Alabama Broadcasters Cancel In-Person Conference

The Alabama Broadcasters Association canceled its in-person Jan. 21-22 annual conference due to concerns about COVID-19, the group emailed members. “With the Covid Omicron variant spreading like wildfire across our state and already having an impact on many of your stations, we believe it is in everyone's best interest that we not gather in large numbers just yet,” wrote ABA President Sharon Tinsley. "We will begin contacting our speakers immediately to arrange to provide the content we had planned in a virtual setting over the next six weeks." Tinsley said as recently as late December that the event would proceed in person (see 2112220045). The conference had been planned to do so until just a day before the announcement, she said, "Our positive test rate in Alabama is over 36% today with more than 37,000 new cases in the last week," Tinsley said Monday. "We are supposed to help solve problems for our member stations -- not contribute to their problems. In spite of our best efforts, a large gathering would likely further the spread of the virus."