Now that the Super Bowl is complete and the Philadelphia Eagles have earned their first world championship, it’s time to find out who earned the same honor in the sports radio business. This is our final list for the 2017 campaign, and the focus is on the nation’s best Mid Market sports radio stations.
One year ago, 104.5 The Zone in Nashville earned bragging rights as the industry’s top Mid Market brand. This year, we have ourselves a new champion.
Congratulations is in order for Chris “Hoss” Neupert and the entire team at 101 ESPN. The St. Louis sports radio station received the most votes from our executive panel and has been selected as the best Mid Market sports radio station of 2017. The honor caps off an incredible year for the STL crew, one which included being nominated for a Marconi Award by the National Association of Broadcasters.
If you’ve read any of the previous Top 20 pieces, then you’re aware of how the voting process works. If you haven’t, here’s a quick refresher.
Our executive panel is comprised of a number of radio executives from multiple companies across the country. They vote on these awards by using the criteria below. BSM does not participate in the voting, we simply present the group’s findings. This allows people inside and outside of the radio industry to gain a better understanding of how sports radio’s top decision makers view the format’s best stations.
- Station has a great reputation both locally and nationally
- Station must have delivered strong ratings success in their local market
- Station employs dynamic talent and presents compelling content and a unique sound
- Points are to be given to each brand for a ranking (EX: 20 points for 1st place, 1 point for 20th place)
Be advised that the results are a reflection of the group’s collective opinions, which means they are subjective. However, few can argue against the success of each of these radio stations.
I want to personally express my gratitude to each executive who invested their time in contributing to the voting process. Now, for the final time, here are “BSM’s Top 20 Mid Market Sports Radio Stations of 2017”!
Additional Notes:
- 101 ESPN narrowly defeated 92.3 The Fan, only 6 points separated the two stations
- 92.3 The Fan received the most 1st place votes (8); 101 ESPN had the second most (7)
- 8 of the Top 20 stations received at least one (1) 1st place vote
- WHB, 105.7 The Fan and 1620 The Zone were separated from one another by 2 points
- 107.3 WBBL finished in 21st place, 9 points behind 97.5/1280 The Zone
- 22-25 belonged to 1010 XL, 104.9 The Horn, ESPN Las Vegas and 107.7 The Franchise
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.
