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Takeaways From The 2016 BSM Top 20 Series

Jason Barrett

Published

6 years ago

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Now that the madness has subsided from this year’s BSM Top 20, I thought I’d weigh in with a few final thoughts and takeaways from this year’s process. Overall it was a huge success again. I want to thank everyone who stopped by to see the results, share it on social media, and participate in the voting process.

One thing I’ve learned from running point on this process the past two years is that it’s extremely subjective and will never please everyone. That said, there are many in the radio industry who appreciate the recognition, and positive acknowledgement for a job well done never looks bad to a station’s audience or advertisers.

I also think it’s important for industry members to contribute to the voting process since they see the inner workings and the truth behind the numbers more than anyone else. Will they be biased at times? Of course. But I’d rather have executives with a favorable view of their brands contributing rather than relying on people who are outside the business and lack the information and personal insight to know whether or not a show, station or individual is experiencing success.

If you didn’t read the articles and fast forwarded to the results, I want to reiterate one key part that I often worry might be misconstrued. I do NOT vote in this process. I simply present the industry’s findings. I have opinions just like anyone else, and one of the toughest parts of this project is seeing particular votes come in that I disagree with, yet knowing that my role is to remain true to the votes and let the panel present their collective opinions without interference.

I recognize that a few observers and readers know that I work with some stations, and have friendships all across the nation. I can’t tell each individual what to think, but one thing I will not do with this annual representation of the format is have the final results determined by personal preference or economic influence.

I started this project and turned to executives at more than fifteen media companies to get involved because I heard from a large number of folks that they were frustrated by having the success of their brands and people determined by outlets which made their ranking decisions based on relationships and advertising buys. They also didn’t include industry members in the voting process. After doing this for two years, I can proudly say that I have not accepted a dime for it. I could easily do that and treat my family to a few more vacations and expensive dinners, but my credibility and respect for this business will not allow money to influence how I treat this process.

Trust me, it isn’t easy when you’re in my shoes presenting these findings, and a client I work with, finishes behind a competitor. It can be challenging and frustrating and puts me in an awkward spot. I could easily twist the results to favor my clients, but then I have to ask myself “why am I even doing this project if I’m not going to treat the votes of the industry panel with the respect it deserves”?

Last week for example during the process, I had one particular station take aim at me because they felt I was lifting up the profile of a competitor. Rather than giving credit where it was due to a station which was the top spoken word brand in the market, and ranked 3rd overall with a 9 share, and instead of conducting a self analysis given that their own performance was below a 1 share, the easy excuse was to blame yours truly.

If it helps a station’s staff sleep better at night to create excuses then that’s fine by me. The bottom line, industry people know which brands win and which ones don’t, and if you want to gain a stronger reputation and earn a higher place on the chart, you’re going to have to back it up with evidence that shows your performance is among the best. If not, it’ll be a similar story next year. I don’t play favorites, I just present the information.

Aside from that senseless drama, there were some results I agreed and disagreed with but that’s the beauty of life in America in 2017. You can have an opinion and choose to ignore anything you wish. I felt better about this year’s panel given the addition of a few more folks in smaller regions, which was especially helpful in determining the mid-market categories. I put a lot of time and thought into the voting process and aim to include people from all companies so it doesn’t become a one group celebration. It’s not perfect, but it’s as fair and balanced as it can be.

As far as this year’s results are concerned, I do have a few takeaways I want to share. These were things that stood out to me during the process. If you have some you’d like to discuss, you can always email me at JB******@hv*.me.

