It’s Day 2 of the BSM 2017 Top 20 in Sports Radio awards. Today, we highlight the best Mid Market midday programs airing across the nation. Before you skip ahead to see the rankings, let us remind you of a few things.
To determine our rankings we involve a panel of radio executives and they each use the criteria below to make their decisions. BSM does not vote in this process. We simply add up the votes, design the graphics, and present a collective snapshot for people inside and outside of the industry to gain a better understanding of how sports radio’s top decision makers view the format’s best programs.
Remember that these results are subjective. The members of our panel live in various cities and have different insights and preferences. They also work for different companies, which may or may not factor into their thinking. We try our best to keep the process fair and balanced, and although there will be debates over the selections, it’s hard to argue against the respect and success that each of these programs have earned in their local markets and among the industry’s top decision makers.
- Ratings success in their local market
- An established track record of success in the format
- Spent more than six months hosting on a Mid Market sports radio station
- Points are given for each ranking (EX: 20 points for 1st place, 1 point for 20th place)
When we last conducted this process, Dan Dakich of 107.5/1070 The Fan in Indianapolis received the most votes from our panel to be named the top Mid Market midday program of 2016. This year though, Dan must reluctantly part with the trophy as it’s being shipped to Nashville to its new recipients, The Midday 180 of 104.5 The Zone.
The team of Jonathan Hutton, Paul Kuharsky and Chad Withrow have been a steady force in the Nashville market. They’ve delivered double digit ratings on a regular basis, earning themselves new contracts and an expansion from three hours per day to four. We extend our congratulations to Chad, Jonathan, Paul and the entire Zone team, as well as every other show which earned a spot on this year’s list. Now without further delay, here are “BSM’s Top 20 Mid Market Midday Shows of 2017”!
Additional Notes:
- Midday 180 and Dan Dakich tied for the most 1st place votes (8); JOX Roundtable was second with (4)
- Spots 5-6 and 18-19 were separated by 1 point; Spots 15-16 were apart by just 2 points
- The Day Shift came in 21st place, 4 points behind Erik Ainge
- 22-25 were The Hardline w/ Ari & Chance, Jason & John, Bob Valvano and Grady & Big Joe
- 11 of the 37 afternoon shows eligible for consideration received a 1st place vote
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
I hope Dakich sticks to radio because his live game announcing is horrible. Dude is such a blowhard.
Baskin and Phelps from 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland are fantastic!
They are 2 of the classiest and nicest guys you will ever meet! They are #1 in my book!