The 2024 BNM Summit is now thirty six days away! We’re uniting news media professionals in Washington D.C. for two-days of education, celebration, and relationship building. A star studded cast has already been assembled, but we’re not done yet. I’ll have a second announcement on Friday revealing our first awards recipient. I’m excited to share that news with you.
Before I tell you about the four talented people we’ve added to our lineup, I need to address something. Building this event is hard. It takes months to assemble because I’m trying to unite different people from different groups to share ideas and knowledge, and build relationships. I want attendees returning to their cities feeling the trip was worth it. That to me is success. Media folks don’t gather often, so this is your excuse to unite, and learn ways to grow your business.
We fund this conference ourselves. Ticket prices are kept modest for the two-day show because I want professionals in the room. Ticket fees are waived for most speakers because I’m not looking to profit off of people who educate attendees. My goal is to improve, grow, and connect the industry, while delivering an agenda that people respect and gain value from. If we can cover our costs too, that’d also be nice.
I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t become taxing at times for Stephanie Eads and I. Sponsorship discussions and chasing PR for speakers can be frustrating when things don’t work out. It’s why I deal directly with most people. Marketing and PR folks may not love that, but I’m a get things done type of guy. If you can help me solve a problem, I’m happy to work with you. If not, I’m going to find another way. I’ve built my career, multiple radio stations, and Barrett Media by doing that, and I’m not about to change now.
Fortunately, GREAT partners like Newsmax, Collette, Premiere Networks, Bonneville International, Westwood One, Core Image Studio, Motor Racing Network, Quu, and JJ Surma Voiceovers signed on early with us. They’re awesome. Radio.cloud, and Xperi have since come on board too, which is excellent. We’ve got a strong group of accomplished speakers and attendees, so as long as the Summit remains valued, it’ll continue. If it doesn’t, we’ll do something else. That’s my way of saying, if you’re thinking about coming, come. If you’re on the fence about a sponsorship, act. Stephanie Eads is reachable at Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com. Every attendee and partner makes a difference. We also take care of our partners on our website, and in our newsletters.
So now, let me tell you about the four talented individuals we’ve added to our lineup.
Gordon Borrell is one of the smartest, most informed analysts in the advertising space today. His insights on where dollars are shifting, and what brands need to do to grow their business is second to none. Gordon even hosts an annual conference in Miami, a must-attend event for anyone involved in sales. I’m thrilled to have him hosting a session on Thursday September 5th from 2:10p-2:50p examining the final phase for traditional media outlets. Anyone involved in overseeing or operating a business and interested in knowing what to prepare for in 2025 should be in the room.
Speaking of monetization, the Daily Wire has become a digital powerhouse over the past few years. Leading the brand’s revenue charge is Christine Hoffman. Christine serves as DW’s Senior Vice President of Ad Revenue, which has passed the one hundred million dollar mark for annual earnings. DW enjoys enormous success in podcasting led by Ben Shapiro, and has even generated over 20 million per year in commerce according to Axios. Christine is making the trip to DC to share her insights on monetizing digital, the political ad climate, selling polarizing talent, and more. I’m thrilled to have her making her first Summit appearance.
The final two participants come from the world I know well, radio programming. Pete Mundo is heard weekday mornings in Kansas City on KCMO. He’s also a weekly columnist for Barrett News Media. Pete has been in Kansas City since 2018, and worked prior to that for Fox News Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Bloomberg Radio, WFAN, and others. He will be guiding a conversation on Wednesday September 4th at the Summit. More details still to come.
Greg Stocker meanwhile leads WPHT in Philadelphia, where he too is part of the station’s morning show. Similar to Pete, he brings a fresh programming perspective to the room. He’s been a part of Philadelphia talk radio since 2003, working with Michael Smerconish, and a slew of others. He was officially elevated to brand manager at Audacy Philadelphia in 2021. Greg will take part in a programming session on Thursday September 5th. Additional details to come on that as well.
These four individuals bring our speaker total for the Summit to 34. We will eclipse 40-50 before all is said and done. More importantly, we’re featuring a wide variety of people and experiences to help cover as much ground as possible.
A reminder that tickets for the Summit are on sale at BNMSummit.com. Hotel rooms can also be booked through the conference website. Rooms are almost sold out so don’t wait until the last minute.
Last but not least, I will be releasing the full schedule for the show in mid-August so folks have time to plan ahead. There’s much more in the works still so keep an eye out for future announcements, including this Friday when we reveal our first award winner. Hope to see you at the Summit in DC!
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.
