Last year, Nielsen updated its listening-qualifying time to require only three minutes of listening to earn a quarter-hour for its radio ratings.
While speaking on a Radio Advertising Bureau webinar on Wednesday, Nielsen Audio’s Vice President of Audience Insights, Jon Miller, said the data and reactions to the changes have been overwhelmingly positive.
“Nielsen is very pleased with what we’ve seen,” Miller said. “All these things have come to pass — more ad impressions, higher average audience, more daily cume at a station level — which helps improve stability [and] expanded advertiser choice, because we see different dayparts and formats having higher audiences than we traditionally captured.”
After the change, total listening has increased 14% across all demographics.
“The bottom line is that tide has risen for all boats — all formats, all dayparts,” Miller says. “Whether you’re talking about Black panelists [or] Hispanic panelists inside language breakouts, we’re seeing higher radio use, higher average audiences across the board.”
The largest increases in demographic listening came in the Persons 6+ sector. It rose 14%, while both the Persons 25-54 and Persons 35-64 demos increased by 13%. Persons 18-34 saw the smallest growth at 9% overall.
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YouTube has grown into a digital behemoth, generating $60 billion in revenue during 2025 alone, new disclosure files show.
Between advertising revenue, and subscription revenue from services like YouTube Premium TV, and the YouTube TV streaming platform, the company reported more than $60 billion during the year. It shared that it had 325 million paid subscriptions during the fourth quarter across its wide array of options.
The company earned $11.4 billion in advertising revenue during 2025’s fourth quarter, up from $10.5 billion during the prior year’s fourth quarter, and up from $10.3 billion during 2025’s third quarter.
“We continue to drive strong growth across the business. YouTube’s annual revenues surpassed $60 billion across ads and subscriptions; we now have over 325 million paid subscriptions across consumer services, led by strong adoption for Google One and YouTube Premium,” said Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. “And Google Cloud ended 2025 at an annual run rate of over $70 billion, representing a wide breadth of customers, driven by demand for AI products.”
Overall, Alphabet — the parent company of Google — reported $114 billion in revenue in 2025. That figure represents an 18% increase compared to the previous year.
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.
Barrett Media’s final Top 20 show category for 2025 is Afternoon Shows. Program Directors get recognized on Friday. Sports Radio stations get acknowledged on Monday. To stay updated on all of the Top 20 Major and Mid Market Sports Radio lists and learn what lies ahead for News/Talk Radio, News TV and Music Radio, keep an eye on this website, our newsletters and X, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and/or Instagram. Once the Top 20 series is complete, I will record a video discussing the key takeaways from this year’s results. That video will be posted on the Barrett Media YouTube page. Be sure to subscribe to be notified once it’s live.
As you review these results, please remember that they represent the collective feedback shared by our industry voters. Barrett Media does not vote in this process. Our role is to assemble the group, collect the votes, and present the information.
Important Information
#1 – These results are based on 2025’s performance. 2026 changes have no effect on the voting.
#2 – We ask our voters to supply photos and logos to avoid headaches. Some comply, but most don’t. It forces us to spend a lot of time digging for images to highlight everyone. For that reason, there are no photo changes unless it involves a mistake. Thanks in advance for understanding.
#3 – Our Major Market executive panel consists of thirty six (36) program directors and corporate executives from radio’s top broadcasting companies. They include Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Beasley, Good Karma Brands, Bonneville, SiriusXM, ESPN Radio, FOX Sports Radio, Radio One, and a bunch of independently owned and operated radio stations. Our voting group is large because we want feedback from every part of the country. We also do that to assure the results don’t favor any one media group.
#4 – The criteria for our voters included the ear test, originality, multi-platform impact, ratings success, clearance (national shows) and industry buzz. Keep in mind, our voters live in different cities, work for different companies, have different tastes, and value certain factors higher than others. This is not a perfect system but it’s one we feel good about using to showcase the industry’s best.
#5 –A total of 34 shows were eligible for voting consideration in the Major Market Sports Radio Afternoon Shows category.
And the Winner Is…
98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mazz. This is their fifth win overall and the third straight year the show has reigned supreme. Congrats to Mike, Tony, Big Jim, James, and the entire crew on earning the industry’s support yet again.
