The Western State Public Radio Fall Conference 2008

The Western State Public Radio Fall Conference 2008
WSPR’s Fall 08 Conference will be held on Wednesday, November 5 through Friday, November 7, 2008 in Seattle, Washington.

CONFERENCE HOTEL: WSPR will meet in the Alexis Hotel in Seattle. The WSPR Conference Rate at this newly renovated downtown hotel (Just around the corner from the world famous Pike’s Market) is $169/for a standard room and $179/for a deluxe room - plus taxes. There are limited deluxe rooms available - first come first served. All rooms accommodate two people. The reservation deadline to secure the Conference Rate is October 3rd. Be sure to mention Western States Public Radio to secure the rate when making your reservation.

You must make your own reservation. You can call toll-free at 888-850-1155 and tell them you are with Western States Public Radio (not WSPR).

To find out more about the hotel, click here (but do not make reservations online). Special notes on the hotel: all rooms include: complimentary high-speed internet; cordless speaker phone; in-room safe; hair dryer; daily newspaper; complimentary in-room yoga program; and all rooms are pet friendly (but be sure to let the hotel know if you have a pet with you).

REGISTRATION: Registration is $200 for WSPR members (spouses/significant others attending with a WSPR member may also register at the member rate); $250 for non-members (and their guests). CLICK HERE for online registration.

7:00 pm to 9:00pm WSPR Reception: Seattle and Her Music
Tour the Experience Music Project at the Seattle Center, enjoy the music of one of Seattle’s up and coming musical groups and find out the economic impact of music on a city. Hosted by KEXP, Seattle. (Take the free Seattle downtown bus or catch a cab, it’s a 1½ mile walk)

Thursday, November 6

8:00 am Breakfast & Registration
CPB’s Bruce Theriault will share the latest activities at CPB with attendees.

9:00 am Keynote Address: Supporting Your Local Public Radio Stations and NPR
Howard Wollner, retired Senior VP, Starbucks. He and his wife Barbara are active in the NPR Foundation. Howard will tell us why major contributors support NPR and why that is good for your station.

10:15 am Session: Winning against all the odds
Richard Tate, Founder, Cranium. The famed game designer shows us how to be winners when our challenges keep mounting.

12:00 pm Luncheon
Luke Burbank, former host “Bryant Park Project” and current KIRO Radio host “To Beautiful to Live”

1:30 pm Session: How will we choose to build audience, revenue and digital capacity for NPR and public radio?
Dana Rehm and NPR staff

2:45 pm Session: How will today’s business model and the relationships upon which that model is based adapt and shift in the coming years?

4:15 pm Session: WSPR feedback to NPR staff regarding a vision for NPR.
WSPR attendees with Dana Rehm and NPR staff.

6:30 pm Dinner
Dennis Haarsager, Interim CEO of NPR, provides his view on the future of NPR. And Dave Edwards, Vice Chair of the NPR Board updates us on the search for the new President/CEO

Friday, November 7

9:15 am Session: Don’t kill the lawyers! They’re here to help.
Meg Miller, DLA, Ernie Sanchez and John Crigler will update you on critical FCC issues, including "localism," the processing of applications for new stations, old worries for new managers, and the most important issues of all -- the ones you care about. Questions are welcome, but please save physical abuse until after the session.

10:45 am Session: Money is being left on the table!
J.C. Patrick, NPR Station Development Manager will provide help for your underwriting efforts with tips that will work for large stations and small

1:30 pm Session: New Opportunities Leveraging Advanced HD Radio(tm) Technologies
Harris Corporation staff

3:00pm Session:" The Changes in Effective Lobbying:
Mike Riksen, NPR Government Relations and John Stark, General Manager KNAU and NPR Board Member discuss with us the new approach to Capital Hill. How critical it is to meet your delegation.

We extend special thanks to HARRIS CORPORATION for generous help in making WSPR’s Fall 08 Conference possible. We also thank NPR for sponsoring lunch on Friday.