Jim Ryan

92 POSTS
Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM.  His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media's Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.

Music Radio Doesn’t Need Better Research — It Needs More Courage

Visionaries took chances on Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, WFAN, and Charlamagne tha God. If those leaders had played it safe, radio’s AQH would be significantly lower today.

From Casey Kasem to PPM: Why Teasing Still Works and Matters for Music Radio

This is most critical during morning shows, when listeners are distracted by their routines.

Music Radio Needs More QBs Like Josh Allen Who Credit the Team

Traditional media needs to excel now more than ever, and we need great leaders to take us into the future. We need to encourage and inspire those on the way up.

Revisiting the Z100 Formula That Changed Radio

Scott Shannon always said, “The greatest radio stations are created on a typewriter.” Sadly, that’s an area where many stations miss the mark these days.

What Jerry Cesak Taught Us About Going Big in Radio

If you want people to think about your station or your show, you need to do big things that people will talk about.

Breaking

Barstool Sports Is Mainstream Media, Whether Dave Portnoy Likes It or Not

"The establishment has changed. When one of the largest and most influential voices in sports reaches millions where modern audiences actually consume content, it isn't operating outside the mainstream anymore."

CNN’s Independence Day Coverage Shows Network’s Live Event Strength

Live event programming is a different animal, and CNN has quietly become one of the best in the business at it.

Joon Lee Reveals How He’s Turned an ESPN Layoff Into a Thriving YouTube Career

"For me, this was a time in my life to try and take a big swing and might as well go for it. Because I don’t have any kids that are dependent on me. It felt like the right time to take a risk."

Music Radio Isn’t Done With the Taylor Swift Wedding

"There are angles everywhere. Pick one per day and build around it."