The general feeling coming from most of the panels I have attanded could be best described as cautiously optmistic. “Remember the windsheld is larger than the rear view mirror, so focus on the future and not the past” was a comment from Fred Jacobs. He was part of the “Radio Stimulus” panel and shared the floor with some great broadcasters. Chuck McCoy from Rogers said “Radio is still the best delivery device out there.” Mike McVay commented “I have never been so excited about the future of radio as I am today. However as broadcasters we have to rethink our strategy and provide stronger benefits to both listeners and advertisers.” Humble Howard got the crowd laughing with his stick, but did offer two jems of advice “It takes 100,000 hours of time to hone your craft and become great at something, but how can young broadcasters do that when overnights and even nights are voice tracked.” His suggestion “Pay $75 a night to a young broadcaster to do your overnight show live. That way they get their experience and the radio station also benefits.” Grant Robertson a financial analysist for the Globe and Mail said “Radio is a lot like the railways. It’s not sexy like the airlines but it makes money.” He went to say “Radio is viewed by most on Bay street as an investment that provides a consistent return. The challange for radio moving forward is to ensure that the margins are there.”

The number of delegates appears to up on previous years which is also a good sign. Then again it could be that is feels that way because many of the sessions have been held in rooms that are too small for the number of delegates attending the sessions.