Newsmakers and key influencers across the television industry spectrum will gather on September 17 in New York City to participate in Forward 2015 – Broadcast Television’s Annual Leadership Conference presented by the TVB (www.tvb.org), the trade association of America’s local broadcast television industry. There, industry leaders will discuss the economic, political, technological and viewer/consumer opportunities and challenges that are shaping the future of television.

As new platforms continue to battle for consumers’ attention, increasing fragmentation among various new media platforms has served to highlight the ongoing dominance of traditional broadcast television. No other platform has the proven ability to influence consumer awareness and behavior while providing large-scale engagement across multiple screens for brand owners and marketers with the public.

“Local broadcast television is the most powerful medium to target consumers because its reach, use, targeting, immediacy, engagement and influence remains unmatched,” said Steve Lanzano, President and CEO of TVB. “By a wide margin, Americans continue to spend more time with television than any other medium, as traditional TV accounts for approximately 91% of total monthly time spent on video and nearly five hours of average daily viewing per person. As fragmentation increases across the media landscape, television’s dominant position as a reliable, proven marketing solution presents clear and measurable advantages for brand managers, advertisers and political candidates who are seeking to reach their target audiences and influence decisions.

“Forward 2015 brings together thought leaders, newsmakers, technology innovators and other key industry participants to discuss the future of television and the importance of ‘localism’ in our daily lives. And local broadcast television is rapidly evolving to meet changing consumer and brand preferences with multi-screen viewing capabilities and advertising technology focused on further optimizing reach and targeting to create effective message delivery and engagement. At Forward 2015 we will explore emerging trends in television and digital media and their influence on economic, social, technological and political behavior and outcomes.”

TVB Forward 2015 Agenda (For Speaker Bios Click here):

  • Welcoming Address from Michael Fiorile, Chairman of the Board, TVB and Steve Lanzano, President & CEO, TVB to be followed by special remarks from Jeffery Marks, President & General Manager, WDBJ-TV
  • Keynote Address – “Television is the New Television”
    An In-Depth Conversation and Interview with Author/Columnist Michael Wolff conducted by Keach Hagey, Reporter, Wall Street Journal
  • A SWOT Analysis of Television
    Session Moderator: Robin Flynn, Director of Research, SNL Kagan
    Participants: Jack Myers, Chairman & Media Ecologist, MyersBizNet, Inc.; Larry Patrick, Managing Partner, Patrick Communications; and Bill Hague, EVP, Frank N. Magid Associates

    You see challenges, we see opportunities. “A SWOT Analysis of Television” will explore the issues of the day with unique insights from industry experts on a broad range of critical topics. Robin Flynn, Director of Research with SNL Kagan and an analyst specializing in the broadcast and pay TV industries, will kick off the session and lead the discussion with a panel of industry experts.
  • The Word From Wall Street
    Financial Keynote and Session Moderator: Lawrence J. Haverty, Jr., CFA, Associate Portfolio Manager, Gabelli Multimedia Trust
    Participants: Todd Juenger, Senior Analyst, U.S. Media Sanford C. Bernstein; Michael Nathanson, Partner and Senior Research Analyst, MoffettNathanson; and Marci Ryvicker, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Securities

    Larry Haverty will begin the Wall Street session with an overview of the economy and media industry landscape followed by a conversation with leading analysts on business trends and forecasts.
  • Political Super Session
    Political Keynote and Session Moderator: John Dickerson, Host of Face The Nation and CBS News Political Director

    The 24-hour news cycle and the rise of social media as a news source has helped to further fuel the “permanent campaign” in American politics. Combined with Super PACS, who are not hindered by contribution limits and now engage in political campaigns as well as major legislative and regulatory issues, many are predicting record-breaking spending in the 2016 election cycle. This session will explore how Super PACs have altered the dynamics of U.S. elections, how political advertising decisions are made, and the role local broadcast television will play in 2016 and in the future.
  • Programmatic TV
    Introduction and Moderator: Matt Prohaska, CEO and Principal, Prohaska Consulting
    Participants: Brendan Condon, CEO, AdMore; Joy Baer, President, Strata; Seth Haber, CEO, Visible World; Eric Mathewson, Founder and CEO, WideOrbit; Shereta Williams, President, Videa; and Josh Summers, CEO and Founder, Clypd

