The NABOB 43
rd
Annual Fall Broadcast Management Conference and 19
th
Annual Power of Urban Radio Forum, held October 2-3, 2019, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC, brought together a stellar lineup of industry and government leaders.
The Conference began with a powerhouse lineup of radio programmers and air talent who discussed the challenges and strategies for programming in today’s highly competitive audio industry. The next panel presented experts in the rapidly evolving world of digital and social media advertising and provided the audience with key insights about the need to develop in-house expertise in these areas. In the next panel, the audience was introduced to the Black Wealth 2020 coalition by representatives of the U.S. Black Chambers, National Association of Black Real Estate Brokers and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. The day concluded with key staffers from the FCC and Congress, who provided updates on key regulatory and legislative matters.
Thursday morning began with a presentation by Nielsen of its 2019 African American Consumer Report, which provided fresh data on the listening and viewing habits of the various key demographic groups within the African American community. Next, CEOs of several major broadcast companies discussed the state of our industry and what is appearing on the horizon.
The Thursday luncheon began with an interview of FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, in which the Commissioner expressed strong support for the need to promote minority and female broadcast station ownership. He stated that he supports restoration of the FCC’s tax certificate policy. The audience then heard remarks from Major General John Evans, Commanding General of U.S. Army Cadet Command, who expressed his appreciation for the partnership that NABOB and Cadet Command have established.
The Keynote Speaker at the luncheon was Fay Ferguson, Co-CEO of Burrell Communications Group, who shared with the audience her views on the importance of engaging African American audiences through African American owned media. NABOB and the Power of Urban Radio forum presented National Service Awards to Fay Ferguson, Anthony Fields of Tracfone, Tucker Flood of Eastman Radio, and Louis Jones of the 4As.
The first afternoon panel included senior executives from leading ad agencies, who discussed the need to utilize African American owned media to engage with African American consumers. Next, the national marketers panel consisted of senior executives from some of the nation’s largest advertisers, who described how they have successfully used African American owned media in the past and provided insights about how stations can be included on future advertising buys. In the final panel, ODE Audio provided a presentation on its ability to deliver and adapt a NABOB radio network tailored to the needs of any national advertiser. The Conference concluded with a very well attended and enjoyable reception.
