The Radio Committee aims to identify potential areas for developing collaborative strategies, information dissemination, targeted research and development, and demonstration activities.
The NABA Radio Committee (NABA-RC)’s current core mandate includes:
- Best practices, and the sharing of ideas and developing consensus on issues for radio broadcasters in North America (Canada, Mexico, and the US).
- The importance of new technology, and when it helps preserve and grow the radio industry the Committee encourages its adoption.
- Focussing on how radio remains competitive and relevant while operating in a transitional environment from one traditional transmission service to multi-platform delivered audio product.
- Representing the views and interests of NABA members to businesses and interests who are potential gatekeepers (and even barriers) to achieving continued radio relevance in new media and mobile platforms.
- Representing the views of NABA members on radio/audio issues to the three North American governments and regulatory agencies and the wider Global community of institutions (e.g., ITU) and forums (e.g., WBU).
In all of its work the Committee will pay attention to the continuing value that radio provides the consumer (both in a public service and market sense) in their local, regional, and national communities.
For more information, please contact the NABA Secretariat.
NABA HYBRID RADIO & METADATA WORKING GROUP
This working group released the “NABA Insights on Hybrid Radio and Metadata for Broadcasters Document” at the 2023 NAB Show. The working group developed this document to help improve radio broadcaster’s awareness of hybrid radio technology and understanding of the importance of metadata usage. Read more here.
RADIO IN-CAR USER EXPERIENCE GUIDELINES
The NABA Radio In-car User Experience (UX) Guidelines were produced by the NABA Radio Committee in collaboration with the WorldDAB Automotive Committee. This is a “North American version” of the latest edition of the WorldDAB UX Guidelines which have been updated.
These Guidelines have been created to inform automotive manufacturers and broadcasters on how to deliver the best possible radio user experience and are largely based on the results of consumer research. Read more here.
NEXT-GENERATION RADIO WORKING GROUP
The NABA Next-gen Radio Working Group seeks to identify and take advantage of new opportunities for broadcasters (e.g. digital radio, hybrid radio, connected car, etc.) with the goal of maintaining radio’s preeminent status as the preferred provider of local information and entertainment.
The Working Group published a paper: “The Value Proposition of Radio in a Connected World”, read it here.
NABA produced a session for the 2022 NAB Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference at the NAB Show.
NABA Radio In-car User Experience (UX) Guidelines
Moderator: Michael McEwen – Director-General, NABA
Panelists:
- Joe D’Angelo – Senior Vice President, Broadcast Radio, Xperi
- Laurence Harrison – Director of Automotive Partnerships, Radioplayer
- Laura Ivey – Director of Research, Edison Research
- David Layer – VP, Advanced Engineering, NAB
NABA produced an online session for the 2021 NAB Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference.
NABA Insights – Radio’s In-car User Experience
Moderator: Julie McCambley, Sr. Manager, Digital Audio Planning & Strategy, CBC Listen | NABA Radio Committee Chair
- Keeping Radio front-and-center in the Dash – David Layer, VP, Advanced Engineering, NAB | NABA-RC In-car User Experience Sub-Group Lead
- Radioplayer – Driving Radio into the Future – Laurence Harrison, Director of Automotive Partnerships, Radioplayer
- The DTS AutoStage Ecosystem – Joe D’Angelo, SVP, Radio, XPERI
- Monetizing Metadata for Radio – Ben Husmann, Product Manager, Quu Interactive
Due to the cancellation of the 2020 NAB Show, the 2020 Future of Radio & Audio Symposium (FRAS) sessions were modified for the NAB Show Express (May 13 & 14). Register for free to watch content. NABA contributed two sessions:
NABA Radio Committee Projects 2020 (click here)
Moderator: Julie McCambley, Sr. Manager, Digital Audio Planning & Strategy, CBC Listen | NABA-RC Chair
- David Layer, VP, Advanced Engineering, NAB | NABA-RC Vice-Chair
- Jeff Detweiler, Executive Director, Broadcast Business Development, Xperi
- David Julian Gray, Sr. Product Manager, Content Production, NPR
Radio In-car User Experience (click here)
Moderator: David Layer, VP, Advanced Engineering, NAB | NABA-RC Vice-Chair
- Laurence Harrison, Automotive Working Group Chair, WorldDAB
- Rosemary Smith, Project Manager, WorldDAB
On April 7th, 2019, NABA’s Radio Committee held the Future of Radio & Audio Symposium (FRAS) at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. Three sessions were held as part of the Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology Conference.
