Long integral—albeit under the radar—at NATPE, station groups will have an official presence when the annual January conference convenes in Miami, which will include a new track of sessions devoted to local TV.
“For the last several years, station groups were huddling up in every corner of the conference trying to figure out their future,” said Hearst Television VP of programming Emerson Coleman, who, along with Tribune programming head Sean Compton, organized the track. “This puts it all out in the open for everyone to see and everyone to participate in and ask the critical questions.”
The NATPE Station Group Summit will feature local and network TV leaders, as well as content producers, addressing the challenges facing the local TV industry as it expands beyond traditional broadcast television. Session topics include: How GMs lead in a digital world; producing your own shows and how to book talent for them; and long-term prospects for the relationship between local broadcasters and traditional syndicated content providers.
Coleman said those kind of topics are top-of-mind for local broadcasters trying to flourish amidst growing competition and changing business model—and the NATPE conference, which focuses on connecting content buyers and sellers, is an ideal forum to discuss them.
“Groups large and small that are trying to really answer the question that in real ways we are trying to address, which is: How do we create successful television shows?” he said.
The Station Group Summit will be held Jan. 18. The larger NATPE conference runs Jan. 17- Jan. 19 at the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami.
