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Deadline Coming For Country Radio Hall Of Fame Nominations

BMM Staff
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Deadline Coming For Country Radio Hall Of Fame Nominations

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters, and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

The Country Radio Hall of Fame (CRHoF) is approaching the nomination deadline for its Class of 2025. Submissions will officially close on October 28, providing a final opportunity to recognize exceptional radio professionals.

The Country Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the Country radio industry. Recognition will be given to outstanding professionals in two categories: radio, which includes those who have excelled in behind-the-scenes roles such as programming, management, and sales, and on-air personality, which celebrates those who have distinguished themselves as on-air talent.

Each inductee is honored for their outstanding contributions and commitment to the evolution of Country radio. Eligible candidates must have at least 20 years in the radio industry, including at least 15 years within the Country format.

To submit a nomination for the Country Radio Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, please complete the nomination form available here.       

The Class of 2025 will be officially revealed at CRS 2025, which will be held February 19-21, 2025, at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

I Think Lee Corso Is Going to Announce His Retirement From ESPN College GameDay

Demetri Ravanos
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I Think Lee Corso Is Going to Announce His Retirement From ESPN College GameDay

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Something is up at College GameDay. I am pretty sure Lee Corso is going to announce his retirement from television this Saturday.

Maybe I’m not as good at picking up on these things as I think I am. Maybe I am just stuck in conspiratorial brain. Trust me, the signs are there.

So, file this in the “hear me now, believe me later” section of Barrett Media. It’s the same place you would find the piece I wrote this time last year predicting that Nick Saban would leave the sidelines to join ESPN.

On Saturday, college football will be in the ninth week of competition for 2024. That is a little over halfway through the regular season. Even with so many more episodes left on the calendar, it’s not hard to figure out the answer to why Corso and College GameDay would be making this move now.

ESPN has been clear in the past. Corso gets to decide when he goes. I think that is fair and he has earned that right. However, a quick search of any social media platform will turn up literally hundreds of messages from fans saying that it is getting harder and harder to convince themselves that they want to see the 89-year-old Corso trotted out onto the set. 

It’s not “the haters” saying this. It’s people that love college football! If they are fifty or under, they literally cannot remember a time that Corso wasn’t the sport’s public face. Despite what the coach or his colleagues say publicly, surely they know that the network cannot ignore this reality forever.

1. THE LAST THREE WEEKS

Last week, Corso returned after a two-week absence. In one of the behind-the-scenes videos Kirk Herbstreit regularly posts to Twitter, the former coach revealed that his granddaughter recently had a tumor removed from her brain. Corso was understandably emotional, but that did not seem to be the only reason he had been away.

I will not speculate on Corso’s condition. That’s unfair to him and his actual and professional families. I will simply remind you that the man has publicly acknowledged that his past strokes have taken a toll on him, and he is slowing down in recent years.

College GameDay has always been willing to play it safe when it comes to Corso, including in 2020. He was off the road entirely amidst the Covid pandemic, making his picks poolside at his home in Central Florida. At the time, I thought it was an ideal way to keep him on the show, but Corso is, understandably, a proud man and wanted to be treated the same as his colleagues. Plus, there is an energy to putting on a mascot head in front of a crowd of thousands of rowdy, probably drunk college students that you cannot recreate alone on your porch.

Corso wants to do the show the way he has always done it, but maybe he’s been told he can’t do that anymore. 89 or not, it’s a schedule and a lifestyle that can wear you down. Adding health concerns to the equation isn’t easy for the show and it sure as hell isn’t easy for Corso.

2. WHY GO TO INDIANA NOW?

Despite their 7-0 start to 2024, the Hoosiers are not a football blue blood by any stretch. In fact, this season will be just the fourth in which the team has finished above .500 since the turn of the century.

Rare success deserves to be celebrated, but College GameDay usually reserves those celebrations for a week that coincides with a big game on campus. Even with Michigan fading, it would have made more sense for the show to visit Bloomington when the Hoosiers host the Wolverines in three weeks.

