Today’s aircheck is from Chio The Hitman’s on Z100, New York, from 1993.
If you watch carefully, you will see a flashback to the days of grease pencils, razor blades, and reel-to-reel tape.
He creates and seamlessly blends callers and winners without digital editing. All while running his own board.
Notice how he sets up and draws the energy out of his winner, plays the edited piece, and promos forward to the next ticket giveaway.
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Bonneville Denver has announced that Tammy Oakland will be the new midday host for KOSI 101.1, effective immediately.
Oakland joins from Sunny 106.3 in Colorado Springs, where she hosted middays and served as Assistant Program Director. Previously, she was on air with 92.9 The Peak and 102 KCS in Colorado Springs. Tammy’s career at 100.7 The Kat is also in Colorado Springs.
“I am so thrilled to be on air in Denver. I have been fortunate enough to spend my entire radio career in Colorado and it is an honor to join the legendary team of KOSI,” said Oakland.
“Adding talent like Tammy to the already extraordinary team on KOSI will ensure that the brand keeps its spot as Denver’s most listened-to radio station!” said Brian Michel, Program Director.
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Charles Dolan, the billionaire who founded HBO, AMC and Cablevision passed away over the weekend at the age of 98. A family spokesperson gave a statement saying Dolan died “from natural causes, surrounded by his loved ones.”
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved father and patriarch Charles Dolan, the visionary founder of HBO and Cablevision,” the statement said. “He is survived by his six children, 19 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.” The family said Dolan will be “remembered as both a trailblazer in the television industry and a devoted family man, his legacy will live on.”
Dolan founded Sterling Manhattan Cable in New York in 1962. Later, he would create Home Box Office Inc. (HBO) in 1972, followed by Cablevision in 1973. A little over a decade later, Dolan created American Movie Classics (AMC)
According to Newsday, Dolan launched News 12 in 1986, making it the first 24-hour cable channel for local news in the US. Dolan’s companies would go on to have major interest in Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
Forbes reports Dolan and his family have a current net worth of over $5 billion. Dolan’s wife, Helen Ann Dolan, passed away in 2023.
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Urban WBAV holds the top spot despite being off 6.7-6.1
AC WKQC up 5.0-5.7
Radio One’s Urban WOSF jumps nearly a full share 4.8-5.7
#22 Portland
AC KKCW rides Santa’s sleigh 7.4-10.8
AAA KINK up 7.1-7.9
Adult Hits KYCH up 4.8-5.6
#25 San Antonio
Classic Hits KONO retains the top spot 7.6-7.5, with AC KQXT’s Christmas month close behind 4.3-7.0
Country KCYY dropped 6.6-6.0
Hip Hop KBBT grows a share plus 4.4-5.6
#27 Salt Lake City
AC KSFI grabs some Christmas magic 7.5-11.4
Hot AC KJMY 2.7-5.9
Country KUBL grows 5.0-5.7
#28 Sacramento
AC KYMX up 8.6-9.4
Classic Rock KSEG up 6.6-7.0
Top 40 KUDL up 4.0-4.6
#30 Orlando
Classic Hits WOCL stays on top despite a 11.0-9.9 drop
AC WMGF up 7.4-9.6
Tropical WRUM up a half share 6.0-6.5
#31 Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is a rock town.
Adult Hits WRRK up 9.6-10.5
Classic Hits WWSW up 8.8-9.9
Classic Rock WDVE 9.4-9.7
#32 Las Vegas
AC KSNE up a share 8.6-9.6
Classic Hits KKLZ up 7.9-8.5
Urban KXQQ drops 4.7-4.2
#33 Cincinnati
Classic Hits WGRR leads the way 8.6-8.6
Top 40 WKRQ drops 7.5-7.0
Country WUBE is flat at 6.3, following a four-month trend of 9.0-8.3-6.3-6.3
#34 Kansas City
The Cumulus classic rock stronghold continues 1-2.
