Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
The world of content is extremely cluttered. Who has the best talent and programming is subjective, and given the rapidly changing landscape of search and social media, it’s vital now to be seen, thought about, and connected to timely issues. Talent is still critical, but so too are ideas, discovery of content and brand, and people in your corner who are invested in the growth of your business.
This is frequently on my mind as I consult clients, and evaluate our strategy at Barrett Media. If a brand is strong, people will seek out your work regardless of platform changes. But knowing what your audience values, dislikes, and seeks more of, requires constant analysis. Research takes time and effort, and once you have the information, you still need a plan to take full advantage of it.
But not every outlet has the budget for research and outside help. I enter each year knowing that I’m not on the first page of a client’s budget, and our relationship could end tomorrow. However, I also know that my clients enjoy improved results, relationships, and revenue when working with me. It’s why most of my partnerships have lasted for years.
The stronger your access to information, knowledge, and ideas, the better your chances of success. I’ve borrowed a line from Benjamin Franklin since launching my consultancy which says ‘An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.’ I believe that to be absolutely true. While folks in the building are focused on today, I’m thinking about tomorrow. Great brands stay great, by continuing to invest in themselves and others who can help improve their business.
Many companies don’t invest in research and consultants to grow their business though. Even if you can’t, you still should find ways to learn from your audience and advertisers. Whether it’s an invite to your building, an on-site meet up or using your airwaves, website, app, newsletter and social platforms to ask for feedback, all of it helps. To not seek out input from those who consume and support your product is a huge mistake.
As brands enter the final two months of the fourth quarter, many are stuck in a predicament. How do we invest in growing our business if 2024 revenue is down? That’s the wrong question to ask. It should be ‘can I afford NOT to invest in our brand’s future?’
Political dollars are expected to shrink in 2025. Betting business is healthy but not the massive windfall it was when legalization first began. Hunting for advertising partners is hard, and though there are wins out there, creating new revenue streams is critical. I’ve heard market managers and sales leaders downplay YouTube’s value because it ONLY produces 50-100K annually. Yet if that were a new radio client, the rep who closed the deal would be celebrated. A bunch of smaller victories add up to larger ones, and you’ve got to capitalize that way because bigger scores are harder to come by.
Traditional media groups may dislike the idea of direct to consumer models, paid events, video, newsletters, podcasts, merchandising, and other non-traditional approaches, but without them, where is growth going to come from? If you don’t locate new growth areas, you can’t invest in better staff and researching your audience. Often that means reducing expenses, which leads to losing employees. The weaker your product and staff, and the less you know about your audience, the greater advantage for your competitors.
I’ve watched this movie for nine years, and keep waiting for an alternate ending. Amazon needed less than ten years to grab a piece of the NFL and NBA. Netflix is entering 2025 with the WWE, and wants more live sporting events. Spotify and SiriusXM are investing heavily in audio, as are other digital companies. Advertising now revolves around Google, Apple, Meta, TikTok, X, etc., and traditional media groups can create excuses for not being able to invest in their businesses, but if they don’t, it will eventually result in others owning your real estate.
As Brad Pitt (playing Billy Beane) said in MoneyBall, ‘It’s an unfair game. We’ve been gutted, become organ donors for the rich, and you guys are sitting around talking the same ‘good body nonsense’ like we’re selling jeans.’ It’s a crowded marketplace full of new players and uncertainty. Like it or not, you won’t grow your business by playing defense. Investing in your product, people, and audience are critical, as is exploring new monetization opportunities. Sometimes you just have to forget what you think you know, and utilize outside expertise to gain an edge.
St. Louis Sports Radio Changes:
- Randy Karraker was the first employee hired at 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was added before I even was named PD. We had a great two year run together and he produced another 13 years of fantastic results for the radio station. Seeing him exit the station Friday was tough but 15 years in the same spot in this day and age is outstanding. All the positive feedback that’s come his way since the news got out is well earned. I hope he takes a moment to appreciate it, and what he helped build. 101 ESPS does not become what it has without his contributions.
I also got to know Brooke Grimsley a little, and am rooting for her to land on her feet. Her thank you note to the audience on X was classy. Seeing people like Brooke and Randy lose jobs isn’t fun. Knowing the management team as I do, they don’t like it either. But business decisions have to be made sometimes, and eventually we all have our number called.
