2024 has been a roller coaster ride. We’ve produced record website traffic, expanded our coverage into new areas, and invested resources in changing our URL, the look of the site, and our writing team. Newsletters were expanded to reach different segments of the audience, conferences hosted to unite and elevate the sports and news media industries (tickets for the 2025 BSM Summit go on-sale this Thursday night, look for details tomorrow), and we’ve worked tirelessly to grow marketing partnerships with B2B focused businesses. It’s been a fun but challenging year to say the least.
Just as many in mainstream media circles have experienced, we’ve endured our share of challenges too. Traffic and advertising revenues are up, but so too are expenses. As a businessman, I have to examine how to move the business forward while keeping it healthy. Stephanie Eads, Dave Greene and I have talked to 40+ companies over the past two months about working together in 2025. Large TV and radio groups don’t do much advertising here, charging readers has never felt right, and I don’t want to add investors. That means we have to be smart, nimble, and strategic with how we operate.
I’ve sought feedback from our readers, interviewed candidates, and have discussed ideas, challenges, and opportunities with my crew. Time has been spent reviewing which content produces interest, which doesn’t, which writers generate the most impact, and where we can get stronger. I’ve also examined our newsletter performance, managed our social media posts, and analyzed the support we receive from X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I’ll come back to that later when I discuss Bluesky.
I’ve learned that we produce more content than our audience can keep up with. We’ve become a trusted outlet for radio industry coverage, but have work to do strengthening our television/streaming/digital/business coverage. The logo on this website says Barrett MEDIA yet our writing staff heavily reflects radio. I have no plans to stop covering radio/audio. It’s a space we love, and do well in, but adding perspectives from those other mediums is on my radar for 2025. The media as a whole is much larger, and I want to share news, tell stories, highlight people, and explore issues that effect all areas of the industry not just one medium. To do that, adjustments have to be made.
Concurrently, expenses have to be considered, and reliance on full-time crew has to come first. It’s hard to attack issues in a timely manner when you’re reliant on part-time contributions. Keeping up with the pace of a news cycle requires a full-time focus. We feature 23 original stories per day in our 4 newsletters, and write another 5-7 for our website. That’s a ton of content, which sounds big, but the reality is that most people don’t read 30 daily stories. Connecting with our audience doesn’t demand that amount of production, and I’d rather do less, more meaningful content than fill a page with weaker material.
I asked in a recent survey ‘Which Type of Stories Would You Like To See More of From Barrett Media?’ In-depth reporting and industry research are the two runaway vote leaders so far. We’ve also received input from folks who want more video and podcast content from us. I value those things too, but to do them well, we need a smaller crew with FT focus. Just as important, we need staff who aren’t restricted by employers, are connected to the industry, and want to help elevate our brand.
We are a valued source for media news, education, connection, and celebration. I want our readers to learn, and be challenged, inspired, and entertained by our content. It takes a passionate, creative, curious, experienced, and invested team that enjoys telling stories and can do so without limitations to do this well. September 2025 marks our 10th anniversary, and we’ve made tremendous progress since 2015. To assure next year is better than the last, I’m announcing a few moves to help us grow.
New Sports Media Editors
I am excited to welcome Jon Lafayette to our team as our new Sports Editor. A native New Yorker now based in Chicago, Jon joins us after more than a decade with Broadcasting+Cable where he recently served as Business Editor. Prior to joining B+C, Jon covered the TV and advertising industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. He has a strong background in covering media including revenue-generating activities, on-air and behind the scenes talent, brand strategies, and executive decisions. His tour of duty with Barrett Media starts Monday December 2nd. Please give him a warm welcome by saying hello at Jon@BarrettMedia.com.
I’m also thrilled to promote Derek Futterman to Associate Sports Editor. Since joining us in May 2021, Derek has done a magnificent job hustling for stories, and highlighting professionals through his in-depth features. His ‘Day Spent With‘ series was a hit in 2024. Derek has attended events to give Barrett Media an on-site presence, creating original content and important connections along the way. He’s a quick learner, hard worker, and most importantly, passionate about covering sports media. The only negative, which Jon shares, he’s a Mets fan haha. As a Yankee fan myself, I’ll have to work on converting them. Congratulate Derek on his new opportunity by emailing him at Derek@BarrettMedia.com.
Writing Changes
With most of our content being created by Jon, Derek, Garrett, Jeff, and myself, I’m saddened to have to say farewell to Mark Kreidler, Peter Schwartz, Jeff Caves, Keith Berman, and Amy Snider. Dave Williams and Jacquie Cadorette left us last month. All have done great work here, are excellent writers, and I can’t recommend them enough for future opportunities. Demetri Ravanos, and Krystina Alarcon Carroll are staying on but writing less per week too. All other writers remain status quo. The downside of exploring new directions and relationships is that it means existing ones change. I’m appreciative of all who have helped us, and I wish them well in the future.
