Guest Speaker: Rich O’Dell, president and general manager of WLTX

Do you still pick up a newspaper? In the US, 93 percent of adults get at least some news online, and not always from traditional news organizations. 55 percent of U.S. households subscribe to at least one streaming service, and that number is growing quickly. Anyone with a smart phone can use social media to publish information via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or the hundreds of other apps. So where does that leave traditional TV news? What is their place in this world full of disruption? These are some of the many questions to be considered today in the communications world.

Rich has a lot of experience navigating the transition to a full-on digital world. He joined WLTX in 1999 and has led the station to become the #1 digital source for news and information in the Columbia market.  Prior to Columbia, he was Manager of Programming & Production at WKYC-TV in Cleveland, Executive Producer at WCMH-TV in Columbus, OH, and Producer/Director at WDXR in Paducah, KY.  He has also been an announcer at five different radio stations.

In January, Rich was inducted into the South Carolina Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame.  This September, he’ll be inducted into the Gold Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. An Illinois native, he holds a degree in Radio/Television from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

 

When: 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Where: AARP South Carolina1201 Main Street | Suite 1720 | Columbia, SC 29201

Dress: Business attire

Registration deadline: NOON on Monday, August 6