Opening Remarks
- Michael McEwen, Director-General, North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
Session 1: The Next Generation of Radio
Moderator: Michael Beach, VP, Distribution, NPR | Lead, NABA-RC Next-gen Radio Working Group
- Natale Polito, Senior Manager of Radio Engineering, Bell Media
- Steve Newberry, EVP, Industry Affairs and Special Projects, NAB
- Dave Casper, SVP, Digital Services, Radio Advertising Bureau
- Lawrence Galkoff, General Manager, Radioplayer Worldwide
- Samuel Sousa, Senior Advisor, Streaming R&D,Triton Digital
Session 2 – Digital Radio Roll Out Around the World
Moderator: David Layer, VP, Advanced Engineering, NAB
- Lindsay Cornell, Principal Systems Architect, BBC | Chair of World DAB Technical Committee
- José Luis Rodríguez, President, CIRT
- Joan Warner, CEO, Commercial Radio Australia | VP, World DAB
- Ole Jørgen Torvmark, CEO, Norsk Radio AS (Norwegian Radio)
- Joseph F. D’Angelo, SVP, Radio, Xperi
Session 3 – Connected Car/Audio on Demand/Advertising and Big Data
Moderator: Paul Brenner, President, BTC, Emmis Communications | Vice-chair, NABA Radio Committee
- Martin Koch, Head, Development Multimedia, Audi AG
- Scott Burnell, Global Lead, Content Ecosystem Mgmt, Ford
- Stacey Lynn Schulman, CMO, Katz Media Group
- Lisa Joy Rosner, CMO, Otonomo
FRAS was held in Washington, DC in 2017. The opening reception was hosted by NPR on February 15th.
The FRAS Sessions were hosted by the NAB on February 16th, 2017.
1.0 Opening
- Richard Friedel, EVP & General Manager, Engineering & Operations, Fox Entertainment Group | NABA President
- Gordon Smith, President & CEO, NAB
2.0 Keynote Address
- Ajit Pai, Chairman, FCC
3.0 FM Activation in Smartphones: What are the Benefits?
Moderator: Steve Newberry, President & CEO, Commonwealth Broadcasting
- David Layer, Senior Director, Advanced Engineering, NAB
- Mariana Ferreira, Senior Director, Business Development, BLU Products, Inc.
- Ernesto Reyes, Director, Engineering, Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Radio y Televisión (CIRT)
- Kirk Nesbitt, Technical Advisor, Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB)
4.0 NABA Position Paper – A Voluntary North American Digital Radio Standard
- Jeff Detweiler, Executive Director, Broadcast Engineering, HD RadioTM
5.0 Consumer Expectations for Future Car Dashboards
- Roger Lanctot, Associate Director, Global Automotive Practice, Strategy Analytics
5.1 Dashboard Strategies for Broadcasters
Moderator: David Layer, Senior Director, Advanced Engineering, NAB
- Joe D’Angelo, SVP, DTS
- Anupam Malhotra, Director, Connected Vehicles, Audi of America, Inc.
