Prep work for MEAG started the week before the event

Podcasting has been around for more than a decade but has seen explosive growth the last few years as smartphones and smart speakers have become ubiquitous media devices. Podcast ad revenue has nearly doubled in the last two years to $314 million since 2017, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, which projects revenue to double again by 2020.

If this content distribution channel is not in your strategic plan, maybe one of the Tuesday morning breakout sessions at the Mega-Conference will change your mind.

Laura Rich, host of The Exit Club, a podcast about entrepreneurs, and founder of The Podcasting Agency, which develops engaging audio content for marketers, will be talking on stage with Jay Prather, executive director digital programming for the Las Vegas (Nev.) Review-Journal, about best practices in podcast marketing, from content and distribution to technology and advertising options.

She will feature local media case studies and explore ideas on the spot.

Prather says future success for publishers "will be tied to the creation of multi-platform content." He said, "Podcasting can be a huge showcase for your talent and your brand. The window is open for creative content creation and an opportunity to reach a younger audience."

Rich said, "Attendees will leave with a framework for how to think about a podcast strategy for their market."

Rich has focused on local media for the last eight years as the founder of Street Fight, a local media industry publication, and previously worked as a journalist for Inc., Fast Company, New York Times, Condé Nast Portfolio and others.

Prather supervises the digital news, audio and video operations for the Review-Journal, which includes video and podcast studios. The Review-Journal is the dominant digital source for news in Nevada. He worked 25 years for Journal Broadcast Group, starting as news director at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee and eventually moving to VP/GM and later corporate roles. He moved to Las Vegas in 2003 to supervise KTNV-TV in Las Vegas as well as regional responsibilities with JBG radio and TV stations.