One of the great parts of each Barrett Media Audio Summit is the Premiere Networks awards ceremony. In partnership with our friends at Premiere, we’ve celebrated many of the true heavyweights in our industry. From talent to programmers to executives and legends, the best of the best are recognized for their various contributions to the business.
Today, we kick off announcement season for our awards ceremony with the reveal of the 2026 Jeff Smulyan Award recipient. Additional award winners will be announced in the weeks and months ahead. The Premiere Networks Awards ceremony will close out all three days of our upcoming Summit. The event takes place on Tuesday June 30th, Wednesday July 1st, and Thursday, July 2nd at the SVA Theatre. For tickets, click here.
Our first award, The Jeff Smulyan Award, was introduced in 2019 at our first live Sports Summit in Los Angeles. It is named after the inventor of the sports format, Emmis Communications CEO and Chairman, Jeff Smulyan. The award goes annually to an executive who takes risks, produces results, and champions sports radio’s growth. Jeff Smulyan joins us each year to present the award. Past winners include Kraig Kitchin, Dan Mason, Traug Keller, Julie Talbott, Steve Cohen, and Bruce Gilbert.
It is my pleasure to announce our 2026 recipient of the Jeff Smulyan Award, Audacy Chief Business Officer, Chris Oliviero.
An Accomplished and Respected Executive
Chris Oliviero currently leads operations across Audacy’s entire portfolio. He has served as New York Market President since 2022. Before that, he held the title of Senior Vice President and Market Manager starting in 2020.
Previously, Oliviero served as Executive Vice President of Programming at Entercom. There, he led content strategy for the company’s news, sports, and talk brands. He also played a key role in Entercom’s 2017 merger with CBS Radio.
Prior to the merger, Oliviero spent 22 years at CBS Radio. As Executive Vice President of Programming, he oversaw 117 stations across 26 markets. Those stations spanned both music and talk formats.
Beyond his professional roles, Oliviero remains active in the broader industry. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of Radio for the New York State Broadcasters Association. He is also an original member of the Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment Advisory Board at Barclays Center. Additionally, he serves on the nominating committee of the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago.
His accomplishments speak for themselves. But his passion for sports talk radio sets him apart from the rest. Chris has played a pivotal role at CBS Radio, Entercom, and Audacy. Each group has enjoyed consistent success in the sports format, earning industry recognition as best-in-class operators. Under his leadership, WFAN has remained one of radio’s most important and successful brands. Furthermore, Audacy’s sports radio presence in Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta tells its own story. Oliviero is widely regarded as one of sports radio’s most committed and influential advocates.
In Their Own Words
“I am thrilled that Chris has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Jeff Smulyan Award,” shared Jeff Smulyan. “Chris is not only a great leader of Audacy’s industry leading sports programming, but he is also a skilled operator with a first-class leadership style that carries over to all of the operations he oversees. I look forward to shaking his hand on stage in New York this summer.”
“To be in the sports media business and honored with an award bearing Jeff Smulyan’s name is truly a meaningful moment,” added Chris Oliviero. “Our industry owes a debt of gratitude to Jeff’s vision as I and many others have reaped its benefits for decades now. My appreciation to Barrett Media and Jeff for this recognition. I can’t wait to share the room with so many friends and colleagues on July 1st in New York City.”
The Premiere Networks Awards ceremony will feature three individual awards at each day’s show. The Gold Standard in Programming, Business, and Content is featured at the News Summit on 6/30. Our Sports Summit on 7/1 features the Jeff Smulyan Award, the Mark Chernoff Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. And our Music conference will have three new honors revealed in the near future.
We hope to see you in the big apple this summer!
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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.
