The 2023 BNM Summit in Nashville is now less than 70 days away. If you work in the news talk media industry and plan to go or have been thinking about doing so, this is a great week to purchase your tickets. We’ve lowered ticket prices as part of a special independence week sale. The sale runs through Sunday night, so to secure your seat and save a few dollars, log on to BNMSummit.com. Details on hotel and our full list of speakers can be found there as well.

We have a ton to do between now and September 13-14 to make this event the homerun I’m striving for it to be. Helping broadcasters, brands, and all who touch the industry on a daily basis is what drives me to deliver this show but it only works if the industry supports it. To some in the news/talk format, BNM may be new and unfamiliar, but we’re not foreign to the industry. We know how to create events that help folks learn content creation advantages, how to grow audience, ratings, revenue, and digital impact, and that’ll be on display for all in attendance this September.

But what makes this event work are the people who join us on stage. Gathering smart, successful professionals to share ideas and information, form and strengthen relationships, and to celebrate success is what it’s all about. We’ve revealed twenty two speakers up to this point, all very successful in their own careers. Today, we add two more to our schedule, except these two power players have a much larger view of the business.

I am honored to have Hubbard Radio CEO Ginny Morris, and Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott join us in Nashville for the 2023 BNM Summit. These two impressive leaders will join me for our keynote conversation on Thursday September 14th.

Starting with Ginny Morris, she is a third generation broadcaster, and the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Hubbard Radio. Hubbard Radio currently operates 30 radio stations in Chicago, Washington DC, Seattle, Phoenix, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, and Cincinnati earning a large percentage of market share in the majority of cities they broadcast in.

Ginny has spent the past four decades learning the business from the ground up. She started in the promotion department of Hubbard’s flagship TV station, KSTP-TV in 1982, became the manager of KSTP-AM in 1990, added KSTP-FM (KS95) to her duties in 1995, was named President of the company in 2000, and officially gained the CEO title in 2014.

Under her watch, Hubbard has become one of the top local radio companies across the broadcasting business. The company owns and operates the radio industry’s top performing revenue brand, WTOP in Washington DC, additional sports and news/talk brands in St. Louis, Minneapolis, and West Palm Beach, and we are thrilled to have Ginny join us, and offer her insights on the radio business, and where it needs to go moving forward.

Julie Talbott started her career in advertising at BBDO, where she spent five years as supervisor of media planning and buying. Her love of radio led her to MJI Broadcasting, where she spent 19 years. She helped grow the company from 5 to over 150 during her time as COO, and played a key role in acquiring the exclusive radio rights of the Country Music Awards and the CMA Music Festival for the company.

In 1999, Premiere Networks acquired MJI Broadcasting. Talbott made the transition, serving initially as senior vice president of integrated marketing solutions, focusing on advertising sponsorships. In 2003, she was promoted to executive vice president, affiliate relations, and in 2009, became president of content and affiliate relations. In 2012 she added oversight of the National Media Groups division of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment (now known as iHeartMedia), and in 2014, was promoted to her current role of President of Premiere Networks.

In her current role, Julie oversees Premiere Networks’ entire roster of more than 100 radio programs and services, while managing business partnerships with talent, and key affiliate relationships. The company features some of the top news/talk talent in the industry including Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Clay Travis, and Buck Sexton. Julie is bullish on the radio business, and has a firm grasp on where it is and what awaits in 2024 and beyond. We are excited to have her join us and share the stage alongside Ginny Morris.

This discussion will cover a lot of ground because these two executives see the business from all directions. We’ll examine the state of the news/talk format from a local and national perspective, the advertising climate in 2023 and 2024, the opportunities and challenges in podcasting and social media, how organizations manage misinformation and noise entering an election year, the rise of artificial intelligence, and much more. It’s a chat I’m looking forward to guiding, and I know those in attendance will gain a ton from it.

A reminder, if you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities for the BNM Summit, email Stephanie Eads at [email protected]. For information on speaking opportunities, email [email protected].