Additionally, our Chief Media Office Dave Greene is moving into a new part-time role with the company. Dave has been awesome to work with, a positive influence on our crew, believes in the brand, and his attention to detail and love for the business has been needed. Dave is continuing his weekly column, and Eavesdropping and Sales Meeting features. He’ll also work with Stephanie Eads and I on sales opportunities. I’m excited to continue our relationship into 2025.
As 2025 approaches, I’ll be starting a process to interview candidates to serve as our Music Radio Editor. I started interviewing for an Assistant Editor six weeks ago but had to change our plan. Jeff Lynn has been a great addition to our team. His love for the music radio business and decades of experience made him the right man at the right time to help us get started. Jeff has desires beyond radio/writing that he wants to pursue, and a few personal matters he needs to tackle. He’ll be with us for the next two months as we look for his replacement. It’s been a pleasure having him on our team.
I am firmly committed to covering music radio and growing our reach and influence across all music formats. We’re only 4 months into our plan, and have a lot in store for 2025. The recent addition of our Ratings section powered by Harker Bos Group is just the latest example of making improvements to serve music radio professionals. Those interested in our Editor opening, can send resumes and writing samples to Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
Newsletter and Content Changes
Starting Monday December 2nd, all newsletter subscribers will receive two emails per day from Barrett Media. The Morning Edition will go out at 8am ET and contain 6-9 stories from all sections comprised of original columns, features, benchmarks, and special projects. Evening Edition will be distributed daily at 5pm ET and feature 6-10 of the day’s top news stories from all sections. We will no longer include stories from other media outlets, only Barrett Media produced content.
In addition, we are tightening up our newsletter features to elevate the experience. Improving content quality, decreasing how often we invade inboxes with newsletters, and better serving our advertising partners are the reasons for our strategic shift. We’ve sent readers 23 original stories per day since July along with 4 articles from outside sources. Quite frankly, it’s too much. Our audience values breaking news, features, columns, and special projects most, and have limited time. We’re making improvements to better serve them moving forward with the best content we can produce from the world of sports media, news media, and music radio.
Readers will begin to see more creative benchmarks, in-depth features, and original series and columns on the site in 2025. On-Air reactions such as Tom Tolbert or Lamont & Tonelli signing off or Len Berman or Robin Bertolucci speaking for the first time after parting ways with iHeart, will continue to be covered. Generic on-air stories (ex: News Host says Fox News/MSNBC sucks, Sports host impressed by broadcaster on TV, etc.) will be reduced.
To be clear, we are not shying away from covering media drama. But there is a difference between Brandon Tierney addressing Stugotz on WFAN and Joe Rogan saying Elon Musk did a great job buying X. 500 hosts may agree or disagree with Rogan’s opinion. That doesn’t make it newsworthy.
Additionally, content that only serves a company and its PR team will also be decreased. We try to help spread the word about anniversaries, charity drives, fundraising, and promotional events, but few people read those stories. We’ll explore ways to combine them into weekly pieces or find other ways to relay the message. In-depth reporting, breaking news, recognizing accomplishments, and highlighting brands, people, technology, and educational benefits are what we’re focusing on. As we make improvements, I hope you’ll share your feedback to let us know how we’re doing.
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The Bluesky Invasion
I’m all for new ways to interact, and promote content, but I’m not convinced the Bluesky migration of 2024 is a game changer even if some media types want it to be. It’s not bigger than the 2023 invasion of Threads. X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn aren’t losing sleep over a platform that boasts 20+ million users. If folks want to try out the new platform, go for it, but I’ll stay where the audience is. If it takes off and requires changing down the road, we’ll adjust.
Folks are frustrated with Elon Musk for using his influence and amplifying political voices they don’t agree with on X. I’ve considered taking Barrett Media off of X too but not for those reasons. X devalues publishers because the platform doesn’t want people leaving to read content elsewhere. As a result, the reach of written content shrinks, raising the question ‘do we need to be here?’ If we did leave, I won’t announce it. The media world will be just fine with or without Barrett Media on X.
I use X each morning to read, watch, and stay engaged. That won’t change whether I like Elon Musk’s business strategy or disagree with his opinions. I believe in free speech, not having platform overlords decide who can/can’t have a voice. Algorithms for these platforms get many things wrong. Facebook just blocked promotion of Krystina’s story on Daniel Cohen on Friday and our story on the KFI changes two weeks ago. Despite multiple attempts to get the machines to fix the errors, nothing changed.
