What do you call a room packed full of talk radio pros looking for something to believe in? Church? Ha! Funny.  No, it was the 2010 Talkers New Media Seminar.

Give tremendous credit to Talkers publisher Michael Harrison. Despite the weak economy and radio’s on-going woes, this weekend’s event drew a sell-out crowd of syndicators, programmers, producers, hosts and aspiring hosts to New York City from as far away as the West Coast. Indeed, the crowd was so big that some events were shoulder-to-shoulder SRO.

The mood was… interesting.  I picked up notes of uncertainty, optimism, resignation, weariness, determination and a hint of sadness at the complete realization that the Old Ways truly are dead or dying; that radio has changed forever — for worse and maybe, one day, for better. In his opening remarks Harrison told the assembled that he’s not yet committed to a 2011 New Media Seminar. The day of the “big radio convention” may be over, he said.  And unlike last year’s event, where there was a lot of rah-rah about the Glorious Future awaiting audio content creators just around the corner on the Internet, this year’s attendees and speakers seemed a bit more subdued on that topic, acknowledging that it will likely be quite some time before there’s serious digital dough to be made.  Again, Harrison summed it up best, saying that Talk is in the middle of an uncertain voyage between its present and future.

There was a bit of good news about the near-term future.  A panel of PDs and consultants predicted a small increase in talk jobs in 2010.  Nobody thinks laid-off hosts will be re-hired in droves, but there are some new opportunities cropping up around the dial thanks to the current sport-radio boom and the rise of FM talk.  The syndicators say their ad sales are picking up nicely and most of the station-level folks reported that things are certainly better than they were just a few months ago.

As always, the best part of the NMS was the people; being reminded how many smart, funny, talented, caring men and women work in this business — both on-air and off.  I cherish every minute with them.  That’s why I stay up waaaay too late at these confabs.  If Michael Harrison takes a pass in 2011, maybe I’ll have the industry over to my house.  Hey, we’ve got a pool — and working air conditioning.