20th Annual MSTV Conference Coming Up

This year's fall MSTV conference is about anticipating what the television industry is going to look like down the road. Several of the most defining dynamics shaping the business will be examined at the conference on Tuesday, Oct. 3, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in he Atrium Ballroom at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth Murphy Burns, president of Morgan Murphy Stations based in Madison, Wisc., and chairman of MSTV, will deliver welcoming remarks at 8:45 a.m., after which a panel discussion on business models will convene.

Harry Jessell, editor and publisher of TVNewsDay, along with Dick Wiley of D.C. law firm Wiley Rein & Fielding will moderate the business panel at 9 a.m., then Fox Group Engineering President Andy Setos will lead a discussion on new technology at 9:45.

At 10:30 a.m., TV Technology Managing Editor Deborah McAdams will moderate a discussion on the use of TV taboo channels for unlicensed devices. Communications legislation will be addressed at 11:15 a.m. in a panel led by David Leach, owner of David Leach LLC, and John Orlando, senior vice president of CBS Corp.

The lunch keynote will be delivered at 12:15 p.m. by John Kneuer, the acting assistant secretary for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency charged by Congress with telling the country that analog broadcast TV is going away.

At 1:45 p.m., MSTV President David Donovan will bring together the chiefs of the three heavyweight TV lobbies--David Rehr of the National Association of Broadcasters; Kyle McSlarrow of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association; and Gary Shaprio of the Consumer Electronics Association--for a lively discussion on "confronting fundamental change."

An FCC/NTIA panel led by News Corp. Vice President of Regulatory and Government Affairs Maureen O'Connell, and Robert Rini of Rini Coran PC will convene at 2:30 p.m.

The day's events will be followed at 3:30 p.m. by a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of MSTV.