Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Ben Downs is the Vice President and General Manager of Bryan Broadcasting in Bryan-College Station, along with being an operating partner for the stations. 

During the intervening years, he has operated two statewide groups of broadcast stations in Texas. 

Sonance Broadcasting owned stations in Lubbock, Midland, Killeen, and Waco.  He also managed stations in Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Tyler. 

In addition, Downs has served as Chairman of the Texas Association of Broadcasters twice! 

In 2010, TAB honored him with the “Broadcaster of the Year” Award. 

He also served as a Board member of the National Association of Broadcasters and was part of the NAB Legislative Leadership program.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Oscar Rodriguez serves as President of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, a statewide, non-profit advocacy organization for the state’s 1,200+ free, over-the-air local radio and television stations.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rodriguez began his career in public service as an Assistant Press Secretary to Gov. Mark White from 1984 to 1987.

He then served a seven-year stint as a legislative liaison for the Texas Education Agency before joining TAB in 1994.

He is a native Texan who grew up in McAllen and has lived in Austin since 1981.

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Round Rock, TX

Jessica Nyman is a Partner with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s Washington, DC-based Communications group, working out of Pillsbury’s Austin, TX office. 

Clients turn to Jessica for help navigating complex regulatory and litigation matters before the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice, the Copyright Royalty Board, and federal district and appellate courts.

She has deep experience in a wide array of media matters, including NextGenTV development and implementation, compliance with multiple ownership limits, petitions for approval of foreign broadcast ownership, program carriage rights, and EEO compliance. 

Beyond media, she advises clients on the FCC’s equipment authorization and marketing requirements, E911 obligations, and experimental licensing.

Jessica also offers strategic counsel in a variety of transactional matters in the communications and technology sector, including retransmission consent negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, and information technology outsourcing transactions.

She is a regular contributor to CommLawCenter.com, Pillsbury’s one-stop resource center covering a wide array of communications law matters.