Much of the focus of the BSM Top 20 in sports radio revolves around the on-air talent. For good reason, they’re the people who the audience sees, hears and interacts with most. But, for one day each year, the brain trust of each brand earns a little bit of recognition. After all, these are the executives responsible for designing and maintaining the on-air strategy, coaching the talent, absorbing each listener complaint, and working with sales, promotions and the imaging department to assure their brands remain in position to achieve great ratings and revenue success.
In 2016, the award for the Major Market Program Director of the year went to Mike Thomas of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. This year though, Mike is forced to return the trophy to our 2015 winner, Mark Chernoff of WFAN in New York.
To determine our Top 20 Sports Radio Program Directors, our executive panel used the following criteria below. 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.
- Ratings success in their local market
- An established track record of success in the format
- Spent more than six months managing a Top 20 market sports radio station
- Points are given for each ranking (EX: 20 points for 1st place, 1 point for 20th place)
As a result of that criteria, someone for example like Eric Johnson, who took over as PD of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia in December, isn’t eligible for consideration this year. If we do this again in 2019, and Eric remains in his current position and his brand continues to perform strongly, our panel would have an opportunity to vote for him then.
I remind you that these results reflect the group’s collective opinions. This means they are subjective. However, most would agree that each of these individuals have earned the industry’s respect and their brands have performed consistently.
I extend my congratulations to Mark on a well deserved honor, and am pleased to present “BSM’s Top 20 Major Market Sports Radio Program Directors of 2017”!
Additional Notes:
- Mark Chernoff earned the most 1st place votes (16); Mike Thomas produced the second most (7)
- The closest battle was for 14th place where Armen Williams edged Matt Nahigian by 1 point
- Ryan McCredden finished in 21st place, 5 points behind Dan Zampillo
- 22-25 belonged to Ryan Hurley, Rich Moore, Len Weiner and Tim Spence
- 10 of the 30 Program Directors 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.
