The Fed has raised interest rates more than a point since Forecast 2023. Meanwhile, an ever-expanding list of digital and non-linear platforms competes with broadcast media in the battle for eyes and ears.
Is there still value in transmitters and towers? Can broadcast media’s digital assets convince investors that they deliver better than any other comers when combined with broadcast?
Our panel takes a hard, pragmatic look at what investors think about radio and TV today. You may not like what you hear, but you need to hear it. Join us at Forecast 2024 for what promises to be a provocative discussion.
Our Moderator
Randy Michaels is the sole proprietor of Radioactive, LLC, and describes himself as a “mediocre broadcast technician who has dabbled in programming, management, and station ownership. He has been attributable in more U.S. broadcast licenses than anyone else and therefore has extensive experience guessing what stations might be worth.” As CEO of Jacor Communications, Michaels led one of the nation’s most successful radio groups. In 2005, he began working with Oak Hill Capital Partners on acquisition opportunities and was eventually appointed CEO. He later served as EVP of the Chicago-based Tribune Company and CEO of Interactive and Broadcasting Operations as part of the management restructuring following the consummation of the Tribune privatization.
Our Panelists
John Catsimatidis is the owner of Red Apple Media. An entrepreneur with holdings in supermarkets, energy, real estate, and other markets, he bought the iconic WABC in 2020. Catsimatidis has invested in big-name talent for WABC, including Cousin Brucie Morrow, Tony Orlando, and Joe Piscopo, defying current trends of brokering weekend time.
Robert Folliard is Senior Vice President, Government Relations & Distribution for Gray Television, which is the second-largest broadcaster by revenue in the United States. At Gray, Folliard oversees the company’s activities on Capitol Hill and at the FCC. He is also responsible for Gray’s relationships with cable and satellite operators and negotiates Gray’s retransmission consent agreements. Folliard is the Chairman of Pearl TV, which is a venture of local broadcasters spearheading the NextGen TV transition. Before joining Gray, Folliard was an associate in the Communications practice group at Cooley, LLP and Dow Lohnes, PLLC.
Robert L. Heymann, Jr. is the director of Media Services Group in Chicago. During his tenure, he has bought or sold dozens of radio stations, TV stations, and towers for clients of the firm, highlighted by co-brokering the radio portion of the $415 million Gray Television acquisition of Schurz Communications and the sale of the Poole Tower Complex at Mt. Wilson in Los Angeles.
About Forecast 2024
Now in its 21st year, Forecast is broadcast media’s most prestigious leadership conference. Presented by Streamline Publishing’s Radio + Television Business Report and Radio Ink, and co-chaired by Catherine Badalamente of Graham Media Group and David Santrella of Salem Media Group, Forecast provides unprecedented opportunities for learning, networking, and conversation with our industry’s top leaders.
Forecast 2024 takes place at the Harvard Club in New York City on November 15, 2023. Register today!
