In less than sixty days, we will host our inaugural BNM Summit in Nashville. Putting this event together is a massive undertaking, and gigantic risk. Some people think that when you host a conference that you make a financial killing off of it. I wish that were the case. Having run five of these for the sports format, I’ve learned to expect to break even, hope to make a few dollars, and pray not to lose money. When you add up how many hours are invested putting an event together and what it takes in, it doesn’t exactly add up as the best use of my time. But I’m a believer in uniting people, marketing our brand, and making long-term decisions to move the industry forward. Maybe the grass won’t be green in year 1, but if we do the right things year after year, eventually we’ll have a nice looking lawn.
I tell you this because some of you reading this don’t know me. Maybe you’ve worked in news/talk for years and we’ve yet to cross paths. That means you’re not familiar with my operating style, track record, our conference or how I view your brand, show and format. With BNM turning 3 years old in September, it’s fair to ask if we’re committed long-term to covering your format since sports was our first priority.
Well, allow me to shed some light on a few of those things.
First, I am not a ‘sports radio guy’. I am a radio guy who likes sports, news, and talk. I work with brands in two specific formats, and consider myself a leader, strategist, connector, and businessman who has shown an ability to find and develop talent, grow audience, generate buzz, create revenue, excel in the digital space, and make brands better. The content, people, and cities may change but researching issues, providing smart solutions, and having a personal investment in a company’s success doesn’t.
My radio career did not start in sports talk. It began at a small town radio station that focused on serving its community. I reported on local people and businesses, delivered the news, sold advertising, set up remotes, booked guests, covered local events and political races, and hosted morning shows, community shows, music shifts, and a weekend sports talk show. I lived in the radio studio from morning to night, focused on gaining reps, and learning as much as I could about everything because I wanted to be great.
After six years in that building making less than fifteen thousand dollars per year, and a two-year detour into rock radio where I produced morning shows, delivered news, and created bits, I finally got a break. ESPN hired me in 2004, and I thought I’d have a tough time competing with the best due to my lack of big stage experience. I quickly learned though that the radio world I came from was much harder. Because I was well prepared and paid the price to chase my dreams, I was able to excel behind the scenes quicker than most.
Fast forward to 2006-2015, and I carried that same work ethic and love for the business over to the programming department. Three companies chose me to build and program sports stations in St. Louis, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Another hired me to lead an established sports brand and AM news/talk station in St. Louis. I’m proud to say most of those stations continue to perform well. I even consult a few of them.
The energy, passion, knowledge and confidence I’ve had throughout my career is what drove me to build BNM and BSM. Our websites, newsletters, conferences, and social media accounts have been supported by many across the industry because I live and breathe this business, understand it, continue evolving, and surround myself with others who take seriously our role in educating, helping, and challenging industry professionals.
We pump out a ton of content on this website because we’re committed to the format. At just 49 years old, I’ve got a lot left in the tank, and I plan to cover the world of news/talk for the next 10-20 years. Maybe the winds of change will prevent that from happening as they recently did to All Access but my intent is to write about and support this business until I’m no longer able to do so.
I share this with you because I know it takes time to learn about people especially those who you have little to no history with. Fortunately this website exists to give you a peek into my world, but even this is a limited dose. The best way to advance that education is by being in the room in Nashville on September 13-14 for the BNM Summit. We’ve assembled a strong group of smart, successful people, and will have additional names to share next week.
There are still plenty of you reading this though who won’t make the trip because you’ve become a slave to the office. The thought of leaving the workplace for 48-72 hours terrifies you because if you’re gone from the building, well, the walls may catch on fire and the business might fold.
First, if you can’t leave your office for 2-3 days to further your education, pick up new ideas, increase relationships, and learn how to improve your bottom line, that raises questions about your management ability. A strong leader surrounds themselves with competent people who are capable of keeping the train on the tracks should the driver need a few days off.
Secondly, this format has very few opportunities to meet others who do the same line of work especially those working at other companies. For two days, you’re surrounded by others discussing the issues that are important to your business, and gaining information and ideas to help you grow your business. Sometimes these events even start conversations that one day change your life and career. That helps both you and the company investing in you. If industry people take advantage of the opportunity, and continue to learn and thrive, we all win.
I can’t be the only one curious to learn how a station like WTOP becomes the best in the entire industry at producing revenue. Or how a band like Outkick grew rapidly in less than 18 months to attract a major investment from Fox. Or where audience habits are shifting, and operators plan to pivot should car companies declare war on AM radio again. If I am, we’re in big trouble.
Currently, there are over two thousand news/talk stations in America. As powerful as this format is, there are many issues that require deeper examination and future innovation. From the AM band to finding/developing talent to the rise of artificial intelligence, podcasting, lack of diversity, audience erosion, and navigating the world of misinformation, tragedy, morale, and technology, we’re just scratching the surface. Yesterday’s playbook doesn’t have the answers to tomorrow’s problems. It’s why bringing people together to explore ways to move the business forward is important.