I want to thank Dylan Barrett for creating the artwork, and each voter who participated in the process. Now without further delay, here are Barrett Media’s Top 20 Major Market Sports Radio Afternoon Shows of 2025.
Additional Notes:
Felger & Mazz finished nineteen (19) points in front of The Valenti Show with Rico to notch the win. The Hub’s afternoon drive team tied with Valenti’s program for the most first place votes with eight (8).
Spots 21-25 belonged to The Drive with Stoerner & Hughley, WEEI Afternoons, Chris & Gwynn,Dirty Work with Copes & D Pop, and Chuck & Chernoff.
The closest contest saw D’Marco & Travis edge Hoch & Crowder by one (1) point.
Of the 34 shows to appear on submitted ballots, nine (9) received at least one 1st place vote.
BNM Top 20 of 2025 Remaining Schedule:
Friday February 6 = BM Top 20 Major/Mid Market Sports Radio Program Directors of 2025
Monday February 9 = BSM Top 20 Major/Mid Market Sports Radio Stations of 2025
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries.Sign upfor our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Barrett Media’s final Top 20 show category for 2025 is Afternoon Shows. Program Directors get recognized on Friday. Sports Radio stations get acknowledged on Monday. To stay updated on all of the Top 20 Major and Mid Market Sports Radio lists and learn what lies ahead for News/Talk Radio, News TV and Music Radio, keep an eye on this website, our newsletters and X, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and/or Instagram. Once the Top 20 series is complete, I will record a video discussing the key takeaways from this year’s results. That video will be posted on the Barrett Media YouTube page. Be sure to subscribe to be notified once it’s live.
As you review these results, please remember that they represent the collective feedback shared by our industry voters. Barrett Media does not vote in this process. Our role is to assemble the group, collect the votes, and present the information.
Important Information
#1 – These results are based on 2025’s performance. 2026 changes have no effect on the voting.
#2 – We ask our voters to supply photos and logos to avoid headaches. Some comply, but most don’t. It forces us to spend a lot of time digging for images to highlight everyone. For that reason, there are no photo changes unless it involves a mistake. Thanks in advance for understanding.
#3 – Our Mid Market executive panel consists of thirty one (31) program directors and corporate executives from radio’s top broadcasting companies. They include Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Beasley, Good Karma Brands, Bonneville, SiriusXM, ESPN Radio, FOX Sports Radio, Radio One, and a bunch of independently owned and operated radio stations. Our voting group is large because we want feedback from every part of the country. We also do that to assure the results don’t favor any one media group.
#4 – The criteria for our voters included the ear test, originality, multi-platform impact, ratings success, clearance (national shows) and industry buzz. Keep in mind, our voters live in different cities, work for different companies, have different tastes, and value certain factors higher than others. This is not a perfect system but it’s one we feel good about using to showcase the industry’s best.
#5 –A total of 54 shows were eligible for voting consideration in the Mid Market Sports Radio Afternoon Shows category.
And the Winner Is…
The PM Team with Poni and Mueller of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. This is the show’s fifth time occupying the top slot including the past three years straight. Congrats to Chris Mueller, Andrew Filliponi and their entire crew on another strong year of recognition.
I want to thank Dylan Barrett for creating the artwork, and each voter who participated in the process. Now without further delay, here are Barrett Media’s Top 20 Mid Market Sports Radio Afternoon Shows of 2025.
Additional Notes:
Poni and Mueller finished thirty two (32) points ahead of Afternoon Sports Beat with Jim Traber to earn the win. The PM Team recorded the most first-place votes in the category with seven (7).
Spots 21-25 belonged to Cofield & Company, The Drive Guys, Rob Dibble Show,DMase, Vignan & Daunic, and The Drive with Tim Donnelly.
The closest contest saw Unnecessary Roughness slipped by Common Man & Timmy by one (1) point.
Of the 54 shows to appear on submitted ballots, ten (10) received at least one first place vote.
BNM Top 20 of 2025 Remaining Schedule:
Friday February 6 = BM Top 20 Major/Mid Market Sports Radio Program Directors of 2025
Monday February 9 = BSM Top 20 Major/Mid Market Sports Radio Stations of 2025
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries.Sign upfor our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Pre-Super Bowl hype is nearly as anticipated as the game itself coming up this Sunday. Networks, websites, podcasts, radio shows, and other media platforms have invaded the San Francisco area to give their takes and talk on the upcoming championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
Only one television media outlet, however, has the NFL as part of its name, and that is NFL Network. Throughout this week, and continuing into the weekend, NFL Network has a bevy of shows examining both teams through interviews, angles, and feature stories.
