NAB Show is just two weeks away, kicking off on Saturday with the Small and Medium Market Radio Forum

Mike Hulvey is the President and CEO of Neuhoff Communications, which own and operate 20 radio stations in Illinois and Indiana.

Mike is a radio board member of the NAB, on the board of the RAB and is it’s Immediate Past Chair, and is past President of the International Broadcasters Idea Bank Board of Directors.

He has also served as Steering Committee Chairman of the national Radio Show in both 2015 and 2016.

In 2018, he joined Dick Van Dyke and Gene Hackman as an inductee on the Danville High School Wall of Fame.

Both of these celebrities worked at the Danville station of Neuhoff, and their pictures, taken when they were at the station, are in the hallway just outside Mike’s office door. He refers to the area as Hackman’s Hallway.

I met Mike in 2014 at the Radio Show in Orlando, just by chance sitting at his table on the night of the Marconi Radio Awards.

He inquired where I was from, and then told me I probably wouldn’t know where his stations were, in the town of Danville, Illinois.

To his surprise I told him I had been there a month prior for a family reunion as my mother comes from Danville, and had gone to Danville High, and knew both Jerry and Dick Van Dyke who had been on either side of her year at the school.

We have been friends since.

With the NABShow now just two weeks away, I asked him about some of the highlights for this year.


radioinfo: So NAB is coming up not too far away, and you are doing a session with the Small and Medium Market Radio Forum on the Saturday.

Mike: Well, one of the things I love about that in the round table perspective, is you do have an opportunity to share ideas amongst a very diverse group of broadcasters.

You know, diversity from the perspective of size of market locations as well as audiences served, etcetera.

So it gives the smaller broadcaster the opportunity to engage with others who they may not be able to on a regular basis and share an idea.

And one of the things that I love about this, and I’ve been involved in these kinds of endeavours a lot, and one of the things I really like about it is that you never know where that one good idea is going to come for someone.

You may think it’s a throwaway idea or someone has doing this, they’ve always kind of done that, and just offhandedly mention something and then all of a sudden it germinates in someone who heard it and they start thinking about their application and then it grows and goes from there.

That’s one of the things that happens at events like that, and that’s where I know there’s great value in doing it and participating.

 

radioinfo: I like the fact that they’ve turned it into a full day now. They did that last year I think for the first time, and it will happen again this time on the Saturday.

Mike: Yeah. The problem we had, Wayne, was we ran out of chairs.

The organisers of that specific event, again, the kickoff event in my mind, even though the NAB Show starts on Sunday, the Saturday event for the local broadcasters.

What I think they anticipated, and I’m going to throw a number at 150, 160 broadcasters. We ended up with almost 250 broadcasters in the room.

They literally ran out of chairs and people just kept coming in and that is awesome.

Again, last year we were the first real experience after the pandemic. People were excited to see each other and engage again back in a group setting, but it really was a home run and I know a lot of effort, a tremendous amount of effort has gone into, you know, this year’s event and people are excited to have the opportunity.

 

radioinfo: It’s interesting also this year that a lot of the radio sessions and radio equipment displays are all in the West Hall. They’re all together this year, which I think is going to make it a lot easier to get around.

Mike: Yeah. And that’s a step in my mind, a step in the right direction. The NAB has worked very hard to make sure that there are communities, you know, within the larger footprint of the NAB show itself.

And you’re right, radio is in the West Hall. Last year we, we had some vendors that were kind of spread through the spread through the facility.

There were sessions that were kind of spread out some. And this year we are all in the same area, which will make it great.

Vendors love to see broadcasters walk through, and when you have a community of broadcasters or community of vendors who we do business with are all in the same location, it makes it so much easy, easier for us to get to the people we want to see, but also learn about new products and services.

And that’s one of the nice things about NAB, is you have the opportunity to engage with a vendor about something that you don’t know anything about or haven’t had or have had limited exposure to. It gives you an opportunity for some of those conversations.

 

radioinfo:  The NAB Show is the biggest trade show in the world. And if you’re going to see new equipment, that’s the place to go. I already know that there are a number of organisations who are debuting things at NAB this year.

I also like the fact that they’ve got it all together this year is that West Hall, because that’s a long walk down to the West Hall. I mean, the Las Vegas Convention Centre is a lot bigger than people realise. It’s huge.

