BSM Writers
Q Myers Is Making People Part Of Something
“Everyone isn’t in the same cookie cutter and sound the same. Everyone has their own flavor and I think that’s a great thing.”
The goal was simple: To be the most popular hip-hop DJ in San Francisco. It was about as ambitious of a goal as there is in music radio, but for Qiant Myers, who goes by Your Boy Q, it was viewed as the top of the mountain. Anything less for the California kid would be viewed as a step down.
To chase that dream, Q started off as an intern at Wild 94.9 in San Francisco. He handed out prizes in the street, along with other entry level responsibilities. Though his duties were in no way glamorous, he knew immediately he wanted to be on the air at the same place he was at. But to do that, legendary Bay Area DJ Victor Zaragosa told him he’d have to leave the city and work his way back.
So he did. For the next few years, he went all over California to perfect his craft as a radio DJ. He left San Francisco for Stockton, then to Merced and Fresno for a job at Q97.1.
“That’s where I really started to get cooking,” said Q. “I even became the music director.”
As his career was starting to pick up, he left Fresno for a job in Monterey at a sister station of Q97.1. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great situation and he left shortly after arriving. He found himself back in Fresno working at Power 106, which was a small start-up. The station soon went under and he was out of a job. Just as Q was starting to hit his stride, he was out of radio.
He was on the sidelines for close to a year with a new job at FedEx. It wasn’t radio, but he was happy with the new gig and lifestyle. That’s when he got a call from the same person that gave him his last job in Fresno.
“He said, are you done with radio?” Q said. “I said if the right opportunity came along, sure, I’d take it. He told me he was starting a new station in Texas. No joke. That’s what he told me. As a West Coast dude I was thinking Dallas, Houston, San Antonio or even Austin.”
But the opportunity wasn’t in any of the major markets in Texas. Instead, it was in Waco, a college town situated 90 miles south of Dallas.
“The only thing I knew about Waco was things got burned there,” laughed Q. “I basically shut it down immediately.”
But a friend urged him that Waco was a college town that he might actually like. Q did some research and came to the conclusion it was a risk worth taking. The thought process was simple: What’s the worst that can happen? If things didn’t work out, he would just return to California and get his job back at FedEx.
Remember, even when he was out of radio, the goal was still San Francisco.
“I took a train from Fresno to Los Angeles to San Antonio and then Waco,” said Q. “It took like three days. I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody,”
Q got to work at the music station but quickly realized he didn’t like the set up for how things were operating. Having been at several stations already, he knew things weren’t going to work for the start-up station. That’s when a competing station in the market called.
“They called and said, hey, we’re really interested and you’re really good at what you do,” said Q. “I’ve never been a guy that’s crossed the street to the competition, my resume says that and I never want to be that guy, but what attracted me to this hip-hop station was the fact there was an ESPN radio affiliate in the building.”
That’s when he met David Smoak, arguably the most influential person in Q’s radio career. Their paths first crossed in 2010, when Smoak arrived in Waco to be the PD of ESPN Central Texas. From what Q understands, the station had reached a certain level, but Smoak’s arrival brought an instant credibility.
“People really started respecting that station,” said Q. “He was always really prideful and made sure the station sounded great.”
Q was at Power 108 but in 2011 he found himself inside the same building as Smoak. His life was changing and Q found more and more he wasn’t as passionate about hip-hop music as he had been earlier in his career.
Instead, a real interest in doing sports radio was beginning to form. He loved his west coast teams and was always passionate about sports, now he had the idea of doing it at the same building he was already employed at. So he brought a strategy to action. He started bugging Smoak in the hallway.
“I would tell him, hey man, it would be really cool to be on ESPN,” Q said. “I never really thought he was taking me seriously or that he ever heard me, but he was a really cool dude.”
”You could tell he loved sports,” said Smoak. “He was always talking about something going on in sports. He had an incredible passion for the NFL, but he was more than just that. He was one of those that always wanted to pick my brain.”
