By Dave Ferrara, HRTS Executive Director
Welcome back HRTS members!  It’s September (or the official launch of gridlock season for those who commute the 405) and I wanted to spend some time chatting about the one word that seems to be on everyone’s lips these days.  Listening to every one of the political candidates at their conventions, there was one word I kept hearing over and over (over the bubbles from my Jacuzzi at least) that kind of surprised me.  Didn’t actually watch the TV but I think I got most of it … and it sure seemed that Olbermann and Matthews were yelling a lot about it.   What seems to be foremost on everyone’s minds as summer gives way to fall?  A concept so important, that everyone is clamoring for?  A concept so vital that everyone, Democrat and Republican alike, agrees we want it, need it and can’t live without it?  What could that be?

CHAINS!

Heck, I think even one of the campaign’s slogans is Chains We Can Believe In!  I have to admit … And I consider myself fairly intelligent, but I’m not sure why everyone is so caught up with CHAINS … Frankly, I spent all weekend trying to get my head around it.  I thought about all the different types of chains I was familiar with…bike chains, chain letters, chain mail, and then there was that band The Jesus and Mary Chain and the reality show Chains of Love…  but I just don’t get it.   What possible connection could CHAINS have to all of the important issues that face us as a country, as an industry, and as individuals?  How could this CHAINS thing really make a difference in our lives?

Then it hit me.  Well more accurately my assistant looked over my shoulder at my article and suggested that maybe I had not quite heard things as clearly as I might… 

Apparently the word is actually…CHANGE! 
(And frankly that makes so much more sense.)

CHANGE.  I can do change!  We here at HRTS embrace change.  (So much more than we could ever embrace chains.)  In fact, the history of our organization is quite literally an object lesson in the concept of change.  

Ok … so I’m having a little fun (with more than a little homage to Stephen Colbert.) 

Seriously … September launches the new season for HRTS.  And with this new season comes our new slate of events and activities along with a new group of HRTS officers and board members.  I'm excited!  This year looks to be a year of change in our organization and with that comes, well, change! 

But before we move on, I want to acknowledge the tremendous job that our outgoing officers, Chris Silbermann, Peter Jankowski, and Sarah Timberman have done in stewarding the interests of the HRTS for the past two years.  These volunteer leaders, along with the entire Board of Directors were instrumental in keeping HRTS strong, vibrant and financially healthy through what was one of our industry’s most challenging periods in recent memory.  Kudos to all on a job well done and from me, a personal thank you for the opportunity to work so successfully with you during your term.

Now back to change.  Moving into the new year, we at HRTS, led by incoming President Kevin Beggs, VP Zack Van Amburg, Secretary Michael Wright and Treasurer Martha Henderson are embarking on a mission to recreate HRTS into an organization that is at the forefront of the evolution of our industry.  In addition to maintaining our position as the industry’s premier information and networking forum, and showcasing some of the brightest individuals and companies in the business, we look to expand our representation of members and companies to reflect the ever-changing industry landscape.  Making sure that HRTS continues to be the one place where the entire industry meets under one roof is key to the ongoing success of our organization and our efforts shall not waver until we have every major (and soon to be major) company in the media business actively involved in HRTS.

Look to HRTS in the coming months to be announcing some incredible new initiatives including new avenues for information exchange, expanded digital and on-line offerings, and new opportunities for participation in our organization and events.  Implicit in that is the understanding that as our industry evolves, so will HRTS.  I’m glad for change.  Change is my new friend.  And frankly, CHANGE is so much easier to implement than CHAINS!

See you at the next luncheon,

Dave Ferrara