Classic hits KCMO 11.0-9.8
Classic Rock KCFX 7.9-8.4
Adult Hits KCKC up 3.0-5.4
#35 Cleveland
Classic Hits WMJI makes a huge 10.8-16.3 leap
Classic Rock WNCX flat 8.4-8.3
AC WDOX up 6.7-7.9
#36 Columbus, OH
Country WCOL leads the music stations 7.7-8.1
Classic Hits WODC up a share 7.0-8.1
Classic Rock WLVQ 6.9-6.8
You can dive deeper into each market on Barrett Media’s ratings page. Powered by Harker Bos Group.
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Gray Television has reached agreements with The Walt Disney Company that will extend and renew all of its network affiliations for ABC-affiliated television stations in 25 markets through December 31, 2028. The new deal extends the relationship between both companies, maintaining accessibility of ABC network programming, such as sitcoms, sports and news content, along with local programming from Gray. This agreement covers several marketplaces throughout the United States, some of which include Tampa-St. Petersburg, Sioux Falls, Gainesville and Rapid City.
“We are pleased to announce the further extension of our decades-long relationship with Disney for ABC station affiliations,” Pat LaPlatney, president and co-chief executive officer of Gray Television, said in a statement. “These agreements recognize our ABC affiliates’ commitment to public service and will help them continue to serve their communities.”
Gray Television currently serves 113 television markets that reach an approximate 36% of U.S. television households. The company portfolio includes 77 markets with the top-rated television station and also includes various other media properties, including Gray Digital Media, Raycom Sports and PowerNation Studios. Several presentations of Monday Night Football with play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, analyst Troy Aikman and reporter Lisa Salters have been simulcast on ABC stations throughout the 2024 NFL season.
“Disney/ABC is incredibly proud of our long-established partnership with Gray to serve 25 outstanding communities across the country,” Susi D’Ambra-Coplan, senior vice president of affiliate relations at The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement. “With this new agreement, we couldn’t be more pleased to pair our best-in-class network shows, news and sports with their invaluable local programming for many years to come.”
Roxanne Wilder has announced her exit from Q105 WRBQTampa and the “MJ Morning Show.”
In a Facebook post, Wilder wrote, “I won’t be coming back to Q105 after the holidays. Q105, and the listeners will always hold a special place in my heart. For four years, and during both my pregnancies, I worked with radio legend Mason Dixon. Being a part of the morning show with Mason, Bobby, and Andrew was what I can best describe as good for the soul.”
Wilder is also known for her 14 years with FoxSportsFlorida.com
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Seven Mountains Media has launched new programming at its recently acquired 106.3 WOVO in Bowling Green, KY, following a festive stint broadcasting Christmas music as “North Pole Radio.”
The station now features a “Wheel of Formats” stunt, showcasing diverse blocks of music that include Classic Rock, All-Elvis, Classic Country, Television Themes, and “Hippie Nonsense.”
The station is redirecting WOVO’s previous Hot AC audience to its new sister station, Top 40 107.1 WUHU, while introducing new formats for 106.3 and the Country “Beaver 96.7” WBVR-FM.
The “Beaver” brand will transition to 106.3, while 96.7 will undergo a format change to Classic Country, rebranded as “Bigfoot Country Legends,” which aligns with the company’s branding already in use across Pennsylvania.
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Over the last several decades at ESPN, Scott Van Pelt has been a familiar face to millions of viewers across different editions of SportsCenter and other franchises. Van Pelt started hosting Monday Night Countdown in addition to his late-night SportsCenter responsibilities last season, and he also hosts a podcast through an ESPN deal with Omaha Productions alongside ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin. During the most recent edition of The Varsity podcast, hosted by Puck sports correspondent John Ourand, he described Van Pelt as someone who is on the short list of “needle movers” at ESPN alongside personalities such as Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith.
ESPN licensed 235 episodes per year of McAfee’s eponymous sports talk show in a deal reported to be worth $85 million over a five-year term. On top of that, the network has included McAfee as part of the cast of College GameDay for the last two seasons, recently achieving record regular-season consumption averaging 2.2 million viewers per episode. In the morning timeslot, First Take with featured commentator and executive producer Stephen A. Smith has achieved strong ratings and top finishes. Smith, who also appears on NBA Countdown as an analyst, is reportedly in the midst of negotiations for a new contract at ESPN.
