Forever, Las Vegas: Radio Show To Be Combined With NAB Show

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It’s official. And, a formal announcement was released minutes ago.

A COVID-19 pandemic-influenced plan to co-locate the Radio Showco-produced by the NAB and the Radio Advertising Bureauat the now cancelled 2021 NAB Show will be extended to 2022 — and beyond.

There will no longer be a stand-alone Radio Show. 


“In today’s world where radio companies are essentially multimedia companies, the value in attending NAB Show cannot be overstated,” said Dave Santrella, president of Broadcast Media at Salem Media Group and NAB joint board chair. “We are now streaming and podcasting and even producing video. NAB Show provides unparalleled access to the critical tools, knowledge and connections we need to grow and thrive in today’s media business.”


For the last two decades, the Radio Show has faded with respect to its size and must-attend status in a consolidated industry. As a co-production of the NAB and RAB the Radio Show enjoyed renewed vigor in the last five years, with the 2016 Radio Show in Nashville particularly memorable, followed by the 2017 Radio in Austin. At the Austin event, Audacy CEO David Field delivered an impassioned speech in support of Radio industry leaders still recall.

With attendance of 2,130 people, the 2018 Radio Show was staged in Orlando. In 2019, it shifted to Dallas.

Then came COVID-19 and the pandemic. The 2020 Radio Show, scheduled for Sept. 13-16 of last year in Nashville, was scrubbed. A decision to co-locate in October 2021 in Las Vegas was then made, with a definitive plan to return to Music City USA from October 5-7, 2022.

That Nashville event is now a permanent COVID-19 scar.

With April 2022 now set for a redo of what was supposed to have concluded today (10/14), the 2022 NAB Show, which will precede the Radio Show, will feature “signature awards, networking events and a comprehensive conference program, including popular sales and marketing sessions” the RAB will present.

RAB President/CEO and former Radio & Records Publisher Erica Farber said, “It’s important that we continue to bring radio professionals together to network, celebrate audio and engage in meaningful discussions around the future of our industry.”

The RAB and NAB also note that the permanent change will benefit radio industry leaders by gaining access to the NAB Show floor and sessions, should they choose to attend those co-located events.

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