WFAN in New York officially signed on the air at 3pm on July 1, 1987. Over nearly four decades, FAN has shaped the sports conversation in New York City, featuring many of the format’s top voices. Its consistent track record of ratings and revenue success, has made it a sports radio institution, and one of the radio industry’s best brands, regardless of format.
On July 1, 2026, WFAN will celebrate 39 years of excellence. That date also happens to be when Barrett Media’s Sports Summit is held in New York City. Sometimes, the stars just align.
WFAN Takes Center Stage
Knowing we’d be in the big apple on the date the sports format was born on WFAN’s airwaves, I wanted to do something big with the brand. Jeff Smulyan, Chris Oliviero, Mark Chernoff, and Eric Spitz are involved in the awards ceremony, which is awesome, but the station that inspired me to enter the business in the early 90’s deserved a larger spotlight on the date of its anniversary. Thanks to support from Chris Oliviero and the Audacy team, we’re making that happen.
It’s my pleasure to welcome Boomer Esiason, Gregg Giannotti, and Craig Carton to the 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit on July 1st.
All three of these men have been critically important to WFAN’s success. They’ve also had their careers intersect in many ways over the past ten years. Gregg and Craig spoke at the Summit years ago and were fantastic. This will be Boomer’s first appearance. I’m looking forward to sitting down with them for a candid conversation on content, business, and the twists and turns that come from operating under the bright lights in New York City. It’s scheduled to be our final session before lunch on Wednesday July 1st.
Though they all work for WFAN, their paths don’t cross on-air every day. It’s also different discussing your craft and industry than pontificating on the world of sports. But if you’ve followed Boomer, Craig and Gregg, you’re aware of their knowledge and passion for the media business. You don’t create the impact they have without skill, confidence, business sense, and knowing when to adjust. We’ll have some fun and make the most of our forty minutes together.
Whether you’re a veteran or aspiring talent, programmer, agent, executive or advertising professional, you’ll want to be in the room for this session. Not only will it be informative but given Boomer, Gregg, and Craig’s personalities and relationships, it’ll be entertaining too.
Join Us For the Summit
To join us at the 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit, visit the Summit section to secure your seat. If you’re flying into NYC for the show, scroll past the speakers for details on hotel room reservations. For sponsorship inquiries, email Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com.
Speaking of sponsors, I want to welcome back ESPN Radio as our official partner of the Sports Summit After Party. We’ve had the privilege of partnering with ESPN to celebrate the industry each year since 2019. My thanks to Tina Thornton, Megan Judge, and Jimmy Pitaro for their support.
I’d also like to welcome Capital Sports Audio as a conference partner. Twenty five companies are now a part of this year’s show. We appreciate every single one of them helping us bring this event to life.
We look forward to seeing you in New York in 42 days!
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.
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.