With these developments taking place, Ourand was curious to know what Van Pelt thought about what could be available to him in the landscape as he approaches future negotiations. Ahead of officially joining Monday Night Countdown last year, Van Pelt inked a contract extension that is reportedly for four years and nearly $7 million, as reported by then-New York Post sports columnist Andrew Marchand, who now works for The Athletic.
“The old school media that existed were Dan [Patrick] and Keith [Olbermann], and Stuart [Scott] and Rich Eisen, maybe Stuart and me for a little bit,” Van Pelt said. “The tag team of SportsCenter was kind of the pinnacle. Well, it’s a very different time now, so daytime talk and being the CEO of your brand and parceling it out to however many different bidders.”
Van Pelt surmised that Smith could take an approach similar to the NFL in which he allows his brand to be disseminated across many different networks. The league is currently airing games under deals with The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), Comcast (NBC, Peacock), Paramount Global (CBS, Paramount+), FOX Corporation (FOX), Amazon (Prime Video), Netflix and Alphabet Inc. (YouTube) reportedly worth more than $12 billion per season. If Smith is allowed to do this under a new contract with Disney, Van Pelt averred that he would be interested in asking what it would look like for him.
“I’ve always been pleased with what ESPN has allowed me to do,” Van Pelt said. “Like a decade ago, when they gave me or I earned, however you want to frame it, an opportunity to do SportsCenter in a different way, they’d never done that, right? And so that gave me a chance to explore and try different things, and I think largely it’s worked, and it’s helped create and really further establish my relationship with our audience, so much so that I think we have the ability to do the hardest thing now.”
Referencing Dan Le Batard as an example, Van Pelt emphasized that a number of people in the sports media business have established loyal audiences who will follow them no matter the platform through which they broadcast. Possessing a following of this kind is something Van Pelt discerned as valuable, whether that is to those at ESPN or people outside of the company, and being able to monetize that for both parties.
“I root for Stephen A. the same way I rooted for Pat, the same way I root for everybody in our business, to get the absolute most you can,” Van Pelt said, “and so that’ll be the most interesting thing to me. Not the dollars, because they’ll be staggering, but it’ll be, ‘Where are you doing it and where are you allowed to do it?’”
Van Pelt added that he was allowed to move back to Washington, D.C. after stating that Stephen A. Smith and Mike Greenberg were not working from the ESPN studios in Bristol, but rather at the Seaport District in New York City. ESPN accommodated the request, and he now is able to host SportsCenter from a studio in the area instead of studios in Bristol or Los Angeles.
“I got to go home,” Van Pelt said. “There’s value in that, right? So I’m interested, ‘What is it that the future looks like for the quote-unquote ‘needle movers?,’ and I’m not saying that. If my bosses feel like I am, then that’s great. We’ll have to figure out a way to examine what that means when the time to sit at the table comes, right?”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Devan Kaney is working as the sideline reporter for radio broadcasts of the Philadelphia Eagles on SportsRadio 94WIP for the remainder of the season, officially completing her first game in the role on Sunday. Kaney will work alongside play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese and color commentator Mike Quick as the Eagles prepare to compete for a Super Bowl championship in the NFL Playoffs. The station revealed the news on its pregame show on Sunday, and Kaney shared on social media that she was “excited and grateful for the opportunity to cover the Eagles sideline” ahead of the opening kickoff.
Kaney, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and received her master’s degree in broadcast journalism from American University, joined SportsRadio 94WIP two years ago. Throughout her time with Audacy, she has contributed to the morning drive program with Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie while also working as a betting analyst for the BetQL Network. Kaney was on the air last week co-hosting editions of the morning program alongside Tom Kelly
Kaney also works as a weekend sports anchor for FOX 29 News Philadelphia and an in-arena host for the Philadelphia Flyers. She formerly worked as a sideline reporter for NBC Sports, ESPN and the Philadelphia Wings, along with hosting at SuperBook Sports and Newsy. Moreover, Kaney also hosted the Eagles postgame show for JAKIB Media Sports for two seasons.
