Approaching The Summit is a series of special interviews created in partnership with Point to Point Marketing featuring speakers at the upcoming 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit in New York City. Follow along with this series as prominent names surrounding the event June 30-July 2 share their insights and expectations for what’s to come in the big apple. The Summit takes place at the SVA Theatre on West 23rd Street. For tickets and hotel room reservations, click here or visit the Summit section at the top of the website.
Mike McVay is a true radio visionary with more than 50 years of experience developing and consulting radio stations across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. He founded McVay Media in 1984, a consulting company that has advised hundreds of radio stations, music artists, and music labels, and later served as Executive Vice President of Content & Programming for Cumulus Media and Westwood One, where he oversaw programming across hundreds of stations and numerous nationally syndicated shows. A 2025 inductee into the National Radio Hall of Fame and recipient of the 2025 NAB National Radio Award. His talent coaching credits include ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Delilah, John Tesh, Soledad O’Brien, Robin Meade, Kix Brooks, Reba McEntire, and many more
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
David Hill: Why are conferences important — and why does do they continue to be important?
Mike McVay: As a speaker, it’s a great opportunity to share my thoughts, experience, and wisdom. But as an attendee, I continue to learn. One of the things I say to young people that I mentor is that they should be a lifelong project and never stop learning. By sitting and really truly paying attention and hearing what other people are doing, I can continue my own personal education.
David Hill: What is the value in connecting with competitors and peers, and where are the best places to find those conversations?
Mike McVay: networking is exceptionally and extremely important, be it at breakfast, lunch, a cocktail afterwards, or dinner. And sometimes I will find someone that I’d like to learn more about and sit beside them during a session, because there’s always conversation back and forth about things that people may have commented from the stage. That gives me a lot of insight.
David Hill: What is your favorite moment from past conferences?
Mike McVay: Barrett Sports Summit a couple of years ago, Stephen A. Smith from ESPN on the stage was amazing — just watching him speak and trying to understand how he thinks was an education in itself. Clay Travis at one of the Barrett News Summits, possibly the first one in Nashville, was really interesting because Clay is a guy who came out of sports, was personally a conservative, and shifted gears to where today he’s the replacement for Rush Limbaugh. And then going way back, seeing Bill Clinton speak at a Radio & Records conference right after he had been president was amazing. Those would be the big three for me.
David Hill: Who is the speaker you most want to hear at this year’s conference?
Mike McVay: Carolla. I saw that and I was like, holy cow, Adam Carolla’s going to be there. He and Jimmy Kimmel could not be further apart in politics, and yet they’re the best of friends. That dynamic alone makes him fascinating to hear from.
David Hill: What is the biggest challenge facing radio right now?
Mike McVay: The high level of competition is really diminishing radio’s average quarter hours. People still only have twenty-four hours in a day, and only so many of those waking hours can be committed to media of some form. In the days when there were six radio stations and three TV stations in a smaller media market, it was easy. But today there’s communications coming from around the world and they’re everywhere. The challenge is how do you create content that breaks through? And then how do you really break through so that people find your content and make a decision whether they will become a regular or an occasional user of that content
Purchase your tickets to the 2026 BSM Summit here, and for more information BarrettMedia.com
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
David Hill serves as a Music Radio Editor, Columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. A radio lifer with more than 30 years behind the mic, in the control room, and in the program director’s chair, David’s career spans influential stops at brands such as WIYY 98 Rock, WBAL-AM, and 99X. He has worked across multiple formats and ownership groups, including iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media, developing talent, breaking music, and navigating every major industry shift from diary to PPM and terrestrial dominance to streaming disruption. When he’s not writing or analyzing the industry, Dave runs The Tune Farm, a marketing firm built to help artists and brands grow audience the same way great radio always has—by creating connection, not just impressions. He can be reached at David@BarrettMedia.com.
