Here we are on the precipice of the NAB Show this year. And to suggest you could cut the anticipation with a knife is an understatement.
We’re not going to know until we get there this weekend what this combined show – TV + radio – will be like, or how many thousands of broadcasters and media pros will show up. As mask mandates change seemingly by the hour, this promises to be an exciting event, permeated by the air of the unexpected.
I’m looking forward to big things from this show. It’s been nearly three years since the NAB last convened the Radio Show back in 2019. Since then, a lot has happened impacting the entire industry, but especially the world of audio. I’m looking forward to seeing people who I’ve only stared at on Zoom meetings, as well as an agenda that promises to be interesting.
Back in 2013 when Jacobs Media produced its first DASH Conference, the “connected car” was on virtually no one’s radar screen in radio. Had you told me back then the NAB Show in 2022 would have three consecutive sessions revolving around technology, cars, and of course, radio, I would have stood on a desk and cheered.
But that’s the story on Sunday afternoon in Vegas, and Paul and I are proud to be moderating one of them. It was just 100 days ago when we were gathered at the same Las Vegas Convention Center for CES. At that remarkable show, we saw where the automotive media space was most certainly moving: the “screenification” of cars (more screens, bigger screens, video screens), AI, electrification, and mood enhancement for drivers and passengers. In the not-so-distant future, we won’t just take a ride to work, to Home Depot, or drop the kids off at school. The vehicle and its software will serve up an experience.
What role will radio play in the new automotive experience? Well, it depends on how you talk to and it depends on us in the radio business. Will we step up and improve the way radio looks in cars – today and in the future? Will the industry get on the same page, speak with one voice, and settle on an in-dash technology?
Will programmers finally recognize they’re not just competing with the “usual suspects” in the world of amplitude and frequency modulation – we are now up against everyone from podcasts, phone calls, streaming services, satellite radio, talking books, and yes, other radio stations in town.
Those days when the center of the dash contained a radio with two big knobs and six preset buttons is in the rear-view mirror. Today, we’re talking technologies we couldn’t have imagined a dozen or so years ago.
Here are thumbnails on the three sessions on Sunday, April 24, with notes about these sessions and the different angles and topics that are sure to be covered. Conveniently, they all take place in the same meeting room in North Hall at the LVCC.
1. “Insights From The Futurists” (Sunday 10:35am N259-261) – Ironically, this first panel isn’t about cars per se, but it won’t take this group long to get around to talking about what’s new in automotive technology and what it means to radio broadcasters. The venerable Buzz Knight will lead a discussion about what’s new and what’s next, featuring industry analyst Ben Arnold from the NPD Group, Radioline’s Xavier Filliol, the NAB’s John Clark, and one of the smartest auto/tech experts in the business, Connected Travel CEO, Bryan Biniak.
This group knows the fads from the trends, and will help attendees sort through the technology that matters to radio broadcasters, especially in the vehicles we drive today, and the ones that we’ll be driving – or that will be driving us – down the road.
From the “passenger economy” to AI to marrying the consumer driving experience with tech commerce, this session promises to get the day jumpstarted with smart insights about the marriage between radio and automotive, and where it’s headed.
I’ve been on panels with Buzz, Ben, and Bryan before, and I can promise you they’ll leave you thinking about how radio will can navigate the labyrinth of media and technology
2. “Life in the Fast Lane – Today’s In-Vehicle Infotainment Insight” Sunday 12:35pm N259-261) – Hosted by one of the best broadcasters in the business, Hubbard’s Ginny Morris also chairs the NAB’s Auto Committee. Ginny will have a panel of dashboard dudes, including Xperi’s Joe D’Angelo, Radioplayer’s Laurence Harrison, and Scott Schmidt who oversees safety policy at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
An Edison study of car buyers will be featured in this session as well. commissioned by WorldDAB in partnership with Radioplayer, NAB, Xperi, and Commercial Radio Australia.
The study is a generally upbeat one for radio, indicating the medium’s lead in usage over other audio platforms, as well as radio’s ease of use in the car. Significantly, nine in ten respondents believe a broadcast radio should continue to be standard equipment in every vehicle rolling off worldwide assembly lines, as well as here in the States. Broadcasters will be happy to learn AM/FM radio is still a vital medium in our cars.
The panel will also tackle important topics germane to media in cars, including the innovations consumers are demanding, how broadcasters are working with OEMs (the auto manufacturers) regarding radio’s place in the dash, what are some emerging technologies in cars and how will broadcasters be able to take advantage of them?
3. “A GPS Session For Your Station’s Car Radio Strategy (Sunday, 1:55pm N359-261) – As the previous sessions will remind us, radio remains #1 in the car, but the challenges are aplenty. The good news is there are solutions – ways for radio broadcasters to improve their automotive fortunes. Paul and I will lead off the sessions with brand new data you haven’t seen before from Techsurvey 2022, highlighting the challenges and the opportunities for radio in the automotive space.
Lesley Rohrbaugh, market research maven for the Consumer Technology Association will bring the 35,000 foot view of how technology is transforming the in-vehicle media experience. Lesley has a great perspective from her research and her extensive experience with CES.
Joe D’Angelo of Xperi will showcase his company’s in-dash platform, AutoStage, already available in some Mercedes-Benz models. In fact, Xperi will also have one of these vehicles on the exhibit floor. I urge you to take a test drive – of the car’s dashboard. It is nothing short of spectacular, providing the best array of a market’s radio stations in the car I’ve seen.
And to ensure the dashboard display is optimized, Steve Newberry and Suzy Schultz of Quu will showcase some of their company’s research about what consumers want to see from the metadata radio broadcasters integrate into their real-time dashboard displays.
I’m geeked our panel will offer up solutions and actions, so necessary in any discussion about radio and cars. Thanks also to the NAB for having free printed copies of their “Digital Dashboard: Best Practices Report,” updated last year, for all attendees.
Paul and I have lived this space for nearly 15 years, and it’s never been this exciting or of paramount importance to radio’s future. I am convinced the decisions radio broadcasters make in the next 12-24 months will determine the industry’s automotive fate for years to come.
The NAB Show is the perfect time for you and your colleagues to learn about this critical area, and how you guide your company and the NAB to purse next steps.
Buckle up.
Special thanks to the NAB’s April Carty-Sipp and Josh Miely.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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It’s been a long time since my last visit to a NAB Convention. Maybe next year.
In the mean time, I’ll be waiting for your articles about this year’s Show…