Sounds pretty good. It’s this years theme here at the RTNDA Convention. I’ve been to two workshops today that addressed that theme pretty well! However, in both, the focus was entirely on TV. Trust me, when I was a TV snob, I didn’t give radio much of a thought, except as a part time weekend job to supplement my income by playing my favorite music for a few hours!
Anyway, I digress. I am pretty excited about my new laptop. I love the internet. I’ve had a web page since the early ’90′s when people were getting online via Prodigy and Compuserve and a baud rate of 9600 was fast! I am excited that media is moving online in a bigger and bigger way! I said in 1994 that someday anyone who wanted to have their own TV station in their living room would be able too. I wasn’t that far off.
So. I’m thinking it’s a high tech focus at the RTNDA. This is where the industry has to move and quickly to stay relevant and therefore to survive. Imagine my surprise today when I found out I couldn’t go online at the Las Vegas Hilton without paying the hotel $13. I think that is per day! My next thought was that maybe the RTNDA could have made a deal with the hotel to provide internet during the convention. It’s ironic. Here I am wanting to blog from the convention who’s theme is, “Bringing the Digital Future to Your World” and I can’t get online!
I figured I would include those comments in my comments that the RTNDA was sure to ask for as part of the convention, but then I had a chance to talk to the folk that planned the convention. Of course, I found out it’s never as cut and dry as it seems.
This morning at “breakfast” (sorry. I was hungry all day. I’m almost over it.) there were speeches from people running for the board. Director-at-Large and Treasurer and maybe one other office. One of the Director-at-Large Candidates was sitting at the same table as me and his wife asked if I would were his button. I politely declined. I told her I wanted to talk to all of the candidates first. So she sent her husband over and we had a nice discussion. Very nice and smart guy.
After lunch I saw Donna Francavilla talking with some folks. She is also in the running for Director-at-Large. I went over just as they were wrapping up and said hello. As we were talking I told her my concern over this internet “issue.” She took me over to meet Ed Esposito, who is the Chairman-Elect and Ed Tobias who is also running for Director-at-Large. Ed Tobias said, “Two Ed’s are better than one!” Good line :-)
Ms. Francavilla basically laid out my concern and I took it from there. Ed Esposito informed me that they did look into getting access during the convention for attendees, but the Hotel wanted a chunk of change. I explained that I certainly understood the tension between cost and benefit. I went on to say that it would be nice for RTNDA Members who can’t attend the convention to have access to blogs, video, pictures all being constantly updated during the proceedings. I’m not sure how RTNDA would overcome the cost issue. They are already cutting corners at “breakfast.” (I did it again, didn’t I)
I’m a good example. I haven’t posted to this blog this often ever! That’s by using the internet connection here at the Hotel next door where the internet connection is complimentary. If I hadn’t forgotten my firewire, I would have a video of the opening reception already edited and posted. How much more could I (and others) do if I could get online at the convention?!
I really think the RTNDA could make this a priority in the future. I came from an afternoon workshop where the panel was talking about “community journalists.” People in the community posting pictures and video and doing reporting. We are the professionals! Why not let us use our skills and tools and demonstrate the very thing we are talking about? I hope they do next time around.