Smoak randomly called Q into his office to chat. He wanted to know if the hip-hop radio DJ wanted to do sports. Q’s pestering finally paid off. ESPN Central Texas was starting a new midday show and they wanted him to be a part of it. Obviously, Q was ecstatic but then Smoak mentioned something at the tail end of the conversation.
“Then he told me he didn’t have any money for me,” laughed Q.
“He always showed up and would do anything, even for just a segment, without getting a nickel,” Smoak said.
But that didn’t matter. In August of 2012, Q’s sports radio career began with no money attached. By October 2012, he found his way on the payroll. It was a testament to how quickly the company was impressed by his abilities.
For the next 18 months, he was doubling as a music DJ and sports radio host. Two shows a day was tough, especially doing a sports show in a market he wasn’t super familiar with, but he figured it out quickly and made it happen. Finally, in 2014, the parent company came to him with the option of going full-time at ESPN Central Texas. It was a no-brainer. Sure, the money still wasn’t great, but he didn’t care. It was done. Sports radio was now his sole professional focus.
Q never thought he would be in Waco for a decade, but that’s where he spent the most important stages of his radio career. He parlayed his experiences in central Texas, along with some podcasting and co-hosting opportunities outside of the market, to a job with Lotus Broadcasting in Las Vegas. Yet again, it took accepting host roles where he wasn’t getting paid, but his determination to get his voice in the market was a major reason why he’s now employed in the desert.
Q manages four different radio stations, as well as hosting at Raider Nation 920 and the Locked on Raiders podcast, among other things. He’s truly a do-it-all employee at Lotus Broadcasting.
“The biggest key is time management and I think that’s the one thing I’ve been really good at in my life,” Q said. “It’s tough and intense but luckily I have a great support staff, like my wife, who understands and supports everything I do.”
The goal is no longer San Francisco. Even though he was chasing the urge to get back to The Bay, a friend told him Vegas should be his priority. Why? His favorite team, the Raiders, are there. His mom is there and the market is exploding right now on the sports media front.
It seems Q always finds great advice from people. That’s a credit to the people he surrounds himself with. But the advice to leave San Francisco behind and pursue Vegas was one of the best things someone could have told him. He’s a PD and gets to cover his favorite NFL team on a daily basis. It’s not the dream job he was after, but the dream job found him.
“He just always wanted to soak in information about sports talk radio,” Smoak said. “He was always full throttle with his knowledge of sports and how much he wanted to talk about it. It just all came natural to him and the rest is history.
It’s hard to tell if Q is more talented as a PD or a host. He’s extremely gifted in both areas. His Locked on Raiders podcast is unique in the fact he takes calls and texts. Granted, they’re not live and previously recorded, but it’s a feature not common in the podcast space that’s really helped the growth of the show.
“I think people like to be a part of something,” Q said. “That’s what made me think that was a good idea. I found out you could put up a voicemail line attached to your Gmail. People call in and leave messages and I put them on the show. I treat the podcast the same way I do the radio show.”
You can also hear his show, Unnecessary Roughness, on Raider Nation 920 from 2-4 p.m. every weekday. Though his podcast and radio show are formatted in a similar manner, there are still a few things you’ll hear differently on terrestrial radio.
“Obviously, I’ll have more guests on the radio show,” said Q. “Even though it’s Raider Nation 920, I’ll talk UNLV, boxing, UFC, A’s potentially moving to Vegas, all of that.”
His podcast has actually helped his radio show. The following that he’s built on Locked on Raiders has started trickling over to his radio show. They’ll listen to his podcast in the morning and then his radio show in the afternoon.
Gambling talk is mixed in, sure, but he doesn’t hide he’s still not perfect when it comes to that type of content.
“I wasn’t really well-versed on sports gambling content and I’ll be honest, I’m not the most well-versed now,” said Q. “But I’m learning.’
Just like he did learning the landscape of Baylor athletics and high school football in central Texas, Q will undoubtedly figure out sports gambling, too. Granted his role doesn’t nearly require it as much as other sports media entities in the city, but it is an important piece in how the industry will evolve in the future.
