The Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was announced on Monday, and Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott was one of several honorees for the prestigious honor.
Talbott is one of 11 inductees to the Radio Hall of Fame in 2025. She said she thought she was being pranked when she found out that she was one of those being enshrined.
“I think the first thing I thought was “Ok, who’s playing the gig? Who’s playing the joke on me? Let’s just get this over with,” she said with a laugh. “It was just kind of a shock. I always think of the Radio Hall of Fame as the best talent on air. So I really forgot about the executives.
“I was tremendously thrilled,” she continued. “Great friends throughout the years and from all different places called me, along with Kraig Kitchin and Dennis Green, to give me this news. It was really fun to have that. It was excitement, absolutely.”
Few people embark on careers with the hopes of one day being included in a respective Hall of Fame. Julie Talbott is no different. She admitted that the thought of going into the Hall “totally would never cross my mind.
“I think all of us in this radio industry are really, really busy. We have about 30 goals every week that we’re trying to get to,” she shared. “Thinking about winning an award or building a career that is award-winning is not anything that would cross my mind, ever.”
Despite it never being on her radar, Talbott admitted receiving the recognition from her peers was something she was touched by.
“It’s truly humbling. It’s really a great honor. I don’t take it lightly,” she said. “These are colleagues. I am thrilled that working with people throughout the years, that they think highly enough of me to bestow this honor on me.”
Julie Talbott started her career in advertising at BBDO, where she spent five years before joining MJI Broadcasting. As COO of the company, she grew the organization from five employees to more than 150.
However, in 1999, Premiere Networks purchased the company. She was later elevated to Executive Vice President of Affiliate Relations in 2003 before ascending to the role of President of Premiere Networks in 2014.
She pointed to the acquisition of MJI Broadcasting as a pivotal role in her career that propelled her to the Radio Hall of Fame.
“That was a game changer for my career,” she said of the move. “Everything that we did at MJI, we wanted it to be unique, we wanted it to be the highest quality, and we wanted to have the number one service of anything that we did. But we had limited resources. We were a small company, and being brought into a company that was growing and had more assets, it really allowed me to expand the goal of wanting to have the number one product in everything.
“Being part of iHeart, Premiere’s primary goal is to provide a number one element in every single format. The acquisition from the Mays family, Clear Channel, and now iHeart really allowed me and the company of Premiere to focus on what our goal is. There have been so many accomplishments because this company has the assets to allow Premiere to do what our real mission is: to provide number one talent that ultimately changes the ratings and the nature of every radio station that we touch.”
When he went into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2021, Dan Patrick likened the honor to having the music begin playing during an award show speech. He joked that it was the industry ushering you off the national stage, saying that your time has been up, you’ve been honored, now it’s time to pass the torch to someone else.
Julie Talbott laughed when asked if she had any of those same feelings. She said the idea of doing anything different than what she’s doing now still hasn’t crossed her mind.
“I don’t really have that many hobbies. I adore my family and my extended family, but working has always been a huge part of my life; that’s a piece that is very fulfilling for me,” she shared. “I think when you find fulfillment in every piece of the puzzle, you just need to keep going until you’re not feeling fulfilled.”
Talbott added that part of her fulfillment remains in eyeing top talent — who work for Premiere Networks and those who don’t — as reasons for why she keeps working as hard as she does.
“Every day is a thrill,” she concluded. “I love it, and hearing it on air is a thrill every day.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
