The Toast to 10 series, presented by Premiere Networks, is a month-long look back at 10 years of Barrett Media. Throughout the month, you’ll hear from those who have shaped the company, managed and created content, read the site, and partnered with the brand between 2015 and 2025, sharing how they’ve seen it play a role in covering the media industry and educating, celebrating, and challenging the business.
For the past month, Barrett Media has celebrated its 10th anniversary of serving the media industry. We’ve shared stories from current and former members of the Barrett Media team, along with insights from our amazing partners, talent in television and radio, and tech and research professionals on how vital Barrett Media is to the industry.
From sales and advertising managers. To a look back at the highlights and what’s to come from Jason Barrett himself. A Toast to 10 has been a complete journey. Reaching every section of the media industry as we celebrate our story.
Today, we wrap up our Toast to 10 by speaking with several sports media executives from around the country. Sports media has been the foundation that helped launch Barrett Media just a decade ago. Led initially by coverage of the sports radio industry, Barrett Media later expanded to cover the sports television world. For much of its history, our writers have covered every angle of what makes the world of sports media click. Hundreds of profiles have been featured by Barrett Media, from the biggest stars on screen to the important dignitaries off camera. From rising stars behind the mic to the leaders guiding the path into tomorrow.
Today, we share the reflections of ten years of Barrett Media from the minds of top sports executives in sports media.
Rick Cordella | NBC Sports
Rick Cordella is the president of NBC Sports. Assuming the role in 2023, Cordella oversees all aspects of NBC Sports’ collection of brands. From the Olympics to the NFL, Cordella is a major key to the success of what makes NBC Sports and Peacock the destinations for sports content they are.
Cordella began following Barrett Media just a few years ago. He subscribes to the two daily newsletters that our brand provides, which share the news of the day along with the perspective and opinions of our Barrett Media columnists.
“It’s a great source of news and opinion,” said Cordella. “The credibility of the Barrett team continues to increase.”
Cordella has been part of NBCUniversal for nearly two decades, serving in a variety of leadership roles. A nine-time Sports Emmy award winner. Cordella is always on the hunt for fresh and unique information to help his team at NBC. Barrett Media is a daily stop for the NBC executive.
“There have been many times over the years when the newsletter has given me new or additional information. As well as some thought-provoking ideas to carry forward for our NBC Sports businesses,” explained Cordella. “It’s on my list of must-read publications covering our industry.”
With his busy schedule, Cordella has yet to attend one of the Barrett Media summits. However, he looks forward to attending if there’s a day when his schedule becomes free.
Courtney Hirsch | Jomboy Media
Courtney Hirsch is the CEO of Jomboy Media, a leading creator-led sports media company with a focus on baseball. The company is home to a number of highly consumed podcasts, the viral Breakdowns video series, and the adaptive creator-led Warehouse Games, bringing indoor competition to life on digital platforms.
Since joining the company in 2020, Jomboy Media has seen record-breaking growth in revenue and profitability. The digital creator-led company signed a partnership with Major League Baseball. The first time a pro league has partnered with a creator-led company in its history. They also established distribution partnerships with iHeartMedia and Audacy’s WFAN, announced just two weeks ago.
Hirsch values the independent voice that Barrett Media provides in covering the expanding world of creator content online.
“Barrett Media is valuable because it champions creators who are changing the game in sports media,” said Hirsch. “Their independent voice keeps us plugged into fresh ideas and bold innovations.”
Over the past decade, Barrett Media has experienced many changes. Not only in writers and columnists, but also in reach to other platforms, formats, and sections of the media industry. Hirsch believes the continued expansion of Barrett Media is a shining example of what makes the brand truly unique.
“Our respect for Barrett Media has only grown as they’ve consistently elevated new companies and unique ideas,” noted Hirsch. “They’ve become a trusted, independent platform that really gets where the industry is headed.”
Hirsch has been both an attendee and a guest speaker at the annual Barrett Sports Media Summits and has been featured in our Meet The Podcasters series earlier this year.
Looking ahead to the next decade of coverage. Hirsch said she hopes the brand continues to evolve as the industry does.
“We hope Barrett Media keeps shining a light on the next wave of creators and innovations that move sports media forward,” explained Hirsch. “Their growth means even more energy and momentum for the industry’s future.”
Dave Roberts | ESPN
Dave Roberts is the executive vice president and executive editor of sports news and entertainment for ESPN. For over two decades, Roberts has been a man who wears many hats in the business both in previous roles and his current one. He’s managed much of ESPN’s content from sports to news coverage, investigative and enterprise journalism, research, and digital editorial on all editions of SportsCenter.
Roberts also oversees some of ESPN’s largest show productions, including First Take, Get Up, Pardon the Interruption, ESPN Bet and fantasy programs, ESPN Audio, ESPN podcast content, and all ESPN digital shows. As you can tell from his oversight, Roberts wears many hats and his time is extremely limited.
What he does make time for daily is the coverage that Barrett Media provides. Roberts has been an avid reader since Barrett Media began ten years ago.
“It’s one of the first things that I do each and every day because it’s informative and insightful,” said Roberts. “You walk away learning something new about the business. It’s a very productive use of the time to help prepare for the day.”
Roberts believes it’s always good to know what’s new in the industry while learning who is doing unique things in the business. Any little bit of information helps as the number of platforms distributing content continues to grow each day.
One aspect that Roberts truly enjoys is the consistent production of thought-provoking ideas that both celebrate the business and challenge the industry.
