From Jan. 28 to 31 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, TV's faithful will gather to examine programming trends in hopes of profiting in a fast-changing market. The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) confab will feature thousands of attendees, hundreds of experts and dozens of panels. Here's a sampling of some of the major ones.
The NATPE Exhibit Floor is open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
JAN. 28
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. NATPE Mobile++ (Ballroom H/G)
The all-day NATPE Mobile++ focuses on the mobile content marketplace. In the span of one day, delegates will come away with an overview of all the major players in the mobile video market, as well as the most current industry trends.
Key participants include Google, Yahoo, MediaFLO, Iconmobile, Procter & Gamble, Sprint, SK Telecom, MTV, FremantleMedia, IDEO, Nielsen Mobile, CNET, M:Metrics, My Thumb, mPulse Media, mBlox, TTP, Nellymoser and iClipx.
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fifth Annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards (Ballroom F)
Named in honor of one of the medium's greatest programmers, the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards recognize a select group of television professionals who exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating television programming. Tickets for this event are available for $100 at the door. Sponsored by B&C, Multichannel News and Variety in association with NBC Universal.
Award Recipients: Bob Wright, executive director, vice chairman of the board and executive officer, General Electric; Nancy Tellem, president, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group; Peter Roth, president, Warner Bros. Television; Mark Itkin, executive VP, worldwide co-head of television, William Morris Agency.
JAN. 29
8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. Think Tank: Opening/Keynote Address (Ballroom K)
Speakers: Rick Feldman, President/CEO, NATPE; Emerson Coleman, VP, Programming, Hearst-Argyle Television; Roma Khanna, President, Global Networks and Digital Initiatives, NBC Universal
Keynote Q&A: Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal
Moderator: Elizabeth Guider, editor-in-chief, The Hollywood Reporter
11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Luncheon at NATPE: Back to Basics—It's Still the Television Business (Ballroom F)
Multiplatform content might be the future, but there's still plenty of life and opportunity in the television business. Expert programmers and station executives explain the New World of Old Media. Broadcasting & Cable hosts a luncheon and panel of experts. Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m., and the panel runs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Price for the luncheon is $45. Tickets will be available in advance and at the door, or you can purchase a seat this week by contacting Sandy Friedman at safriedman@reedbusiness.com.
Moderators: P.J. Bednarski, B&C executive editor, and B&C West Coast bureau chief Ben Grossman
Panelists: Tom Kane, president/CEO, CBS Television Stations, CBS Television Network; Ken Werner, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution; Terry Wood, president, creative affairs and development, CBS Television Distribution; Charles Hirschhorn, chief creative officer, Retirement Living TV; Mort Marcus, co-president, Debmar-Mercury
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Insight Arena: In Conversation—Joe Uva and Don Browne (Ballroom H)
Listen in as Univision's Joe Uva discusses strategy for maintaining and growing Univision's lead in the Hispanic market. From 1:45 to 2:30 in the same room, hear Telemundo boss Don Browne talk about that Hispanic network's game plan.
Both moderated by Anna Carugati, executive VP and group editorial director, WSN Inc.
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Think Tank: Here Today, There Tomorrow (Ballroom K)
Top executives from major networks are wearing new hats at the helms of the next generation of major players. CAA's Michael Camacho interviews a panel of transplants who made the transition from top broadcast posts to cable and new media.
Moderator: Michael Camacho, packaging agent and head of alternative television, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
Panelists: Jeff Gaspin, president and COO, Universal Television Group; Garth Ancier, president, BBC Worldwide America; Andrea Wong, president and CEO, Lifetime Networks; Herb Scannell, CEO and co-founder, Next New Networks
3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Think Tank: Station Breaks—The New Distribution Model for Local Television (Ballroom K)
How will the Internet change broadcasters' traditional business models for programming decisions, technologies, audience measurement and advertising deliverables? Could the television station business be obsolete in 10 years? How will television advertisers embrace this sea of change in the coming years, and what are they doing now to prepare?
Panelist: Jonathan Leess, president and general manager, CBS Television Stations Digital Media Group; Bill Hague, senior VP, Frank N. Magid Associates; Marla Drutz, director of programming and special projects, E.W. Scripps; Mark Dvornik, executive VP, Retro Television Network (RTN)
5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Think Tank: How We Got Here—The Talk Show (Ballroom K)
Can we talk? For four decades, the talk show has morphed into several different forms. A look back and a look ahead.
Moderator: Mark Itkin, executive VP, worldwide co-head of television, William Morris Agency; Bruce David Klein, president and executive producer, Atlas Media Corp.
Panelists: Tom Green, host, Tom Green's House Tonight; Burt Dubrow, founder, Burt Dubrow Productions; Terry Wood, president, creative affairs and development, CBS Television Distribution; Woody Fraser, television producer, director, packager, Woody Fraser Productions; Jim Paratore, executive producer, TMZ, president, ParaMedia Inc.; Sally Jessy Raphael, talk show host
JAN. 30
9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Follow the Money: Keynote + Q&A—Shelly Lazarus (Ballroom I)
With an international roster of clients that includes leading companies such as American Express, Ford, IBM and Unilever, Ogilvy & Mather's got clout. How to cut through the advertising barrage? Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, gives his views and takes questions.
Noon to 1 p.m.
Think Tank: Wall Street Gives Guidance (Ballroom K)
Wall Street heavyweights dish out advice.
Moderator: Maria Bartiromo, host and co-producer, The Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo.
Panelists: Michael Nathanson, U.S. media analyst, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.; Craig Moffett, VP and senior analyst for U.S. cable and satellite broadcasting, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.; Victor B. Miller IV, senior analyst, U.S. telecommunications, cable and satellite broadcasting, Bear, Stearns & Co.; Spencer Wang, senior managing director, entertainment and cable/satellite broadcasting analyst, Bear Stearns & Co.
JAN. 31
8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. Coffee With: Jeff Berman, MySpace TV (Ballroom H)
At the helm of one of the most popular Websites in the world, Berman is one of the masterminds behind MySpace, the online, interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos. Berman, the general manager of MySpaceTV, talks to Andrew Wallenstein, deputy editor, The Hollywood Reporter.
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.LATV Festival: Making the Grade in Cable—A CableU Report Card (Ballroom H)
CableU, analysts of performance and trends in the business, will guide members through the myriad cable networks, how they performed in the 2006-2007 season, and their prospects for 2008. Members will receive the first annual CableU Report Card.
Moderator: Gary Lico, president and CEO, CABLEready Corp., co-founder and CEO, CableU
Panelists: Steve Edelman, president, Edelman Productions; Sabrina Toledo, CableU program analyst, VP of sales and marketing, CABLEready; Liz Levenson, CableU program analyst, manager of programming, CABLEready
