You might have slept right through the Times Square ball drop—or the MoonPie drop, giant pickle drop, boot drop, or whatever else they drop on New Year’s Eve. But if you’re into audio as much as we are, you were wide awake for last week’s CES and taking in all the shiny new tech about to descend upon consumers, a.k.a. your listeners. It’s the one event we can count on to set the course for our next year in broadcasting (which, by the way, is year number 52 for Wheatstone). Here are our five takeaways from this year’s CES that directly affect broadcasting as we know it.

• The Mad Dash is On
• The Meta of Data 
• Musical Chairs, AI Songs, and Singing Lollipops? 
• It’s Kind of a Thing. 
• Open Earbuds Are Everywhere, So Listen Up!