If you read my recap of last year’s Summit, you’ll recall that I expressed an interest in talking with a radio CEO at our 2024 show. Having spent my career in the radio business including covering, consulting and championing the industry for the past 8 years, I thought that’d be easier to arrange than lining up conversations with television and digital executives. Yet over the past five events, it just didn’t work out. We received support from Jimmy Pitaro, Eric Shanks, Erika Ayers, and John Skipper but no luck with radio’s top leaders.
Well, good news. That’s changing this year.
I am excited to share that Beasley Media Group Chief Executive Officer Caroline Beasley is helping us end that streak. Caroline will join me for our Day 1 Keynote Conversation on Wednesday March 13th. Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper is our Day 2 Keynote Conversation, which means our executive sessions this year will be outstanding.
Caroline Beasley’s credentials as an industry leader are very impressive. She serves as Chair of Beasley’s Board of Directors, and recently served as Chair of the BMI Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a former Joint Board Chair of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Board of Directors and a former Chairman of the NAB Radio Board.
Her responsibilities don’t end there either. She serves as a member of the Broadcasters Foundation of America (BFOA) Board of Directors and the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF). Caroline has been consistently ranked annually in the top five of Radio Ink magazine’s “40 Most Powerful People in Radio” list, and has been recognized among the “Most Influential Women in Radio” every year since 2003.
Among her many industry accolades, Caroline was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in May 2023. She has also received numerous awards and recognition from the Library of American Broadcasting, the NAB, the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, and the Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Group (MIW).
Under Caroline’s leadership, Beasley Media Group has operated more than sixty radio brands. Among them are sports radio’s top performer, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. The station consistently delivers double digit shares thanks to an elite air staff, strong leadership and important play-by-play partnerships. For the past four years, The Hub has generated more revenue than any station in the sports format. In addition, Beasley also runs 97.5 The Fanatic, Fox Sports Charlotte, ESPN Southwest Florida, and Fox Sports New Jersey. The company is also invested in the Esports business.
I’m eager to chat with Caroline about the growth of The Hub, the value of play-by-play rights, radio’s opportunities for future growth, and a number of other pertinent issues. Sports broadcasting professionals don’t get to hear everyday how leaders view the present and future of the industry. This will be a conversation attendees want to be in the room for. I appreciate Caroline making time to offer her insights and can’t wait to hear what she has to say.
Tickets for the 2024 BSM Summit are available through BSMSummit.com and the BSM Store. Full details of this year’s final agenda will be posted online at the end of February.
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.
