Fifteen

Obviously the question on everyone’s mind was how hard the industry is being hit by the current economic downturn, and the results were surprisingly mixed. While a sharp decline in advertising is clearly hurting broadcaster s like NBC, who depend heavily on ad sales to generate revenue, The Economist, which relies more on subscription and newsstand sales at a price premium, has actually seen a recent rise in business thanks to the election and a general interest in the financial crisis.

To keep things fresh and multi-faceted, this year the Trek included some completely new elements to it. For one, an entire Track was dedicated exclusively to sports, including a visit to the NBA. For the first time students also saw several examples of foreign companies looking to expand their presence in the Americas, like the UK-based telecom giant Virgin Media and the French-based online video site Dailymotion.com.

All in all, the Trek was a valuable and enjoyable experience for all involved. If you missed out on the fun, there’s still a chance to visit a host of exciting media companies on this year’s EMS LA/Vegas Trek, which will take place January 5-9. For details please contact Thomas Kim (tmkim@mit.edu) or Louise Chang (lochang@mit.edu).