NAB Show Canceled, WWRS Postponed

• UPDATED: In light of growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus, the NAB Show has been canceled. The annual event had been scheduled for April 18-22 in Las Vegas. Late this morning, the Worldwide Radio Summit announced it was postponed to a later date.

A message from NAB President & CEO Gordon Smith posted at NABShow.com, reads, in part, “In the interest of addressing the health and safety concerns of our stakeholders and in consultation with partners throughout the media and entertainment industry, we have decided not to move forward with NAB Show in April. We are currently considering a number of potential alternatives to create the best possible experience for our community.”

Smith continued, “This was not an easy decision. Fortunately, we did not have to make this decision alone, and are grateful to our NAB Show community for engaging with us as we grappled with the rapidly evolving situation. This Show is as much yours as it is ours, and it is important to us that we move forward together. We are still weighing the best potential path forward, and we ask you for your patience as we do so. We are committed to exploring all possible alternatives so that we can provide a productive setting where the industry can engage with the latest technology, hear from industry thought leaders and make the game-changing connections that drive our industry forward.”

• In conjunction with the cancellation of the NAB Show, The Broadcasters Foundation of America is suspending this year’s Annual Breakfast and the Philip J. Lombardo Charity Golf Tournament. Rescheduling of the golf tournament and the Broadcasters Foundation Breakfast, which includes the presentation of the Leadership Awards and the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award, will be announced as more information becomes available.

• Late Wednesday morning we received word that the 2020 Worldwide Radio Summit, sponsored by All Access, which had been scheduled for March 25-27 at Castaway in Burbank, CA, has now been postponed to a later date. The news came shortly after the World Heath Organization (WHO) officially declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic.

All Access President & Publisher Joel Denver commented, “All registrations will be carried over and honored for our next event… we will advise everyone as soon as we have a date set. Let’s all stay safe during this unprecedented health emergency.”