Univision Communications Inc. during Upfront Week once again proved how much it focuses on all audience experiences with an interactive Upfront event (see video below), inventively immersing guests in activities and displays tied to its programming and inviting everyone to “Eat. Drink. Explore.”  “Last year we decided to shake things up with the Upfront format” said Steve Mandala (pictured above), President of Advertising Sales and Marketing for UCI.  “We got such a positive response, we decided to take the same approach this year.”

This was the same question that I kept asking myself a decade ago before launching a now successful enterprise dedicated to Baby Boomers.  If prioritizing Baby Boomers was such a smart and obvious idea, then where were the mobs of marketers celebrating their success?  To move ahead, I knew I needed to answer the question to my satisfaction, but what I didn't expect was that the answer would actually embolden me to act with even greater urgency.

Tuesday, May 21 proved to be a big night for Hallmark Channel (and its parent company Crown Media Family Networks) as the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation honored the network’s daily talk show Home & Family at their annual Gracie Gala, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. President and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks Bill Abbott and Executive Vice President of Programming and Network Publicity Michelle Vicary, along with many of Home & Family’s family members (pictured above and below) were on hand to accept the award for Best Talk Show: Entertainment. “It was such an honor to be in a room full of powerful women, and men, all there to celebrate women making amazing entertainment ranging from television to radio, documentaries and movies,” beamed H&F; pet expert Larissa Wohl in an exclusive interview with MediaVillage.  “It was great that everyone, from Bill and Michelle to our executive producers, could show up in full force.  I believe it only took all of the family members 24 hours to RSVP -- that's how important it was to all of us to be a part of something so positive.”

A year after covering the Upfront arrivals on the blue carpet for then Turner Networks I was back to grab both business conversation and banter with the stars and star execs of the now larger entity, WarnerMedia.  This 20-minute episode of the podcast is a quick series of chats with everyone from the Chairman himself, Bob Greenblatt, and President of Ad Sales, Donna Speciale, to celebs and showrunners across the properties.  The transcript below has been edited for clarity so listen here to get all of their valuable comments and quips.  Even better, please subscribe to Insider InSites wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, GooglePodcasts, Stitcher or TuneIn).

More than once during Upfront Week, as I was preparing to leave an event, a network sales chief turned to me and said, “Now the real work begins.”  It was a simple statement that reminded me yet again of something more and more people in the industry realize with each passing year:  There seems to be no point to these deluxe presentations.

At the stroke of 10 a.m. last Wednesday morning, the annual, always entertaining Upfront event featuring Time Warner's Turner channels became the opening public display for WarnerMedia's gallery of TV and digital initiatives, now on parent AT&T;'s watch.  Moreover, if any of the thousands of attendees present were expecting clues over how WarnerMedia will shape its forthcoming direct-to-consumer venture -- to be distributed early 2020 via multichannel operators and smart TV sets/TV-connected products -- they were rewarded with a tidbit or two.