When I see things on X that I don’t like, I mute them, block them, or ignore them. It’s no different than what I do in my car when I turn on a radio station and hear something I don’t like, I change the channel. No matter where you turn, there’ll always be different points of view, Bluesky included. The question you have to answer for yourself is ‘how important is being where the action is vs. entertaining yourself’?
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Quick Hits
- The idea of breaking up The Michael Kay Show doesn’t feel right to me. Michael Kay is 63 not 83. He still performs at a high level. A solo 2-hour show in middays feels disrespectful to a host who has earned better. Peter Rosenberg is also a great fit on the show. Not retaining him given his age and talent makes no sense. I know negotiations and costs are involved here, and all good things do come to an end. I just hope ESPN and Good Karma Brands aren’t leaving the dinner table while a good meal still sits in front of them.
- Amazon’s Thursday Night Football team produced great television last week. Following Jameis Winston on to a snowy field after his postgame chat to make snow angels created a cool visual. It showed the talent in a fun, entertaining way. Nice work by Charissa, Tony, Ryan, Andrew and Richard. And by the way, Jameis Winston interviews on television are a big win for everybody.
- We don’t promote accepting Guest Columns but last week four appeared on the site from Dan Mason, Adam Shapiro, John Mamola, and an iHeart employee. I love using our platform to help others share their expertise to help industry professionals. If you have something of value to share, pitch me at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
- I enjoy speaking to aspiring media professionals. The University of Florida brings me in annually to talk to their students, and it’s a trip I enjoy making. Their studios, equipment, and training programs are second to none, but more importantly, the students themselves are hungry to learn. I focus so much on my preparation and work that I don’t think about how my feedback connects. When a message like this appears on LinkedIn though, it reminds me that what I’m doing matters. It makes the days on the road worthwhile.
- Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post has been all over the Around The Horn news. The show per Glasspiegel’s report will end next summer after 23 years on-air at ESPN. I don’t watch ATH like I used to, which is due to my work schedule. However, I’ve always liked Tony Reali on television. I hope ESPN has a plan for him moving forward. His energy, passion, likeability, and connection with people is a value to any show he’s involved in. His only negative, he hasn’t been featured yet on Barrett Media. Let’s make it happen Tony 🙂
- Love him or hate him, Bill O’Reilly‘s appearance on Cuomo last week on NewsNation was excellent. If he’s right about NBC wanting no part of MSNBC and being willing to practically give it away, and ABC seeking to cut ties with The View, it’ll change how news television looks the next few years. That’s assuming another company doesn’t acquire the channel or pursue The View if it becomes available. Speculation is what it is for now, but with NBC announcing MSNBC and CNBC are being spun off, this will be an important follow in the coming months.
- Dan Bongino says he hasn’t been part of transition meetings with the Trump Administration. That doesn’t mean though that he won’t be in the future. If the administration wants him involved, it can’t hurt to ask him. After multiple sources confirmed The Daily Wire partnership is ending at the end of 2024, losing Bongino would create an even bigger problem for Westwood One. The network has done a fabulous job for decades offering top talent and shows so I’m sure they’d figure it out. Uncertainty though puts programmers and affiliate stations in a tricky spot. Here’s hoping the 2025 lineup is strong and Bongino remains a part of it.
- Condolences to Rudy Martzke‘s friends and family. The longtime USA Today sports media columnist passed away last week at the age of 82. I read Rudy’s work often during my radio career and enjoyed his perspectives and inside information. He followed us on X and offered positive feedback many times about our coverage, which I greatly appreciated. His contributions to the industry will be remembered by all who read him.
- Congrats to Allen Stiles on the new solo show in middays in Sacramento at Sactown Sports 1140. Former partner Chris Watkins moved into the station’s digital department giving the former Bay Area personality a chance to assume more responsibility. So far, so good.
- iHeartMedia Boston hired Rich Shertenlieb earlier this year to make WZLX better. He did that. The station grew from 14th to Top 5 with Men 25-54. His reward? A pink slip. It’s a reminder that corporations care more about the number you make, not if you’re 5th, 10th or 50th.
- Congrats to Chuck Sapienza on a great run in Baltimore at 105.7 The Fan. Sapienza and 105.7 The Fan are mutually parting ways after 7 years. Whoever takes the reins next inherits a brand with a strong track record of winning. Programming candidates can apply for the opening here.
- Jason Kelce is a better man than me. His decision to sign an autograph for a guy who spent the entire time insulting him outside of the Jimmy Kimmel Show showed class and restraint. Had he cracked the guy in the mouth or tossed his phone down like he did the last time he was harassed, few would’ve taken issue with it. Some people in life simply suck. Jason Kelce isn’t one of them.
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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.