Q has turned his previous passions of being a hip-hop DJ and moving back to San Francisco, into hosting sports radio shows and podcasts. He’s passionate about the city of Vegas and he’s passionate about being one of the few black PD’s in sports radio.
“I remember when Jason Barrett wrote an article about it and I was so all over it,” said Q. “I think it’s a need. What really opened my eyes was when I was in Texas and we’d go to Radio Row at the Super Bowl. There was literally a group of us that would get together and say, here are the African Americans that are on the radio that haven’t played the sport professionally in the state of Texas. There were like eight or nine of us and Texas is huge!
“I love the fact Lotus gave me that opportunity and they never hesitated. The more people that look like me that get more opportunities to show what we can do, I think it’s going to open the door for other people, as well. The more diverse the better, because it makes for better radio. Everyone isn’t in the same cookie cutter and sound the same. Everyone has their own flavor and I think that’s a great thing.”
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at [email protected].
Barrett Blogs
Barrett Media Names Dave Greene Chief Media Officer, Adds Perry Simon, And Reveals 2024 Plans
“I’ve spent most of the past 8 years reinvesting in content, staff, events, etc. and with Dave Greene on board, I’m confident we’ll take bigger steps in the right direction.”
Apologies in advance for the length of this column. Today is both exciting and important for yours truly. I’ve spent months analyzing every part of our business, interviewing candidates, and I’m anxious to share with our partners and readers what’s on the horizon for BSM and BNM as we get ready to enter 2024 and look ahead to 2025.
When I wrote my eight year anniversary column in September, I alluded to 2023 being a tough year. Business wise we’ve been strong but managing staff, content, and workload has been harder. Just yesterday I had to deal with a writer bolting without notice. It’s a pain in the ass. Creating and installing a content plan is easy, but if the algorithms change and your team isn’t passionate about the work or in the right roles, growth stalls. You either make changes or accept not being able to reach your goals. For me, the latter is not an option. I’m far too driven, invested and excited by what I do to accept the status quo. I expect us to grow, work hard, make a difference, and enjoy it. If it means having to rattle a few cages to get to where we need to be, then that’s what I’ll do.
The hardest part of 2023 has been knowing we had to move through the present to get to the future. I’ve had to be more protective of my time this year, saving it for clients, partners, staff, Summit planning, content analysis, creating advertising packages, and meeting with potential partners, attending business functions, recruiting staff, and taking a greater role in day-to-day content management. I’ve missed out on calls with friends who wanted to chat about the business, and reduced my writing and podcast involvement because it was necessary. BSM and BNM are both healthy, and as others vacated the space or slowed down, we’ve ramped up and continue to invest in strengthening our coverage.
Before I get into the specifics of what lies ahead, I want to recognize Garrett Searight, Alex Reynolds, Andy Drake, and Stephanie Eads for helping to keep the brand on track during the past few months. I also want to thank all of our writers for continuing to create great content. After the BNM Summit concluded in Nashville, there was so much to do and not enough time. Though it forced many of us to take on more than we wanted to, we got through it, and grew our traffic and impact. That’s a credit to our team, and the trust we’ve built with our audience.
Having set the table now, let me share what’s on the horizon, what’s ending, and where we’re hoping to go in 2024.
Chief Media Officer: I’ve gone through a long, extensive process to identify the right leader to help us grow Barrett Media. The conversations started in May and ran through November, and I had a chance to meet a lot of smart, talented people, and learn a lot about the way our brands are viewed by professional candidates. To everyone I had a chance to interact with along the way, thank you for the interest. It was a pleasure connecting with all of you.
But in the end, there was only one job to offer, and I’m excited to announce that we found exactly what we were looking for. It is my great pleasure to introduce Dave Greene as Barrett Media’s new Chief Media Officer.