GameDay usually goes to the site of the day’s biggest game. Not only is the show jumping the gun with a Bloomington date, but it’s also ignoring multiple top 25 matchups including #20 Illinois at #1 Oregon, #8 LSU at #14 Texas A&M, and #21 Missouri at #15 Alabama. 

Maybe more glaringly, College GameDay passing over two opportunities it would usually leap at. The first, is the last chance to go to a campus experiencing a special season. Vanderbilt is a fun football team and ranked for the first time since 2013. This week, the #25 Commodores host #5 Texas in Nashville. That’s the kind of game ESPN usually wants its marquee show in town for.

The other is red meat for the casuals! A ranked service academy is hosting a ranked Notre Dame. Are you telling me that the kinds of guys that will claim to watch every week and then proceed to tell you how good Alabama is this year wouldn’t be head over heels seeing Pat McAfee pump up a crowd full of future naval officers as the Midshipmen prepare to take on the Fighting Irish?

Instead, GameDay is going to Bloomington for just the second time in history. Do you know when the last time was? 2017 when the season opened on a Thursday night with the Hoosiers hosting #2 Ohio State. Most of the show was about Corso’s history at the school, because it happened to be 45 years after he coached his first game there.

Corso was Indiana’s head football coach for ten years, and despite the fact that he did not fare much better than other Hoosier coaches, he is still seen as an important part of the school’s football history. Can you think of a better place for him to say goodbye?

3. THE SHOW HAS TO LOSE SOMETHING

I’ve been really careful to criticize College GameDay this year, because I don’t want anyone to think I am blindly jumping on ‘the show sucks now’ bandwagon. I don’t think it sucks. I think I have just aged out of the demo. That’s my problem, not ESPN’s.

I still watch with my 13-year-old son occasionally and what is clear is that things have moved in a new direction. The show is more aggressive and considerably louder than it used to be. College GameDay’s focus is now on the people in attendance rather than the people watching at home. It’s like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie. It looks great, but it’s weird to be sitting here watching this in my home.

That new approach has made Corso stick out like a sore thumb. I think that is what so many of the people on social media that say they want him gone are actually saying. This high-energy production that now includes so much more crowd interaction has to slow down and get really quiet at times to accommodate the coach.

While I don’t disagree with the people that are saying “it’s time,” I’m not trying to hustle Lee Corso off the set. 

To me, the signs in the crowd have always been more entertaining than anything actually said on College GameDay and Corso is the subject of my all-time favorite sign, one that still makes me giggle when I think about it decades later. The amount of joy that has given me and my aforementioned 13-year-old son mean I will never advocate for Corso to leave the show.

All I can do is tell you what I see and what mental math I am doing. I just cannot dismiss Bloomington. Why take the show there this week if it isn’t all about Corso?

His exit from the show is going to feel cold no matter what. Whenever it happens, it will either be because he just cannot keep up the pace or the network is ready to move on. Turning the day that announcement is made into a celebration makes too much sense not to do. 

College GameDay has been to Corso’s alma mater, Florida State, eleven times. It has been to Louisville, where he got his first head coaching job, three times. There is nowhere more appropriate for a celebration like this, though, than Bloomington, Indiana.

Saturday could be Corso’s final appearance on College GameDay. It could simply be where he announces that this will be his final season as a cast member of the show. Whatever the truth is, I am convinced that the Sunshine Scooter is going to tell us something significant this weekend.

Talk Radio: The Peter Pan Principle

BNM Staff
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Talk Radio: The Peter Pan Principle

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

It’s 5:05 A.M. The bigtime radio voice booms the station I.D. and your name over the huge studio speaker and into the world. You lean forward to punch that mic button.

Who are you? What are you feeling at that moment?

You have to answer those questions every single day because you’re blessed with a great responsibility to inform and entertain. For five decades I felt a thrill and sense of obligation as I reached for that mic switch every morning. I loved it. I didn’t want to ever grow up.

I needed to be smart, honest, and sincere in the performance of my craft. I had to know what I was talking about and to display the delight, the wisdom, and the dignity of my years old, young, and in between.