“Barrett Media does an excellent job of highlighting new and innovative ideas that can be applied in everyday walks of our business,” said Roberts. “If you have a hunger for learning and recognizing that no one has a monopoly on good ideas, what you do at Barrett Media is beneficial to anyone in this business who’s interested in learning and applying what they learned to their own roles.”
Roberts has attended the Barrett Sports Media Summit on multiple occasions, both as a speaker and attendee. He always feels he comes away with something valuable from the discussions.
“The key takeaway for me is that there are so many interesting people in our business, people willing to share and exchange ideas, and to be candid about the challenges we face,” said Roberts. “Those were all takeaways I got from attending the previous summits.”
The ESPN executive makes sure to check the daily opinion pieces provided by the Barrett Media team. Roberts notes that the opinions are topical and fact-based, something he truly values.
“It’s a good compilation of information that continues to become even more sophisticated each day,” said Roberts. “It’s a very impressive evolution of coverage in the media.”
Looking ahead, Roberts hopes Barrett Media continues to evolve with the industry.
“I expect and hope that Barrett Media continues to focus on the changing landscape of our business, doing so in a way where you can learn and stay ahead of the curve,” noted Roberts. “The commitment Barrett Media has to staying on top of constant changes in our industry is impressive.”
Bron Heussenstamm | BLEAV
Bron Heussenstamm is the founder and CEO of Bleav, a premium audio and video network producing, distributing, and selling a diverse range of sports and lifestyle content. With more than 500 shows and 800 hosts, including over 100 professional athletes, Bleav produces more than 1,000 hours of original content per month.
Since 2020, Heussenstamm has followed the Barrett Media brand. Drawn in by its focused coverage of the sports media industry, he feels he’s not missing a thing and stays consistently up to date with the latest happenings.
“The written content is particularly valuable for my teams at Bleav,” said Heussenstamm. “The articles provide industry-specific insights, highlighting what’s working, what’s not, and trends.”
Heussenstamm cited a specific example where a Barrett Media article guided internal discussions with his teams.
“I shared ‘How to Sell Local Podcasts’ in 2021 with one of our hosts to reinforce best practices for monetizing podcast content,” said Heussenstamm. “The article aligned perfectly with our process, so it was nice to have some industry backup.”
Heussenstamm enjoys Barrett Media content that details what’s working in the media industry. His team is constantly on the hunt for any information that can give them an edge.
“This practical, results-oriented approach allows us to benchmark our strategies against industry standards and anticipate shifts,” noted Heussenstamm. “Barrett Media’s ability to distill complex industry dynamics into easy-to-read articles is great.”
Heussenstamm attended his first Barrett Sports Media Summit in May in Chicago, where he enjoyed being a panelist.
“It stands as the leading authority in this space,” explained Heussenstamm. “The fact that I’m unsure of another publication that rivals Barrett is a good sign for Barrett Media.”
Since following the brand in 2020, Heussenstamm has noticed the robust changes Barrett Media has made in its coverage.
“Since I began following Barrett Media in 2020, my view of the publication has only grown more positive,” explained Heussenstamm. “The brand has consistently improved its content and expanded its scope to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the sports media industry. They could have stayed focused on radio and TV but were leaders in podcasting overviews as well.”
Always busy with his business, Heussenstamm offered one suggestion for Barrett Media moving forward:
“More articles on Bleav,” noted Heussenstamm.
David Locke | Locked On Podcast Network
David Locke is CEO of the Locked On Podcast Network while also serving as the radio voice for the NBA’s Utah Jazz. A former sports radio program director, Locke has followed Barrett Media from the very beginning.
“It feels like it has been a staple forever,” said Locke. “Was there life before Barrett Media Online? Seriously! I can’t remember not reading and following.”
The Locked On Podcast Network is an industry-leading sports podcast network featuring more than 275 programs, delivering over 40 million listens and views per month. The network covers every league and nearly every team.
Locke established the network in 2016 with a single podcast covering the Utah Jazz. Since then, Locked On continued to grow and was acquired by TEGNA in 2021, reinforcing the network’s growth as a leader in the space.
What drew Locke to Barrett Media was its up-to-date coverage of where the industry is heading and who the people to know are.
“It’s the insider knowledge of the industry from people who knew the industry, who had done the work, lived the life, and understood the struggles,” said Locke.
Locke is a multiple-time attendee of the Barrett Sports Media Summits, both as a speaker and attendee. The reason he continues to support and consume Barrett Media content is simple: no one else does what Barrett Media does.
“There isn’t anyone better at covering local sports media,” said Locke. “Some places cover the big picture and massive deals, but no one else is ingrained in the fabric of sports radio and media like Barrett Media.”
As Barrett Media continues into its next decade of coverage, Locke looks forward to seeing the brand expand digitally and beyond sports.
“Clearly, there is an effort to expand the brand digitally and beyond sports, which is great and admirable,” said Locke. “I need the sports. They haven’t dropped the ball there at all. Local sports is the forgotten space, and I will be coming to Barrett Media to keep an eye on the industry.”
As we wrap up our Toast to 10 series on the first decade of Barrett Media, I’d like to personally thank everyone who contributed. From every walk of life in the media industry, we extend our deepest thanks for sharing your experience with us. At Barrett Media, led by Jason Barrett, we will continue striving to provide the coverage you expect while exploring new ideas to expand our horizons—touching more people to celebrate, educate, and challenge for a better tomorrow.
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.