Toast to 10: Barrett Media Then And Now From The Operations Staff

The Toast to 10 series presented by Premiere Networks, is a month-long series looking back on 10 years of Barrett Media. Throughout the month, you’ll hear from those who’ve shaped the company, managed and created the content, read the site, and partnered with the brand between 2015-2025 to share how they’ve seen it play a role in covering the media industry and educating, celebrating, and challenging the business. 

There’s a story in everything, including in the storytelling itself. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Barrett Media. A company that began with the concept of filling a need in the radio industry trades has blossomed into a brand covering radio, television, and digital media. The story surrounding the growth of the Barrett Media brand can only be told by the people who helped build it.

From the inside out, Barrett Media has evolved with time. Once known as SportsRadioPD.com, the format, look, and content that the publication produced morphed with the URL itself. Over the last decade, many names have helped contribute to the success and growth of the brand becoming a respected voice in the industry.

Getting Started With Barrett Media

Formed with the minds of those who worked in and around the media industry, every tale is different in how they began working for Barrett Media. From current staff like myself to former staff who told their tale of how they started, what they witnessed, and where they see the Barrett Media brand moving forward.

“I became a program director a week before I turned 28, and I didn’t know anything,” said Garrett Searight, news editor for Barrett Media. “In 2022, Barrett Media was hiring another sports editor and part of my duties at the station I was at was running a companion sports website. I was interested in the position, so I fired off an email to Jason [Barrett].”

Searight said he used Barrett Media as a resource in a time when he needed assistance with his new programming role. This isn’t an uncommon trait for many, including myself. When I entered a programming position at the age of 30, I also relied on the depth of insight and analysis from Barrett Media as a resource.

Last year, when I was part of a reduction in force for the first time in my career, Jason Barrett and Barrett Media offered me an opportunity to share my story on how I was using an unfortunate moment in my career to provide encouragement to those who also felt the same fate. It was an opportunity to share my voice and provide perspective, an extension shared by many with Barrett Media.

“I had been let go from a producing gig and was working at this really nice hotel. I absolutely hated the job and was looking for any way to get back in,” said Demetri Ravanos, weekly columnist for Barrett Media. “I saw Jason was looking for writers and shot him an email expecting him to completely not remember me. He then asked when I wanted to start writing.”

Barrett Media has provided opportunity for many to share their voice with the industry. From current events to breaking news, the growth of the brand continues to be elevated by those who contribute to it.

No one on the Barrett Media staff would know more about the growth of the brand than Stephanie Eads, the director of sales for the company and Jason Barrett’s fiancée.

“Everybody always called me his assistant PD, because they knew that he was always talking to me about the business,” said Eads.

She explained that her beginnings with Barrett twenty years ago while a retail manager selling clothes at a clothing store were also joined with taking a deep dive into the radio industry. Understanding the passion that Jason Barrett had for the business of radio, she says she was always part of the business even if she was never working directly for the company.

“At the beginning of 2020, I then became what I call the hugger and kisser,” said Eads of her elevation to eventually becoming a full-time employee of Barrett Media. “That’s what my LinkedIn should say. It shouldn’t say Director of Sales and Strategic Partnerships. It should be the hugger and kisser for Barrett Media, because when I walk in a room and I see somebody, that’s literally the first thing that I do. Jason Barrett will never be that person. That’s my job.”

Dealing with the pressures of a small business and operating out of the same household with your boss does have its challenges. Eads is an avid reader of the Barrett Media website, especially on Monday’s following Jason Barrett’s column. She says the weekly piece has not only become a topic when meeting with current and potential clients, but is immediate debate around the dinner table.

The Megaphone That the Industry Needed

While the brand has seen many changes over the past ten years, the constant has always been showcasing the people of the industry.

“We made a conscious effort to tell more stories about the people in the business. Spending time talking with people [more than] looking for more news,” said Dave Greene, a former sports editor for Barrett Media. “[Barrett Media] has continued to evolve, and the team has done a great job of continuing to tell more stories about the people who make our business what it is.”

Tales of people, with depth and different perspectives. A collective conversation sharing in the passion for media and elevating each other.

“I enjoyed seeing the analysis and ideas for programmers. Providing solid takeaways that programmers can use,” noted Jeff Lynn, former Barrett Media music editor.

An online think tank that reaches to all corners of the industry. From traditional to digital, Barrett Media has grown as a trusted brand providing guidance, headlines, and depth—diving into the personal stories of the people that shape the industry.

“The level of connection that Jason has. The interviews we would do for profiles of people from national to local was eye-opening,” said Alex Reynolds, former digital manager for Barrett Media. “It was a fascinating ride, and it was only amplified by the summits.”

Barrett Media has hosted annual summits since 2018 in sports and expanded to host news summits for the last three years. Gathering the industry’s finest leaders to come together and tell their story, share knowledge, and navigate conversations to find a better tomorrow together.

As someone who has attended every Barrett Media summit except one, I can share firsthand the depth of knowledge and insight these events provided me. The rare opportunity to sit in on the brightest minds of the business was paramount. The feedback and notes I took back to my brands were invaluable. It simply was an event that didn’t happen before, filled a need in the industry, and has grown ever since.