Dignity on air exudes an easy confidence and a large measure of humility. You need to be gracious and also willing to say, “I don’t know, and I was wrong.”

You can’t fake sincerity or honesty on talk radio, and you don’t have to be perfect.

“Let none presume to wear an undeserved dignity.” – Shakespeare

Dignity is a wonderful yet evasive quality. Like wisdom, it grows with age and the frustrating knowledge that it carries personal limitations.

American culture is filled with contradictions about age. We worship youth and yet dismiss its immaturity. We pay tribute to long years of experience but still make fun of old people and turn them out to pasture. As a radio personality, you can’t succeed at either extreme. Work your timeline.

I hear a lot of wise-cracking comments about old farts on talk stations, especially from the new kids. I also hear old farts putting down every aspect of young people and society today. Nothing in your performance can be more short-sighted and self-indulgent. You don’t have to kiss ass, just be respectful and open-minded. Let the producer in you stand apart from you as a performer. You have to hear your show as a listener and know when to tap the brakes or stop and change directions.

If you’re doing all of these things you don’t have time to get caught up in yourself. Don’t let your personal biases suck you into an age-defined stereotype or act like a prima donna. You’re not a star, you’re a host. It’s not all about you.

How you perceive and present yourself has nothing to do with your age, target demographics, or the current trends in any particular topic. For that matter, you can’t worry about how you’re being perceived by the audience, you can only be your best self.

This is my favorite aphorism. It’s wisdom for all ages:

“What other people think and say about you is none of your business.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

I know. The message sounds contradictory to your purpose in doing talk radio. You have to be concerned with what your audience thinks of you, right? Not at all.

You weren’t hired to cater to your idea of a particular demographic, you were hired because you’re smart, inclusive, and interesting. All you have to do is activate people’s minds; give them something to think about and ignite an emotional response.

A great talk host has to share a bit of personal experience; that’s where you get your perspective. You can and should share occasional anecdotes but not too often and only to illustrate a point. Focus on the listener, not yourself.

“You know, I think you might be right” is the most powerful statement you can make. It validates your guest or partner and allows you and your audience to expand your horizons.

Long ago I vowed I would never become a grumpy old man. I enjoy my memories but refuse to live in them. I don’t understand all the new cultural and social changes, but I try. I embrace the present and greet the future with eager anticipation. I strive to be ageless because it’s a joyous way to live. It’s also the only way to keep growing on the air and in life.

If you are dedicating your life to a career of informing and entertaining, you must have respect for people of all ages and perspectives. You can’t fake it. You have to get to know and enjoy the company of your elders and the wisdom of their experience. At the same time, you should understand that young people, even children, have a right to be respected for the opinions that their still limited views allow. Even teenagers deserve respect and compassion because we’ve all been there, growing into adulthood overly sure of ourselves.

When you come right down to it other people have every right to the perspectives that grew out of life lessons. They’ll change over time as yours have. When you understand this an amazing thing happens – you never get old. You never become grumpy or stuffy because you never stop learning or caring.

If you’re young, make friends with your grandparents and hear what they have to say. If you’re old, have younger friends; stay in touch with trends, fads, and the things that fascinate youth. Listen at least as much as you talk. Ask more questions. Don’t pontificate too much, though an occasional splash of pomposity can enhance your likability like a dash of lemon in a cheesecake.

Ingratiate yourself without being obsequious.

Don’t use big words like obsequious.

You’re never too old to laugh at fart jokes.

Reality TV is not beneath you.

History is fascinating and important.

Words matter.

Age does not.

Secret Weapon Songs To Add To Your Programming Toolbox

Kevin Robinson
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Secret Weapon Songs To Add To Your Programming Toolbox

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters, and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

“In the midst of chaos, there is opportunity” – Sun Tzu – The Art of War

Who’s playing Max McNown? His home-grown tune “A Lot More Free” has over three million views on YouTube, and he’s nearly topped two million TikTok followers. And – tracks Top 10 Digital Sales for a month along with over 200,000 Shazams without airplay. Have a listen – I’ll wait.