And of course, the underground tunnel is half the fun of getting there.

 

Mike: I was excited last year for the opportunity to get in a Tesla and do the tunnel, so I’m looking forward to doing that again this year. I there was, I think John David and Erica Farber and I ended up in a Tesla and we did that together. It was a shared experience that was a lot of fun.

 

radioinfo:  So, the hundredth year of NAB Shows, and what an incredible week it promises to be attendance wise. Very hard to judge how many are going to be there this year. It was good last year.

CES did pretty well, didn’t they, at the beginning of the year. And you would think that that augurs well for this conference?

Mike: Yeah, I was looking at CES as our benchmark and CES improved upon the numbers that they had the previous year.

Last year’s NAB was good, it was better than expected and I anticipate that we’ll continue to see the growth as people gravitate to come back to events like this.

You know, I think there was a thought that maybe are we done with the event business? But as it is, I like to say and I’ve said it a number of times, the most valuable real estate at NAB is the hallway because of the opportunity for interactions.

And you and I over the years have had hallway interactions and have developed a friendship based upon the hallway. And that’s what you don’t get in a Zoom and you don’t get, you know, in a remote learning environment.

But you do you do get when you’re together in the sessions is important. The ideas that are presented are important. But to me the most valuable real estate, if you will, is the hallways.

Some would say the bar, but it’s still the same conversation. And that is that you’re connecting with other broadcasters and sharing ideas.

 

radioinfo:  Yeah. True indeed. All right. Great to talk to you, as always. Look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks.

Mike: Well, safe travels to Las Vegas. My flight will be shorter than yours.

 

This is the program for Saturday.

