I don’t like to bury the lead, so let’s get right to it. Barrett Media is going to be expanding its content focus. That means that in the near future, we will begin providing coverage of music radio, tech, and podcasting, in addition to sports and news content. If you’ve read BSM and BNM over the years, fear not. Sports and news are vital to what we do. They will remain heavily covered just as they are today. Today’s announcement is to inform new and existing readers of our plans to cover more areas of the industry.
My apologies in advance for the length of today’s column. With much changing over the next two months, I want to leave no stone unturned. For some, this move may be a surprise. But if you know me and how I work, it really shouldn’t. I’m passionate about the radio business, and the entire media industry, and aspire to make it better. I’ve planned to take this plunge for over five years. I knew we would eventually do it, but as the saying goes, you have to walk before you can run.
I recognize there will be pressure to be perfect on day 1. Though I’d love to get it all right, I understand that growth takes time. I’ve experienced it as a PD building radio stations, and as a publisher with both Barrett Sports Media and Barrett News Media. It sounds cliche but it’s true, it is a marathon, not a sprint. That said, we’re going to do our best to make a difference.
When I make decisions, I think about where we can be in 5-10 years, not where we’ll be in 5 days. Success requires being consistent, informative, and delivering quality. In order to do that, you need people who are skilled, passionate, connected, and experienced. If those things are in place, fans and partners stay happy, and new ones come on board.
What’s Changing?
On Monday July 15th, we will introduce a new website look, content mix, newsletters, social media, and even a brand new URL, logo, and name (Barrett Media). Because Barrett Sports Media and Barrett News Media have done well, we’re able to make this move. BSM and BNM drive our business and will continue to do so. However, there’s great talent and content across all areas of the media industry, and it’s time to expand and showcase the entire business. To do that, all of our content has to be accessible in one location. So as MLB starts it’s All Star Break, and news media invades Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, we will do just that.
We’ve been sending readers to multiple websites for the past few years, and there are pros and cons to that approach. It’s allowed us to establish each brand on its own. We’ve also added fantastic writers, and supported both brands by creating newsletters and social media for each audience. In addition, we’ve created a ton of content, Top 20’s, original features, Summit’s for both formats, and formed partnerships with brands in two different spaces.
On the flip side, Google is less friendly to brands that use two of the same three keywords (Barrett Media) in its identity. Running two outlets also means less crossover between readers, less interaction between editors, and more stress trying to watch, sell, and build both sites. It also limits our partners to one audience instead of two. For folks in buildings where sports and news stations operate, it also meant receiving more email than they probably wanted. Sorry about that.
Why The Change?
Three motivating factors influenced this decision. First, I believe music radio professionals are underserved for industry coverage. I also see tech and podcasting rapidly growing. If it connects to the industry, and matters to those involved in it, we should be covering it. Not doing so prevents us from reaching the most amount of people. More importantly, it leads to becoming stagnant, and I’m not interested in that.
There are over ten thousand music radio stations nationwide. Covering all of it is impossible for one outlet. I’m not promising we’ll solve that problem. We’ll just have our way of doing it. Joel Denver and his team at All Access did as good of a job for the music radio industry as any outlet could, but once they shut down last August, it left broadcasters with less choice. Some sites currently do a great job of providing daily news, but beyond the hirings and firings, less gets explored.
I ran a survey two months ago to see how a few hundred accomplished industry pros felt about the state of industry coverage. Those I selected weren’t P1’s of BSM and BNM. Most labeled coverage of the radio business as average. I also asked folks at the NAB Show, what they want and feel is missing with coverage of music, podcasting, advertising, and tech. The answers were clear, news is important but there’s much more not being examined. I don’t know if we’ll get all of it right, especially right away, but I’m certainly going to try.
There’s also not many conferences for music radio professionals. Don Anthony’s Morning Show Bootcamp, and Country Radio Seminar are both popular, but there should be more. My friend Tim Bronsil at Point to Point Marketing asked in March ‘Who is the Jason Barrett of Music Formats‘ after attending our BSM Summit. I read it and thought ‘why am I delaying this, when I know I can help?’ For the record, I’m not planning any events right now. If we do one, it’ll be down the road. We have to deliver value and earn trust first before that’d be considered. I encourage everyone to support Don, CRS, and any others bringing the industry together.
The second key factor for making this move involves a business decision I made during our 2024 BSM Summit. I purchased the URL BarrettMedia.com for an undisclosed sum. This was vital for expanding the brand and embracing a neutral identity. I explored this possibility back in 2022 when we split BNM from BSM. If I could do it over, I’d have bought the domain then, but the asking price didn’t make business sense.
When we previously featured news content on BSM, it was the right idea, wrong URL. News/Talk hosts discussed our content on the air frequently, which was great, but each time they did, it was a reminder that the story lived on Barrett Sports Media. Because we did sports well, it made news look like an afterthought. That forced me to have to make a change. I care about the N/T format, and wanted format professionals to see that when they read our site. So, we did a brand split to help BNM establish itself, and now nearly four years in, many in the format read our work, and it’s greatly appreciated.
The final inspiration for making this change is our people. I’ve got a large staff writing for BSM and BNM. It’s too big to be honest. I view the relationship with our writers as a two-way street. Everyone gets paid to contribute here. Beyond providing compensation, I believe it’s my job to expose their work to everyone across the industry, and help industry professionals become more informed about their business. That requires promoting our writers on our websites, social media platforms, in newsletters, etc.. They in turn should be promoting the brand too.
