I’ve been NABbed! A superficial look at NAB 2007

And so here I was, flying on my own to Las Vegas. Please understand that I am a HUGE CSI Las Vegas fan. I mean – like a mega mega fan. I’ve watched every episode there was, and then watched them again and then some more. The thing is, each episode of CSI begins with an overshot of the Las Vegas strip, and if you don’t pay too much attention to the fact that the CSI series is all about gory killings and murders, they actually make Las Vegas look like a great place. And then of course, there are those crazy stories you’ll hear from people who will tell you how wild and fun the casinos are…

To see the irony it is to have me, as in Rabia Garib, travel to Las Vegas, the casino capital of the world, you have to only see me once. The fact that the National Association of Broadcasters organizes the world’s largest electronics show there, was purely a coincidence. Believe me! Even my program officer, Jan, was relieved that I wouldn’t gamble my life down the tubes there when we met for the first time. I mean, look at me!

The conference was unbelievable. The conference had everything I could possibly dream of, and then some more. They had about 8 different, concurrent sessions that had everything to do with the integration of traditional media with new media. So whether it was television, radio or print, they had experts from around the US who flew in to teach you the cutting edge trends in expanding the horizons a little bit more. And these workshops and seminars catered to large audiences but addressed the nitty gritty of everything. We were introduced to the workings of either different software, animation or just techniques that made it all worthwhile. I was enrolled in an intense Pod Casting Summit, for example, where we discussed not only how to create Pod Casts but also how to effectively market them and promote them. Heck, these are the inside secrets nobody in the business ever tells you!

I’m not a programmer and am quite hopeless at exerting patience to understand what tags and lines of code mean, but I learned how to create and read an RSS Feed. So according to David Lawrence, since I attended his sessions, I can successfully be called an RSS Wrangler. Wow! I’m a Wrangler! Ha ha!

The organization was superb; the setup was out of this world, it was a self-check in system where you plugged in your confirmation number on one of maybe 30 terminals and boom, you get your registration cards, badges and the works. But shocked the pants off me was the number of publications that are produced and made available to everyone who visits NAB. I know I freaked out and picked up about 18 different magazines that appealed to me. Sure this was stupid and all considering the fact that on average, a magazine weighs about a couple of pounds and then to have 18!! But personally, its all worth it. The halls that had the actual exhibition in, opened on Monday and took the breath out of me. Hundreds upon hundreds of companies who were there to showcase their products and services and network and get to know their customers.

Studios and production facilities were storming the place just to find the right equipment, do their demos and start getting into business.

A phenomenal experience!

Wafa: Continuing to Make Waves!

Wafa, Wafa? Where art thou, Wafa? When one of the strongest, most influential and moving voices is no where to be found, it does cause your ears to ring a bit funny - (Though yes, that could be from the bitter cold weather in the New York!)

So I just heard from Wafa and was really excited to post her message up here..

Our co-fellow Wafa finds herself in a warm, sunny San Francisco, preparing to depart for Long Beach on Friday. Unlike the rain and wind chill that has frozen most of New York to the sidewalks, a smiling sun welcomes Wafa onto Long Beach on Sunday. But what I find so amazing about Wafa's message is this next part: "Yesterday I was in Santa Cruz, where I had two interviews, one for a documentary film on violence against women, and the second was for the community TV and radio of Santa Cruz.

"Today, I was at link TV and KPOO Radio where I was also interviewed to talk about media situation in Palestine, another guest was from Ethiopia."

I am thrilled at the fact that Wafa is finding channels and outlets to have her voice and opinions heard. If it is vital enough for us to learn about the American Culture, it is just as critical for American audiences to learn about each of our lives.. After all, isn't that what the greatest part of this fellowship is supposed to be?

Well done, Wafa!! Well done!

Museum of Television and Radio - Keeping the Tube Alive

I've been intrigued about a number of things about New York since the time I landed here. Sure I wanted to see all the sights that the average visitor wanted to see, but the Museum of Television and Radio rated somewhere at the top of the list. Television and radio intrigue me. I find the medium so unbelievably powerful, and the fact that I work alongside some producers, channels and artists back in Pakistan, makes me feel like if I can understand it, I can make a solid contribution through it.

So I saw MTR on the map of New York that my hotel gave me - no big deal. The fact that I had an appointment there - big deal! So what is the MTR all about?

They have more than 140,000 programs and advertisements, covering more than eighty-five years of television and radio history. So you won't find artifacts and ornaments - You will find programming. These guys collect, digitize and archive programming content. And it's a fairly unbelievable collection covering all genres: comedy, drama, news, public affairs, performing arts, children’s, sports, reality, animation, and documentary, and includes a significant international presence, with seven thousand assets from seventy countries. Searchable and accessible. Browse through the library, select your programs, move to the cubicle areas and start viewing your personalized programs. Spend as many hours as you want there.

I wanted to watch Reverend Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech that he gave in Washington at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial - I read that speech back in school and I was able to finally see it (will dedicate another blog to that since THAT story is just so long).

Unfortunately, MTR doesn't carry any Pakistani content. No drama and none of our great television programs. However, speaking with Richard Weigle, who is a Producer and Archivist and who was also giving me the tour of the museum, I will hopefully get in touch with one of the curators and make that change happen. Some of our biggest and best names need to be made available to the public audiences in the United States. That's the first step in any cultural exchange and understanding that will happen between our countries.

The Kara Film Festival that takes place each year in Karachi in December? That needs to be linked up to an institution like this. There is so much going on in the television industry in Pakistan that simply must link with MTR -

I've often wondered why Pakistan's government won't see that the ony way we will be able to show the world who we truly are, is if we don't begin to use the media to project ourselves. We already have a culture and a history. It just needs to find itself out of the history books to give people a better understanding of who we really are.

Below is a photograph of Amy Douthett, Manager Public Relations and Jennifer, from the Media Center at MTR. Amy? Thanks for all your help and ideas. I look forward to keeping in touch with you!