For decades, Jackson Walker has proudly held the role of General Counsel to the Texas Association of Broadcasters (TAB), which represents the interests of Texas’ free, over-the-air radio and television stations. As TAB hosted its 65th Annual Awards Gala to celebrate five exceptional industry leaders, Jackson Walker partners Stacy Allen, Robert P. Latham, and Paul C. Watler gathered on the evening of August 2, 2018, at the JW Marriott in Austin to recognize their accomplishments.
“It’s very gratifying for Bob, Paul, and me to hear the inspiring stories of TAB’s annual award winners, and see the banquet room packed with Texas broadcasters who appreciate and support the vital work that TAB does for the industry,” Stacy said. In addition to his attendance at TAB board meetings as General Counsel, Stacy regularly testifies on behalf of TAB in connection with bills pending before the Texas Legislature which are of interest to broadcasters.
“We are fortunate to be able to attend this event every year and show our support for broadcasters who have helped foster civic engagement and public accountability,” said Bob, who chairs Jackson Walker’s Media Law group.
“We are fortunate to be able to attend this event every year and show our support for broadcasters who have helped foster civic engagement and public accountability.”
Every August, the Awards Gala closes out the two-day TAB Convention & Trade Show, which is the largest state or regional broadcast industry meeting in the nation. This year’s Awards Gala presented the inaugural Distinguished Service Award to Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Regional Director of Technology, David Ostmo, for his dedication and service to the association and the Texas broadcast industry. Other awards recipients included:
- Pioneer of the Year: Brad Streit, Raycom Media
- Broadcaster of the Year: Susan McEldoon, KHOU-TV Houston
- George Marti Award for Engineering Excellence: Erik Disen, Entercom Radio Dallas-Fort Worth
- Educator of the Year: Danita McAnally, Navarro & Amarillo Colleges (retired)
Formed in 1953 and headquartered in Austin since 1999, the Texas Association of Broadcasters promotes and protects a favorable economic and regulatory climate for broadcasting and educates both members and the general public. Governed by a Board of Directors, TAB lobbies for state and national legislation to increase media access to records and meetings, minimize sales tax for broadcasting tools, and reduce regulation of broadcast stations. In addition to hosting the annual convention, the association provides college scholarships and coordinates AMBER Alerts and Emergency Warnings.
For more information about the 2018 TAB Convention & Trade Show, visit the website. To learn more about Jackson Walker’s century-long dedication to local and regional broadcasters and news organizations, visit our Media Law page.
Meet Stacy
In over 30 years of litigating complex state and federal cases across the country, Austin partner Stacy Allen’s aggressive approach to discovery and trial preparation has resulted in favorable judgments and settlements for a wide array of sophisticated commercial clients. Stacy’s national practice concentrates on intellectual property litigation, defense of federal and state class actions against insurers, defense of media companies and news organizations against defamation and privacy tort claims, defense of managed care companies in claims arising from complex provider contracts, and other commercial lawsuits and arbitrations alleging breach of contract, unfair trade practices, fraud, and other business torts. Stacy is a member of the Media Law Resource Center Committee and serves on the Austin Steering Committee for the Anti-Defamation League.
Meet Bob
Dallas partner Robert P. Latham has developed nationally recognized experience in the areas of media law and intellectual property litigation and chairs both practice areas at Jackson Walker. Bob’s trial practice also involves complex commercial disputes as well as unfair competition, securities, probate, employment, banking, real estate, telecommunications, energy, international, and class action matters. Bob is also a published author and columnist, and he has spoken internationally on matters relating to free speech, technology, intellectual property litigation, and sports. Bob has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America under First Amendment Law and Litigation – First Amendment, among other categories. In addition to his practice at Jackson Walker, Bob serves on the International Board of ARTICLE 19 and the Governance Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law. He is also a former president of the Media Law Resource Center Defense Counsel Section.
Meet Paul
Dallas partner Paul C. Watler is a board certified Texas civil trial lawyer widely recognized for First Amendment, media law, and “bet-the-company” commercial cases. Paul has successfully represented numerous newspapers, television stations, media companies, websites, and journalists in libel, anti-SLAPP (Texas Citizens Participation Act), public information, invasion of privacy, copyright, news gathering, and commercial lawsuits. Since 1995, Paul has been among a select few attorneys recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Bet–the–Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, First Amendment Law, Litigation – First Amendment, and Media Law. Throughout his career, Paul has held leadership positions on the Dallas Bar Association Media Relations Committee, The University of Texas at Austin – Moody College of Communication Advisory Council, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Board, and the North Texas Public Broadcasting (KERA) Board.
