My favorite conversation at the Barrett News Media Summit in Washington, D.C., last week began with, “Wow, what are you doing here?” It’s always great to run into a colleague you haven’t seen in two decades!
For all the news headlines, social media posts, blogs, and message board posts that are often negative, bearish on radio, or indeed heralding bad news like corporate RIFs or cutbacks, despite all of this, the spirit and mood of the summit was very positive, upbeat and focused on the future. There was talk of the importance of personalities, local newsrooms, and investing in marketing and contesting. There was less worry about intrusive AI and more talk about harnessing digital revenue with the over the air brand the center of radio station strategy.
A few highlights:
NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt noted the organization’s work to attempt to funnel federal dollars to local newsrooms in smaller markets and more isolated communities, plus the continued importance of protecting the terrestrial band’s availability in new car models, particularly AM
Radio One CEO David Kantor gave a master class in leadership strategies, noting the importance of team buy-in on consistent plans to get the most out of them.
High-profile talent, including Premiere’s Clay Travis and Cumulus’ Chris Plante, both talked about the importance of preparation, of listening whether it’s a guest or a caller and on staying connected to the audience on multiple platforms (Clay had copies of his latest book to hand out)
There was an inside look into Radio Cloud partnering with McVay Media and Gemini to launch ‘The TJ Show’ on “pop-up” station TJ 98.7 in the Big Apple.
Most importantly, it was great to connect with a few great contacts and friends I’d not yet met in person. Others were great to see again, as well as a few who’d made a real difference in my career. Radio needs more of that more often. A feeling of optimism about what is possible as an industry might just lead us to work a little harder and smarter at our next great chapter.
We also did our “Robby and Rochelle in the morning” show for WWZY/WBHX from the Arc Hotel and snuck over to the mall to capture this gem!
Robby Bridges works for Press Communications where he serves as the VP of Programming for 99.7 and 107.1 The Boss. He also hosts the morning show ‘Robby and Rochelle’ alongside his wife, Rochelle. He’s been with the company/stations since September, 2021.
Prior to arriving in New Jersey, Robby spent decades working across the country in many top markets for many highly successful brands. Among them include Z100, WPLJ and Q102. He has also worked in Detroit, Boston, Providence, Portsmouth, NH, and served as an exclusive guest host for Scott Shannon on the True Oldies Channel.
To get in touch, reach Robby by email at RobbyBridges@hotmail.com.
