The New Year is on its way which means it’s time to reflect on the past twelve months and single out some of the better material from 2015. The fact that I’ve amassed a year’s worth of original content still has me perplexed, but since my brain has been working for that length of time, and allowed me the confidence to publish more than fifty columns, I might as well share which ones were my personal favorites.
If you’re reading this piece, I’d love to know which ones resonated most with you. I’m sure the answers will be different from everyone but it’s helpful to me in getting a sense of what worked and what didn’t. If you’d be so kind to take a second and let me know on Facebook, Twitter or by email at JBarrett@hvy.tcp.mybluehost.me, I’d greatly appreciate it.
Now starting at #10 and counting down to #1, here are my Top 10 Barrett Blogs for 2015. If you’re interested in reading any of these pieces, click the name of the column and you’ll be taken to them. Enjoy!
10. How Important Are Callers: Why are East Coast callers a big part of sports radio shows, yet not as prevalent in the Midwest and on the West Coast? With social media and cell phones changing the way we communicate and the sports talk caller becoming older and less interested in dialing up their favorite radio station, it’ll be very interesting to see how this subject evolves in the years to come.
9. Do You Know Who You’re Hiring: Sports media managers often hire people based on reputation, results and market size, but how well you know and investigate someone is what will determine whether or not your decision was correct. It’s easy to become distracted by money and power, but every opportunity is a two way street, and if you don’t do your homework, a short term gain can produce long term pain if you’re not smart.
8. Is Sports Radio Ready For Its Future: There’s a fine line between ratings and innovation but many times the best creations take time to develop. How is that possible though in a business where instant success is expected? This column takes a look at 10 different items which will become a bigger focus in sports media circles and some of them have already begun taking shape. Are we growing the format properly into 2016 and beyond, or relying on the same strategies from yesterday? You decide!
7. Does It Pay To Be on Social Media: When we execute a sports talk show we stumble into areas that are uncomfortable and may frustrate our employers but once our opinions are stated, they’re often forgotten quickly. On social media though, the message lives there for eternity and the approach you take can have an effect on whether or not you remain employed. If we’re asked to be ourselves and connect with fans outside of our programs, but in doing so, run the risk of losing our jobs, is it really worth it?
6. Are You Willing To Break The Rules: Watching a television show titled “StartupU” provided inspiration for this piece. It’s a column which questions why we adopt similar structures at various sports radio stations across the country and it analyzes 7 key areas of the business today that stand to benefit from being challenged. There is no formula that promises guaranteed results so instead of being complacent and doing the same old thing, why not innovate and be a part of leading the format’s future expansion?
5. Five Tips from Rocky Which Can Help Your Talk Show: Some of the finest storytelling is done in Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” films, and after seeing the movie “Creed”, I identified five key ingredients which make each film successful. I explain how they connect to sports radio and offer examples of how to utilize them each day with your audience.
4. 15 Talents You May Not Know, But Should: If you work in sports media, then you’re likely aware of Mike Francesa, Jim Rome, Colin Cowherd, and Dan Patrick. But how many of us are familiar with the exceptional talent in our industry who carry lesser profiles? This piece focuses on 15 great personalities who fly under the radar, and I share some details about what makes each of their presentations unique.
3. Making Sports Radio Better: Why Women Deserve More Opportunity: Despite the first voice on a sports radio station being female and television doing its part to offer women a platform to shine, sports radio has been lost in the wilderness on this issue. This in depth piece examines the lack of female voices in the format today and why it’s important to change that going forward. It also features 9 women who are making a difference in the industry and gathers their insights on a number of the challenges facing females today.
2. Welcome To The 2015 Sports Radio Draft: The NFL Draft is one of the best events in sports each year, and I was curious about what would take place if sports radio held their own annual draft. Imagine every single sports radio personality available and every programmer on the clock having to decide which talent they’d build their radio stations around. 32 programmers accepted the challenge and the results may surprise you.
1. Making Sports Radio Better: Tackling The Issue of Diversity: This column was extensive and important and captures one of the biggest weaknesses the format has today, a lack of minority voices. Did you know only 15% of key on-air positions are occupied by minority talent? Of the 15% hosting shows, only 1% are Hispanic. When you look at the makeup of the population in each city, and the way most sports radio stations reflect it on-air and in management positions, there’s a major disconnect and it’s an area of the industry that must improve or the audience growth will never be there.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
