Deborah Speer

Background

About Deborah Speer

I have more than two decades worth of experience reporting on the concert industry, focused on business reporting of major companies including Live Nation, Ticketmaster and Anschutz Entertainment Group and facility managers including SMG and Global Spectrum. I've also researched box office reports and tour itineraries, and analyzed results. All positions require positive relationships with artist agents, managers, concert promoters, facility personnel and publicists. I develop news and feature stories for enterprise reporting, requiring quick transition from analyzing corporate financial statements to snarking about dubious pop culture events. I coordinate features of emerging artists and executive profiles, and work with a national network of freelance photographers to secure striking cover images to complement our publication and the artists featured. Prior to Pollstar, I covered sports for the Fresno Bee, a major metro newspaper, primarily covering high school and college athletics. I've been keeping baseball score cards since I was a kid and can coherently explain the infield fly rule. As a community volunteer, I served seven years on the board of directors of the Fresno Free College Foundation, an education-focused 501(c)3 that owns and operates non-commercial radio station KFCF-FM, including terms as vice chairwoman and secretary. I concurrently served three years as a representative to the board at KPFA 94.1 FM in Berkeley, Calif, the flagship station of the Pacifica radio network.