Is Max’s song Country – Hot AC – Americana? The listener doesn’t care – and never has. Take a peek on what Billboard’s Hot 100 reported year-end in 1975 – HERE.

A hit – is a hit. In the midst of budget cuts and playlist mandates, it feels that – at times – we are no longer in control. The Art of War quote is a reminder that brand-building remains –warfare. 

Every song is an arrow in your quiver – a marketing decision against your competition. On air and online.

Two months ago – in back to back Barrett Media columns – we wrote about building a solid playlist without research followed by a music discovery piece. The latter touched on what we term as – Secret Weapon Records. Your playlist needs a robust researched foundation but the interesting lies in-between the hits.

We discuss what makes a brand unique. What is the secret sauce that separates it from the competition? We ultimately look for ‘different’ – not ‘better.’ Different is quantifiable and clearly defined in the listener’s mind. Better – is subjective.

Plenty of ‘better’ – suffer inferior ratings. Secret Weapons Records – are just that. A tactic separating you from them. The chance-taker wins, while the bunker mentality – loses.

In the music discovery piece mentioned above, the column finished with a bit on Z100. When Z100 was on their 1980s white-hot ascent from Worst-To-First in New York City Ratings, decorated programmer Scott Shannon had a stack of Fidelipac Carts (I’ve Googled that for you) on his desk containing unknown but great songs.

Driven solely by gut, Scott would occasionally march into the air studio, hand it to the air talent and say, “play THIS – next”. Then he’d have it returned to his stack of Secret Weapon Records.

Brilliant.

Scott did not wait for research and often ignored the data in place of ‘gut.’

One more example of Scott’s testicular fortitude. In 2004, legend tells us Scott was in a cab – in Europe – when James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” came on the radio. Upon returning to New York, he found the tune on a demo and put it in strong rotation on WPLJ—no waiting on the record label to service the single – no waiting on research.

A hit – is a hit.

By format – here’s a Secret Weapon Starter Kit.

Top 40 – Alternative

Hot AC

  • TomTom Club’s “Genius of Love” – sampled by Mariah Carey and like new in 2024.
  • Another fumble?  Courtney Jaye’s “Can’t Behave”.  Fat hook. Lost hit. Featured in the Disney movie – “Aquamarine”.

Mainstream AC

  • The entire playlist from Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This”is loaded with GREAT music.  Anna Graves “Fly” – smash.
  • Another FLY song.  Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “10,000 Miles” – play that.  Featured in the sleeper film “Fly Away Home”.

Classic Hits/Classic Rock

Christian

  • MercyMe’s “Here Am I” – if released today, instant #1!
  • Christian Music ignored Josh Turner’s “Long Black Train,” either for sonic value or ‘the filter.’Defiantly religious.  

Country

  • Check out Kristina Cornell’s “Little Red Balloon” – and grab a tissue. Then – put it rotation.
  • Country gold – “Whiskey Lady” by The Oak Ridge Boys – best vocals and backing band of the 80s with a great message – never released as a single.

AAA

Oldies

The list rolls on – Klatuu– Martin Briley – Living In A Box.

Secret Weapons are there to differentiate YOUR brand.

Your job? Find them!

The best part is that it’s all GUT – your gut!  Trust it.

Isn’t that why we were pulled into radio?

KSHE’S A.D. Rowntree Believes Good Radio Keeps You Company

BMM Staff
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KSHE’S A.D. Rowntree Believes Good Radio Keeps You Company

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters, and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

A.D. Rowntree is an experienced recording artist, broadcaster, and producer who has been hitting the airwaves of St. Louis, via Hubbard Broadcasting’s KSHE 95 for a couple of years now. On The A.D. Show, Rowntree brings listeners the rock he loves to talk about.

In a conversation about radio, Rowntree talks about his time with recording studios, what makes good broadcasting, and the beauty of working with the soundtrack to his life.

Tell me about your journey to your current broadcasting career.

