The 2024 Consumer Electronics Show is now over, and among those raving about this year’s conference and expo is none other than Radio + Television Business Report President/Publisher Deborah Parenti, who saw first-hand how AI “was front and center at virtually — and we use that word in both meanings — every display and booth at the show.”
Meanwhile, the nation’s No. 1 audio content creation and distribution company was in Las Vegas but not as a CES exhibitor. Rather, iHeartMedia’s top brass co-hosted a VIP Executive Dinner in partnership with Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp parent Meta.
“As to be expected, CES did not disappoint this year,” Parenti said. “It would be difficult to imagine anything less of a show that incorporates so much eye-popping, futuristic technology, integrated with environmental and social considerations wrapped into its DNA.”
The demonstrations of this high-end technology, Parenti noted, were applications that have been under development since the mid-1950s and have since become an integral part of advancements in health care, finance, and automotive among other industries — “not the potentially dangerous scenarios that have become the topic of such deep and warranted concern over the past year.”
Parenti continued, “It’s the technology on display in the automotive arena that should have every radio group swarming over this show. That should be the obvious lure. But there’s more. Innovations in smart homes represent another category that radio should be checking out because wherever ‘audio’ belongs, radio needs to find a way to be in the mix.”
Parenti, who is also Publisher/President of Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink, took note of the radio industry-centric tours hosted by Jacobs Media’s Fred and Paul Jacobs. “[They] offer a fascinating tour that targets some of the more important CES highlights that belong on radio’s radar,” Parenti said. “It’s a great way to take in what can otherwise be an overwhelming venture, especially for the uninitiated. But whether you sign up for their tour or try to cover the convention on your own (good luck – it’s the biggest show you will probably ever attend), you need to be there. Listeners are consumers. The Consumer Electronics Show is about what consumers will be buying and how tech will impact their choices and usage in the future.”
RIVERS CUOMO, RICH BRESSLER ENJOY A NIGHT AT ZOUK
On Tuesday (1/9), ahead of the January 10 invitation-only Cocktails & Conversation event hosted by Jacobs Media Strategies, Beasley Media Group, Benztown, Quu, Skyview Networks, Xperi, vCreative, RBR+TVBR, and Radio Ink, iHeartMedia hosted a VIP Executive Dinner that featured a special performance by longtime Alternative rock act Weezer at the trendy Zouk nightclub inside Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip.
Taking a cue from its Cannes parties, iHeart’s MediaLink co-hosted party in partnership with Meta brought together “the senior-most influential decision makers and thought leaders in the media ecosystem,” including brand, agency, media, emerging technology and financial executives.
Guest attendees included an array of celebrities, business leaders and advertising partners.
Among the notables in attendance: Paris Hilton, Wilmer Valderrama, and Megan Rapinoe.
The business, media, entertainment and technology leaders in attendance included iHeartMedia President of Entertainment Enterprises John Sykes and Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman alongside UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and Vice Chairman Jay Sures; Google VP of Agencies, Platforms & Client Solutions Kristen O’Hara; Time CEO Jessica Sibley; Disney President of Global Advertising Rita Ferro; and Netflix Advertising President Amy Reinhard.
The presence of “Big Tech” leaders at an event hosted by the owner of 800+ radio stations fighting on Capitol Hill for the future of AM radio through the NAB and key legislators in Congress is intriguing, as it shows iHeartMedia is very willing to do business with the “GAFAN” group, which many have assailed for poaching clients from broadcast radio.
Several Chief Marketing Officers were also present at the Zouk affair, including Delta Air Lines CMO Alicia Tillman, Unilever Chief Growth and Marketing Officer Esi Eggleston Bracey, Omnicom Group Chairman/CEO John Wren, Hyundai CMO Angela Zepeda, and Sir Martin Sorrell, among others.
MediaLink, led by entrepreneur Michael Kassan, “helps companies accelerate change and growth, with business practices spanning across media, advertising, investment, and emerging technologies.” It is a UTA company.