Kaney steps into the position previously held by Howard Eskin, who departed the station earlier in the month after being unable to resolve “irreconcilable differences.” Eskin helped launch the station’s sports talk format in 1986 and recently concluded a 38-run with the outlet. In an interview with Barrett Media, he expressed disappointment that he would be unable to finish the Eagles season on the sidelines, but he looks back on his days covering the team fondly and hopes to apply the knowledge elsewhere.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Those of you who know me, work with me, and/or enjoy reading me, this column is for you. It’s a long one, but as we bring the year to a close and get ready for Summit announcements, and a month of Top 20 results, I thought I’d share my picks for the best of 2024 since I don’t vote in our Top 20 series. Lists are fun but very subjective so feel free to praise or pick apart my choices. Complaints or compliments can be emailed to Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
Dave Greene and I will create a video later to discuss the rationale behind the sports media selections. I’ll be doing one for the news media crowd tomorrow too with Garrett Searight. Before we get to my picks though, first a look back, and a look ahead. Be advised, we have some news to share in the look ahead section.
Reflecting on 2024
2024 ends with record website traffic and advertising support, and strong newsletter growth. My thanks to every advertising partner, consulting client, and reader for continuing to support us. Our strategic decision to re-brand to Barrett Media and add music radio coverage in July has gone well, but we have more to do to create a larger impact. We enter 2025 with a few new partnerships, and hope to add more after upcoming conversations.
The 2024 BSM Summit in New York City was a homerun once again. Our 2025 show takes place in Chicago on May 8-9, 2025. Tickets are discounted through the end of December here. The 2024 BNM Summit in Washington D.C. was also a hit. We had better attendance at our sports summit, but that’s expected since we’ve done it longer. The speaker lineups at both shows were outstanding. Our news media summit was held inside the best venue we’ve ever performed in. The only downside were higher expenses. As we prepare for 2025, creating better financial balance for events is important.
A challenging area for us this year was social media. Facebook and X have hurt publishers, often making content available to less than 10% of a brand’s following. Both platforms used to be among our top referral sources for traffic. Today, not so much.
It’s easy to say ‘do more video or audio podcasts‘ but sharing clips from other outlets for likes and shares is not our business strategy. Those also don’t generate revenue for us as well as our written work. We are a niche content brand for a targeted audience, many who create and are bombarded by audio and video daily. If social media platforms tomorrow embraced print and killed video, would TV outlets stop doing video to write? This is the challenge we’re faced with, and determined to figure out.
Thankfully, we perform well in Google Search, and started building direct connections to our audience via newsletters two years ago. Those two combined with direct accessing of our website have helped us stay top of mind as social media problems persist. I still love and believe strongly in social media, but Zuck and Elon don’t love promotion of written content.
On the staffing front, I didn’t like parting with some PT writers, but as we grow, FT help becomes more important. Derek, Jeff, Garrett, and Dave are the glue that hold this brand together along with myself. Fortunately, our team cranks out quality content daily to meet the demands of our readers. We also retained Perry, Demetri, Dr. Ed, Kevin, Ron, Krystina, Bob, John, Charese, and Robby so we still have great depth and experience. The goal for 2025 is to continue raising the bar.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Hiring: My first order of business is hiring a Music Radio Writer/Reporter, Social Media Coordinator, and Site Manager. The music and social media roles are self explanatory, but the site manager role is more complex. That position involves overseeing our sports, news, and music divisions. Unfortunately a recent addition to our team didn’t work out, so we’re looking for a well rounded leader. Those interested in learning more can visit our Jobs section, and send resumes and writing samples to Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
Advertising: Existing partnerships continue, and new ones have been formed, which is exciting. Our brand is read daily by thousands, and is well respected and connected. That’s supported by millions of impressions and clicks, and an affluent and influential audience that consumes us through newsletters, and attends/speaks at our conferences. Industry businesses looking to grow should be working with us. Reach out to Stephanie at Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com and she’ll explain how we can help.
Members: The Members section was built to help broadcasters. In addition to being listed on our website, members get promoted in our newsletters, and save money on Summit tickets. One hiring manager hearing or watching your work or learning about you from our newsletters could change your career. I believe in this section, but not enough industry people take advantage of it. At $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year, it’s cheaper than alternatives. Moving into 2025, we’ll promote it more to news/talk and music radio folks, not just sports media professionals.
