NAB’s Smith Touts 3.0 As Key Amid Change

Next Gen TV’s prospects are looking good for final FCC authorization, NAB President-CEO Gordon Smith said in a keynote at the NAB Show in Las Vegas Monday that heavily touted the technology’s values.

Noting that FFC Chairman Ajit Pai has expressed hope for such authorization by year’s end, Smith lauded ATSC 3.0 as a “seamless convergence of over-the-air and over-the-top” that would increase the efficiency and value of broadcast’s remaining spectrum.

Smith also emphasized the technology’s potential role in how we stay connected in emergency situations “with devices that can ‘wake up’ to warn viewers, and public warnings that are geo‑targeted with rich media, interactivity and mobile.”

Broadcasters’ key role in such emergencies was a through line in Smith’s talk, which asserted their integral local relationships in a media ecosystem in throes of dizzying change.

The change is being driven by new technologies like internet protocol distribution, over the top and streaming content, but Smith encouraged broadcasters to have faith in the “virtuous cycle” in which adopting new distribution platforms helps build overall audience and engagement.

He also looked to assure the change-wary among them that broadcast’s value remains a constant.

“There are some things technology will never change,” Smith said. “Listeners and viewers will always want that local connection that broadcasters provide.” Besides, broadcasters enjoy “a one-to-many architecture that is the envy of other media platforms,” he said.

Smith steered clear of repack and consolidation issues, but he did briefly speak to one matter close to the heart of radio broadcasters — unlocking the FM capability in smartphones. While he cheered Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon for doing so in their Android phones, Smith chided Apple for holding out, framing the issue again in emergency terms.

“We hope our friends at Apple are listening and will soon make this potentially lifesaving technology available to their customers,” he said.

Smith also offered strong words for free speech, which is possibly in need of some lifesaving support itself.

“The public will always depend on broadcasters to be the bedrock of our democracy to fiercely defend our First Amendment rights, and relentlessly pursue and report the facts without fear or favor,” he said, stressing that this defense is one of broadcast’s core principles.

“When it comes to defending our core principles, broadcasters are standing as a rock,” he said. “Broadcasters carry the torch of freedom and integrity, and we must use this to question those in power, to expose those who abuse their positions and to find the truth.”

To see all of TVNewsCheck’s 2017 NAB Show coverage, click here.