Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Gordon Smith Keynote at 2018 NAB Show

09/04/2018

Gordon Smith Keynote at 2018 NAB Show Las Vegas, NV -- NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith delivered the annual NAB State of the Industry address during the 2017 NAB Show. Below is a transcript of his remarks as prepared for delivery.

***

I'm delighted to be here with all of you, and grateful for your attendance.

We especially welcome those of you who have travelled many miles to be here.

I always look forward to the NAB Show, an event that tells the story of broadcasting and its latter-day convergence with broadband and other technologies to deliver the content our communities rely on every day.

And it's an exciting story to share - just take a look at what's happening outside these walls: The Next Gen TV Autonomous Transport is giving riders a glimpse into the future of live broadcast television aboard a driverless vehicle; and the all-digital FM radio demonstration at NAB PILOT's Futures Park is showcasing radio's exciting future.

It's a story that began nearly 100 years ago among broadcast pioneers, men and women rooted in their desire to inform, entertain and help people understand what happens beyond the boundaries of their own lives.

Who had a sense of calling among them to be the public's eyes and ears

to lead others out of darkness during times of crisis to share profound moments and to connect with our family, friends and neighbors.

to lead others out of darkness during times of crisis to share profound moments and to connect with our family, friends and neighbors.

The National Association of Broadcasters has been around for nearly as long as broadcasting itself - created nearly a century ago with the intent to tell broadcasters' story and to support their mission, which is at the heart of what they do every day.

And that mission is to always be there, to be the voices against oppression the megaphones for freedom and democracy and to report the news without fear or favor.

Protecting this mission is the moral compass that drives all that we do at NAB, in our advocacy before Congress and the Federal Communications Commission and in our investment in future innovations and technologies.

This past year, we at NAB worked hand in hand with our broadcasters to educate policymakers on stations' vital role, and together we achieved five enormous wins.

* The FCC approved voluntary deployment of the Next Gen TV standard, which promises to deliver the benefits of ultra-high definition television, interactive features and customizable content to viewers.

* We again fought back attempts by the record labels to tax radio stations simply for promoting and playing the music listeners love to hear.

* We prevented a $169 billion tax on advertising that would hurt every broadcast station, as well as small businesses and vital, local jobs.

* More, the Commission made significant strides to modernize outdated media ownership rules.

* And, most recently, broadcasters were instrumental in securing $1 billion in legislation passed by Congress to reimburse radio and television stations for their costs during the spectrum repacking process, ensuring viewers and listeners don't lose access to their stations.

These wins did not come by accident or chance.

They were won because of the willingness of radio and television broadcasters all across the country to advocate on these critical issues.

When this industry speaks with one voice, these wins demonstrate that it is a powerful voice.

So, while appropriate to enjoy a moment of thanksgiving and celebrating, this much we also know - the challenges will keep coming and our cause cannot rest.

The world as we know it is unpredictable - we face a very divided government that struggles to find compromise and solve the nation's problems.

In just a few minutes, we will welcome House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, who was instrumental in helping to secure the funds to reimburse broadcasters for their relocation costs, to talk about some of the issues that are impacting the future of local stations.

But, right now with all of you, I want to talk about how we envision broadcasting's future and what we want that future to be.

In thinking about the future of this great industry, I am reminded of the time my son and I attended a sporting event.

Since he was a young boy - maybe four or five years old - he asked if he could see what I saw from my height.

He pleaded with me to put him up on my shoulders so that he could see the action and look farther into the distance.

In his eyes, I was as tall as a giant.

I obliged and picked him up by the ankles and stood him on my shoulders.

My son was amazed by all that he could see standing on my shoulders, he could see more than just the action on the field - he could see beyond the horizon, the trees, hills and houses that dotted the landscape - things that he could not see standing on his own.

Here at the NAB Show, broadcasters are standing on the shoulders of the innovators, creators and storytellers, whose creativity, passion and energy are allowing us to see broadcasting as it could be in the future.

We have also inherited so much from those broadcasters before us and continue to learn from those in the present.