2 p.m. Welcome Remarks
Hear from NAB leadership, the Small and Medium Market Radio Committee chair and our presenting sponsor.
Host(s): Julie Koehn, President, Owner, Lenawee Broadcasting Company; April Carty-Sipp, Executive Vice President, Industry Affairs, NAB
Remarks: Todd Kalman, senior vice president, Sales, Marketron
2:10 p.m. Forum Take 5: Thriving on Main Street No Matter What’s Happening on Wall Street
Yes, your station can control its own revenue destiny, even in tough times. Learn best practices for fully owning your home-field advantage and growing local direct revenue.
Presenter: Kathy Eagle, national account manager, Futuri Media
2:15 p.m. NAB Show Radio Education Syllabus 
Need to know what you need to see to make the most out of your time at NAB Show? This agenda overview will give you all the details on what’s been planned for radio broadcasters at NAB Show.
Presenters: Bradford Caldwell, Vice President, Member Experience, NAB; Josh Miely, Director, Member Experience, NAB
2:25 p.m. Forum Take 5: If Time = Money, How Much Money Could You be Making by Saving Time?
We know you struggle with how to get out from under all the minute details of running a radio station that, while necessary, are a time-drain taking you away from growing your business! How much time are you spending trying to get various vendors’ products or services to work together? Hear solutions on how you can alleviate these obstacles by streamlining and integrating your resources so you’re free to focus on making more money.
Presenter: Alex Quintero, director, Product Services, Radio Resources
2:30 p.m. Forum Roundtables
Back by popular demand! Here is your chance to share ideas and learn from your colleagues in an intimate setting. Multiple topics will be covered, and you’ll have a chance to rotate and engage in up to three of them.
Roundtable A
Recruiting On-air Talent
An emphasis on finding the right people can take your radio station to new heights on-air and with your client base. Hear how others across the country are succeeding and share your strategies on finding the best on-air talent.
Presenter: Mike McVay, President, McVay Media
Roundtable B
Recruiting Salespeople
An emphasis on finding the right people can take your radio station to new heights on-air and with your client base. Hear how others across the country are succeeding and share your strategies on finding the best sales talent.
Facilitator: Peter Tanz, President, Midwest Communications
Roundtable C
Digital Promotions 
Money makers, trending topics and more. Discuss the biggest and best recent digital promotions with your colleagues to give your teams back home fresh ideas.
Facilitator: Rob Meisse, President and General Manager, Mid-State Multimedia Group
Roundtable D
Avoiding the Pitfalls with Digital Advertising
Join us for a discussion of best practices and how to avoid common missteps when selling digital advertising. Grow your overall revenue faster with key takeaways on smart digital sales strategies.
Facilitator: Bo Bandy, general manager, Digital, and senior vice president, Marketing, Marketron
Roundtable E
Sales Team Structures and Bonusing
As radio stays competitive with other media, savvy operators are rethinking everything. Traditional sales structures and bonusing are rapidly becoming outdated. So, what works? Discuss and learn here.
Facilitator: Tomas Martinez, Owner and CEO, Solmart Media
Roundtable F
Increasing your Community Standing
Local radio prides itself on deep-rooted community ties. Are you doing as much as you can? Are there more impactful ways to engrain yourself in the daily lives of your listeners and advertisers? Hear what others are doing and share your best practices here.
Facilitator: Rhonda Lapham, Market President, iHeartMedia
Roundtable G
Generating Event and Non-traditional Revenue
Events are back and people are eager to experience things. What have we learned as we emerge from the pandemic and how can you maximize profits when producing events and other forms of non-traditional revenue in 2023? Meet with colleagues to find out.
Facilitator: Jonathan Brewster, Chief Executive Officer, El Dorado Broadcasters
Roundtable H
Operational Cost Savers 
Saving money is top of mind for every manager, but are there simple cost-cutting measures sitting right under your desk? Discover easy steps you can take to streamline your ops budget and bolster your bottom line.
Facilitator(s): Alex Quintero, director, Product Services, Radio Resources; Bradford Caldwell, Vice President, Member Experience, NAB
Roundtable I 
Growing Local Direct Revenue 
There’s never been more competition for advertising dollars — and there’s never been a better time to focus on local direct and developmental business. Discuss best practices and fresh ideas for maximizing your local advantage.
Facilitator:  Bob Willoughby, senior vice president, Futuri Media
Roundtable J 
Practical Applications for ChatGPT 
AI generative text applications give content creators the ability to craft copy and discover direct answers to questions in seconds. Discover and discuss how this new technology can practically change how your station builds content.
Facilitator: Leonard Wheeler, President and General Manager, Mel Wheeler, Inc.
4 p.m. Break 
Check your email and refill your water bottle – the Forum continues after a break.
4:10 p.m. Forum Take 5 – Three Tools Every Broadcaster Can Use to Grow Revenue and Retain Clients
Radio has enjoyed tremendous effectiveness and efficiency as an advertising medium but has sometimes been challenged to demonstrate metrics of success to advertisers. Veritone’s Paul Cramer will share three ways you can use AI-powered solutions to help count earned-media towards campaign goals, measure web lift from radio advertising, and how stations can immediately tap into passive revenue opportunities.
Presenter: Paul Cramer, managing director, Enterprise Broadcast Solutions, Veritone
4:15 p.m. Tech Brief 
Insights on the most relevant technical issues facing radio in 2023 including new insights on DTS AutoStage are revealed and discussed.
Presenter: John Clark, senior vice president, Emerging Technology, NAB and executive director, PILOT; Juan Galdamez, senior director, Broadcast Strategy and Business Development , Xperi
4:35 p.m. Forum Take 5 – TKO: Digital and Radio
Take five minutes to hear a highlight of resources available for radio operations to seamlessly offer digital alongside radio advertising to create a total “knock out” strategy for advertisers.
Presenter: Jordan Lopez, sales trainer, Integreation
4:40 p.m. Audience Insights Brief 
Learn how radio fits in the current media ecosystem. Why do your advertisers need to create future demand and convert existing demand?  See how radio dominates ad-supported audio and is the “queen of the road”. Explore how radio ads make digital advertising work better and vice versa. Learn how the in-car radio listening data from DTS AutoStage will be so beneficial to small and medium market broadcasters.
Presenter: Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer, Westwood One \ Cumulus
5:10 p.m. Closing Remarks 
Hear closing thoughts from the Small and Medium Market Radio Committee chair.
Host: Julie Koehn, President, Owner, Lenawee Broadcasting Company
5:15-6 p.m. Reception  
It’s time to meet, mingle and munch! End your time at the Forum connecting with old friends, making new ones, and enjoying some light fare before you head out.

 

For other sessions at the NAB Show on radio, search here

 

Next week I will share Mike’s thoughts on RadioGPT and ChatGPT, as well as taking a look at the Summer School for radio that he started 26 years ago and so far has had over 400 students attend, many of whom have gone onto careers in the media.

 


Article by Wayne Stamm