I know there are some folks who want to join us but can’t due to a lack of support from their employers. I get that the economy used to be stronger, but paying for a ticket, hotel room, and flight for a two-day event is not going to crush your bottom line. Especially when it’s for an event designed to help you grow your business. One of my favorite sayings comes from Benjamin Franklin “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Keep that in mind as you evaluate whether or not to attend.
I hope corporate folks understand that events like these exist to help their brands and people. During my programming days I was constantly looking for ways to grow as a leader, and it became incredibly frustrating having few choices available to do so. Music radio, sales, and technology all received focus at industry events but sports and news were less of a priority. So when I launched this company, I decided I’d do it myself. It’s valuable for professionals to learn from others how they win, compete, approach situations, and grow their businesses because though you may serve and represent one company, the more well rounded and informed you are, the better you become at helping your own brand and people succeed.
There are numerous ways to win. One group may praise teasing, while another has a host go to break and promote an upcoming spot break. One station values frequent conversations with the audience, another tells the hosts to rely on texts or tweets to control the content. I firmly believe that it’s professionally smart to put your employees in places where opportunity exists to improve. If a company is wise, they’ll do what Good Karma Brands did in LA, and send a bunch of staff from multiple markets, using it to further education, and create company off-site meetings.
Regarding the Summit, it is a two-day news media business conference. It is not a political talk convention or a right vs. left cage match. There’s a lot involved in the world of news/talk, and everything we do is designed to serve the radio, television, digital, and advertising professional. I don’t pick sides when it comes to brands, shows and broadcasters. I believe there’s a lot to learn from everyone who does this line of work, and I want as many different perspectives in the room as possible. The subject matter will have a heavy focus on growing audience, boosting revenue, and evolving the news/talk media business.
What I love about this space is that there are so many gifted performers in it. I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh because I appreciated his ability to masterfully host a radio program. I’d watch Tim Russert on Meet The Press because he was a fantastic interviewer who got good information out of his guests. I checked out Larry King on CNN because he had a warm, inviting way of talking with his audience.
Now, I appreciate how consistently Tomi Lahren pours passion into her commentary, the way Clay Travis uses social media to create conversation, reaction, and a mixture of laughter and chaos, and the smoothness in which Anderson Cooper moves from segment to segment. I admire the chemistry of the Young Turks, Keith Olbermann’s vocabulary brilliance, Jason Whitlock’s knack for finding unique ways to address issues and angles, and Tucker Carlson’s ability to listen to his guests and seize openings when they make them available. All of these folks have different styles and beliefs, but they also have one thing in common, they know how to captivate an audience and create success.
As much as I enjoy the chess games we play to grow ratings, I also understand that while the numbers may feed your ego, they won’t fill your belly. To do that you have to produce revenue. If your employer can’t make money off of your name, brand or show, then all you’ve got is a sheet full of data telling you that people listen. I’d much rather have strong advertising support and a healthy paycheck.
I raise this point because far too often industry people operate in silos. They’re focused on their own challenges, and lose sight of what’s happening in other parts of an operation. If more programming and sales people took greater interest in each other’s departments, more success would be created. Salespeople, media buyers, and market managers, this conference in Nashville is for you too, not just hosts and programmers.
Before I wrap this up, I want to tell you one more thing about myself. I bite back. It’s probably the New Yorker in me but I have strong opinions, and won’t hesitate to offer them in certain situations. Case in point, I won’t stand for anyone telling me who should be excluded from our events. If you don’t like what we do or who we feature, it’s your right not to read us or attend our conference. I’d prefer you did but I’m not going to battle with you over it. I’m also not going to cancel someone just because it doesn’t personally please you. I know there are plenty of people in our industry who will appreciate what we do, and those are the ones I will invest my time and energy serving.
Since announcing this Summit, I’ve had to deal with a few nasty emails over some folks being involved. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before running sports conferences. You are entitled to your opinion but I am thankful to every single person who has and will take time to be part of our events. If they’re on our stage, it’s because they have created success in the broadcasting business, and have something to offer those in attendance. I respect every single guest who graces our stage, and I don’t care how they vote, who they hang out with or if they’ve earned your personal stamp of approval. I only care that they’re willing to share insights and opinions with our attendees on issues that matter to all in the room. By doing so, they help others learn, and hopefully generate more success.
When a new event gets introduced there’s always noise and growing pains. We’ll overcome that in September just as we did in 2019 when we launched the BSM Summit. I am passionate about this format, plan to cover it for years to come, and I’m doing something independently that few others have, I’m absorbing the financial risk to make it happen.
If there’s one thing you can do to help, show up in Nashville on September 13-14 at Vanderbilt University. Support the format you work in, and help us explore ways to make things better. If you’re involved in marketing and want to lend your company’s support, email Stephanie at Sales@BarrettSportsMedia.com. She’ll be happy to pass along our sponsorship deck.
Those who join us in Nashville will learn a lot, build valuable relationships, and have a great time. They’ll also discover that this is only the beginning of BNM’s journey, not our final destination. We look forward to having you along for the ride.
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.
