In mid-April, I exchanged texts and emails with 15-20 radio executives whose opinions I respect and trust. I asked them to share their Top 5 of music radio’s greatest and most important programming leaders from the past 3-4 decades. They did not know why I asked, though I’m sure some suspected it was for the Barrett Media Audio Summit.
The feedback I received was excellent. Many of the answers included detailed feedback of why 4-5 people really stood out. As I looked through the responses, I kept seeing one name appear – Mike McVay.
Mike and I have known each other a long time. We’ve become good friends over the past decade. He’s a frequent speaker at our Summits and always advances conversations and makes the room smarter. Most know him as the most connected person in the room or the sharp dressed guy with the pocket square.
As I was making this decision, I wanted to make sure my personal affinity for Mike wasn’t the deciding factor. I re-read every piece of feedback I received by email and text to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. Many notes stood out, but I especially liked one message in particular. It shared why Mike’s influence and impact set him apart. It referenced his rise up the industry ladder early on, followed by a shift to running an independent consultancy, and then to operating as a corporate executive. That range of experience has allowed Mike’s reach and scale to extend further than most.
If you look around, you’ll see Mike’s fingerprints on thousands of radio stations and individual radio and music careers. His work has earned him a spot in the National Radio Hall of Fame. He was also recognized with the 2025 NAB National Radio Award. Now today, I am thrilled to announce the introduction of ‘The Mike McVay Award‘, an annual honor that will be presented to a rising music radio program director at our annual music summit. Nominations for this award will come from executives across 10+ radio companies. Mike and I will then review the feedback and make the choice.
I called Mike on Friday to share the news. We spent 15-minutes talking shop before I finally got to the point haha. He is a man of integrity and humility, whose knowledge and relationships have helped many improve and grow their businesses. He has dedicated his life to the radio industry, and remains actively involved in it. I am excited to have him with us in NYC for this special occasion.
After processing the information from our call, Mike shared a quote to summarize what the honor means to him. He said, “The acknowledgment of an up and coming Program Director, a rising star, unto itself is noteworthy. Recognizing those on the rise who practice the craft of content creation and programming by presenting them with an award that bears my name is truly amazing. I am forever grateful and look forward to the ceremony in New York.”
Mike McVay’s broadcasting career started on-air before transitioning into programming and management. He worked his way up from stations in Moundsville, Wheeling, and Charleston, West Virginia to positions in Mobile, Louisville, Los Angeles, and Cleveland. In 1984 he founded McVay Media, a consulting company that has advised hundreds of radio stations, music artists, and music labels. The company is still producing excellent results more than 40 years later.
His career has included working with some of the most recognized names in broadcasting and entertainment including Stephen A. Smith, Soledad O’Brien, Reba McEntire, Hall & Oates, Robin Meade, John Tesh, and Delilah. Alongside Delilah Renee, Mike co-created the nationally syndicated radio show Delilah. He was also instrumental in the launch of The John Tesh Show as a daily syndicated program.
Additionally, Mike served as EVP of Content and Programming for Cumulus Media and Westwood One for 8 years. He is a member of the board of directors for Country Radio Broadcasters, the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Women in Media foundation, the Co-Chair for the Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracies Awards and serves on the Board of Directors for the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation. He is also a voting member of both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
The Mike McVay Award will be presented on Thursday July 2nd during the Premiere Networks Awards ceremony at the 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit in New York City . To see the full schedule and join us at the show, visit the Summit section at the top of BarrettMedia.com.
Speaking of Top 5’s
Building the Summit has my undivided attention but I wanted to weigh in on five items this week.
- We cover news media here, which means we discuss people and brands in the space. I personally don’t care if someone leans left or right. If they work in the news media business, we cover them. Period. The Scott Pelley–CBS saga is a huge topic of conversation, amplified further by yesterday’s New York Times article. I understand the criticism of Bari Weiss’ television credentials, and also why CBS hired her to shake things up. Regardless of who you side with, a broadcaster can’t trash a new manager in front of an entire staff, and accuse the lead executive of trying to murder the operation and expect to stay employed. Scott Pelley may be an exceptional journalist, but he’s not bigger than the brand. He’s also not David Ellison, the final decision maker. Scott used bad judgment in this situation. He will be just fine though professionally.
- Congratulations to Anthony Verano and the staff at 101.5 WPDH. The Hudson Valley Classic Rock station celebrated its 50th anniversary by inviting back former DJ’s and staffers for alumni weekend. I listened to some of it and thought it was a cool trip down memory lane. Hearing Bob Wolf, Rockin’ Steve, Greg O’Brien, Freddie Coleman and others was a nice touch. I spent less than two years at the station earlier in my career working with Marc Cooper and Mikey Colvin. They are a huge part of the station’s history. Both passed away years ago. Coop’s wife Nona and son Thomas did make an appearance as did Mikey’s brother Steve, which was great.
- I’ve loved the band Shinedown for 20+ years. Their new album EI8HT is highly recommended. Safe and Sound and Three Six Five were immediate favorites when I heard them prior to the record’s release, but Burning Down the Disco is catchy as hell too. Outstanding work by Brent, Zach, Eric and Barry. I’m looking forward to catching the band live on Saturday, July 18th in Albany, NY.
- A tip of the cap to Rich Eisen for the “This Was SportsCenter” series. It is fantastic. If you grew up on SC like I did, check it out. The opening episode with Dan Patrick was excellent and shared things you likely didn’t know especially DP’s friction with Stuart Scott.
- Josh Hart of the New York Knicks probably pissed off upper management, but his remarks were spot on. Ticket prices for the NBA Finals are out of hand. Most fans are not paying $11,000 for the worst seat or $60,000 for the best seat to one game, no matter how exciting it is. I’ve loved the Knicks for more than four decades. I want to see them win a title but my mortgage and son’s college loan matter more than attending a basketball game. The out of control pricing is embarrassing for the NBA, though I doubt they will see it that way.
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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.