The experience Dave brings with him to this position is extensive. He’s been an integral part of building the Podcast Heat Network alongside talented pro wrestling podcaster Conrad Thompson. The company has created, distributed, and monetized podcasts featuring star talents such as Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Eric Bischoff, Jim Ross, Mick Foley, Jeff Jarrett and others. Before joining the Podcast Heat Network with Conrad, Dave spent two decades in the radio business, working as a VP/GM, GSM, PD, Owner, and and On-Air talent. He has worked for Audacy, Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media, and Flinn Broadcasting. Among the sports and news brands he’s had the pleasure of helping include KMOX and 590 The Fan in St. Louis, 610 Sports in Kansas City, The Ump and WVNN in Huntsville, and KHMO in Quincy. He’s also served as co-owner and publisher of St. Louis Sports magazine, and was one of our first weekly columnists when we started adding writers in 2017.
When I made the decision to add someone to help me manage the content and grow the company, I knew I’d be looking for a unicorn. I initially sought an Executive Editor but as this process moved along, I realized I needed a leader who provided more than just writing and broadcasting skills. They needed to be adept at content and sales, have a passion and ability to write, connected across the industry, experienced in event creation, and equally as important, they had to know our brands and see growth potential in our business the way that I do.
I took my time with this hire because it was too important to make a rushed or bad choice. Since launching BSM in 2015 and BNM in 2020, I’ve seen other comparable media outlets earn seven to eight figure valuations. We’re not at that level and may never be but I believe we’re on the right track to larger success. Though I have zero interest in selling BSM and BNM, and plan on running this company for 15 more years, it only makes sense to make our brands the best they can be, and elevate our value with each passing year. I’ve spent most of the past eight years reinvesting in content, staff, events, etc. and with Dave on board, I’m confident we’ll take bigger steps in the right direction.
Dave’s immediate focus will be to learn the staff, manage the day-to-day workflow, find and write news stories, add a weekly column, contribute on special projects, and execute our editorial calendar. Additionally he’ll work with Stephanie to improve our sales operation, and collaborate with me on new ways to grow events, traffic, newsletters, and audience data. After previously competing against each other in St. Louis, I’m looking forward to being on the side and working together to maximize the full potential of Barrett Media.
Internal Promotions: In addition to strengthening our team with Dave’s addition, I am equally excited to announce three internal promotions. First, I’m thrilled to elevate Alex Reynolds to the role of Digital Director of Barrett Media. Alex has served as our social media coordinator since August 2022, playing a key role in executing our social media strategy. Moving forward, he will continue overseeing our social media plan, while getting further involved in affiliate marketing, website/content partnerships, newsletter creation, podcast/video production, data analysis, and audience growth strategies for our social channels and newsletters. He will also write a brand new original series, ‘Social Studies‘, which debuts in January on BSM.
The second internal promotion I’m pleased to share involves Derek Futterman. Derek is being officially promoted to the role of Sports Media Reporter. Since joining BSM in May 2021, Derek has learned a ton as a Contributing Editor and News Writer. He started by occasionally writing stories, got further involved with daily news, and in the past few months, has taken on the challenge of writing features on executives and broadcasters. He’s covered industry events, the BSM Summit, established relationships, and continues to grow. I’m eager to help him take another step by having him produce three features per week, contribute to special projects, involving him as our backstage interviewer at the BSM Summit, and having him contribute to daily news, while additionally managing BSM’s Jobs section.
The final internal promotion involves Garrett Searight. Garrett joined us in August 2022 as an Editor, and worked his tail off but learned quickly, this is different from working inside of a radio station. Over the past few months he’s raised his game, and I’m pleased to promote him to Managing Editor of BNM starting January 1st. Garrett will report to myself and our Chief Media Officer while writing daily news, and two weekly features for BNM. He’ll also become the point person for our BNM columnists and features writers. We’ve seen BNM make major strides over the past year despite not having a dedicated leader. I can only imagine how much better the brand will be with Garrett fully focused on it. One thing that isn’t changing, he’ll continue to write his weekly sports media column for BSM, and manage BNM’s Jobs section.