Super Bowl Opening Night Live, which aired at 8:00 p.m. this past Tuesday, got things off to a rip-roaring start. The three-hour program whet viewers’ appetites for the yearly Sunday feast that is the Super Bowl.
Occupying the anchor desk for Super Bowl Opening Night Live was the consistently excellent Colleen Wolfe, joined by Maurice Jones-Drew and Michael Robinson. It was great to see Robinson back at the anchor desk. His engaging personality, big-game experience, and on-target commentary are quite missed on NFL Network programs such as Good Morning Football.
Super Bowl Opening Night Live is essentially Media Day for the Super Bowl, as both teams gather on stage in unison and individually to answer questions, intelligent and otherwise, from the assembled media. Wolfe informed the audience that more than 6,000 press credentials were handed out for this year’s Super Bowl.
Leading off the Q&A cavalcade was Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The litany of questions yelled at the second-year QB ran the gamut. As he responded to questions, a timely graphic noted that Maye is the fourth quarterback since 2020 to win his first three playoff starts. I appreciated how the direction shifted from a single player shot to a wider view of the surrounding media throng.
Viewers were able to see who actually asked the question, as opposed to just a faceless, anonymous voice.
Maye handled himself like a seasoned pro, giving credit to his teammates and family. Maye and Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold are first-time Super Bowl participants, and they quickly learned that the spotlight shines brightest in the biggest game of the year.
Back in the studio, Robinson offered a video look at some of Maye’s strengths. He wisely also credited New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for taking the young quarterback to a new level this past season. Robinson stressed Maye’s ability to check down and find an open receiver, as well as his aptitude for running the football.
The next live interview was with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. As he has done throughout the season following games, Vrabel gave the first question opportunity to longtime Boston Herald and current MassLive writer Karen Guregian, one of the best and most respected reporters in the annals of Boston journalism.
As Vrabel spoke, another informative graphic showed that his 17 wins this season, including playoffs, are the most ever by a head coach in his first season with a team. Super Bowl Opening Night Live effectively shifted scenes from the live player and coach interviews back to studio analysis. The interviews put the ball on the tee, and Wolfe, Jones-Drew, and Robinson drove it straight down the fairway. Other Patriots interview clips featured Stefon Diggs, Hunter Henry, and Christian Gonzalez.
Vrabel and Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald were interviewed on stage by NFL Network and NFL RedZone legend Scott Hanson. Hanson also fashioned a nice exchange with Maye and Darnold. It was great to see members of the two teams happily on stage together, a kind of calm before the storm, as the next time they meet, it definitely will not be so cordial.
Sam Darnold and Drake Maye discuss the challenges of the defenses they will face on Sunday.
You could see the shy nerves in both Maye and Darnold, neither of whom has ever been under such media attention and scrutiny. Nobody expected the Patriots to win the AFC title and, early in his career, no one expected Sam Darnold to ever start a Super Bowl for any team.
In a solo standup, Wolfe discussed the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, flanked by a graphic with all 32 teams’ nominees for this year. Wolfe has become a foundational talent on NFL Network, right up there with kingpin Rich Eisen in both talent and visibility. Her role at the network has expanded over the years, and deservedly so.
Three hours is a long time to hold an audience’s interest, especially when dozens of other channels are also engaging in Super Bowl hype, but Super Bowl Opening Night Live kept me rapt and involved with its fast pace, studio chat, live interviews, features, and X’s and O’s analysis.
Robinson and Jones-Drew had a fun segment in which they picked the top five players in the upcoming Super Bowl. Among those mentioned were Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III, and Leonard Williams, along with Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson and Diggs. Other names up on the board were Kayshon Boutte, TreVeyon Henderson, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed.
The Patriots and Seahawks are somewhat mirror images of each other. There are not a lot of superstar players. Instead, both clubs are built on defense, running the football, smart quarterbacks, and disciplined coaches committed to tough, hard-nosed football.
The word “resiliency” came up when Robinson detailed Darnold’s perseverance as a failed third overall pick of the Jets in 2018 to short stints with Carolina and San Francisco. Darnold has resurrected his career, first in Minnesota and now in Seattle. The Seahawks signal-caller addressed his journey during his live media interview.
