Texts, emails, and social media DM’s have been coming in nonstop since last week’s announcement. Barrett Media is taking on a big challenge by expanding its coverage into music radio, tech, and podcasting. I’m excited but also want to caution everyone. This is going to take time to build properly. All Access and Radio & Records were excellent but needed time to become what they eventually became. Click here and look at R&R in 1973 vs. 2009. They were two very different brands. I’m trying to add quality people who love the business and want to produce quality written content consistently. If we get that right, we’ll add as we go.
I knew once the announcement was made there’d be plenty of responses, most good, some bad. The first posting of our video on X generated 45,000 views alone. I’m taking this plunge because I believe these areas of the industry deserve more attention, and I have the energy, passion, and knowledge of how to cover the business. That doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect or successful. It just means I’m crazy enough to try and make a difference.
One lesson I want to share stems from something I experienced this week. It’s an issue I have discussed with numerous talent before. Many of the industry’s biggest stars don’t use their star power, knowledge or influence enough to create future stars. They focus on their own success, not much else. If you’re on top of the world and can lift someone up, it speaks volumes about your ability to understand the bigger picture. It also assures you of remaining relevant and important for years to come.
Joel Denver, Dan Mason, Mike McVay, and Greg Strassel all took time to call me during the past week. Jeff Smulyan, Buzz Knight, Tim Clarke, Heather Cohen, Scott Shapiro, Steve Politziner, Tim Bronsil, and many others sent emails, texts or DMs. All were supportive of our upcoming expansion. It didn’t matter that Joel ran All Access or that Mike and I both consult or that I never worked directly for some of them during my radio career, all love the industry, and want to see it do well. They understand that it benefits others more if we succeed. That’s what it’s all about. It motivates me even more to want to reward their faith in our brand.
That’s how I tried to manage programming teams in various cities. I hired proven stars and new voices who had very little experience. If you had talent and a drive to win, it was my job to put you in position to create success. If we won, awesome, but if not, I was going to do my best to make sure those around me were set up for future success. I believe that the true definition of a successful leader is someone who elevates others. Are you creating new stars and decision makers to advance the industry or just protecting your own real estate?
It works this way in publishing circles too. I’ve written pieces in the past for Radio Ink, and have had a good relationship with Deborah Parenti and her team for years. I’ve had a healthy relationship with Inside Radio and All Access too. Each of us may create industry content and events, and chase marketing dollars, but whether people read us or companies invest in us depends on how we run our businesses, not what each other is doing. Sadly there are some who don’t operate that way. They’re missing the bigger picture.
This applies to talent too. Colin Cowherd is an exceptional host, but even more impressive when it comes to using his profile to elevate others. Whether it’s been Nick Wright, Joy Taylor, Jason McIntyre, John Middlekauff, Jason Timpf or the army of talent at The Volume, Cowherd doesn’t hesitate to give someone else a rub rather than worry about his own spot. Because he’s secure in his own skin and comfortable with his position, he understands that if others around him win, it raises the value for everyone else involved.
How many top stars from the past three decades can say they’ve done that? Take a look around the industry, which new hosts or executives have become household names as a result of a known commodity drawing attention to them? This is a regular practice for Barstool Sports and the Dan Le Batard Show. Shouldn’t it be for all?
If you’re at the top of your game in this business, congratulations. Enjoy every second of it. Just understand that the brass ring eventually escapes your grip. It’s better to have it land in the hands of someone you helped, than someone determined to erase you. The future gets brighter when the past and present take interest in shaping it. That’s what extending a legacy and advancing the business is all about.
Pet Peeves
Layoffs affected the business last week. Media groups are dealing with economic challenges in 2024, and when revenue shrinks, jobs get eliminated. It sucks but it happens on an annual basis. I’m rooting for all who lost work to rebound quickly and land in even better positions.
