Yet again this year the Texas Association of Broadcasters annual convention did not disappoint. For the second year in a row it was held at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, a little north of Austin, making me wish I’d brought the family again this year to enjoy the waterpark. Since it’s back there again next year I’ve already given the wife a heads up that we’ll either come a few days early or stay a few days later so fun dad gets to enjoy the water slides as well. It’s also a great excuse to do the same afterwards as a corporate retreat to hyper-focus on turning those TAB-inspired ideas into action before returning to home base. If you missed the show, here are some of the highlights from what I saw throughout focused on radio of course.
Speakers & Sessions
The decision by Oscar Rodriguez, John Moesch, Beth Bobbitt, Jennifer Isenberg, Sydney Hermann and the rest of the TAB team to kick off the convention on a positive note was a smart move when hosting a bunch of broadcasters concerned about the future of our industry. Aaron Davis gave the keynote in the big ballroom and although he was quick to point out how he wasn’t a motivational speaker, making a funny crack about Chris Farley’s van down by the river SNL bit that resonated with Gen-Xers like myself, Aaron sure did a great job motivating me and everyone in the room with an interactive, engaging and inspiring presentation. One quote from AD that stood out to me. While explaining that there are two types of people that work in radio, the learners and the knowers, he said “Learners are constantly evolving and growing while knowers keep doing radio in a world that doesn’t exist anymore.” I could tell I wasn’t the only one in the room who jotted that one down. On Thursday the radio programming room got humming with Tracy Johnson’s ‘Doing More With Less” presentation where he showed the full power of embracing AI-powered tools like Radio Content Pro to improve on-air and digital content on a budget. Later that day I moderated two panels in the same room, “Big Time Content, Small Time Budgets” (continuing the theme), with panelists Erin Wilde from 92.1 Hank FM, John Butler from Butler7Media and Daniel Hyatt from DNav Inc. In this panel we focused on how radio stations can create major market looking and sounding stations regardless of their market size or their budget. I’ll share the video of the full panel in my August 19th episode of Radio Influencers. We closed out the radio programming room with another session I moderated called “Extending Your Brand Online” with panelists RJ Ochoa from SB Nation & Blogging the Boys, John Reynolds from Middlin’ Creative and the host of our Video Tips & Tricks series, Jim Sherwood from Skyrocket Radio, and Brent Hoodenpyle the host of our Persuading for Profits podcast series. Here we discussed how radio stations can do a better job extending their brands on YouTube, social media and their station websites and how to make their radio studios more video friendly for video content and conversation friendly for podcasts. The full video of this panel will be this week’s Radio Influencers episode that drops on Tuesday August 12th.
Exhibits & Networking
This year there were an astounding 120+ exhibitor booths at TAB! Including some familiar faces like DNav Inc, Wide Orbit and Tieline, along with some I hadn’t seen at TAB before like Black Magic Design, CueScript and Drake Lighting. As usual I pencil in anywhere and anytime there’s free food and drinks because that tends to lead to the best broadcaster networking opportunities. True to fashion, this year’s kick-off party and the meals in the exhibit hall were all very well attended. If you attend next year make sure you also add the Golden Mic and the TAB Awards to your to do list because those are two other great places for us to connect with our fellow radio broadcasters.
Conference Hotel & Night Life
Just because you’re going to a work convention doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun and the Kalahari resort makes that part pretty easy. The pools and the waterpark are incredible and so are the food and drinks. I went to dinner with my panelists Wednesday night at the Double Cut Steakhouse and the steaks and wine were phenomenal. Plus, when I popped my head in to confirm the reservation earlier in the day the hostess was incredibly nice and made a point to ask if any of us had any food allergies. Which I thought was a nice touch. That afternoon I also had an incredible Old Fashioned in the downstairs bar with my friend Tracy Johnson and grabbed a slice of gluten free pizza at Sortino’s Pizzeria Thursday while catching up with a few of my former coworkers at LKCM Media. On Thursday after the panels I snuck out to visit the Comedy Mothership just a twenty-minute uber ride away in downtown Austin. It was my first time there and I was in awe at how they’ve got it down to a science, they take your smart phones and smart watches at the door, there’s a sign that says ‘Hecklers Will Be Alienated” setting the tone when you walk in, and the showcase show we saw ran like a well-oiled machine jumping from comic to comic and getting increasingly funnier (and edgier) as the show progressed. Afterward we stopped by Redban‘s show next door to catch a killer set from my new pal Brady Matthews, who recently moved to north Texas.
Overall Impressions
My former colleague at LKCM Media Group and fellow digital guru, Jared Darter, had this to say after attending his first TAB. “After 17 years in the industry, it was truly great to finally meet so many peers in person for the first time. We’ve exchanged countless emails and phones calls over the years, but connecting face-to-face brought a whole new level of insight and camaraderie. It was a valuable opportunity to share ideas, grow relationships and gain fresh perspectives on the business and technology shaping our field.”
I’m not surprised by Jared’s positive response to attending. I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it since it remains true year after year, TAB is not your average state broadcast convention. Every year I talk to a few first timers, and they ALL tell me it feels more like a national convention then a state one, because of how big it is. That’s why I have clients who travel in from neighboring states. It’s also a testament to how hard the TAB staff and board work to put together this amazing two-day conference every year. Once again, I was humbled to be asked to participate in the panels and as always, I walked away with my own head full of ideas. Which I can now work with my clients and coworkers to turn into action over the coming weeks and months.
If you were here, let me know some of your takeaways in the comments or email me at Andy@RadioStationConsutlant.com or editor@radioupdate.com.
Photos by Andy Meadows, John Reynolds, Erin Wilde, Brent Hoodenpyle and Jared Darter.
Andy Meadows is the Chief Editor of Radio Update and the owner of Radio Station Consultant where he consults radio stations across the country on programming and digital.