Having said that, local listeners will adjust. Tim McKernan is a talented host who knows how to entertain, and he’s going to do well in mornings. He’s a native St. Louisan with a lot of relationships, and he’ll put those to use and build a strong program. Local folks know my history with Tim and Martin Kilcoyne at KFNS wasn’t great. But that was 2006-2007. People improve, mature, and change, myself included. Here’s to hoping the new morning show creates lasting success on a special brand, and Randy, Brooke, Dan, and Matt land in great situations in the future.
Quick Hits:
- Game 1 of the World Series will be remembered as the Freddie Freeman game but in media circles, it should be known as the night the world embraced Joe Davis. Davis was already in a high profile spot calling baseball’s biggest event on Fox Sports alongside John Smoltz, but there was much about him still unknown. Just last year many clamored for Joe Buck or someone else to call the fall classic. His line ‘Gibby Meet Freddie‘ will undoubtedly be part of baseball’s soundtrack for decades to follow, and his use of ‘She is Gone‘ was perfectly timed when calling Freeman’s blast. This coming from a Yankees fan who sat there stunned. Baseball’s biggest moment deserved an ionic call, and Davis provided perfection. Vin Scully would’ve been proud to hear it. Maybe Eric Shanks and his team know a thing or two about hiring elite play-by-play broadcasters 🙂
- Am I the only who doesn’t care about Presidential Endorsements? Does it matter which celebrities and media outlets supported a presidential candidate? Are people really excited to know that Brett Favre and Kid Rock endorsed Donald Trump? Or that Beyonce and Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris? The Washington Post this week chose not to endorse anyone and had people cancel subscriptions over it. It’s insane. People are going to vote for who they like, who aligns with their beliefs, and who they feel more confident in. Some will stay loyal to their preferred party. A smaller amount will do research and examine the policies they feel will best help the nation. I’ve yet to hear one person say they were voting for someone based on a celebrity or media outlet’s backing.
- Nielsen received praise for its three minute plan announcement, which was warranted, but a recent issue in New York City needs to be called out. To have to reissue an entire market’s ratings for a two month period over one individual’s age switching from 49 to 50 is embarrassing. This is market number one. If one person has that much influence over the performance of multiple stations in a big city like New York, it suggests that sample sizes are a bigger problem than measured minutes.
- Many have mixed opinions about Artificial Intelligence. When a Polish radio station wipes out its on-air staff for AI voices, that’s going to sound the alarm even louder. But that’s extreme and a reflection of an ownership group focusing on short-term savings not long-term business growth. One quote I read last week stood out. It came from Shelly Palmer, CEO of The Palmer Group. He said “Your subject matter expertise will be amplified by AI tools not replaced with them. You have to take your work flow and process and innovate it to realize the full potential of AI to supercharge your business.” Love it or hate it, professionals with AI knowledge and skills are going to be in higher demand moving forward. Don’t become the newspaper guy who swore the internet would crash and burn.
- I checked out Britt McHenry‘s YouTube show over the weekend, and enjoyed it. It was just a simple conversation on a number of topics, highlighting Britt’s candor and humor. I’m surprised that a network hasn’t picked her up. She overcame a battle with brain cancer, and has done both news and sports at a high level. With hundreds of thousands social media followers, talent, and a good on-camera presence, she’d help someone.
- Kendall Baker of Yahoo Sports had an interesting tweet the other day which I no longer see posted. Baker responded to a tweet from the ESPN SportsCenter account on X pointing out that only one tweet was shared about the World Series by the brand. A picture was painted that ESPN only promotes what it airs on its network. If that is indeed true, ESPN has to step up its game on social. This is the World Series. If the mantra is serving sports fans, anytime, anywhere, then it’s hard to argue that fans don’t want World Series content. I don’t recall seeing the slogan extended with the words ‘provided it airs on ESPN’.
- Loved this remark by social media guru Jess Smith: “You can’t have a social strategy if you don’t have a content strategy, and you can’t have a content strategy if you don’t have a brand strategy‘. So true.
- I’m a fan of Hubbard Radio VP of Digital Products and Strategy Jeremy Sinon. If you’re not following him on LinkedIn, do it. He gives you a lot to think about, and consistently passes along value. His conversation with Dave Beasing was another great example. Sinon says media needs to get back to the basics, which includes featuring a killer website, awesome mobile app, great newsletter, first party data, and a podcast-stream-other media channels that can be owned. Great stuff. Watch the video below to learn more.
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.