Well, I was in a band. In high school, I snagged a scholarship, and I was headed to Tufts & New England Conservatory of Music to get a degree in jazz & classical percussion (grew up playing drums) while studying journalism. But then, the group I’d just joined got a record deal. I discovered pretty fast that if you offer a teenage boy a choice between a dorm room and a tour bus, he’ll choose the tour bus every time. We did records for Mercury, A&M, and Columbia. We were signed and managed by the same folks that looked after Linkin Park, Korn, Limp Bizkit, & Rob Zombie. Needless to say, we were the one band out of that bunch that did NOT sell millions of albums…. But we had some fun, we saw the world, and I learned some stuff. 

When it was all done, I needed a job. All my friends were getting out of college and starting careers. My resume said “singer in a band,” and I didn’t even have a band anymore. With zero education or practical life skills, radio seemed like a good bet. A friend of mine, Will Pendarvis, told me to try and be on the radio. He’s a legend, and he helped me make an aircheck that made me sound like I had way more experience than I had (none). He gave it to Jose Mangin at Sirius, and I got it to Vince Richards at the Buzz in Houston. I actually got hired at both places the same week… I was the overnight guy on Octane and the weekend guy on KTBZ, and I’ve been weaseling my way up ever since. 

Have you ever thought about what career you might pursue if you weren’t working in radio?

Well, I’d been a writer before radio. I wrote for some magazines & newspapers, and I did a little TV writing work, so I’m guessing I’d have done more of that. The further we get into digital media, the more all that stuff seems to be related, though. Writing, video, and audio all falls into the digital content bucket now, so I don’t know if it’s that different, but I guess I’d be trying to hack out a living as a writer. 

The one thing I miss about being in a band is the travel. If radio went away, and I could work out a way to travel and write about it for a living, that would be great. I also flipped houses before radio was paying the bills, and I have a bit of a real estate side hustle. Can I write about real estate? That actually doesn’t sound very exciting. I’ll stick with this. I really LOVE radio. I still find it magical. The way music and voices sound and FEEL coming out of your car’s speakers after going through radio processing and frequency modulation is unique and awesome.

Notable career moment? If you were to write a book, this would be the can’t-miss chapter.

I think the moment I decided radio was it for me. I’d been the singer in a band that was the subject of a massive bidding war. Music moguls had promised us we’d be on top of the world, but it all went up in a puff of label mergers and tax debt. I was a kid in my 20s and was already washed up. I remember one especially humbling moment when I delivered a pizza… to the million-dollar recording studio where I’d made my album a couple of years earlier.

I was beyond broke and going absolutely nowhere. I had no education and no experience doing anything but music, and there was no reason to expect that I would land any kind of job, but I made a decision that I would carve out some kind of life for myself using my voice… and it worked out.

How important is format to you? Do your personal music tastes align with what you play and talk about? What sets the genre apart from other genres?

I’ve only ever worked in rock/alt and talk radio. I love them both for different reasons. I feel like there are radio fundamentals that you can apply to any format, and I love all kinds of music, but it’s amazing to be on KSHE. The music is the soundtrack to our listeners’ life, and to my life. Being on a station where you can take a deep dive into that is very special. 

When the previous job ended, I was fortunate enough to have some options. (Thanks, Brad Samuel & Kraig Kitchin). I remember driving around, punching through the stations where I could have potentially wound up, and I landed on KSHE while they were playing “Dirty Work” by Steely Dan. Thanks to my parent’s record collection, it’s one of my very favorite songs by one of my very favorite bands, but it’s not something you EVER hear on the radio. I remember saying to myself, “There’s only ONE place I could go and wind up talking about who played what instrument on deep cuts from Steely Dan at 7 in the morning. I think KSHE is my spiritual home.” I know that sounds kind of out there, but it’s really how I feel.

What makes for really good radio? What makes radio a special media outlet that sets it apart from other digital platforms?

