Much has been written and said about Audacy in recent years. What started with optimism following the CBS Radio acquisition turned to skepticism and strained relationships. That happens when revenue targets are missed, stock prices tumble, and management shuffles occur. Once confidence and trust are lost and poor results follow, change is inevitable.
The company started that process in February when David Field resigned. Kelli Turner was named the new CEO and tasked with leading the company forward. Most inside the radio business weren’t familiar with Kelli so questions arose about her interest in the business, how she’d lead, who she’d surround herself with, etc.. Some of those answers were provided when she elevated Chris Oliviero and retained many of Audacy’s best people. That was a good start.
It’s been less than a year so it’s far too early to say if the path forward is right or not, but I’m a believer in giving people a fair shot. Over the past couple of months I’ve seen positive signs. Audacy knows it has to rebuild relationships, trust, and enthusiasm, and they’re trying to do that. Kelli has made market visits to connect with staff and hear their challenges. The company’s top leaders also attended the Barrett Bash last month, and have been more accessible for conversations with other outlets. Those are good early steps.
Let me share a quick story that relates to this. When I built and programmed 101 ESPN in St. Louis, Steve Spagnuolo was named Head Coach of the St. Louis Rams. The team won 5 games combined the prior two seasons and needed a new vision and energy. Spags lacked head coaching experience but was easy to root for. Prior to his first season, media members were invited to his house for an off the record hang out. There were no tape recorders or secrets shared, just two sides connecting to get to know each other. It was a cool gesture, and the only time I’d ever seen a head coach do that in my media career.
Spags knew it was important to have a relationship with the media to earn trust from fans and partners. His wife Maria made food for the crew, beverages were supplied, and good conversations were had. Few left his home that day wanting to see him fail. Most in fact, hoped he would succeed.
Unfortunately, the franchise wasn’t good on the field. The Rams went 10-38 in three seasons under his watch, which led to his exit after the 2011 season. He has since won numerous championships as the Chiefs defensive coordinator, and after each Super Bowl win, I’ll shoot him a text to offer my congrats. He always responds back in a classy manner.
People like Spags remind us that the right attitude combined with the right pieces makes a winning combination. They understand the job you have to do and realize that the results dictate how they are covered. Equally important, they know it’s smart to have good communication with the press. Media folks will give you the benefit of the doubt if you’re good to deal with. But they can’t shield you from poor results and bad decisions. Journalists, hosts, and reporters have to report the facts or they lose the audience and industry’s trust.
Last week, Stephanie Eads and I were invited to New York City to attend Audacy’s Fall Mixer. I hadn’t been invited by the company to anything like that during the past decade. Similar to the Spags encounter, this was about relationship building. New CEO Kelli Turner, Chris Oliviero, Jeff Sottolano, Jenny Nelson, Rick Rosenthal, and Ray Borelli were some of the company’s management team in attendance. Boomer Esiason and Tiki Barber represented the on-air talent, and a few board members were present too.
This was the first time I had a chance to interact directly with Boomer. Great guy. We’ve covered him on this site for years so it was cool talking shop for a few. I’m expecting to hear more Gio-Adam Schein impressions on the WFAN morning show in the near future.
Jeff and Chris have been good to me for years and have always been bullish on the business. Catching up with them for a few and reconnecting with Jenny and Tiki was great as well. I especially enjoyed spending time with Ray, chatting with Kelli, and hearing some of the feedback about our brand from a few folks I hadn’t met.
During the event, Kelli gave a quick speech about radio’s importance and effectiveness. A well produced video followed that reinforced Audacy’s position. What I appreciated most was that people in the room were excited about the company. It wasn’t a case of everyone following orders to showcase positivity to media folks, it was genuine. That matters. As we drove home, I told Stephanie ‘that was different, and a great sign’. The energy was high, and some of the past tensions were gone.
This was a smart move by Audacy’s leadership team. The company has a lot of powerful brands, and elite talent, executives, programmers, and sales leaders nationwide. Experience and ability have never been the company’s issue, it was always about likeability, trust, and relationships. If the company’s top people are accessible, easy to root for, and able to deliver results, advertisers will invest and media outlets will champion their progress, ourselves included.
In the past year, Audacy has done deals with Good Karma Brands and Jomboy Media in New York and iHeartMedia on a national scale. That’s a sign that they’re willing to work with others to find new ways forward. As Chris Oliviero told John Mamola earlier this week, “we’re going to be aggressive and opportunistic. We’re going to throw the old hangups out the door in terms of, ‘oh, this is competition, we can’t do a deal with that person. Why can’t we’?”
Growing a business is easier when relationships are strong and collaboration is encouraged. For Audacy to thrive in 2026 and beyond, it needs its brands to perform, people internally to trust, and PR and advertising perceptions to improve. It’s still early but they’re moving in the right direction.
By the way, this isn’t all on upper management. Market managers and program directors have to do their part on the local level too. Better results are needed, and progress has to be communicated. I know people in the company who like to stay in the background and let their work do the talking. That sounds great but it doesn’t change advertising or listening habits. You’re not just in charge of sales, content, and budgets, you’re also responsible for creating enthusiasm around your brands, talent, and programming. Advertisers and listeners are impressionable. If you tell them you have a winner, and back it up with wins, support will follow.
Given our platform and reach, many expect us to cover Audacy. Everywhere I go someone mentions my David Field column. I stand by what I wrote in that piece but I didn’t enjoy writing it. The company had a dark cloud hanging over its head and change was desperately needed.
Media professionals expect us to be fair and tackle tough issues involving all media groups. I’ve shown that we’ll do that even if it ruffles feathers. One day when this all comes to an end, I want to be able to look myself in the mirror and say ‘I was honest, fair, informed, and made the business better.’ I’ll bite when it’s necessary but at my core, I love the media industry. I’d rather see people succeed than fail. I try to write columns that make people think. Sometimes I highlight success, other times I use a missed opportunity as a teachable moment. People are welcome to agree or disagree. I try to avoid getting personal unless someone makes it personal.
I recognize that a few hours spent at a private event doesn’t guarantee anything moving forward for Audacy, but I’m encouraged by the early signs. Kelli Turner’s fresh perspective and positive energy is needed. She’s surrounded herself with first-class operators, and that restores internal confidence. Speaking to many inside the company over the past few months, there’s a new sense of optimism. As I said before and maintain now, the radio industry is better with a stronger Audacy.
If the company produces what Steve Spagnuolo did during his three years leading the Rams, support won’t change because the results won’t justify it. But if the company can improve relationships, maintain internal enthusiasm and deliver results to excite the ad community, that’ll be exciting. It’ll certainly be more fun to write about. Either way though, we’ll be here to monitor their progress.
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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.
Great column. As someone who worked for CBS, then the dark days of David, and now views the positive changes from the outside, I’m so encouraged about the future of radio. While most publications only mention the negative, happy to see you share your positive feelings.