The past four days have been spent shining the spotlight on the best local and national shows in the sports radio industry. Today, we give credit to those responsible for bringing you the programming you hear on a daily basis.
Before you scroll ahead to see who made the list, and grab screenshots of photos to share on social media, let me remind you that this year’s Top 20 series involved forty seven radio professionals from thirty cities and eighteen companies. Yours truly (Jason Barrett) does not vote on the awards, I simply recruit the voters, collect their information, add up their votes, design the images, and present and promote the results.
Secondly, we ask those participating to consider the criteria below to judge the best in the sports talk format. Keep in mind though that each individual knows and values different things and that can have an influence on the final order. That makes this project an imperfect science, something we could say about any list on any topic ever created. Nonetheless, it does provide a collective snapshot of what radio industry executives believe to be the format’s best programming minds.
- Strong ratings in 2019
- Industry track record
- Reputation and influence
- Must’ve programmed for at least one full book
- Must have finished 2019 with the radio station
- Points are given for each spot (EX: 20 for 1st, 1 for 20th)
Moving on to the rankings, we have a new leader in this category for 2019. The votes this year went in favor of 92.9 ESPN PD Brad Carson. Rounding out the Top 5 were Andy Roth of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Ryan Haney of WJOX in Birmingham, Jim Graci of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, and Chuck Sapienza of 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore. Haney won the award last year, Roth the prior two years.
With Carson in charge, 92.9 ESPN has consistently produced strong results, even as talent changes have been necessary over the years. The brand has been nominated in the past for the Marconi Award for best sports station, and the majority of the station’s shows are well received by industry voters in our Top 20 series.
We extend our congratulations to Brad on a well deserved honor, as well as every other programmer who gained a spot on this year’s list. With that being said, let’s now take a look at the full results of “BSM’s Top 20 Mid Market Sports Radio Program Directors of 2019”!
Additional Notes:
- Brad Carson finished ahead of Andy Roth by 21 points. Carson and Roth were tied for 2nd in 1st place votes with three (2) apiece. Ryan Haney earned the most with four (4).
- The closest races were for spots 4-5 and 20-21. Jim Graci edged Chuck Sapienza by 2 points, and Cade Voisin slipped by Buddy Wiley by 1 point.
- 21-25 belonged to Buddy Wiley, Erin Hogan, Andy Sweeney, Mike Thompson, and Justin Acri.
- 11 of the 51 Program Directors eligible for consideration received at least 1st place vote.
Here is the remaining schedule for the BSM Top 20 of 2019.
- Monday February 3 = The 2019 Top 20 Major and Mid-Market Local Sports Radio Sports Stations
- Tuesday February 4 = The 2019 Top 20 Original Sports Podcasts
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.