Growing up, I was kind of a solitary kid, and I was pretty content to keep to myself. When I’m done with work, I still am. I love just being at home with my wife, my dog, and the cat. Sometimes, though, you want or need some company. I loved the radio because it was always just enough to make me feel like I was sharing something with other people. As a listener, radio made me feel like I was part of something that was going on…right now. When I needed it, radio kept me company, and it still does. To me, no matter what you’re doing or what kind of station it’s on, that’s what good radio does for people: it keeps you company.

Check out the A.D. Show on KSHE 95.  

Brad Carson Continues to See Opportunity at 92.9 FM ESPN in Hoops Haven of Memphis

Peter Schwartz
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Brad Carson Continues to See Opportunity at 92.9 FM ESPN in Hoops Haven of Memphis

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Sitting in his office recently, Brad Carson took a look at some swag that he had received from Audacy as a result of a points system set up by the company to reward success to their executives. There was an Audacy backpack and a Memphis Grizzlies hat in the photo that Carson shared on social media and that got him to thinking…

“I was sort of reminded that I was grateful for the opportunity (with Audacy), and I continue to be grateful for the opportunity,” said Carson, Brand and Operations Manager for Audacy Memphis Sports. “It’s a really good time for sports, particularly in the south and particularly in Memphis with Grizzlies Basketball.”

Audacy-owned 92.9 FM ESPN has been the home of Grizzlies basketball for the last 14 years so for Carson’s crew, these are exciting times with the NBA season as well as the Memphis Tigers college basketball season about to tip-off.

When it comes to talking points, basketball is the talk of the town, especially when it comes to the Grizzlies.

“We talk about basketball year-round so it’s just great for the season to be here,” said Carson. “It’s huge. It’s our number one priority because we have a responsibility to them. We’re fair. We’re going to critique the team. [The Grizzlies] and the Tigers are our two pro teams. People treat the Tigers like a pro-type atmosphere both football and basketball.”

The station spends plenty of time talking about the Memphis Tigers, football and basketball, and they’re also the flagship for the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Football. Talking Grizzlies and Tigers is the priority, but the station does have to pivot at times to what is going on elsewhere.

That can be a challenge in some markets with just one pro sports team, but not in Memphis.

“It’s not really a challenge,” said Carson. “It’s more of identifying what the market has to offer. We really don’t do much national.  Outside of the NFL which I would argue is a blanket brand as it is. We’re a really weird market. The market organically creates stories almost every single day year-round.” 

A unique aspect of the Memphis sports market is that despite the Grizzlies being the only pro team in town, with much of the other focus on the University of Memphis, there always seems to be something going on.

And that is gold for a sports radio station.

“Memphis, for whatever reason, is a lightning-rod market,” said Carson. “We’ve had the station now for 16 years. One of the reasons why…it’s Memphis man.”

It’s been a great run for Brad Carson at Audacy in Memphis and it’s a run that he doesn’t see ending anytime soon.

“It’s been a great opportunity,” said Carson. “They’ve given me so much in my career and I’m really grateful for that. I’m just trying to grow and grow the station.”

Based on his prior results, growing the radio station’s brand and his resume seems to be inevitable. 

How Sid Rosenberg Evolved His 77 WABC Morning Show to Stay On Top After the Death of Bernie McGuirk

Garrett Searight
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How Sid Rosenberg Evolved His 77 WABC Morning Show to Stay On Top After the Death of Bernie McGuirk

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

On October 5th, 2022, 77 WABC host Bernie McGuirk died after a battle with prostate cancer. McGuirk’s death left morning show host Sid Rosenberg to host the daypart by himself.

It wasn’t the first time Rosenberg was tasked with hosting a radio show by himself. Previous stops, especially in the sports radio format, had prepared him for the situation.

But it would have been natural for someone thrust into that situation to question whether or not their highly-rated morning drive show would continue to be so well received after the death of a co-host.