  • The decision to split up the Major and Mid Markets felt right, and I’m glad we did it. Too often smaller regions get ignored and stand little chance of making noise against brands with outstanding heritage. This year they were able to get a better sense of how they’re viewed, and the major market shows received votes without the voters feeling obliged to ignore 1 or 2 of them just to make sure they offered some recognition to smaller market brands.
  • Boomer and Carton, Mike Francesa, and Colin Cowherd were repeat winners, and reaffirmed that they’ve become the local and national shows which executives compare all others to. Next year will be very different if Mike Francesa fulfills his promise to leave WFAN, but for now, all three of these shows are a huge hit with high ranking members of the industry.
  • FOX Sports Radio has done a magnificent job of rebuilding its image. After Jim Rome left for CBS, there was a period of time where industry folks I spoke to weren’t convinced the network was trending upward. Over the past two years though that perception has been changed. FSR had 6 shows in the Top 20 including 3 in the Top 10, signaling that they’re on their way to a strong resurgence.
  • ESPN Radio remains in strong shape but if the rumors of a Mike and Mike split hold true, it could be an interesting time for the network. As great as the brand is and has been, they’re vulnerable for the first time in a long time. That said, no company has done a better job over the past three decades of replacing top talent and maintaining its relationships and stellar image than ESPN. It was interesting to see Paul Finebaum continue to gain momentum with voters. Bomani Jones also increased year to year and is now viewed slightly higher than Russillo and Kanell. ESPN has an opportunity to breathe some new life into its brand if it chooses to do so. If it stands pat with Mike and Mike, that too has large upside. This will be an interesting story to follow in 2017.
  • Voters are very aware of what’s been taking place in Boston and rewarded both 98.5 The Sports Hub and WEEI for their performances. Without question, Boston is the hottest rated sports radio market in the country, and the competition between the two brands is as intense as ever. To see each station earn respect for the contributions they’re making to the format was a welcomed sight.
  • The same story was true for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. All three stations ranked high with our panel in the mid-market categories which speaks to each of their abilities to penetrate their markets and create a dominant presence with local sports radio enthusiasts.
  • If there’s an area I’d like to see improve from the voters it’s to reward more shows for the current year’s actual performance instead of its reputation. I can’t speak for each voter but the goal is to recognize those who performed best during the previous calendar year. It’s no different than MLB or the NFL picking an MVP who had the best season. In some instances I see brands and shows receive high voting placement based on market size, brand reputation or length of service, and I think we collectively can do a better job of familiarizing ourselves with those who have performed best.
  • That last section is important for on-air talent to remember. There were a few hosts who reached out to express displeasure about not being on the list or eligible for consideration, but as I stated numerous times, this wasn’t a sports radio draft, and it wasn’t a case of who’d get hired if executives had to make a business decision for their brands. This was simply about 2016’s performance. You can’t be mentioned as one of the best 25-35 shows during the year if you only spent 3-4 months on the air. For example, Gary Sanchez had a hot summer for the NY Yankees, but he wasn’t part of the MVP conversation, nor did he deserve to be. Same rules apply here.
  • There were a few situations where key talent were gone for extended periods of time yet that didn’t hurt them in the voting which surprised me. Case in point, Terry Boers and Terry Foster missed time on the air in Detroit and Chicago, and the same was true for Greg Papa in San Francisco. Each of those hosts and shows deserve to be featured high but one can make a case that they deserve to go down a notch or two if they’re not at full strength for a significant period of time, especially if another show/brand behind them performed in similar fashion.
  • In the mid-markets I was pleasantly surprised to see Bernie Miklasz, Dan Dakich and 3HL get recognized for their exceptional work. I’m familiar with all three shows and think they do an outstanding job and I felt the panel got each of those decisions right. There were a few other shows in their respective categories that I could also make a case for but you won’t get an argument from me when it comes to acknowledging those programs for doing an outstanding job.
  • In the major-markets, I was happy to see G-Bag Nation and Paul Allen earn some recognition for what they bring to the airwaves. Both shows are very good and rate well. I also felt Mike Missanelli was rewarded for having an incredible year in Philadelphia, and the same was true for The Musers in Dallas, and OMF in Boston. Each deserved to be in the top 3 and you can make a case that they could’ve been ranked higher. I also thought Chris Mannix and the Morning Men sneaking into the National section was a pleasant surprise.
  • A few programs were rated lower than I expected. Among them were the Michael Kay Show, Kap and Company, and Dan Barreiro. All three have generated better performance than where they were placed, but if they continue their momentum I suspect they’ll climb the ladder next year. When we conduct this process again next year I also won’t be surprised if Clay Travis, Dale and Holley with Rich Keefe, and Stephen A. Smith gain ground as all three are positioned to make a bigger splash.
  • I’ll be interested to see how a couple of changes in January factor into next year’s results. Jay Mohr is gone from FOX Sports Radio, Danny Parkins has left 610 Sports in KC for 670 The Score in Chicago, Terry Boers’ retirement opened the door for Jason Goff to move into afternoons with Dan Bernstein, and a few other brands have made tweaks too. How they’re received by next year’s panel will be an interesting follow.
  • Last but not least, Sports Radio WIP will have a full year under their belts with their new midday and afternoon shows which should put them back in the mix. Josh Innes will have developed a longer body of work in Houston putting him back on the radar. And Jorge Sedano, Keyshawn Johnson, and LZ Granderson will be up for consideration if they continue hosting mornings in Los Angeles and producing results. Where each of those shows finish is anyone’s guess, but clearly there’s a lot of talent there and the voters will have some difficult decisions to make.

