Prowl Radio Goes To NYC -
Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Conference Retrospective 2025
Written by: Stephanie Serrano | March 26, 2025
Every year, the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Conference (IBSNYC) is hosted in Times Square, New York. The conference is two days’ worth of panels from professional radio hosts, TV producers, program directors and writers. These speakers were representing 1010 WINS, WYNU-FM, iHeartMedia, WCBS and many more. Alongside the panelists, the keynote speakers were NBC’s Al Roker and WLTW’s Paul “Cubby” Bryant and the confererence’s presenting sponsor was Talkers Magazine.
Day one included panels such as: “All News, All The Time – Writing, Anchoring & More”, “I Want To Be A Producer!,” “Engineering 101: Why You Need To Know How The Studio Works,” and “How To Be A Successful Music Radio Jock.” Each panel began with the speakers giving a brief explanation on how they got their start in the industry and attendees were able to ask questions at the end. With so many lectures to choose from, Prowl’s attendees split up to learn from as many panelists as possible.
As a journalist, I chose to attend the panels that were more writing, interview and storytelling oriented. Having the opportunity to listen to professionals discuss their breakthrough in the media industry was very insightful- especially hearing about their past mistakes. During the keynote panel discussions, every radio station would pack into a single room and sit together. With so many people in one room, you were lucky if your question was chosen for the speaker.
Day two included panels such as: “Country Radio 101 and Working in Syndication, “Spinning Into The Future: Everything You Need To Know About Vinylthon 2025,” “How To Get A Press Pass and How To Use it At Events Effectively,” “Everything You Wanted To Know About Morning Shows But Were Afraid To Ask,” and “Concert Coverage Basics.” Between each panel, you could find different high school and college station members running around, creating content, and interviewing other attendees. With our growing radio station, every panel allowed our group to understand how we can better our presence within the school community.
Out of every lecture I attended, my favorite was definitely “Writing, Editing and Proper Storytelling in Your Newscasts” with Ester Dillard of the Black Information Network. Dillard discussed the navigation of news broadcasting and her experience as a Black journalist in the media industry. She taught the audience how to effectively spread a message through news broadcast and how to avoid being a lazy reporter.
When not attending the conference, our group was able to explore the city! We saw the Rockefeller Center, Central Park, MoMa, and the Statue of Liberty. Of course, we could not skip out on cool music spots such as Academy Records, The Dakota, A-1 Record Shop, Rough Trade, and the Beastie Boys mural. With only two full days in the city, there was so much to see but not enough time.
Molly, Ethan, Franklin, Ian, and I cannot wait to implement all our ideas to better the future of Prowl Radio. See this Spotify playlist with songs revolving the group’s trip in New York!