Talent too often show how little they know about the actual business side when cuts take place. They hit social media with ‘radio company X needs to do better, this is what’s wrong with radio, pay your people better, you can’t make money without investing, etc.’, but what role do they play in making sure the bottom line grows? Are they going on more sales calls or even talking to reps to learn what the challenges are? Have they passed along any leads to the sales team? Are they offering to do extra work to create new opportunities? What about initiating talks of a pay cut, especially the high income earners, especially if it means saving a few jobs?
You can rip the corporate giants, and suggest that they’re screwing the industry and the hard workers who represent them all you want, but if you were writing the checks, having to cover the losses, you’d have to make tough calls too. Cuts don’t usually happen when groups are growing, only when they’re not. Take more interest in knowing the revenue story in your building, not just your ratings and audience engagement totals. The more informed you are, the more proactive you can be at creating solutions to prevent problems.
Having said that, I’ve never understood why some media professionals feel it’s necessary to tell others on social media how they should handle losing a job. People experience situations differently. They handle things in their own unique way. Unless you’re the one losing a job or you’re being asked for guidance on how to handle things, pipe down. The last thing a person needs after receiving bad news is a peer or fellow professional who’s still employed telling them how they should or shouldn’t act. That type of behavior is more likely to land you on the cut list next time.
Thumbs Up
Howard Deneroff: 35 years in any job is legendary, but to do it at the level Howie Deneroff did, while working with the best play-by-play broadcasters in the business, and overseeing the biggest sporting events in America was incredible. Howie’s body of work is hall of fame worthy, and I hope that honor comes his way in the future. I wish Mike Eaby the best settling into the new role, but for today, let’s tip our cap to Howie for a job well done.
Indiana TV Ratings: Colin Cowherd made an interesting prediction this week. He said the Indiana Fever will outdraw the Indiana Pacers in attendance and local TV ratings. Basketball in Indiana has long been appreciated so this is going to be interesting to monitor. If Cowherd’s prediction ends up being right, I wonder how it’ll affect media rights for WNBA games in the future, especially those featuring Caitlin Clark and the Fever.
John Lopez: Sports media is a fun but tough business. To survive and thrive in it takes more than just talent, and somehow, John Lopez figured it out because he just passed the four decade mark. Lopez is still going strong on Sports Radio 610 in middays with Landry Locker. A tip of the cap to the Houston sports radio legend on a lengthy, and successful run.
Evan Roberts: I’ve been watching the Knicks-Pacers series, and as a lifelong Knicks fan, I thought TNT positioned Reggie Miller as someone the Knicks could never overcome. Evan Roberts attacked this on WFAN perfectly. Michael Jordan owned the Knicks. Reggie Miller had many incredible games against New York during his hall of fame career including the epic 1995 playoff game performance where he scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds at the Garden, but the Knicks beat Reggie many times. The 40 and older crowd know this but new fans were fed half of the story. Evan nailed it, and hopefully TNT executives were listening.
Thumbs Down
UFC Press Conferences: I like the UFC and Dana White, but their post-fight press conferences have become a clown show. Watch these two clips below. How is this permitted to go on? Is UFC PR allowing it to happen because they’re chasing social media views or are they just doing a poor job of controlling who gets a credential and mic time to ask questions? Either way it’s a bad look. Media professionals should be in there asking legitimate questions. Giving fans a forum to act like fools is going to lead to an increase in negative attention.
Lieutenant Dan Hennessey: A ring announcer’s job at the end of a fight is to announce the correct winner. Hennessey though perfectly imitated Steve Harvey, announcing the wrong winner, becoming a bigger story than the actual fight. How does something this bad even become possible? This can not and should not ever happen.
ESPN: The final minute of Game 2 between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes game featured a major blunder. Thankfully it only lasted 15 seconds and nothing was missed. However, this shouldn’t happen during a game broadcast let alone an NHL playoff game. Behind the scenes folks have to be sharper.
Hello, Louisiana
I’ll be in Louisiana on May 29th and 30th speaking at the Louisiana Broadcasters Association annual convention. I’m presenting solo on the 29th, and joining Matt Moscona for a conversation on the 30th. If you’re in the state and attending the show, be sure to say hello.
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.
