One of the highlights of each Forecast conference is Deborah Parenti’s opening remarks, which set the tone for the day (and by extension, the year). This year’s were particularly powerful, and deserve a wider audience. I asked her to share them again here, and she graciously agreed. If the refusal to be diminished and the commitment to rise to the moment that filled the room that day continue to fuel our industry, then the future is indeed bright. – EIC Cameron Coats
It’s time to welcome in 2026.
This past year laid bare the reality we now face: broadcasters are called to adapt in real-time to competition that’s not just fierce, but fundamentally different.
Throughout 2025, we watched our rivals race further ahead, using their money, influence, and lack of regulation to reach global audiences instantly while we navigated an increasingly nuanced game of licensing, politics, and traditional infrastructure.
Yet despite the sleepless nights and hard decisions, broadcasters have remained the trusted bridge between communities and the world, still committed to authentic voices, responsible journalism, and reliable information when so much around us feels untethered.
The challenge before us is immense: how do we preserve our core strengths and values when the rules of engagement, revenue, and competition were rewritten repeatedly over these past twelve months by our Big Tech competitors?
And with change on the horizon – what do we do once the rules are finally amended to level the playing field?
This makes our commitment – to preserve, protect, and defend the right to free speech – more vital than it has ever been. In the year we’ve just weathered, in a field that often felt profoundly unbalanced, broadcasters held firm to a special obligation: ensuring facts, diversity of thought, and principled discussion remained at the center of our national conversation. That is not just a legal right, but a legacy we must guard for the generations to come.
As we enter 2026, let’s embrace the opportunity for candid talk, bold solutions, and strategic thinking born from what we’ve learned this year.
The mission is simple yet complex. Broadcasters need to engage fully with one another, challenge assumptions, share hard-won expertise, and never lose sight of the essential freedoms and responsibilities at the heart of our industry.
Thank you for being a changemaker – someone who understands and commits to technological progress, using that progress to advance a free and vital media.
Happy Holidays. Here’s to a New Year bright with promise.
