Abernethy To Keynote NewsTECH Forum

Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations, has been named the keynote speaker of the inaugural NewsTECH Forum, Dec. 16-17 at the New York Hilton.

Charged with running the group for the past nine years, Abernethy’s long TV career includes turns at the NBC O&Os, CNBC and later at Fox News. His keynote will cover address his determination to change the look and substance of local TV news.

Fox Television Stations is the nation’s largest TV station group, according to the annual TVNewsCheck-BIA/Kelsey ranking of groups by 2012 revenue. With $1.8 billion in sales, Fox comprises 28 full-power stations in 18 markets, including duopolies in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

“Abernethy believes local TV news is badly in need of an overhaul and is taking the lead in making it happen,” says TVNewsCheck Editor Harry A. Jessell. “His vision includes new formats, more engaged anchors and heavy reliance on multimedia journalists.”

NewsTECH Forum will gather news, operations and engineering professionals into an off-the-record environment where they can compare notes, learn from the leaders and develop best practices.

The two-day conference will focus on the changing world of ENG, news production in the cloud, the changing newsroom environment and preparing for crisis coverage.

The event is co-located with the SVG Summit, the world’s leading sports technology conference, which will feature demos and showcases by more than 60 technology providers.

NewsTECH Forum attendees may attend the SVG Summit, which will feature keynote conversations conversations with David Levy, president, Turner Broadcasting System, and Sean McManus, chairman, CBS Sports.

“The world of news production is changing rapidly, as one-man-band journalists replace teams, field transmission options proliferate, the cloud offers new opportunities for production and citizen journalism adds to the flood of assets already pouring into most newsrooms,” Jessell says. “NewsTECH Forum will address this fast-evolving terrain and its impact on news storytelling.”

Registration for NewsTECH Forum is complimentary for news, operations and technology executives, managers and professionals involved in newsgathering and production at broadcast and cable networks, TV station groups and the video units of major newspaper groups. Registration for qualified attendees is available by clicking here.

The event is being co-produced by TVNewsCheck and Sports Video Group (SVG). TVNewsCheck, the leading source of business news for the broadcast television industry, has built a reputation since its founding in 2006 for up-to-the-minute news and the best in-depth trend stories and special reports in the television business press.

SVG is an international association charged with advancing the creation, production and distribution of sports content. It hosts a dozen annual events lauded for their contributions to making sports the premiere programming in a rapidly changing television industry.

For program updates and registration information, visit: http://www.NewsTECHForum.com.