And, standing on the shoulders of these giants, we can imagine a brighter future than we could on our own.

And, if we are like a little boy or girl standing on the shoulders of giants looking into the horizon, what do we want to see?

What is our vision of broadcasting's future?

I believe our future lies in investing in the innovation that is crucial to our long-term growth, so that we can always be there for our communities anywhere they are, and always for free.

There is no better or more reliable resource for information during times of crisis than broadcast stations.

But
LINK: http://www.nab.org/documents/newsRoom/pressRelease.asp?id=4502...
See more stories from nab

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

16/07/2026

Business Innovation Synergizer: Grants of up to 30,000 for media organisations

Media organisations with tested plans for new products, services or revenue models can now apply for grants of up to 30,000 through the Business Innovation Syn...

16/07/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Kaden Sherman, Albany State University

This recent graduate and Georgia native has turned an early fascination with live production into a growing passion for camera work In the live-sports-video in...

16/07/2026

TNDV Marks First Year of Aspiration 35 Cinematic Production Truck

TNDV is marking the first anniversary of Aspiration 35, a mobile production truck built around ARRI Alexa 35 Live camera systems. Over its first year, the truck...

16/07/2026

ATSC Releases First Major Revision to A/85 Audio Loudness Recommended Practice Since 2013

ATSC has completed a major revision to its A/85 Recommended Practice: Techniques...

16/07/2026

FloSports Named Exclusive Global Media Partner for 2026 CrossFit Games

FloSports has announced an exclusive global media partnership with CrossFit for the 2026 CrossFit Games, presented by Air National Guard, beginning July 21 in S...

16/07/2026

Sennheiser Releases Spectera Firmware 1.4 and Command Button

Sennheiser has released firmware version 1.4 for its Spectera wireless system and announced the Spectera Command Button (Cat. No. 701014). The update adds comma...

16/07/2026

ESPN and Southwestern Athletic Conference Announce Multi-Year Media Rights Agreement Through 2030-31

ESPN and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) have announced a multi-year...

16/07/2026

Audio-Technica Releases 20 Series Control Application for Elgato Stream Deck

Audio-Technica has announced the 20 Series Control Application, a Stream Deck plug-in for compatible Audio-Technica USB microphones. The application is compatib...

16/07/2026

SSL Live L550 Plus Consoles Power Audio Production for The Voice France Season 15

The fifteenth season of The Voice - La plus belle voix on TF1 used four Solid St...

16/07/2026

Gray Media and Atlanta Hawks Announce Georgia-Wide Broadcast Partnership for 2026-27 NBA Season

Gray Media and the Atlanta Hawks have announced a broadcast partnership that wil...

16/07/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Quarterback Showrunner Joe Zucco on Cinematography, Building Trust, Carrying On the NFL Films Legacy

Season 3 of Netflix's docuseries, which dropped this week, follows Jayden Da...

16/07/2026

Texas Rangers Switch Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Partner to BZZR

The Texas Rangers and Rangers Sports Network presented by Progressive (RSN) have announced BZZR as the new direct-to-consumer distributor for Rangers game broad...

16/07/2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: BBC Sport on Moving Across the Pond to Bring the Atmosphere of the Final Matches to Fans

With England's FIFA World Cup 2026 team getting ready to fly home after losi...

16/07/2026

With 36 Unilateral Cameras, NBC Sports Shapes 154th Open Championship Coverage for U.S. Viewers

In a return to Royal Birkdale, the team enjoys partnering with ETP and Gravity M...

16/07/2026

Altitude Sports & Entertainment's Tim De Lay on New SkyCam Digital Feed, Upgraded Studio Space

Along with a new studio at Ball Arena, the Colorado-based RSN is working with XR...

16/07/2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: Inside ORF's Austria-Based Production to Bring All the Emotions of the Tournament to Fans

Austria was back at the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, and the team d...

16/07/2026

Inside Gravity Media's Effort To Power the 154th Open Championship Production

With 42 RF cameras and high-power radio mics deployed, the spectrum environment ...