Website Redesigns: You’ve likely noticed that BSM and BNM look different today. We have modified both websites to make it easier to find content. Our main pages are often filled with news stories, making it hard to find things. These new layouts allow us to feature six stories in the main sections, and nine in each of the key lower sections, sports/news radio, sports/news TV, and sports digital/media business. The site will also display better on mobile, and we’ve added a sports betting bar on BSM, conference calendars to the lower right of articles on both sites, and we’ve retained the media stock ticker on BNM. All are available for sponsorship. We’re also turning on the comments to allow readers to chime in on our stories.
BSM Writers: To help us elevate BSM in 2024, we’re adding a few new writers, adjusting roles of a few of our contributors, and saying goodbye to a few of our teammates.
Starting with the additions, I’m excited to welcome Moses Massena as a weekly columnist. Moses is a sports television veteran, who spent 14 years at MLB Network, working as a researcher, segment producer, and producer, winning 7 Sports Emmys for his contributions to “MLB Tonight”. He has also worked a producer at MSG Network, and served as a researcher for FOX & ESPN. His professional television career began with SNY from 2007-2009.
Next, I’m pleased to welcome Jeff Kotuby to BSM as a daily sports television writer. Jeff has written content for many broadcasting and pop culture sites, including The Streamable, eBaum’s World, Twin Galaxies, and more. He has already begun diving in on BSM, and I’m looking forward to our readers becoming more familiar with his contributions in the future.
Moving to the internal adjustments, starting in January, Jordan Bondurant will take on a more defined role writing news stories each night on sports digital matters. Garrett Searight will add local and national sports radio content until Dave has a handle on the daily content, and Peter Schwartz and Demetri Ravanos will continue writing weekly features and helping with original projects. Peter will also add a new monthly feature, ‘Where Are They Now?’, which will run the last week of each month starting in January.
Though most of the news is good, we do have to unfortunately share some bad. Brian Noe and Ricky Keeler will be leaving us at the end of December. Both have been with BSM for a long time and have done a great job for us. In Brian’s case, he was one of the first writers to join BSM in August 2017. We wish both of them well, and appreciate all of the contributions they’ve made to our coverage along the way.
I am still looking to add another weekly sports media columnist to BSM. The ideal candidate will have industry experience, a track record of success, and a passion to write about the business. If you or someone you know fits the bill, send a resume and writing sample to [email protected].
BNM Writers: BSM has earned a strong reputation in sports media circles, and we’re determined to make sure BNM is highly regarded as well. To help us continue making progress, we’re excited to announce a few additions. First, please join me in welcoming Perry Michael Simon to BNM as a weekly columnist. Perry’s column will be published every Thursday on the site starting on December 7th.
Perry served as VP and Editor/News-Talk-Sports/Podcast for AllAccess.com after previously working as a Program Director and Operations Manager for KLSX and KLYY in Los Angeles and New Jersey 101.5 in Trenton. His contributions to All Access were excellent, and his knowledge of the industry, and his willingness to challenge it helped many broadcasters learn, adjust, defend, and grow to appreciate his point of view. After a well deserved break following the shutdown of All Access, Perry is refreshed, refocused, and ready to offer his smart, snarky, and strong opinions on the media business. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for our readers.
In addition, BNM is pleased to announce the arrival of Krystina Alarcon Carroll. Krystina joins us in a hybrid role, writing two weekly features and adding a weekly column. She freelances currently for WPIX in New York and previously worked on live, streamed, and syndicated TV programs at NY1, Fox News Digital, Law & Crime Network, and Newsmax. We’re excited to add her to our team, and you can read her first story today on BNM.
As our readers recently learned, we’ve unfortunately had to say goodbye to Jim Avila. Jim did an excellent job for BNM but a great television opportunity came his way, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward. Ryan Hedrick has also exited. I’m accepting resumes and writing samples from industry pros who have a passion to write daily news TV stories and weekly features. If interested, click here. We have more evaluations to make in the next month to make sure we’re built for success entering 2024. One thing for certain, we are going to keep building BNM and make sure news/talk media professionals have a daily destination to visit and enjoy reading about their format and business.