- Demian Perry, Director, Mobile Operations, NPR
- Sam Matheny, Executive VP & CTO, NAB
6.0 In a Multi-Platform Audio World, What Helps Build Audiences for Over-The-Air Radio Broadcasting, and What is Competitive
Moderator: Fred Jacobs, President, Jacobs Media Strategies
- Lux, On-Air Personality, NOW 96.3
- Paul Morgan, Head, Technology, BBC Radio
- Leigh Jacobs, EVP, Research Analysis, NuVoodoo Media Services
6.2 Podcasting and Radio: How They Work Together to Build Audiences
Moderator: Michael Beach, VP, Distribution, NPR
- Paul Morgan, Head, Technology, BBC Radio
- Arif Noorani, Executive Producer, CBC Radio New Programs & Original Podcasts, CBC/Radio-Canada
- Chris Peterson, SVP, Podcasting, iHeartMedia
- Thomas Hjelm, Chief Digital Officer, NPR
7.0 Data, Analysis and Attribution
Moderator: Paul Brenner, President, NextRadio – Emmis Communications
- Stephanie Young-Helou, VP, Data Analytics, NextRadio/TagStation
- Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insight Officer, Cumulus Media
- Radha Subramanyam, President, Insights, Research & Data Analytics, iHeartMedia
- Tariq Mondal, Director, Advanced Technology, NAB
8.0 Key Trends to Affect the Radio Industry in the Next Year
Moderator: Michael McEwen, Director-General, NABA
- Paul Brenner, President, NextRadio – Emmis Communications
- Marty Garrison, CTO, NPR
- Ernesto Reyes, Director, Engineering, CIRT
- Steve Newberry, President & CEO, Commonwealth Broadcasting
March 3rd, 2016 – Mexico City, Mexico (Hosted by CIRT)
On February 19, 2015, NABA’s Radio Committee held a Future of Radio & Audio Symposium at CBC/Radio-Canada’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. The Symposium provided NABA’s membership, and others involved in radio production and distribution, with an exciting day of signature keynotes, discussions and presentations on the core issues affecting the future of the business. The NABA-RC will incorporate information and issues gathered at the Symposium as part of its Work Plan going forward.
Video files from the day are available at the following links:
1.0 Opening Remarks(NABA’s Michael McEwen and CBC/Radio-Canada’s Julie McCambley)
2.0 “Future of Radio” Keynote Address(FCC’s Ajit Pai)
3.0 The Future of Delivery – A Roundtable(Moderated by NPR’s Marty Garrison)
4.0 Digital Radio: Where it’s at and How it Fits into a Broadband World(Moderated by NAB’s David Layer)
5.0 Radio as a First Responder: The Importance of Radio in Emergency Situations(Moderated by Newstalk 1010 Toronto’s Kym Geddes)
6.0 “How to Make Broadcast Radio Still Work in a Streaming World” Keynote Address(Emmis’ Jeff Smulyan)
7.0 Local – Is it Still Radio’s Competitive Advantage?(Moderated by Rogers’ Paul Ski)
8.0 Revitalizing the AM Band(Moderated bv Univision’s Karl Lahm)
9.0 The Next Generation of the Auto Dashboard and What it Means for Radio(Moderated by CBC/Radio-Canada’s Julie McCambley)
10.0 Closing Remarks(Emmis’ Paul Brenner)
FM CHIP WORKING GROUP (*archived group)
The NABA FM Chip Working Group was created to investigate FM chips in smartphones. A smartphone with an FM chip enabled (and a suitable app) can stream FM radio using much less battery and data.
NABA, along with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), tracked penetration of FM chips in smartphones for the North American market. For more on that research, please click here.
DIGITAL RADIO WORKING GROUP (*archived group)
The NABA Digital Radio Working Group was formed to produce a Position Paper on a voluntary North American Digital Radio Standard. You can read the paper here.
CHAIR
Julie McCambley
Sr. Manager Planning & Operations, CBC Listen
CBC/Radio-Canada
VICE-CHAIR
David Layer
VP, Advanced Engineering
NAB
NABA members, please contact the Secretariat if you ever need members-only material (meeting documents, member contacts, committee documents, etc.).