To bring this to a close, it’s a fun exercise, and it allows many in our format to gain a sense of where they’re seen by high ranking industry officials. If you’re ranked high, you clearly are going to enjoy it and let the whole world know. You may even try to use it to your economic benefit with advertisers. If you’re not, you’ll likely find fault with the system and let everyone know that industry executives are asleep at the wheel.

It may not be perfect but it’s the best we can do. So until next time, thanks for reading, voting, sharing, and debating. Now keep those ratings and revenues high so we can explore this conversation again in 2018.

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Rachel Nichols and Baron Davis Headline Final Speaker Announcements For the 2023 BSM Summit

“I’m sure Baron and Rachel will have all eyes and ears focused on them when they take the stage together next Tuesday at 2:45pm PT.”
Jason Barrett

Published

2 days ago

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March 16, 2023

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The 2023 BSM Summit schedule is set. After months of planning and talking to everyone across the industry, I’m ecstatic to roll out next week’s agenda including making one final announcement involving seven great additions to our conference.

For starters, it is a pleasure to welcome Showtime’s Rachel Nichols to the BSM Summit. I’ve admired her work on television for years, and am thrilled to have her guiding a session which I think many in the room are going to really enjoy.

Rachel’s guest will be former NBA star Baron Davis. Baron runs his own company, Baron Davis Enterprises, and he has been active in investing in media brands, and exploring ways to evolve the industry. Among his areas of passion, athletes taking more control of their brands, and the media industry needing to improve its track record with diversity. I’m sure Baron and Rachel will have all eyes and ears focused on them when they take the stage together next Tuesday at 2:45pm PT.

Also joining the Summit are a few longtime industry friends. For starters, VSiN’s program director Jon Goulet is someone who I’ve known and worked with, and he understands the sports betting audio space extremely well. Jon and BetQL VP of Programming Mitch Rosen will spend time with another industry friend, Bryan Curtis of The Ringer. Collectively they’ll examine the state of sports betting audio on Tuesday March 21st from 3:35p-4:10p, and what they look for when it comes to sports betting talent, and how they determine what is and isn’t success in the sports gambling content world.

With Mitch taking part in the sports betting panel, Jeff Rickard of WFNZ in Charlotte steps into The Programmer’s Panel alongside Jimmy Powers, John Mamola and Raj Sharan. The session is scheduled for Wednesday March 22nd from 9:10a-9:45a PT. Ironically, all four of these programmers work for different companies, so it’ll be interesting to hear how they differ and where they align while navigating through a few sports radio programming topics.

Next, I’m excited to introduce a social media session with Karlo Sy Su of ESPN Los Angeles and Matthew Demeke of AM 570 LA Sports. If you look at the performance of their brands on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, they’ve each delivered strong audiences and engagement. I’m looking forward to hosting this one and learning about their processes, how they decide which platforms to focus on most, what they consider a social media win when analyzing social statistics, and how they develop their content process. Given our location, we’re calling the session ‘Social Media Goes Hollywood‘. It’s scheduled for Wednesday March 22nd from 3:35-4:10 PT.

I realize you’re not going to remember all of these session speakers and times off the top of your head, so to make it easier, log on to BSMSummit.com and scroll down past our speakers. That’s where you’ll find our detailed list of sessions/times and activities planned each day. We have eighteen sessions, two awards ceremonies, and two parties. Our kickoff party is presented by the WWE and takes place Monday March 20th from 7p-9p at the 1880 Founders Room. The ESPN Radio After Party takes place Tuesday March 21st from 6p-8p at the Lab Gastropub. Both party locations are in walking distance of the USC Hotel and our conference venue.