    The buzz about programmatic is at a fever pitch in broadcaster, agency, advertiser and platform provider boardrooms. Matt Prohaska will describe the programmatic playing field with insight into the latest developments and implications. To broaden out the discussion, executives from six of the leading companies providing programmatic solutions for local broadcast television will offer their perspectives on the future of this evolving sell/buy model.
  • The Media Stakeholders
    One-on-One Interview with Michael Kasson, Chairman and CEO, MediaLink conducted by Steve Lanzano, President and CEO, TVB
  • What’s Driving Automotive
    Automotive Keynote with Jason Stein, Publisher & Editor, Automotive News and Q&A with Steve Sturm, Executive Advisor of Automotive, TVB

    The auto market in 2015 will finish with over 17 million vehicle sales, the best in over a decade. Jason Stein will explore the outlook for strong sales continuing into 2016. Topics impacting sales include auto brand marketing/sales initiatives and new product launches. He will discuss dealers, their marketing approaches and trends in the local marketplace, as well as millennials’ effects on the auto marketplace and diversity marketing to Hispanic-Americans.
  • Measurement: Cross-Platform, Consumer-Centric and Local
    Session Moderator: George Ivie, CEO & Executive Director, Media Rating Council, Inc.
    Participants: Matt O’Grady, EVP & Managing Director, Local Media, Nielsen; Bill Livek, Vice Chairman & CEO, Rentrak; Malcolm CasSelles, SVP and General Manager, Digital Media SeaChange International / New Coin; and Joan Fitzgerald, VP of TV Sales and Business Development, Comscore

    It’s been said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t sell it.” George Ivie, Executive Director and CEO of the Media Rating Council will set up the local measurement discussion with an update on activities at the MRC that impact local broadcast television data and data usage. The panel will follow up with a discussion about the relevant issues surrounding measurement and “what’s coming next” for local broadcast TV.
  • Big Data: Featuring Rex Briggs, Founder and CEO, Marketing Evolution

    TED comes to TVB with Rex Briggs’ original TED talk. Rex is an expert in unlocking marketing ROI profits through measurement. He is credited with pioneering many digital measurement techniques, including post-click analysis, attribution modeling, online advertising effectiveness, cross-media measurement and social media effectiveness.
  • Digital Disrupters
    Session Moderator: Rick Ducey, Managing Director, BIA Kelsey
    Participants: Roger Keating, SVP of Digital Media, Hearst; Tom O’Brien, EVP of Digital Media and Chief Revenue Officer, Nexstar; Robert Sullivan, SVP of Programming, TEGNA; David Cole, VP of Sales, Mixpo

    Today, Television IS digital and it is disrupting the digital media landscape with content, innovation, technology and connectivity. Rick Ducey will present BIA Kelsey’s view on digital media and broadcasters will contribute the unique and effective content and ad solutions offered by digital subchannels, station websites and their mobile/apps solutions.

In addition, annual industry awards will be announced. The TVB will present the EMMA: Excellence in Local Media Marketing Solutions award to one local broadcast television station and three ad agencies; the Ad Council will present the Crystal Bell Award for leadership and exceptional support in promoting Ad Council public service messages; and the B&C Broadcaster of the Year Award will be presented by B&C/Multichannel News.

Lanzano concluded, “From macro trends to recent key category performance, local broadcast television delivers unmatched ROI to local businesses, political candidates and brand stewards and marketers. Local broadcast television is the original and most effective Over the Top media platform. Station operators across our membership have indicated that their multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) subscriber base is stable and in some cases growing, which reflect the distinctive strength of local TV to retain, inform, entertain and engage viewers.”

About TVB

TVB is the not-for-profit trade association of America’s local broadcast television industry. Its members include television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters, associate members and over 700 individual television stations. TVB actively promotes local media marketing solutions to the advertising community, and in so doing works to develop advertising dollars for the medium’s multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including www.tvb.org, to support its members and to help advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.