16/07/2026

Baby Audio release SubCulture

A new benchmark in bass enhancement Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...

16/07/2026

Other Worlds Evolved from Zero G

Popular library rebuilt in new Orbita Engine Other Worlds Evolved is the latest of Zero G's sample libraries to be treated to a ground-up rebuild using ...

16/07/2026

Native Instruments announce Super*Saw

Created in collaboration with A. G. Cook The newest addition to Native Instruments' software collection introduces a new synth created by A. G. Cook, a ...

16/07/2026

NITV and SBS bring Australians to the heart of Garma

NITV and SBS bring Australians to the heart of Garma 16 July, 2026 Media releases The Garma Festival returns from 31 July-3 August, with NITV and SBS deliv...

16/07/2026

Rohde & Schwarz supplies conformance test systems to Marquistech for India's first GCF RTO and PTCRB ATL lab

Rohde & Schwarz supplies conformance test systems to Marquistech for India's...

16/07/2026

The Gauge: Poland | June 2026

June brought stabilization to the television market. Poles spent an average of 3 hours and 36 minutes a day in front of their TV screens exactly the same as i...

16/07/2026

New studio monitoring leads Glensound's 60th year line-up...

Glensound returns to IBC with a major new addition to its intelligent loudspeaker range, the Greater Divine Supernal studio monitor, alongside recent developmen...

16/07/2026

Complete spectrum of innovation from British exhibitors a...

33 leading exhibitors are taking part in the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilions and linked locations across IBC2026 (Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September)...

16/07/2026

Hitomi Broadcast to showcase HDR colour verification and...

Hitomi Broadcast will introduce Spectra, a new HDR colour verification solution measured in picture, not using VPID, at IBC2026 (Hall 10, Stand A40). Expanding ...

16/07/2026

SMPTE Kicks Off 110th Anniversary Campaign

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/07/2026

Cox Media Group Taps Waymark for AI Ad Creation Tools

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/07/2026

Parks: Cable Broadband Sub Losses Slow Down

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/07/2026

CatchLight, Sony Launch Initiative to Help Local Newsrooms

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/07/2026

XR Launches XR ONE Ad Ops Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/07/2026

Zixi and Comcast Technology Solutions Partner to Provide...

Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) today announced a strategic new integration to deliver ...

16/07/2026

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App Brie Clayton July 15, 2026 0 Comments Leader in Personal Aviation taps URSA Cin...

16/07/2026

XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage Interfaces

XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage In...

16/07/2026

RTW Network Display

Modern broadcast facilities are no longer confined to a single control room. Production teams are spread across multiple workstations, machine rooms, studios, c...

16/07/2026

Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results Via Webcast

Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2026 F...

16/07/2026

More interfaces now compatible with Focusrite Control 2

More interfaces now compatible with Focusrite Control 2 Your Focusrite interface might now be compatible with a public beta support of Focusrite Control 2. If...

16/07/2026

Sharpen the Sword, Skip the Downloads - Onimusha: Way of the Sword' Is Coming to GeForce NOW

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is coming to GeForce NOW at launch, with the playable...

16/07/2026

FIFA World Cup semi-finals deliver whopper audiences as RT Player surpasses 21 million streams across the tournament to date

Together the semi-finals had a combined reach of 1.98 million unique individuals...

15/07/2026

Inside DAZNs Multi-Market World Cup Effort With CTO Sandeep Tiku

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...

15/07/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Qumulo's Chris Horn on Powering Global Media Workflows Across Edge, Core, and Cloud

As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...

15/07/2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: Inside the HBS Non-Live London Production Hub

HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...

15/07/2026

IBC2026 to Spotlight AI, Live Sports Production, Creator Economy, and Trust in Media

IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...

15/07/2026

Vanessa Paradis Tour Adopts Sennheiser Spectera Wireless Ecosystem for 2026 Production

Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...

15/07/2026

Telos Alliance Integrates AudioShake Source Separation Into Minnetonka AudioTools Server

New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...

15/07/2026

AIMS Schedules Second IPMX Product Certification Event for August

Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...