As an added bonus, thanks to the generosity of our friends at WWE, we will be giving away a pair of tickets to the first night of WrestleMania, and a WWE title at our kickoff party. WrestleMania takes place this year in Los Angeles at Sofi Stadium on March 25-26. You must be present at the kickoff party to win either prize.

We’ll have more to share next week including providing an ongoing blog with session news and notes for our readers. We’ll also have a ton of content available on our social media channels so if you’re not following @BSMStaff on Twitter, @BarrettSportsMedia on Facebook or @BarrettMedia on LinkedIn, what are you waiting for?

The focus now shifts to finishing our creative for next week’s show, sending information to our speakers for their sessions, and finalizing our attendees list. For those who are attending, we’ll be sending out an email on Friday or Saturday with a complete list of names of who’s coming so you can plan meetings in advance.

If you forgot to buy your ticket after seeing months of promotion about the event and meant to do so, you can still do that, but it costs more. Students on the other hand can take advantage of a low rate established for college kids at https://bsmsummit.com/registration.

Putting this event together isn’t easy, but I’m extremely pleased with how it’s come together. We have a lot of smart, talented, and accomplished people making time to be part of this, and I appreciate each and every one of them for doing so. Now, it’s all about the execution. Hope to see you next week in LA.

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Sports Broadcasting Icon Al Michaels To Be Honored at the 2023 BSM Summit

“This is a man who has spent more than five decades on your television screen calling the biggest games, and producing some of the most iconic moments sports has to offer.”
Jason Barrett

Published

1 week ago

on

March 10, 2023

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If you work in the sports media industry you’ve likely heard someone along the way utter the phrase “don’t bury the lead“. I’m usually good about following that advice but I didn’t do that at our 2022 BSM Summit.

We introduced the greatest tandem in sports radio history, Mike Francesa and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo and it was a special half hour. Mike and the Mad Dog were reunited after seven years apart and every individual at the event knew they were witnessing something magical on stage. I created a Mike and the Mad Dog Award for the event, which went to Felger and Mazz, who were the absolute right choice to win it. Even Chris remarked ‘that’s the right call‘.

But I learned quickly that although the intention was right in honoring the industry’s current top performing show, when you have legends in the room and they’re in their element, the last thing you want to do is overcrowd them. The connection Mike and Chris had on the air became the gold standard by which we measure successful sports talk shows, and they didn’t need an award created to deliver a special moment, just two mics and 20-30 minutes of stage time.

As I began thinking about the 2023 BSM Summit, I knew there was an opportunity to build on what we started last year with Mike and Chris, and after talking to a few people who I trust and respect, the decision of who we would recognize became crystal clear. I believe it’s important to honor the greats in our business because those who leave a permanent mark on our industry deserve it. The man we’ve selected has spent more than five decades on your television screen calling the biggest games, and producing some of the most iconic moments sports has to offer. He’s worked with the best of the best inside the booth, has helped elevate the presentation and execution of in-game content for ABC, NBC and Amazon, and his call of the Miracle on Ice, the US Olympic hockey team’s 1980 gold medal win over Russia remains one of the best calls in the history of sports.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored and privileged to share that Al Michaels will join us on Wednesday March 22nd at the 2023 BSM Summit for our awards presentation, where we will present him with BSM’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michaels is one of America’s most respected sports broadcasting voices, known for his exceptional work on Monday Night Football (1986-2005), Sunday Night Football (2006-2022) and Thursday Night Football (2022-Present). He’s called the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, Hagler-Hearns, the Olympics, the Indy 500, Horse Racing’s Triple Crown races, College Football and Basketball games, Golf, and more. He’s even held roles as the voice of the University of Hawaii, the Cincinnati Reds, and the San Francisco Giants, and was in the booth in 1989 when an earthquake rocked the Bay Area during Game 3 of the A’s-Giants world series.