Top 20 Series: Next month marks our first time delivering a Top 20 series on News/Talk radio, Sports Radio, and Music Radio. Assembling these lists is a massive challenge, and so too is gathering industry voters. The music radio process alone is harder than anything I’ve done previously. I’m considering shaking up our voting process next year. I enjoy including radio industry decision makers, but not everyone has the same extensive knowledge of all markets and shows. Making our voting committee stronger is on my to do list. One additional list planned for 2025 is our first ever Top 20 in sports and news television, and digital/social. That’ll come out in December 2025 and recognize the best of 2025.
Strengthening Music: Our commitment to sports and news media remains unchanged. Music radio on the other hand is a work in progress. We’re 5+ months into covering the space so we’re still learning what does and doesn’t work. Elevating the journalism, and featuring more people across the industry is vital. I’ll also be at more events in 2025 where music radio pros are. Stephanie Eads and I will be at CRS in February. Increasing relationships with music radio folks and record labels, and improving our content strategy for music industry readers is high on my priority list.
Originals: From Derek’s piece on Imus-WFAN to Jeff’s story on Q104.3 and Garrett’s new features ‘The Watch’, ‘The Interview’ and ‘Ratings Roundup’, we’re doing more original content. Daily news is still important but quality storytelling packs a bigger punch. We’re putting less focus on quantity, and more emphasis on quality. Last year’s ‘Social Studies‘ series is returning but with a wider focus across sports, news/talk, and music radio. New projects are planned too highlighting agents, AI, advertising, research, and women in media. Day Spent With, 20 Brands in 20 Days, Meet The Podcasters/Leaders, and Behind The Voices are also returning. Lastly, we’ll be launching a weekly sports media video show by the end of Q1. Additional video shows are also being considered.
10-Year Anniversary: In September 2025 we will celebrate 10 years in business. I never expected that when this journey began, and I’m damn proud that we’ve survived this long and continue to grow. Many who have covered the media industry have not been as lucky. We’ve kept the lights on by investing in people, supporting partners, and by not overleveraging our business. Our love, passion, and knowledge of this industry pours on to our pages daily, and I hope that’s felt by those who read us. Look for some writers from the past to contribute guest pieces in August/September, as we reflect on the past decade. If I can ask one favor, please share the content on social media.
Knowing how lucky we are to do this, we plan to give back in September/October. Barrett Media is planning a 10-year anniversary party in New York City. The event will be invite only. Our plan is to host the event either right before or after the 2025 BNM Summit. Yes, that means our news media summit is coming to the big apple for the first time ever in 2025. More to come on that in the next month or so.
Sports and News Media’s Best of 2024
5 Favorite Columns:
Looking back on a year’s worth of columns and picking favorites isn’t easy. Each is written for a different point in time based on what’s happening in the industry at that moment. If choosing was based on traffic, my column on KNBR was the runaway winner. But I don’t enjoy writing columns like that. I’d prefer exploring business issues, and offering perspectives to help people think and learn. After digging through the archives, these below are the 5 that I enjoyed writing most. Hope you enjoyed them.
I listen to a lot of different types of music, but at my core, I’m a rock guy. Looking back at 2024, these 5 songs below were my favorites this year. Approvals and disagreements can be sent via email to Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
#1 – Hollywood Undead – Hollywood Forever
#2 – Falling in Reverse w/ Jelly Roll – All My Life
#3 – Snoop Dogg w/ Dr. Dre – Thank You
#4 – Beartooth – ATTN
#5 – Jelly Roll – I Am Not Okay
Honorable Mentions:Bad Omens w/ Poppy – V.A.N. – Bring Me The Horizon – Top 10 Statues That Cried Blood, Taylor Swift – Thank You Aimee, Eminem – Houdini, 3 Days Grace – Mayday, Nothing More – Angel Song, Point North – Bring Me Down, MGK w/ Jelly Roll – Lonely Road, Set It Off – Fake Ass Friends, The Funeral Portrait – Suffocate City, A Day to Remember – Feedback, Breaking Benjamin – Awaken, Black Veil Brides – Bleeders – Baby Metal w/ Electric Call Boy – Ratatata.
