Welcome to the inaugural edition of the BNM Top 20 presented by Steve Stone Voiceovers. This series runs a total of seven days, and it is designed to recognize the News/Talk radio format’s top shows, hosts, brands and programmers for the 2022 calendar year. To make sure you stay informed on each day’s results please bookmark our website, follow BNM on Twitter at @BNMStaff, visit us on Facebook at Barrett News Media or sign up for our daily newsletter, ‘The Rundown‘ by clicking here. The support is greatly appreciated.
The seven categories examined during the course of the next week and a half will include the industry’s top national shows and original digital shows, as well as the best morning, midday and afternoon shows, and the best stations and programmers in both Major (#1-#20) and Mid-Sized (#21-Below) markets. We separate large and mid-sized cities since the opportunities and challenges are different between the two. Not included in our lists are NPR brands and shows. Maybe down the line we’ll change that or add an extra category but for now, terrestrial outlets are our focus.
As a whole, the News/Talk radio format is offered on more than two thousand stations. Only the country format is larger in size. We try our best to make sure the top shows, hosts, programmers and brands are listed for voting consideration and allow room for our voters to add a nominee if for some reason they’re not listed on our document.
As you review these results, please keep in mind that they represent the collective opinions of forty four industry programmers and executives. I want to thank each and every individual who took the time to participate in our voting process. Altogether we had representation from fifteen companies and thirty six different cities, which was excellent.
As it pertains to the voting, here are a few things to be aware of.
#1 – Our executive voters were asked to pick their Top 20 selections for each category based on a few key factors; quality of show (ear test), originality, ability to entertain-inform-connect across multiple platforms, ratings success, clearance (national shows) and industry buzz. Remember, our voters live in different cities, have different tastes, work for different groups, and value certain factors higher than others. This isn’t a perfect system but it’s the best one we’ve been able to create to showcase the industry’s best. Having done this for seven years for the sports talk format, we’re going to stick with it until another approach makes more sense.
#2 – Our executive panel consists of program directors and corporate executives from a number of top broadcasting companies including Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Beasley, Hubbard, Good Karma Brands, Cox Media Group, Radio One, Alpha, Bonneville, FOX News Radio, Hearst, Federated Media, Zimmer Communications, and Westwood One. We involve a large number of people in order to receive feedback from all parts of the country, and to avoid the results heavily favoring one company.
#3 – A total of 49 shows were included on our document for voting consideration in the National News/Talk Shows category.
And that now brings us to today’s category – National News/Talk Shows. These programs have the largest reach, are distributed by some of the biggest and best networks in the business, and in some cases, they even broadcast on digital and television outlets. Many that appear on this list are responsible for generating strong ratings and revenue growth and digital impact, and as we kick off the series, it’s my pleasure to announce the first winner of our debut series.
Congratulations is in order for The Sean Hannity Show. Sean’s program received strong support from our voters, picking up thirteen (13) 1st place votes, the most of any program in any category on this year’s BNM Top 20 of 2022. BNM congratulates Sean, his radio team, Julie Talbott and the entire Premiere Networks staff on receiving this year’s top honor, as well as every other show which earned a spot on this year’s list.
Now, here are the full results of “BNM’s Top 20 National News/Talk Shows of 2022!”
Additional Notes:
- Sean Hannity finished 71 points in front of Clay & Buck, earning a category high thirteen (13) first place votes. George Noory had the second most first place votes with five (5).
- Spots 21-25 were occupied by Guy Benson, Megyn Kelly, Chad Benson, Charlie Kirk and Todd Starnes.
- The closest contests saw Ben Shapiro edge George Noory by 2 points, and Michael Berry hold off Guy Benson by 3 points.
- Of the 49 shows eligible for consideration this year, thirteen (13) received at least one 1st place vote.
Here is the remaining schedule for the BNM Top 20 of 2022.
- Tuesday December 13 = BNM Top 20 Major/Mid Market N/T Radio Morning Shows of 2022
- Wednesday December 14 = BNM Top 20 Major/Mid Market N/T Radio Midday Shows of 2022
- Thursday December 15 = The Top 20 Major/Mid Market N/T Radio Afternoon Shows of 2022
- Friday December 16 = The Top 20 Major/Mid Market N/T Radio Program Directors of 2022
- Monday December 19 = The Top 20 Major/Mid Market N/T Radio Stations of 2022
- Tuesday December 20 = The Top 20 Original N/T Digital Shows of 2022
A reminder, BNM will have a big announcement following the Top 20 series on Wednesday December 21st. Make sure to visit the website that day to learn what else we’re up to.
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.
