'Net effect on NAB

Web companies grab b'cast confab's focus

By CHRISTOPHER STERN

The National Assn. of Broadcasters may be hosting a 100,000-strong confab set to begin this weekend in Las Vegas, but the Internet already appears to have stolen the show.

Not a single major network president will address the throngs at the Las Vegas Convention Center, but 'Net stars -- including RealNetworks chairman Rob Glaser and Broadcast.com prexy Mark Cuban -- will be on hand, with both Glaser and Cuban giving speeches Wednesday. The confab runs from Saturday to Thursday.

Also appearing at the show will be Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang (Monday), WebTV Networks CEO and prexy Steve Perlman (Tuesday) and Lycos prexy and CEO Bob Davis (Saturday).

Webradio.com bow

Webradio.com, which hopes to compete with Broadcast.com and Onradio.com in broadcasting live radio and other audio and video programming on the 'Net, will launch itself at the Vegas House of Blues on Monday with an event featuring band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

But it won't be an all Webhead event. Paxson Communications chairman Lowell Paxson will be the keynoter Tuesday, while Time Warner vice chairman Ted Turner will address Monday's lunch session. Former broadcaster and current Sony chairman and CEO Howard Stringer also will be on hand Monday.

When broadcasters are not talking about threats and opportunities posed by the Internet, they will be checking out digital equipment that will cover more than 900,000 square feet of exhibit space.

The confab, which has been the hottest spot in the world for companies to show off their latest digital equipment, becomes even hotter this year as stations face looming deadlines to get their digital signals up and running.

High-tech focus

Tech powerhouses planning major digital announcements -- with or without posh parties -- include Avid with its upgraded Media Composer digital editing/finishing system and Film Composer along with an upcoming combination of the two. Sony will unveil a new series of digital high-def portable and studio cameras to be used by George Lucas to shoot the next "Star Wars" prequel.

Among emerging players, Innovation TK will introduce its Y-Front attachment that bolts onto Cintel's Ursa telecine machine, making it high-def compatible. Silicon Valley-based Tivo Inc. and Replay Networks will push their digital video recorder set-top boxes that promise to personalize the television experience.

Video compression player ICE will host a swing party at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Sunday), while Instant Video Technologies and Virage will show off their network delivery systems at Piero's Restaurant (Wednesday).

Regulators and legislators will be well represented in Las Vegas with four of the five members of the Federal Communications Commission and Senate Commerce Committee chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., in attendance.

Among the hottest issues at the Washington panels will be the networks' efforts to eliminate the national ownership cap. Congressional staffers also will discuss proposals to allow EchoStar to offer local TV station signals via satellite.