The Brooklyn native turned Los Angeles resident has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and owns a ton of hardware including five sports Emmy’s, three NSMA Sportscaster of the Year honors, the 2013 Pete Rozelle Radio & Television Award distributed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the 2021 Ford C. Frick Award given out by the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Though his trophy case may be full, we’re excited to add another to his collection to show our appreciation and respect for the impact he’s made on the sports media business.

A quick reminder, the BSM Summit takes place on Tuesday March 21st and Wednesday March 22nd at the Founders Club at the University of Southern California. Tickets are on-sale at BSMSummit.com.

Be advised, we have started adding sessions and times on the website. As always, the schedule is subject to change. Our final agenda will be posted by the end of next week. In addition, attendees will receive an email by next Friday with details of who will be in attendance. We hope to see you there.

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Rob Parker, Brian Long, Sean Thompson and Matt Fishman Join The BSM Summit Speaker Lineup

“I’m excited to welcome a few folks who have enjoyed success in different parts of the country, and in different areas of the business.”
Jason Barrett

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 3, 2023

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As we gear up for our 5th annual BSM Summit on March 21-22, 2023, I’m starting to get a better feel for how the final puzzle may look. When this process starts I have no idea how it’s going to turn out because so much depends on who says yes and no. Many who’ve attended over the years have complimented our lineups, and I appreciate it because I put a lot of time and effort into featuring a strong mix of professionals from different areas of the industry. Though I’m proud of the work we do and the schedule we deliver, there are so many things pursued leading up to the event that I can’t help but wonder ‘what if this or that had worked out?’

One thing that some folks don’t understand if they haven’t been to the show before is that this is not a talent conference. It’s a sports media business conference. That means we feature radio, TV and digital executives, programmers, researchers, sales professionals, and yes, talent. I believe on-air performers are vital to the industry’s success and I want the best of the best sharing their wisdom with everyone in the room, but we’re also not going to do two full days of on-air conversations. Being successful in sports media requires understanding the on-air side and the business side, and we do our best to offer a blend of both.

For today’s announcement, I’m excited to welcome a few sports media pros who have enjoyed success in different parts of the country, and in different areas of the business.

First, Rob Parker is someone who has made a name for himself as a radio host, writer, TV commentator, and teacher. He’s currently heard weeknights on FOX Sports Radio, teaches students at USC Annenberg, writes for Deadspin, and is helping MLBBro gain awareness and a bigger mainstream media presence covering Major League Baseball. He’s experienced, smart, and never short on opinion. I’m looking forward to having him join Mitch Rosen of 670 The Score/BetQL, and Scott Shapiro of FOX Sports Radio for a session titled “Aircheck On Campus“. They’ll take the stage together on Wednesday March 22nd from 2:10-2:45.

My next three speakers, all come from the sports radio programming department.

Matt Fishman is the Director of Content for ESPN 850 Cleveland. Fishman has been with the brand since January 2020 following stints at SiriusXM, 610 Sports in Kansas City, and 670 The Score in Chicago. He even wrote for BSM for a few years.

Sean Thompson is responsible for programming decisions at Arizona Sports and ESPN 620 AM. He joined the well respected Phoenix brand after more than a decade in Atlanta at 92.9 The Game. Sean has also worked in affiliate relations for Westwood One, and on the air and as a programmer in music radio for Good Karma Brands in Madison, WI.

Brian Long is the program director of both San Diego Sports 760 and KOGO 600 in San Diego. In addition to guiding two of the top talk brands in his market, he has also managed Seattle Sports 710, and served as the Assistant Program Director for ESPN LA 710.

Matt, Sean, and Brian will be part of one of our final sessions on day two of the Summit. The Last Call which yours truly is hosting, will explore unique revenue opportunities created by local brands, and examine a few new ideas and missed opportunities that brands and managers may want to take advantage of in the future.

As of today, the Summit has more than forty accomplished professionals taking the stage at the Founders Club at USC’s Galen Center on March 21-22, 2023. I’ve got a few others still to announce as well, including a few cool giveaways planned for the WWE’s Kickoff party.

If you haven’t bought a ticket and wish to be in the room, visit BSMSummit.com. The last day for ticket sales will be Monday March 13th. I’m hoping to release our final schedule of sessions on Tuesday March 14th. Hopefully I’ll see you in the city of angels.

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