At each BNM Summit, I include a full page message in our program for those attending. It usually touches on things taking place in the industry, areas of focus at the show, and expressing my gratitude to those making the trip. I never want anyone to feel that their participation or attendance didn’t matter. I know how difficult it can be to escape the workplace for two or three days.
Those who come to our shows, frequently tell us that it’s worth their time. They cite the various lessons learned, ideas generated, the visual presentations we create to highlight issues, and people they’ve established relationships with. I’m proud as hell of the fact that this is our second news media conference, and year two is set up to be stronger than the first. I am extremely appreciative that so many have made time to be with us this week. It’s going to be a great few days in the nation’s capital.
One goal sits on my mind when creating this show. I want to deliver the best news media conference in the industry. The amount of programmers, market managers, and executives attending our shows supports that position. As of last check there were over fifty attending this year’s show, which is awesome. That doesn’t even include talent, agents, affiliate reps, analysts, researchers, etc..
Barrett Media started covering news media in 2020. It was a new space for us. I didn’t take the plunge into it without doing my homework. I saw a gap in the way the industry was covered and thought we could fill it. I knew it’d take time, passion, relationship building, and hiring the right staff. Though we can still do things better, we’ve made great progress. I’m very proud of that. Today, we break stories often because we care, have earned trust, and have the eyes of the industry on our content. Our website traffic, and the growth of the BNM Rundown newsletter has been fantastic. It shows people value what we’re doing.
Not everything has been easy though. What you don’t see is the difficulty we have covering news television. Fox News, NewsNation, and Newsmax have been good to work with. I’m hoping opportunities to cover their brands, people, and news increases even more in the future. CNN and MSNBC though have been difficult to get support from. In fact, seven different talents from CNN were requested to speak at this year’s BNM Summit. All requests were denied. When I asked why, I couldn’t even get a response from PR. That was pretty disappointing.
If brands or companies don’t want to attend, speak, or promote their people or company on our platforms, that’s fine. I don’t have an issue with that. However, I think they’re missing the bigger picture. We are not a political organization. Our focus is covering the broadcasting business. Whether a network or talent leans right or left makes no difference. We cover stories on Ben Shapiro, Dan Bongino and Megyn Kelly, as well as The Young Turks, Keith Olbermann, and Rachel Maddow. I believe readers can learn a lot from people on both sides, and over time, I want all of them in our rooms, on our site, and enjoying what we do for the industry.
Maybe more time is needed on our end to earn more trust and respect. If that’s the case, no problem. We’ll grind and do the work to show we value all brands, and those who represent them. But as I said in my note in today’s program, we don’t run this conference because we’re bored, need an ego boost or to get rich. We do it to unite the industry, help people learn, and tackle important issues to help folks have success.
My hope in the future is to see even more members of the news/talk media industry attending the shows. A few radio, TV and digital companies still have not had a presence in the room. I’d like to see that change. Others in programming and on-air roles also take a wait and see approach. Quite frankly, they’re missing out. Maybe you’ll discover the answers to dominating on YouTube, utilizing artificial intelligence, growing revenue, boosting ratings, building stronger digital business, and maximizing content sitting at your desk. I promise you, your chances of being more successful increase by spending sixteen hours at our show.
There aren’t many places to go to learn, connect, celebrate, and be challenged today. Listening and talking to as many operators as I do, there are real issues to solve if news media hopes to remain relevant and prosperous. We won’t tackle every problem in Washington D.C. this week, but those in attendance will leave better equipped to enjoy success. Isn’t that worth two days away from your office?
Good news for those not joining us this week, we are planning to host a third event in 2025. Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia are the four cities being considered for next year’s show. You can cast your vote on where we should bring the show on BNMSummit.com. For those who attend and enjoy our sports media conferences, we’ll have an announcement at 1:30pm today on our future plans. Keep an eye on the website, and be sure to check out the Press Pass newsletter later today.
Now let’s have some fun, and dive into some important issues in Washington D.C..
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.