The annual summits are not just the only items of Barrett Media that separate it from the competitors. The level of daily and unique content that sparks the mind, celebrates performance, and shares tales of growth is the standard at Barrett Media.

“In the world of trade publications, we’re a complement to what everyone is doing,” said Eads. “Each trade publication has its specific purpose. With us, our site is a must-hit daily because there’s always going to be something new on our site that you can’t find anywhere else.”

Living in the 24/7 news cycle, finding something different is always a challenge. For the last ten years, Barrett Media has aimed to provide the news of the day but also advance the stories as well.

“People are starting to rely on it [Barrett Media] as a source of news. It’s in that top tier of industry websites,” said Andy Drake, webmaster for Barrett Media. “Even though I’m on the team, I’m relying on it. When I hear about something in the industry, I’m going first to Barrett Media to find out what the details are.”

Barrett Media has spent the past decade building a reputation as a destination for lifting up the business while challenging it for the better.

“I have always asked the question, ‘Who promotes our business?’ The big companies don’t, the small companies can’t. Most people sit around and ask questions rather than find solutions,” said Greene. “I think Barrett Media combines great industry knowledge with promoting the industry and the great things happening in it versus just the doom and gloom.”

Becoming A Trusted Source

Over the past decade, there are several stories that stood out in the minds of those who participated. Both past and present recalled some of their favorite moments of breaking news.

“I remember the reaction when [Barrett Media] broke news that Mike Golic Jr. was going to leave ESPN,” recalled Ravanos. “If we had been a minute slower, like four different people would have had the chance to break that story.”

For Searight, breaking news was also one that topped his list.

“We broke the story that Westwood One’s contract with The Daily Wire was not going to be renewed. It was an interesting reaction from people in the industry,” said Searight. “There were some people who carried those shows that learned about it through Barrett Media and might not have been thrilled that they found out through Barrett Media and not from Westwood One or The Daily Wire.”

Breaking news was nothing new for me personally in my career, but I had yet to experience it from an insider perspective on the industry. The heartbeat intensifies as you contemplate how to frame a story that only you have. The real challenge for me was in the editorial—providing opinion on the industry, giving insight, and igniting discussion about brands and moments that stood out at the time.

As a reader, I craved the daily columns on the happenings in and around the industry. It was a way to be plugged in, learn, and think differently about the subject matter all at the same time.

“I like strong opinions, so reading the columns from John [Mamola], Demetri [Ravanos] and others is what I enjoy,” said Greene. “It is always good to get more perspective from others. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I want to send Jason a column out of the blue to combat something that was said.”

Editorial can also include challenging the messaging from industry leaders. Barrett Media has always strived to elevate and celebrate but also remain a platform to challenge fairly and hold accountable as well.

“The challenge part is important,” said Ravanos. “It doesn’t always have to be adversarial, but a good industry publication celebrates the wins while also demanding better when the industry is hurting itself.”

Ravanos recalled a column he wrote in 2022 as an example of that challenge. He wrote that another lineup switch at ESPN Radio was without a “flamethrower” and lacking punch for affiliates to grab onto. A piece in which Ravanos remembered getting plenty of reaction from the halls in Bristol, CT.

A challenge that was met with feedback both agreeing with the piece (albeit some asking to not be named publicly), but also proclaiming ignorance on the writer himself.

The Outlook for the Future

Ten years after it began, Barrett Media is continuing to build on its foundation and into the future.

“I think it only gets better,” said Lynn. “It only gets stronger and becomes more of a big brand in the coming years.”

With mounting challenges affecting the media landscape in the coming years, the mission statement is to be prepared to face them head-on. Advancements in social media, artificial intelligence, and adaptations to new and innovative ways of consuming content are ever present.

“History tells me that Barrett Media will continue to evolve and ultimately be what it already is—the leading independent resource for media professionals,” said Greene.

Focusing on growth with influence in the industry will be a vital key to the success of Barrett Media, and to the next generation looking to break through into the media landscape.

“Barrett Media will continue to grow because of my experience with it,” said Reynolds. “The young college kid that wants to be in media, there’s no better brand to follow or get involved with than Barrett Media. The connections and the straight-up education it can give you being so tied into the industry are invaluable.”

There’s a story in everything, including in the storytelling itself. The past decade for Barrett Media is a true tale of how a simple idea can impact many. How a social media hashtag created conversation amongst those within the sports radio industry. The engagement broke norms and set a new standard for how those within the industry seek out information, community and guidance.

In my mind, Barrett Media has served as a platform for unifying the spirit of collaboration. The barriers set by companies previously didn’t allow those within the walls to seek out conversation and partnership. It was difficult to connect with those within the industry for honest feedback without corporate spin.

Today, Barrett Media’s influence has connected, elevated, promoted, and serviced an industry that needed a voice. Where industry professionals can find more than just a copy and paste. It’s about personalities in a personality business—opinions in the opinion business—speaking up for the industry and holding it in high regard. Challenging it when it requires it and celebrating the wins when no one else did.

That’s the story I’ll remember about these past ten years, as Barrett Media’s next chapter is yet to be written.

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.