By:  Caleb Gordon
Liggett Communications (Port Huron)

Last week, broadcasters from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Pennsylvania gathered in Columbus, Ohio for the Midwest Broadcast and Multimedia Technology Conference (MMBTC). Thanks to the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, engineers of member stations were able to attend the conference for free. For those who were not able to attend, here are a few takeaways from the conference and reasons why you should mark your calendars for next year’s event.

1. We may have been from different states but we all fall under the regulatory authority of the Federal Communications Commission. That’s why it was so important to hear from the FCC directly as well as communications attorneys from our respective state associations. John Blumenschein from the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau had important information on EAS which was especially relevant given the recent hurricanes. 
2. Those who attend Jeff Welton’s “Back to the Basics” session got a crash course in soldering, a skill that we may not use every day, but is still very necessary. As always, Jeff had some tips and tricks for us and many of us even walked away with a nifty door prize to add to our toolkits.
3. The legendary Frank Foti wowed audiences by demonstrating his latest product, Déjà Vu, making us fall in love with our favorite songs all over again.The brains behind Omnia, Foti demonstrated his new “upmixer” that transforms regular old stereo audio into a surround sound experience.
4. A full exhibit floor made planning for next year easy, as I walked away from the conference with several quotes in hand for next year’s capital budget. Yes,  you can conduct a lot of business via phone, email, or video conference - but there is no replacement for seeing or touching the equipment in person, and meeting your salesperson face to face.
5. There’s a fellowship among broadcasters, and it was on display both inside and outside the conference center. The Ohio Association of Broadcasters rolled out the welcome wagon for us with a reception for us the first night, very similar to our “Beer and Bull” - and like most broadcast conferences - there’s usually an after party too!

It’s always a great feeling when you come back from a conference more motivated and inspired to make improvements to your own stations. Hopefully all of our Michigan delegation got just as much out of this year’s MMBTC as I did. I look forward to seeing many of you again this coming February in Grand Rapids for Michigan’s Broadcast Engineering Conference!