We are less than 20 days away from hosting the 2025 BSM Summit in Chicago. A huge thanks to Point to Point Marketing for serving as the presenting sponsor of this year’s conference. Today, we reveal our Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, a bunch of ticket winners, and details of a big giveaway taking place at the show.
If you are speaking at the show, look for an email later this week. I’ll be sharing details for all sessions, and connecting everyone involved. The full schedule will also be posted on BSMSummit.com by the end of this week.
For planning purposes, day 1 of the show takes place on Thursday May 8th between 9a-5p at the MCA. The ESPN Radio After Party follows from 6p-8p at the Chicago Sports Museum. Day 2 of the event runs 9a-1p at the MCA with the Premiere Networks Awards ceremony closing the conference. We also have the Magellan AI Kickoff Party on Wednesday May 7th from 6p-7p at The Westin Michigan Avenue downstairs bar.
One of my favorite parts of this Summit is having an opportunity to celebrate those who’ve made significant contributions to the sports media industry. From Jeff Smulyan to Mark Chernoff, Bruce Gilbert, Jeff Catlin, and Danny Parkins, all have played key roles in elevating our business. Today, I’m excited to add to the list by announcing the our 2025 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Please join me in congratulating Chicago sports radio legend, Mike North.
There aren’t many stories in sports radio like Mike’s. Who else has gone from running a hot dog stand to being hired to become one of the most important local sports radio voices in a top 3 market? Mike was a huge part of 670 The Score’s rise and success in the 1990’s-2000’s. He became a seven figure earner for the radio station, making his mark in morning drive, and alongside Dan Jiggetts on ‘Monsters of the Midday’.
North also has worked across town for ESPN 1000, and performed nationally, hosting mornings and weekends on Fox Sports Radio. Even now, he remains active in his early 70’s, passionate as ever about sports handicapping. Altogether, his contributions to sports radio span more than 30 years.
When I called Mike to share the news, he was surprised, humble, and grateful. He shared his enthusiasm for the honor by passing along the following quote. “I grew up here (Chicago). My spits on the sidewalk. I was told I’d never amount to anything after I dropped out of high school. I’m humbled and proud to receive this honor. I love radio and can’t wait to see everyone at the Summit.”
Mike becomes the fourth recipient to receive our Lifetime Achievement Award. We introduced this award in 2022 by celebrating Mike & the Mad Dog (we also honored Felger & Mazz that year). It has since been given to Al Michaels (2023), and Angelo Cataldi (2024).
Mike’s story, body of work, and connection to the city of Chicago helped earn him the market’s respect as a talk show host. I’m looking forward to recognizing his contributions to our business on Friday May 9th.
Point to Point Marketing’s 25K Giveaway at the 2025 BSM Summit
Thanks to our friends at Point to Point Marketing, attendees will have a big opportunity to improve their brands free of charge. Tim Bronsil and company are providing a $25,000 Audience Development Campaign to one lucky winner. Everyone through the door qualifies for the contest. The winner gets announced around 3:30pm CT on Day 1 of the show.
Point to Point gave away a $20,000 campaign last Fall. 92.9 ESPN in Memphis was the lucky winner of that contest. Brand Manager Brad Carson (who is speaking at the show) saw significant increases in his brand’s Nielsen and streaming metrics during the promotion. Now, Point to Point is raising the bar once again!
Here are the key details of what’s included in the promotion.
- Reach and Frequency: Over 2.5 million paid social impressions delivered over a two-month campaign in Q3 or Q4 of this year, at zero cost.
- Revenue opportunity: The campaign can feature a sponsor, allowing the winner to monetize the exposure and keep 100% of the proceeds.
- Dedicated support: Weekly reporting and hands-on collaboration with the PTP team, trusted experts in both radio and digital audience growth.
- Real results: Backed by nearly three decades of experience, PTP’s campaigns move needles in Nielsen, streaming, ticketing, and more.
This is more than a giveaway, it’s a launchpad. Don’t miss your chance to win it at the 2025 BSM Summit.
BSM Summit Ticket Winners
I planned to giveaway 5-6 tickets when we sent out email blasts last week for our final contest. The response though was much higher than expected. As a result, we chose 11 to receive free tickets to the show. The winners are listed below.
- Jim Gibson – EUSU Logistics
- John Wanzung – RadioFX
- Mark Rosenfeld – Coverdell
- Chris Gordy – SportsTalk 790
- Mike Harmon – Fox Sports Radio
- Matt Deutsch – Bettor Sports Network
- Kevin Shockey – Altitude Sports Radio
- John Illk – iHeartMedia West Michigan
- Mitch Nelles – 1250/105.7 The Fan
- Allen Stiles – Sactown Sports
- Mike Ragozino – Audio 1
If you don’t have a ticket, they are still available at BSMSummit.com. Prices remain $299.99 for professionals and $124.99 for students. Be advised, professional tickets increase to $324.99 and student tickets to $149.99 on May 5th. Don’t wait until the last minute and pay extra when you don’t need to.
Additionally, our hotel room block is full at The Westin Michigan Avenue. However, you can still book a room there thru Hotels.com. It may just cost a few more dollars. There are also rooms nearby at other hotels.
Lastly, we are finalizing sponsorships for the conference this week. We are proud to have more than 17 brands included in this year’s show. A few opportunities remain available so if you’re interested in being a partner, reach out to Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com.
I will make one final speakers announcement later this week. After that, the entire focus is on designing the show, and making sure we deliver two action-packed days for our attendees in Chicago. We hope to see you there!
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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.