I believe the content created by our people deserves to be seen by more than one audience. What Dr. Ed Cohen, Peter Thiele, and Andy Bloom contribute on BNM, just to name a few, plays beyond the news/talk format. The same applies to stories on BSM by myself, Dave Greene, and Jeff Caves. If we want to inform, challenge and highlight different industry issues, it just makes sense to let more people see it.
While expanding is exciting, it also requires examining all that we do. Over the next two months, I have to figure out BSM and BMM’s staff and strategy, while determining who can help us in new areas. That alone is difficult, but I also have to build a BNM Summit, and handle my daily responsibilities during that time too.
Why Music?
The first time I listened to the radio it was to a music station in New York City. I placed my first phone call to a radio station at age nine to WPLJ. Why they let me on the air, I have no idea. I used to save my allowance and walk with my dad to the 9th street record store in Brooklyn at age five to buy 45’s each week. As I got older, I fell in love with playing the drums, joining multiple bands, hoping one day to get a record deal. Music has always been a big part of my life.
I share this because many know me as the ‘sports radio guy’. But I am and have always been a radio guy doing sports and news, not an individual defined by a format. If I’m at my desk, I’m listening to sports/news programs. If I’m in the car, I’m listening to SiriusXM Octane, The Highway, Z100, WRRV (local station) or scanning the dial. My tastes go beyond one format, and I pride myself on understanding content creation, brand building, talent management, digital strategy, and studying trends to help partners grow their businesses.
When I entered the radio business, it was through an internship at a small station that turned off at night. WTBQ played music from different genres, and offered local news, sports, and paid programming. I spent five years there learning all that I could. It prepared me well for my next two jobs, programming a small sports station, and producing music morning shows at 101.5 WPDH and PYX 106. That’s where I discovered The Complete Sheet, Radio and Records, the genius of Bob Rivers bits, Allen Rommelfanger’s phoners, and more. I loved sports/talk, but most of my first 8 years weren’t in sports radio. That came in 2004 when ESPN Radio hired me.
That said, I do not have a lengthy resume in music radio. I’ve got many relationships to form. However, I know how the industry works, how to program an online brand, how to create content and build an audience, and which writers to hire to serve media professionals. The Barrett brand and platforms have helped countless people over the years. It’s something I’m extremely proud of. We’re now read daily by thousands including some who you’d be stunned to learn pay attention. Just as I did launching news/talk coverage, I will build connections, and work to earn the respect and attention of folks across all formats. If I don’t, I’ll go down trying.
What’s Next?
One thing I want to address to avoid any confusion, I am not looking to consult music brands. I am looking to cover the format as a publisher. In fact, I prefer being a resource and marketing partner to consultants, researchers, and others involved with music formats. That includes promotion of artists, concerts, conferences, and more.
I have two immediate priorities, adding writers, and getting the website ready to launch on July 15th. We’ve spent the past month building the site, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. It’s sharp. As far as people go, I’ve talked to some already, and plan to hire a writer/editor, a few weekly columnists, and a features writer. As the brand builds, so too will our needs. I anticipate we’ll need more help in the future just as we did growing BSM and BNM.
You may have seen my post on LinkedIn promoting an opening. Many assumed the role involved covering sports media. I figured that’d be the case since they didn’t know this news was coming. Now that it’s public knowledge, we’re not looking for help covering sports media. We’re in good shape on BSM. Our focus is on finding contributors to our music industry coverage. Those interested in chatting can email me at JBarrett@SportsRadioPD.com.
When July 15th arrives, we will have a daily newsletter for music radio professionals. It will be sent out M-F at 10am ET. We will also produce a weekly tech newsletter, distributed on Friday’s. Once we’re ready to accept entries into our database to receive them, I’ll post it on social media, and reinforce it in a future column. In the meantime, feel free to give our new music profiles a follow on Facebook and X.
As it pertains to BSM and BNM, both morning newsletters will go out as they do now at 8am and 9am ET. We will make a few modifications to keep them fresh but that’s all. The biggest change will be in afternoons. Rather than flooding inboxes with a sports, news, and music afternoon newsletter, we will create a blended version featuring content from our sites, and interesting media stories from other outlets across the country.
Closing Comments
I want to make one thing perfectly clear. We are not a blog. We are a business. Barrett Media is nearly nine years old. We host two annual industry shows, deliver millions annually in website traffic and monthly in social media impressions, consult a number of groups and stations across the sports and news/talk media industry, and feature a staff of twenty four including six working full-time. This may have started as a blog, but those days are long gone. We are now a respected industry trade with the ability to help partners grow their business. To be a part of it as a marketing partner, email Stephanie at Sales@BarrettSportsMedia.com.
My long-term goal is to develop Barrett Media into a one-stop shop for all media industry professionals whether you work in sports, news, music, advertising, digital or tech. We can’t do that running 6-7 websites named Barrett Sports, News, Tech, Music, Podcasting, Advertising, etc.. Most mainstream outlets feature all of their content in one location, and we’re going to do the same. Our newsletters and social media platforms will be where we separate to best serve specific audiences.
Change often takes some getting used to, and this will be no different. I realize we’re trying to move a boulder up a mountain, and the naysayers won’t exactly be cheering for us to do well. That’s fine. We’ve been here before. It makes the taste of success that much sweeter later on.
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.
