This past weekend marked the official start of summer. Memorial Day is a unique national holiday where our country remembers those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation while indulging in the joys of life with friends, food, and celebration. Most sports radio brands across the country take the day to lean on syndication so their local talent can join the party and get away.
While the summer wind comes blowing in from across the sea—as Frank Sinatra so eloquently put it—sports radio’s summer vacation is also near. The sunshine and high temps mean no more car lines, shorter commutes, and more vacation getaways. The attention economy of the consumer turns to focus on escaping the day-to-day, making it more difficult for sports radio brands to maintain listener awareness.
The NBA and NHL seasons are about to conclude, and the NFL is already enjoying the countdown to training camp in August. How does sports radio avoid being immersed in the summer swoon of 2025?
Depending on your market, your approach to the summer sports calendar may vary. If your market hosts one of the thirty Major League Baseball franchises, the summer stress is lessened, as the ‘boys of summer’ provide local sports radio with game-to-game storylines all the way to football season.
In nearly all cases, baseball discussion doesn’t play well on a national scale. In some baseball markets, even day-to-day talk is an instant tune-out. How many times can a sports radio listener continue to care about issues with a bullpen arm, or why a guy batting sixth should be batting eighth?
Who knew the national pastime was past its prime in the collective consciousness of sports?
Don’t Be Predictable! Don’t Be Lazy!
Instead, sports radio brands have found that navigating conversations toward the NFL is a proven path to success. These can range from creative lists to micro-analyzing draft picks, to over-analyzing a team’s schedule with predictions well ahead of training camp.
Understanding that the NFL is king among the four major sports, does hammering anything even remotely related to the NFL for months before training camp actually help retain listeners?
Too often, sports radio brands feel the need to “stick to sports” during the summer, when most sports fans are tuned out until the fall.
Different times on the calendar dictate how sports radio should approach content. In football season, most people listen for the evolving narratives from week to week. The NFL is professional sports’ single-greatest soap opera, where every word matters just as much as every interception or touchdown. The interest in football gives warmth to sports radio brands during the winter and leads to a bountiful spring.
Sports fans look forward to spring as the greatest time on the sports calendar—March Madness, The Masters, MLB Opening Day, the NFL Draft, and the start of both the NHL and NBA postseasons—all lumped into one giant sports buffet. When Memorial Day arrives, so does the last call for dessert before closing.
It’s nearly impossible for sports radio stations to retain the same audience engagement in summer that they enjoyed in spring—and will again in fall. Shrinking attention spans, no school, lighter workloads, and more travel form the perfect combination for dwindling audiences and weaker connection.
Be Engaging! Be Entertaining!
Summer is when sports radio needs to revisit what it learned during COVID: that the value was not just in sports, but in entertainment.
Sports radio should take the same approach in the summer months. Instead of force-feeding your audience generic content to fill the void until the NFL season—which is easily forgettable—this is the time to branch out and connect with your listeners in more unique ways.
The focus should be on keeping the audience guessing by delivering the unexpected.
There are all sorts of summer playlists listeners are looking for—why not provide your own or invite listeners to share theirs? Why not hold a Saturday night event where a final playlist is revealed to a live audience—for free?
Everyone loves a cookout. Ever consider hosting one at the radio station parking lot or during a popular local event? It doesn’t have to be a sports event—it’s a great way to connect with the community and create digital content for your brand.
Expand your guest lineup and collaborate with your sister stations to cross-promote events and talent. Welcome the morning show host from your Top 40 station to talk about the American Music Awards—and return the favor for the NBA Draft or ESPY Awards.
How about a “Podcasters Week,” where your local radio brand invites local podcasters to co-host your most popular shows—exposing their audience to you and vice versa?
Does your morning show give away tickets to the biggest concert in town? Why not have the show escort the winners for a unique, unforgettable experience?
When was the last time a sports station challenged its listeners to a debate-style event or live broadcast? Take a page from what Charlie Kirk does—inviting people to “prove him wrong”—and apply it to pop-up sports debates in high-traffic community areas.
Breaking Outside The Comfort Zone Redefining Your Norm
Sports radio has a great opportunity to get creative. Getting out where the people are and trying new, bold concepts can only strengthen the bond with existing listeners—and introduce your product to new ones face-to-face.
The goal for sports radio during the summer should be create attention through disruption. Reinforce connection through collaboration. Brainstorm creation through innovation.
The most invaluable currency a sports radio station can own is the attachment it has within the community it calls home.
Sports radio often treats the summer book as the least important ratings period of the four. But in truth, summer should be the most important time to break out of the comfort zone and become part of the consumer’s escape—wherever they may be.
Every step forward is a leap toward a bigger goal. Success—even during the summer swoon—awaits those who dare to try.
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.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
