The final day of Barrett News Media’s Top 20 of 2024 has arrived. My thanks to JJ Surma Voiceovers for supporting the news/talk radio industry, and this year’s series. For the full results, visit the website. Following us on X or Facebook and signing up for our newsletters here is also recommended. Your support is appreciated.
The six categories featured in this year’s series were News/Talk radio’s Major and Mid market morning, midday, and afternoon shows, program directors, radio stations, and the format’s best national talk shows. Major Markets represent shows, stations, and PDs in markets #1-#20. Mid Markets are for markets #21 and below. Not included are NPR brands/shows or podcasts. Mainstream news/talk radio outlets and shows are our main focus.
As you review the results, please remember that they represent the collective opinions of our radio industry executive panel. Decision makers receive lists and are asked to vote on talent, shows, brands, and leaders. We don’t participate in the voting process, we simply add up and present the results.
3 Things To Be Aware Of
#1 – We try to be thorough with the spelling of names, shows, cities, and the use of photos and logos. However, we’re creating 200+ images to highlight an entire format, so mistakes happen sometimes. If you see an error, please email Jason@BarrettMedia.com so we can fix it. Additionally, we ask voters to send in photos and logos in advance to avoid headaches. Once the series is presented, there are no changes unless it involves a mistake. Thanks in advance for understanding.
#2 – 83 radio stations appeared on ballots turned in by our executive panel. Executives were asked to rank their Top 20 using a few key factors; quality of shows (ear test), originality, ability to entertain-inform-connect across multiple platforms, ratings success, and industry buzz. Remember, our voters live in different cities, have individual tastes, work for different companies, and value certain factors higher than others. This is not a perfect system but it’s the best we’ve come up with to showcase the industry’s view of its best.
#3 – Our executive panel included programmers, consultants and corporate executives from radio’s top companies including Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Hubbard, Cox Media Group, Townsquare Media, Salem Media Group, Bonneville, FOX News Radio, Westwood One, and Radio One. Our total number of voters this year was forty six (46). Most vote on six categories, but some only vote on national shows and/or program directors. We involve people from different groups and cities in order to provide a balanced view of the format.
I want to thank Dylan Barrett for doing a great job with this year’s graphics. I’d also like to thank all who took part in the voting process. Now without further delay, here are the Top 20 Mid Market Radio Stations in News/Talk radio for 2024.
Additional Notes:
- 700 WLW won this category with an impressive thirty one (31) point advantage over WIBC 93.1 in Indianapolis. WLW, WIBC and WBT all tied for the most first-place votes with three (3).
- Spots 21-25 belonged to WRVA, NJ 101.5, 1130 WISN, WOWO, and 1080 WTIC.
- The closest contests were for spots 18-20. KFAB, WWNC and The Mighty 990 were all separated by one (1) point.
- Of the 83 radio stations to appear on submitted ballots, seven (7) received at least one 1st place vote.
BNM Top 20 Reminder:
- Jason Barrett and Garrett Searight will review the Top 20 results on video. Look for it on the Barrett Media YouTube page on Tuesday. The full results from 2024, 2023, 2022 and prior years in both news/talk and sports radio can be accessed here.
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
