Through a partnership with UNLV, the radio station operator tasked students with transforming the industry.
Furthering innovation and next-gen leaders in broadcasting, the radio operator Beasley Media Group is tapping University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) students for cutting-edge ideas that could forever change the media business.
Participants in Beasley’s Media Innovation Hackathon, which spanned the fall 2018 semester, were charged with generating commercially viable products and services that could push the transformation of the media industry. The offerings were crafted based on the range of media technology, data and infrastructure currently available and the kind of big, disruptive ideas that could help reframe the industry over the next 20 years.
Media’s role in smart cities, alternative uses for AM/FM frequencies, and media innovations of the future are among the areas students are exploring through the Hackathon. Students participate as members of teams, whose submissions will be judged for ingenuity and feasibility.
A first place win is worth $5,000 and winners will be showcased at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
In announcing the initiative, Beasley said the Hackathon was driven by a range of ideas, from engaging young consumers in the future of media to creating industry disruptors rather than riding the coattails of other innovators.
The Naples, Florida-based broadcast group partnered with UNLV to capitalize on the university’s reputation as a leader in innovation in areas including urban design, renewable energy and sustainability among others, according Buzz Knight, Beasley’s executive vice president of strategy and innovation.
“We look forward to the great ideas and fresh thinking that the UNLV students will provide that will challenge our existing notions of the business road ahead,” Knight said.