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.
The 2025 BNM Summit is in the books. So too is our 10-year celebration party, The Barrett Bash. A huge thank you to all who attended and every partner who supported last week’s events. None of what we do is possible without their support. This week’s column is reflecting on last week, sharing key takeaways, listing a few concerns, and raising a few questions. If you care about moving the business forward, I’d love to hear your feedback.
The 2025 BNM Summit
Our third news conference was an overall success. Thank you to Newsmax for serving as our presenting sponsor. Over 200 registered, including a strong number of executives, market managers, programmers, and talent. The content was strong, the networking was valuable, and the Ailey Theater and Park Central Hotel served as great venues. The BFOA After Party on Wednesday night was especially great.
Our biggest challenge is keeping folks in the room for longer than a few hours. Attendees at our sports summit’s stay for most of the show. News folks are in and out more. It’s been that way in Nashville, Washington D.C., and New York City.
When an event ends, we are physically and mentally exhausted. We’ll take a few days to recharge, and then examine what worked, what didn’t, and if it’s worth continuing. We run events to unite formats, and tackle key issues with industry professionals. Many media brands and people are invited, most are easy to work with, some are not. We strive to earn enough sponsorship support to cover expenses and justify the time invested in it.
I don’t want to host conferences that aren’t important and valuable. If we can’t do it right, I’d rather not do it. For that reason, we don’t do pay-for-play sessions. I respect our audience’s time and won’t have them sit through things that only serve us and a paying client. We’re likely leaving dollars on the table by doing that but I can’t see how that makes the Summit better.
I do plan to shorten the show in the future to one day. Day 2 is structured well but some folks head home after day 1 to avoid missing too much work. Having ‘The Barrett Bash’ this year made day 2 more important but that doesn’t happen all the time. Once we recharge, we’ll evaluate what makes the most sense for 2026 including where to host it. I have a few ideas but welcome feedback from our attendees and partners.
The Barrett Bash
When Stephanie Eads and I discussed doing this in March, we thought it’d be a hit. It delivered as expected. Thank you to Premiere Networks, 77WABC, and Core Image Studio for supporting the Bash. Over 300 people attended the event including John Catsimatidis, Kelli Turner, Erik Hellum, Julie Talbott, Chris Oliviero, Guy Benson, Jim Kerr, Mark Simone, Angela Yee, Damon Amendolara, and many other executives, talent, agents, program directors, and market managers. Special appearances were made by WWE superstars Chelsea Green and Maxxine Dupri and recording artist Twinnie. All three ladies were awesome. If you’re a Country radio PD, check out Twinnie’s music. She’s got a great sound. My thanks to Chris Legentil, Nick Khan, Griffin Hess, and the WWE team. It’s cool having support from a brand I’ve loved for over four decades.
There were things we could’ve done better including a few giveaways and lowering the music when I spoke. Overall though, it was a great night. I almost had a heart attack 90-minutes before the show. Over 2 hours of music was saved on a flash drive and fell out of my pocket into a Taxi. Fortunately, Plan B worked out thanks to the tech team at 1604 Broadway. Thanks guys.
I appreciated the kind words said on stage by Mike McVay, Heather Cohen, Jim and Dawn Cutler, Scott Sutherland, Tim Bronsil, Demetri Ravanos, Andy Drake, and Garrett Searight. I knew each of them were speaking but had no idea what they’d say. I’m not one to seek credit for my work or sacrifices. It is nice to know though that my contributions have made a positive impression on some.
Stephanie Eads gave a great speech to start the show, and was more comfortable than she expected to be. I knew she was going to share how our story resembles Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a Prayer’ because I was Tommy working on the docks (the downstairs office) and she was Gina, working in the diner all day when this journey began. What I didn’t know is that she was going to have Dylan say a few words and share how I traded in stocks, paid our rent 6-months in advance, reluctantly accepted food stamps, and locked myself in a basement for a year, determined to make this work to take care of our family.
I heard a few gasps and saw a few jaws drop when they heard her remarks. It’s all true. Barrett Media exists today because we made it through some very challenging times. None of that guarantees anything tomorrow, which is why we work so hard to continue educating, celebrating, and challenging the industry. It’s also why we ask you to click and share the content, spread the word, and invest in us. When you do, you help a family-run business.
If you’re connected to me on Facebook, look for hundreds of photos this week from the Bash. We snapped tons inside the venue and on the red carpet. We’ll have videos to share too including a produced recap from Travis Williams. Stephanie wants to host another one in 2026. I’m open to it but want to hear some feedback first. The mix of sports, news, and music professionals was pretty cool.
It was a GREAT night and professionally rewarding, but one thing did disappoint me. I’ve helped many folks land jobs, build careers, make money, and promote brands over the years. If you couldn’t make it that’s ok. I realize many have commitments they can’t break and flying to NY for a party isn’t feasible. But at least have the courtesy to respond. Invites were emailed many times in recent months. If you’re too busy to accept or decline an invite, then don’t be surprised if I’m too busy to answer your text, DM or phone call. Relationships are a two-way street.
Full Sessions Coming Soon to YouTube
In past years, Summit sessions have lived behind a paywall. This year, we’re doing it differently. The entire show will be made available for free on YouTube. We will start the editing process this week. Once all sessions are ready, I’ll make an announcement so folks can watch them. To avoid missing anything, subscribe today to our YouTube channel.
