Where Did the Audience Go? I’m Moderating PRSA’s State of the Industry Panel
I’m excited to share that I’ll be moderating this year’s PRSA Entertainment & Sports Section State of the Industry panel on Monday, November 9th at 2pm CT / 3pm ET.
Every year, this panel takes on the conversation our industry needs most. This year, the question that kept coming up was a simple one: where did the audience go?
What the Panel Is About
We’ve tackled crisis communications. We’ve tackled AI. Now we’re taking on something every communicator in sports and entertainment is living with right now: media fragmentation.
Sports fans and entertainment audiences used to gather around the same broadcast. Today they’re spread across streaming exclusives, FAST channels, direct-to-consumer apps, and social-first platforms, and media rights deals keep reshaping the map. As communicators, we can no longer plan for “the audience.” We’re planning for fragments of it, everywhere.
That’s the inspiration behind The Great Fragmentation: PR & Communications in the Streaming Era. We’ll dig into how to reach people without diluting your message, how to decide which opportunities are worth pursuing, and what “reach” and “success” even mean now.
You don’t need to work in sports or entertainment to get something out of this one. If you’re trying to reach audiences who are everywhere at once, this conversation is for you.
Meet the Panelists
I’ll be joined by three leaders who are working through this shift every day, and our Section Chair, Don Franken, will kick things off with a welcome.
Lindsey McElroy, EVP of the Sports & Entertainment practice at HUNTER, works with brands to identify, vet, negotiate, and activate partnerships with athletes, creators, and entertainers. She brings a proactive view on looking beyond headlines and follower counts to find the right fit.
Danny Astoria, Vice President and Head of PR & Integrated Communications at Urban One, leads communications across the company’s Digital and Audio divisions. With nearly 20 years of experience on brands like McDonald’s, P&G, and Netflix, he has worked on Emmy-winning projects including Red Table Talk and P&G’s “The Talk.”
Derrick McKinney, CEO of L.O.U.D. Muzik, is a marketing executive with more than 20 years in branding, social media strategy, and live events. He founded L.O.U.D. FEST, has curated national brand activations for Verizon, and was named 2025 CEO Communicator of the Year by PRSA Houston.
Join Us
The panel takes place Monday, November 9th at 2pm CT / 3pm ET, and you can grab your ticket here: https://www.prsa.org/event/2026/11/09/default-calendar/state-of-the-industry-panel-the-great-fragmentation-pr-communications-in-the-streaming-era-wbens2605https://www.prsa.org/event/2026/11/09/default-calendar/state-of-the-industry-panel-the-great-fragmentation-pr-communications-in-the-streaming-era-wbens2605
Bring your questions. We’ll make time for them, and I can’t wait to dig in with you.
As a Past Chair of the Entertainment & Sports Section and a current At-Large Board Member, I’m proud of the conversations this community keeps having. Hope to see you there!