by Danelle Dodds
For the past century, local television and radio have been at the heart of our villages. The voices – and eventual faces – of our broadcasters have been the expressions of our communities, and our worlds have developed around them. Radio and television storytelling changed the way we were delivered information and our horizons expanded with each new development. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Association of Broadcasters. And as it convened in Las Vegas in April 2023, it celebrated the many chapters of its legacy and storyline in our lives.
Former Name
Founded in 1923, the organization was originally known as the National Association of Radio Broadcasters. As the industry and technology advanced and changed, it became known as the National Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters. Then, in 1958, it took the moniker of today, known simply asNAB.
For the last century, NAB has been a satellite to the advocacy and resource availability of America’s broadcasters. A staunch defender of the industry’s innovation and service, it is known as a presence in our nation’s capital. In the same way our living rooms resonate with the sounds of our family television, so do the marble hallways of Congress reverberate with NAB’s education toward policymakers.
Commitment to Advocacy
Their commitment to advocacy over the last 100 years is matched by their pledge to innovation and education. Advancements in the digital world have found NAB at the forefront of groundbreaking ways to deliver content to the nation. From radio airwaves to the future of streaming, NAB has always had their finger on the pulse of media development. And when it comes to education, NAB has invested in the industry through locally focused initiatives in community service, as well as through their NAB Leadership Foundation.
When you see what they’ve done over the last century, it’s hard to imagine that NAB’s modest start in 1923 began with a total of 54 people, representing 16 stations. Though it makes sense that this was its launch year, as it was a pivotal year for broadcasting. That wintery December, listeners in six US cities were able to hear the first U.S. president use radio to address the American people. It was the domino that began changing the way messaging was received into our homes, schools, and businesses.
From 23 to 1200
And in 1941, when the first NAB convention took place, the show only featured 23 vendors for its first exhibition. Now there are more than 65,000 attendees and more than 1,200 exhibitors that flock to the world’s largest show for media, entertainment, and technology. Representing a collective $20.5 billion in purchasing power, the humble beginnings has grown into a powerhouse of broadcast communications.
This year’s celebration at the Las Vegas Convention Center was another year of innovation. No longer simply an association focused simply on storytellers, the show floor is saturated with new products and technologies that help deliver those stories to the people.
Four curated sections
The floor was organized into four curated sections: Create, Connect, Capitalize, and Intelligent Content. Spanning more than 575,000 net square feet, each section was saturated with exhibitors that are changing the way we receive information.
When he took stock of the show as it began this year, NAB President and CEO, Curtis LeGeyt, had this to say, “We are thrilled to have so many exhibitors, attendees, and partners from around the world join us in Las Vegas to help celebrate 100 years of innovation. More than any other year, everyone is filled with so much enthusiasm and energy as they engage on the show floor, in special sessions and throughout the entire event. We thank the NAB Show community for helping us reflect on our collective experience with media and entertainment and for previewing the many innovations we’ll see within the next hundred years.”
The journey of NAB from sound to picture, analog to digital, static to immersive, is a legend told over a century. It is a never-ending story that will continue to be written in the years and centuries to come.
NAB will return to Las Vegas on April 14 – 17, 2024.