Two New Newsletters: Another exciting addition coming in 2024 will be the introduction of two new daily newsletters, the BSM Press Pass, and the BNM Wrap Up. We will distribute both starting on January 2nd. The BSM Press Pass will be delivered daily at 5pm ET. The BNM Wrap Up will go out at 6pm ET. We’ll have a different look and approach for both, which I think media folks will enjoy and find useful at the end of the work day.
With the arrival of the Press Pass and Wrap Up, we will continue sending out the BSM 8@8 at 8am ET. The BNM Rundown though will move to an earlier time, going out each morning at 9am ET. The same look, structure and valuable content will be available in both. If you haven’t signed up for BSM’s newsletters, go here. If you wish to receive BNM’s newsletters, go here.
Editorial Calendar: When BSM was born, I wrote and created a lot of features and original stories. From 5 Podcasts in 5 Days to the Sports Radio Draft, the Greatest SportsCenter Anchor Tournament, and a full-day spent with Mad Dog Sports Radio, creative pieces performed well for us. But as day-to-day news grew and our staff expanded, we got away from some of that. We’ve still done things like Meet The Podcasters and Countdown to Coverage, and they too have been well received, so in 2024, we’re going to put more focus on original projects on both BSM and BNM. We have an editorial calendar ready for 2024, and will begin reviewing plans on Tuesday during a zoom call with some of our staff. We’ve got some great things planned for BSM and BNM, so keep an eye out for it.
Member Directory: Since April 2020, we’ve featured the BSM Member Directory to help industry professionals and aspiring broadcasters display their work to PDs, agents, executives, etc.. All members receive jobs listings by email a few times per month, get featured in the BSM 8@8 newsletter, are promoted in content when they have career news to share, and our annual subscribers get a 20% discount on BSM Summit tickets. Memberships are $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year. For 2024, we’re going to explore new ways to deliver more value and grow our member base. Dave, Alex and I will be brainstorming ideas this month in hopes of introducing new benefits to existing and future members during Q1.
Jobs Listings: We’re often asked to post Jobs for companies due to our ability to reach the right people. Knowing how hard it is to find good help, and having used LinkedIn, Indeed and other sites myself, I know it’s not cheap. Other trades charge a few hundred dollars per month to promote openings, and starting today, we’re going to do the same except we’re keeping costs low. For $99 per month companies can now promote open positions through our websites. If you click on the Jobs tab on BSM or BNM, you’ll see the latest listings. If you use the dropdown menu and select ‘Place An Ad on BSM/BNM‘ it allows you to submit an ad and get it posted on the site within 24-hours. I’m hoping it’s helpful.
Ratings Reports: I know the ratings matter to PDs, hosts, and executives. Yet many get upset with the ups and downs of measurement. Maybe it’s not perfect, but this is your report card, and whenever we highlight the industry, it benefits broadcasters, advertisers and listeners. We’re going to write quarterly ratings reports next year for both sports and news/talk radio. We will not do monthlies. All I ask is that we receive the PPM Data reports for each quarter so we can be fair and accurate to all. We write these reports to showcase the strength of two valuable formats, and to recognize all who contributed to each brand’s success. Nielsen is still the king when it comes to measurement, and our stations don’t benefit if they don’t promote their wins to the rest of the business world. My thanks to Harker Bos Group for supporting these stories. I look forward to digging into the data to highlight those who are making an impact in 2024.
JB Column and Podcast: I acknowledged earlier that writing columns and hosting podcasts became harder in 2023. That said, I realize I have a voice that matters. Starting in January, I will begin writing a weekly column on BSM. I will also be bringing back The Jason Barrett Podcast for 26 episodes next year. Half of those episodes will focus on sports media. The other half will explore the news/talk space. We will also video the shows and make them available through the Barrett Media YouTube page. If I was going to do the podcast, I wanted to add a new layer to it. I think this will help us do that and I look forward to hosting it in April 2024. It’s possible that we’ll add other podcasts and video shows in the future, but for now, we’re going to take it one show at a time.