77 WABC morning show host Sid Rosenberg isn’t your average “someone.”

“I came to New York already as a host,” Rosenberg said. “So it’s not as if I’ve evolved in the last couple of years now that my great partner and dear friend is gone. I was doing what I was doing before I got to New York. I actually had to make — believe it or not — a bit of an adjustment when I came back to New York to work with Bernard, because I had been hosting shows on my own down in Miami for the better part of 11 years. It’s not as if I evolved since Bernard died. I went back — quite frankly — to what I was doing before I went to work with Bernard in 2016.”

Bernie & Sid first came to 77 WABC as a midday show, before eventually replacing Don Imus in morning drive after the radio legend retired in 2018. The duo helped return to the station prominence, alongside the station’s purchase by billionaire John Catsimatidis and his wife, Margo.

Rosenberg was quick to point out he missed Bernie McGuirk his friend more than he missed his radio partner. He added that he mentions his former co-host nearly every day in discussions on 77 WABC. However, despite his admiration for his departed colleague, Sid Rosenberg believes his days of having a co-host are behind him.

“I miss him more personally than professionally, because, quite frankly, the show is still great, but I miss my friend. He was great on the air. He was terrific. But I don’t think I would do it again. Look, I’m an alpha. That’s my personality,” the New York news/talk radio host admitted. “I can’t stand sharing interviews with somebody else, because every now and then, they’ll veer off a nice little spot that we’re in.

“I’ve become really good at that, at doing the interview, so I definitely didn’t enjoy sharing that … Bernie and I were great together. We were as perfect as partners can possibly be because you were dear friends … but I don’t see myself working for the partner, again it would have to be the perfect partner and an awful lot of money.”

After working for several years with a co-host, it was certainly an adjustment to go back to working solo with a rotating cast of characters like News Director Noam Laden, colleague Curtis Sliwa who joins every morning, or producer Justin Ellick each day. But Sid Rosenberg believes that the constant slate of new and fresh voices helps keep the show lively.

“The show that we’re doing now is exactly what I envisioned, and it’s having great success. That’s the bottom line,” he shared. “I mean, this show is what I thought it could be. Part Imus, part (Howard) stern, but with a real political bend. And that’s what we’re doing … We do our fair share of politics, but the show is not predictable. And for me, when radio becomes predictable, radio becomes boring. That’s not our show.”

As Sid and Friends in the Morning continues to produce strong ratings and revenue for the New York news/talk brand, Sid Rosenberg noted the rarity of a conservative political show working so well in an area that is dominated by left-leaning voters. That, coupled with the success of New York sports teams and the current state of the race for the White House among other political charged events makes this an exciting time for Rosenberg to be in the space.

“Oh, it’s fun,” said Rosenberg, who noted that his recent trip to Israel to commemorate the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks showcased the power of his program. “I went to meet President Herzog — the President of Israel — for a one-on-one in his office in Jerusalem. And that same week, Saturday night on that trip, I broke the Yom Kippur fast with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, and sat with Bibi for a good two hours. I don’t know how many people have the opportunity to talk to (Donald) Trump and sit face-to-face with Herzog all in one week.

“This is what’s been going on with this show. I’ve gone to Israel twice. These are the types of things that wouldn’t happen a couple years ago, to be honest. The show is well known. It’s known in the country. It’s known outside the country.”

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, former President Donald Trump will make a campaign stop at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday evening. Sid Rosenberg will be one of the guest speakers before the Republican nominee makes his remarks. And the 77 WABC host couldn’t be more proud to have that honor.

“I mean, come on, I’m a Brooklyn kid going to the place where I’ve gone a million times to see Mark Messier and Patrick Ewing, and I’m going to speak before Donald Trump? This is above and beyond. It’s surreal, it’s magic, it’s a great ride, and it’s a lot of fun,” the New York news/talk host shared. “It’s a very nerve-wracking couple of weeks coming up, I can tell you that, but certainly, yes, it’s been fun.”

SEC on ABC Doubleheader Sees Both Games Over 10 Million Viewers; Georgia-Tennessee Draws 12.9 Million

BSM Staff
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SEC on ABC Doubleheader Sees Both Games Over 10 Million Viewers; Georgia-Tennessee Draws 12.9 Million

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This past weekend saw a terrific schedule of college football games and once again the SEC on ABC scored a large audience. The game featuring two top-five teams with the Georgia Bulldogs facing the Texas Longhorns drew an average audience of 12.9 million viewers. The game peaked at 14.1 million viewers. The network says the game was ESPN platforms’ best regular season game since 2016 and the second best in 10 years.

