Today is an important and exciting day for Barrett Media. We are about to take one of the biggest swings in the history of our brand during one of the biggest weeks of the calendar year, Super Bowl week.
What we are aiming to do isn’t just about sports radio. It’s about the entire radio and podcast industry. This has been a goal of mine for the past decade. The only way to create memorable moments and find out what you’re capable of is to create a vision, take a risk, and prepare to do the best job you can.
And that’s exactly what we are going to do.
The Gold Standard in Industry Recognition
Since 2016, Barrett Media has annually recognized the best in radio. We highlight the industry’s best brands, talent, programmers, and shows across Major Markets, Mid Sized Markets, and the national circuit. What started with a focus on sports radio expanded to news/talk and music. It then extended into advertising last week.
Thanks to the support, trust and involvement from executives, programmers, and influential business leaders, we’ve been able to showcase how the industry views its best. But as awesome as the series has been online, I’ve always felt it deserved a larger stage.
So on Thursday, February 11th, it will receive one. We are going to host our first-ever, Top 20 in Radio Awards Show.
It’s Going Down in Hollywood
The event will take place at the Harmony Gold Preview House on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. It will run from 3p-6p PT and be free of charge. This means you don’t have to worry about missing dinner or any late night parties. You must be on our guest list to gain entry. This will be a hot ticket. 334 seats are available in the theater. I expect each one to be filled.
A few sponsorship opportunities are available for companies looking to make a statement during the biggest week in media. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to Stephanie Eads at Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com. All sponsorships are first-come, first-served.
The Top 20 in Radio Awards Show will be three hours in length. It will consist of one-hour of sports radio/podcasts, one-hour of news/talk radio/podcasts, and one-hour of music radio. 40+ awards in total will be presented during the three-hour ceremony. A number of notable personalities, executives and business leaders will be involved as category presenters.
A Decade of Influence
Barrett Media’s Top 20 series has been the largest traffic driver on this website for 10 years running. It generates massive amounts of social sharing, and earned media via articles and over the air television, radio and podcast discussions. It is also featured by brands in sales packages and a part of business conversations inside many operations. When talent, brands, and programming leaders earn top placement in this series, it reinforces how strong they are viewed by those who know the business.
If you enjoy following the series online, don’t worry, that is not going away. We will roll out the results online in January as we normally do. However, we will start with spots #5-#20 and save the big reveals for #1-#4 for the awards show. Once the show is complete, the Top 20 articles and social sharing for the top 4 will be updated.
Still to Come
We have a lot happening in 2027. This is a massive undertaking for our team and a big day/night for the best across the audio business. Categories, nominations, and vote collecting will begin in December. This year, the votes cast by decision makers carry even more weight because the winners get celebrated in front of the entire industry in Hollywood.
I’ll have more details to share leading up to the event including naming a special guest host for the event. We will also announce our dates and location for the 2027 Barrett Media Summit in a few weeks, relaunch The Jason Barrett Podcast, and reveal changes to our newsletters for 2027.
But we have time before tackling those items. For now, check out the video above and put the date, Thursday, February 11, 2027 on your schedule. We plan to turn this into an annual celebration, showcasing the business the way it deserves to be highlighted.
As the hook says in the video, ‘It’s going down in Hollywood‘. I look forward to seeing you there!
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.
