The 2026 Marconi Radio Awards are on tap for Tuesday night at the Edison Ballroom in the City of New York, and that’s the unofficial kickoff for NAB Show New York, a two-day affair starting October 21 at the Javits Center attracting key figures from broadcasting, sports, streaming, technology and the creator economy for discussions focused on the business of media and the tools shaping its future.
Marketed by the National Association of Broadcasters as a gathering place for Radio, following the demise of the RAB/NAB’s co-produced Radio Show each autumn, this year’s NAB Show New York again places a heavy tech focus and non-broadcast radio approach to attracting registered attendees.
NAB Executive VP of Global Connections and Events Karen Chupka comments, “We want people to leave with more than a view of what’s changing. They should understand where businesses are finding growth, which technologies can help them work smarter and who they need to connect with to move forward.”
But why attend NAB Show New York, especially as the spring NAB Show in Las Vegas — the association’s signature event — continues to attract roughly half of its pre-COVID 19 attendance?
In New York, “major media business decisions” are being placed under the spotlight. This includes a consolidation examination featuring longtime financial analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich, J.P. Morgan media and communications executive Eric Menell and investment executive Aaron Sobel. Then, there’s a discussion on “the battle for scale” moderated by journalist Alex Sherman.
Sports sessions figure prominently for an industry eager to spread the word that over-the-air television is again the best home for live play-by-play, and not the walled gardens of over-the-top subscription video services such as Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV+ or Netflix. Among those in attendance are FanDuel President Christian Genetski, New York Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky and sports commentator Clay Travis in conversation with NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt.
With the NAB Show New York programming is a “Local TV Strategies” conference. It is designed to tackle new revenue, streaming, artificial intelligence and the 2027 advertising outlook, with executives “from leading station groups.”
Then, there is the SMPTE ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow, poised to offer technical training on modern media networking.
Creators dominate the Thursday schedule at NAB Show New York, which extended a “50% off flash sale” through Sunday (10/18) to help boost attendance at the Javits Center. Among the schedule highlights for broadcasters is an “AI in the Newsroom” session scheduled for 11:30am Eastern.