In addition, the game between Alabama and Tennessee averaged 10.7 million viewers. That game peaked even higher at 14.7 million viewers. ESPN says this is the second-most-watched Alabama-Tennessee matchup on record.

This is the first time since 1996 that a single network aired two regular season games which reached 10 million or more viewers on the same day.

The SEC on ABC has Missouri at Alabama at 3:30 p.m. ET and LSU at Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. ET on its schedule this coming weekend. The following weekend, the only game currently locked in will be the Florida-Georgia game from Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m. ET. The rest of the broadcast schedule will be announced at a later time.

RAB Announces Newly Elected Board of Directors for 2025

BNM Staff
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RAB Announces Newly Elected Board of Directors for 2025

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) has announced it has elected a new slate of officers and directors in a unanimous vote last week.

Newly elected officers include new Chair Erik Hellum, who serves as the COO of Townsquare Media. Cox Media Group Executive Radio President Rob Babin will serve as Vice Chair. Bonneville International Executive Vice President of Regional Media Scott Sutherland was elected as treasurer. Lenawee Broadcasting Company President Julie Koehn will serve as Secretary. And Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw will serve as the immediate past chair.

“There’s never been a more important time for us to work together to tell radio’s story and drive radio and digital revenue growth for the industry and our RAB members,” said Townsquare Media COO and RAB Board of Directors Chair Erik Hellum. ”I am very excited to lead RAB’s Board of Directors as we pursue those goals.” 

Additionally, Reach Media/Urban One’s Josh Rahmani and Media Co.’s Albert Rodriguez are also joining the RAB Board of Directors. Meanwhile, All Pro Broadcasting’s Duane Davis, Saga Communications’ Chris Forgy, and Cumulus Media/Westwood One’s Bob Walker are all joining the RAB Executive Committee.

The new members were voted on during the Fall Board of Directors meeting in Baltimore on October 16th and 17th. The new members will represent and lead the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s broadcast radio industry, which aims to drive revenue growth through advocacy, providing the tools and resources to help the industry attract new sales talent to the medium and enhance industry professionalism through training and support.

Xperi, Stingray Announce Parntership for Video Channels in Premium In-Car Screens

BNM Staff
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Xperi, Stingray Announce Parntership for Video Channels in Premium In-Car Screens

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Xperi and Stingray have announced a partnership to bring video channels to the DTS AutoStage Service Powered by TiVo to premium automobiles.

The new agreement will see Stingray Naturescape, Stingray Holidayscapes, ZenLIFE by Stingray, Qello Concerts by Stingray, Stingray Classica, Stingray CMusic, Stingray DJAZZ, and Ultimate Trivia by Stingray placed into in-dash infotainment systems of makes in the BMW Group. Those brands include BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce.

“The DTS AutoStage platform has always been focused on curating a wide range of available content and offerings for end consumers. The addition of Stingray to our roster of premium content partners fits this focus perfectly,” said Tivo and Xperi Vice President of Global Content Strategy and Business Scott Maddux.

“This integration enhances the in-vehicle entertainment experience, delivering even more options so consumers can easily find the content they love directly in their vehicle’s infotainment system,” he continued. “By continually growing our content ecosystem, we’re cementing DTS AutoStage’s position as the go-to platform for immersive in-car video powered by TiVo’s industry-leading technology.”

The AI-powered platform will deliver unified, user-centric content to BMW Group owners that the companies say will “revolutionize” the in-car entertainment experience.

“With the integration of our channels into the DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo, Stingray is excited to redefine in-car entertainment,” said Stingray Head of Content Distribution Rick Bergan. “The diverse range of channels ensures that there is something for everyone, enhancing the in-cabin experience with personalized and engaging content.”

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