Rehr: Broadcasting Is America's 'Overwhelming Choice' For Media

David Rehr

Addressing the NATIONAL PRESS CLUB in WASHINGTON today (10/4), NAB President/CEO DAVID REHR outlined his vision for broadcasting's future and said broadcast radio and TV are still the "overwhelming choice" of media in AMERICA.

"One surprising thing I've learned is that most Americans are unaware of the dramatic changes taking place in our industry," he said. "You might say that we have inadvertently relinquished some of the excitement occurring in broadcasting to our competitors, by not being more proactive. That ends today, because we have a very compelling story to tell."

We are seizing the digital future. We are reasserting our strength as the unparalleled media of choice. And we are leveraging our localism to advance communities all across America

REHR also took aim at "misperceptions" about satellite radio. "The satellite radio companies have done a good job in creating excitement for their product and keeping WALL STREET interested," he said. "But let's look at the facts. Satellite radio says it has at most 12 million subscribers. By contrast, 260 million people listened to local radio last week. And we have recently learned that upwards of 500,000 of satellite radio's so-called subscriber count are in empty cars that sit in dealer parking lots. In fact, the SEC is looking into how these subscriber numbers are counted."

REHR explained how radio is undergoing a "digital transformation," adding, "We at the NAB are working to accelerate the number of HD receivers in the marketplace, to increase the diffusion of this technology throughout the nation. In fact, it is a top priority of the NAB Radio Board of Directors to make this amazing technology commonplace."

He ended his speech by stating, "We are seizing the digital future. We are reasserting our strength as the unparalleled media of choice. And we are leveraging our localism to advance communities all across America. And that is why the future of broadcasting is 20 times more exciting than anyone could imagine."

Read the entire speech here.

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