Return of Guest Columns: BSM and BNM have featured guest columns before from Craig Carton, Erick Erickson, Dan Zampillo, Mo Egger, and Bo Thompson just to name a few. I’d like see more media people use our platforms to highlight issues or causes that are important to them. Whether you’re an owner, executive, PD, salesperson, media buyer, host, agent, imager, producer, podcaster or social media director, if you have knowledge to share, and interest in writing a one-time guest piece for BSM or BNM, email [email protected].
BNM Top 20/BSM Top 20: Our two biggest traffic drivers of the year, the BSM Top 20 and the BNM Top 20 will continue to serve the sports and news/talk radio industries. A huge thanks to Steve Stone Voiceovers for signing on as the exclusive sponsor of the BSM Top 20, and JJ Surma Voiceovers for coming on board as the exclusive partner of the BNM Top 20. The BNM Top 20 of 2023 drops December 11-15 and December 18. Voting for industry executives expires later today. The BSM Top 20 of 2023 will be released February 5-9 and February 12. Voting for that series will start in late December, early January. We’re also looking at a few additional projects to recognize the best in the industry. More to come on that in 2024.
BSM/BNM Summits: The BSM Summit returns to NYC on March 13-14, 2024. We’ll be live at the Ailey Theater both days, and have announced 16 top speakers so far and have more still to come. You can purchase tickets to the show here. For those in the news/talk world, we’re going to host our second BNM Summit in September 2024. We’ve chosen the host city and venue and hope to announce our plans after wrapping up this year’s BNM Top 20. Running our next show two months before the election is going to be excited. Stay tuned!
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For eight years, we’ve grown traffic, influence, events, consulting clients, and our writing team by following a simple philosophy, focus on serving the right audience, not the largest. When you commit to quality over quantity and refuse to chase clicks at the expense of relationships, you land in a much better spot. We are where we are today because of our consulting clients, advertising partners, and earned trust and respect with our readers and industry professionals.
That said, while we have proven our value to top talent, executives, agents, and media buyers, some marketing folks have been harder to reach. Stephanie Eads and I have attended many zoom calls and in-person meetings to share our story, and we’ve created packages large and small to accommodate all budgets. I’m hoping that as we enter 2024, those who have been slow to respond or who have stuck to doing the same things repeatedly, take a chance to discover why BSM or BNM should be part of their media mix.
In closing, I am ecstatic about adding Dave Greene to help us grow BSM and BNM. We have a lot of work ahead of us but I’m confident progress will be made. I appreciate everyone who visits our websites, receives our newsletters, attends our Summits, follows and shares our content on social media, and let’s others know about of our existence. Most importantly, I’m grateful to our consulting clients and advertising partners who give us the support we need to be able to continue doing this. We can’t raise the bar without you, and I’m fortunate to be in this position serving an industry I love, respect, believe in, and root for.
Here’s to Barrett Media’s future. 2024 is going to be awesome, and I’m glad to have you along for the ride!
Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at [email protected].
BSM Writers
The SEC and CBS Had a Great Run, But it Was Time to Say Goodbye
“CBS created a valuable brand by investing in something that was small, but distinct and marketing it each week as an can’t miss event. That just wasn’t happening in the same way by 2023.”
Demetri Ravanos is the Assistant Content Director for Barrett Sports Media. He hosts the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas. Previous stops include WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC. You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos and reach him by email at [email protected].
BSM Writers
BetQL’s Nick Kostos Wants to Reach More Than Sports Bettors
“I’ve always wanted to feel like Cheers, a place where everyone can go to talk about sports where no one feels left out or like they don’t have a seat at the table.”
Peter Schwartz has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades. Along the way he has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. He has also worked as a play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at [email protected].
