forward-thinking mindset, but also demonstrates the promotional value local radio delivers to artists and their record labels through free airplay.
NAB Show Daily News: That last line was a not-so-subtle reference to the recording industry’s effort to charge radio stations for airplay, was it not?
Rehr: I was merely reiterating the undisputed promotional value provided by local radio broadcasters through free airplay. Unfortunately, the foreign-owned record labels want Congress to impose a “performance tax” on America’s radio stations since they have not been able to adjust the label business model in the digital age. We have tremendous resolve on this issue, and we won’t let a tax be placed on America’s radio broadcasters.
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