NEW YORK — The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act got an urgent plea. Deal valuations got a hard second look. Disruption got a keynote. Forecast 2027 wrapped Thursday at the Harvard Club of the City of New York after a day of broadcast leaders testing market assumptions, with the sharpest insights shared only in the room.
Radio Ink President and Publisher Deborah Parenti; Forecast 2027 Radio Co-Chair and Audacy CEO Kelli Turner; and Television Co-Chair and Gray Media COO Sandy Breland (pictured, top left) led the program, as Fred Toucher of WBZ-FM in Boston (“98.5 The Sports Hub”) and Angela Yee of the syndicated Way Up With Angela Yee served as the day’s emcees.
The morning opened with an economic outlook for 2027 from BIA Advisory Services and WPP Media. Panelists named the top verticals worth chasing and got specific on the strengths that broadcasters will need to lean into to make the most of the year ahead.
Recent blockbuster deal valuations were called into question during the “Who’s Buying Broadcast?” session as moderator Randy Michaels had each panelist dig into their thoughts and facts on the market. The Main Street Media panel delivered local lessons for broadcasters of every size, with Bold Gold Media’s Vince Benedetto and Norsan Media’s Natalia Sanchez Alvarez representing radio. The Converged Broadcast session turned to the accelerating frequency of change, as Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley and Bonneville International’s Tanya Vea joined TV leaders to lay out the AI and tech plans they’re already using to find success.
NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt gave luncheon attendees an exclusive briefing on the future of local TV and radio ahead of the Lifetime Leadership Awards. Former CBS News Radio VP/GM Craig Swagler introduced this year’s radio honoree, retired CBS News Radio VP Harvey Nagler, who called the honor a “pinch me moment.”
As reported on Thursday by RBR+TVBR, NBCUniversal Local Chairman Valari Staab’s television-side award was accepted on her behalf by Telemundo Station Group President José Cancela.
The “Broadcast on the Docket” panel took on the FCC drama and the absolute necessity of getting the AM Act passed in the lame duck Congress. Keynote speaker Larry Bailin captivated the audience with tales of disruption, marketing, and the rise of AI, along with the expectations that come with it.
ABC News Chief Business, Technology and Economics Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis gave her outlook on breaking news of Nvidia and the resignation of Jensen Huang, AI, and how it will affect the economy and market swings. An executive panel followed, and the day wrapped with cocktails in Harvard Hall.