Thank You, Glenn Beck
I’ve shared stages with many greats over the past 7 years. My time spent with Glenn Beck was as rewarding as any conversation I’ve had. He was smart, insightful, passionate, interesting, and truly appreciative of being in the room with his peers.
We met backstage for the first time, and it was like two old friends reconnecting. He asked me, ‘how can I serve you, today?’ which blew me away. Here is one of the very best in our business taking time away from his show, business, and family to fly from Texas to New York to spend 45-minutes with me on stage, and his focus was on making sure I had what I needed. That’s what separates a world class talent and gem of a human being from the rest.
The conversation itself covered many critical issues. Glenn’s input on how he prioritizes business over ratings, digital content strategy, finding the next generation of talk talent, and artificial intelligence were fascinating. His strongest comments came in response to Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro suggesting politicians are only trying to save AM radio because it puts them on the air to get re-elected. When this session gets uploaded, make sure you watch it. Be ready to take notes.
Powerful Brands and Programming
Mike McVay’s session with Phil Boyce, Pete Mundo, Drew Anderssen, and Chris Berry was fantastic. These are some of the sharpest and most accomplished programmers in talk radio. The transparency they provided on stage was valuable to all attending. What I don’t get is how you can be a talent or programmer in news/talk radio and not be in the room when they’re speaking. If improving, winning, or getting hired matters to you, you should be present when the best in your business speak. All of these guys are great people too, and willing to make time to chat.
By the way, it extends beyond this session too. Brad Lane, Tom Cuddy, Ann Thomas, and Ken Charles were excellent with Jeff Katz. Mary Sandberg Boyle, Bennett Zier, and Michael Spacciapolli were as well with Tim McCarthy. Julia Ziegler, Ben Mevorach, Michael Lysak, and Jennifer Brown offered smart perspectives with Tim Scheld. Look it up, these are the best brand leaders and executives in news/talk radio. When they speak and are accessible, folks should be taking advantage of making time to connect with them.
The insights and opinions shared by Chris Ruddy and Jeff Warshaw were excellent. Jeff’s acquisition of Alpha Media closed on the morning of the Summit. Chris revealed Newsmax was suing Fox News during our conversation. Scott Jennings was also excellent. He’s making a mark on TV and radio and it was easy to see why. His energy and approach was perfect for kicking off day 1.
Another strong panel featured Sid Rosenberg, Mark Simone, Erick Erickson, and Mike Gallagher. After seeing a tweet earlier in the day of Mike in a hospital, I didn’t expect him to make it. Health comes first. Fortunately, everything turned out ok and those four men showed why they’re difference makers in the format. Similar to what I said earlier about being present when programming leaders speak, if you’re a talent, how are you not in the room when personalities of this caliber are sharing wisdom on how to excel?
This Blew My Mind
Did you know that in 35 years of broadcasting, Curtis Sliwa had never won a radio award? How is that possible? Given what Curtis has done for talk radio in the big apple, that is a travesty. Our business has to do a better job celebrating people who make an on-air impact. If you were fortunate to be in the room for the Premiere Networks Awards ceremony, you heard how much radio means to him. Celebrating the legends of our industry is an absolute must.
It extends off the air too. Did you know that despite spending over three decades in radio, and investing millions of dollars on advertising on behalf of his clients, Gary Sarner had never been asked to speak on a panel? That both surprised and disappointed me. Radio needs to make it a priority to feature people who are passionate about it and advocating for it. If you were in the room for our advertising panel, you left smarter because of Gary’s knowledge, candor, and passion.
Premiere Networks Awards Ceremony
I’m looking forward to sharing the awards videos with everyone soon. Travis Williams did an excellent job on them. JJ Surma, Jim Cutler, Dawn Cutler, and Garrett Searight did an outstanding job on the voiceovers too.
To hear the emotion and love for talk radio from Curtis Sliwa was a real treat. Curtis is running for mayor of NYC and despite a busy schedule, still made time to attend. That’s because he loves talk radio and having his work recognized mattered to him.
I loved Julia Ziegler and Julie Talbott’s speeches too as they hit on important points. Julia challenged professionals to embrace being larger than radio. She explained how multiplatform distribution has made brands larger than ever. Talbott talked about her success in business, and how it requires a great team to make it possible.
The ceremony closed with a great address from Red Apple Media and 77WABC owner and CEO John Catsimatidis. John pledged to continue to fight for the AM radio band and against big tech to preserve the industry’s future. He encouraged everyone to use their voice and their platforms to alert the public and create more urgency.
A Shout Out to Fred Jacobs
At the end of the Summit, I closed with a few remarks on Fred Jacobs. If you weren’t there, this is for you too.
Few people have given more or done more for the radio industry than Fred Jacobs. When I launched Barrett Media and entered the consulting space, Fred didn’t treat me as a threat. He extended a hand and offered advice. We’ve connected many times over the years at industry events, and I’ve had him speak twice at our summit’s. We’ve featured him on this website many times, and I consider him an important voice for the radio industry.
Fred shared recently that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. As I said last Thursday, an email or text showing your support goes a long way. Fred’s done a lot of good for everyone else, the least we can do is take a minute to let him know we’re thinking of him and rooting for him.
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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.