In one of the more awkward moments, one media member gave Darnold a button that read “Ham for Sam,” followed by a hat that actually looked like a baked ham. Hopefully for Darnold, it is not a sign that he will be cooked on Sunday.
Back in the studio, the panel talked about Smith-Njigba’s amazing statistical season and how important he is to the Seahawks offense. Smith-Njigba was terrific at the mic, answering questions from reporters of all ages.
As Cooper Kupp took the media stage, another germane graphic showed that his 53 receptions, 691 yards, and seven touchdowns in the playoffs since 2021 are the most among wide receivers. As the Seahawks section of media interviews continued, Macdonald talked about calling plays, along with his offensive vision and strategy. For first-time Super Bowl coaches, both Vrabel and Macdonald were terrific in answering all types of questions. Ernest Jones IV, Julian Love, and Williams were other Seahawks players queried.
Super Bowl Opening Night Live leaned into the strength of its anchor desk trio. Wolfe asked Jones-Drew and Robinson if she had told them a year ago that Darnold and Maye would be starting in the Super Bowl what they would have said, and which was the bigger surprise. It was a great question.
The show ended with quick blurbs of some of the more humorous player questions and answers. This show was tight and to the point. It was free-flowing, smooth, and easy to watch. Super Bowl Opening Night Live delivered depth, reach, and variety in kicking off all the excitement of Super Bowl LX.
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.
Very few sports radio stations survive without the luxury of carrying local team play-by-play. The opportunity to have the hometown call on your sports radio brand is the ultimate branding play. You can use the team’s rights as leverage for advertisers, knowing that when fans are in search of the game, you are the destination. It’s not impossible to be a successful sports radio brand without a franchise, but it does create a far more difficult path to success.
Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills and Sabres announced they are moving the production and distribution of their radio broadcasts in house. The move reshapes the branding position for local sports radio outlet WGR 550. For the first time in well over a decade, WGR will not be the flagship home of the two professional teams in town.
While WGR could remain the Buffalo-based affiliate for future broadcasts, the move signals a pivotal moment for sports radio nationwide. An NFL franchise brings enormous value to a local station. Its departure could be devastating to the long-term health of an individual brand.
The Buffalo Bills and Sabres are not the first franchises to bring their production and distribution services in house. Many franchises across the four major sports have done the same, leaving stations scrambling to rebrand, retool, and rethink how they continue to build their identities in an evolving content future.
It’s not an easy task, and it’s not one many brands are fully prepared for.
For the last 14 years, Buffalo Bills fans have made WGR 550 the destination for Bills Gameday. The station has always fully embraced the team, building daily programming into the weekday lineup throughout the calendar year. Those rights rewarded WGR 550 with cume, staff stability, and revenue because the Bills and WGR became synonymous with one another.
The NFL evolved. Listeners evolved. Because of this, stations are now more reliant than ever on having rights for identity and, in some cases, survival.
Every NFL media rights agreement is different. Sometimes the rights fee covers the costs of production, talent, and staff. Often times, the franchise receives the rights fee but is still responsible for talent compensation. Whatever the makeup of WGR’s arrangement was with the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, this decision moves all costs in house, leaving only distribution rights fees and revenue to gain.
It’s no secret that NFL teams have begun building their own content hubs. Why allow local sports radio and national sports television to produce the only content that covers your product? From a business perspective, it makes sense. Create the content, control the message, and add more inventory to market to sponsors for larger advertising buys.
By inserting themselves into the content race, teams have begun to rethink why they need anyone else at all. If you can produce your own content, manage the costs in house, and keep all the revenue, why not do what the Bills and Sabres are doing?
The ripple effect now centers on what happens with WGR. In many buildings, the ability to retain staff has been tied directly to having games to produce. Without games, the decision shifts to station management. Do you retain and reinvest in the brand, or do you cut that cost entirely?
Without the Sabres and Bills, advertising pitches also change. The opportunity for revenue tied to being the Bills’ home radio station no longer exists. Sure, you can rebrand yourself as where Bills and Sabres fans come for local talk, but are you truly that destination without the games?
There’s also the challenge of access. With any rights agreement, sports radio brands gain exclusivity others simply don’t. From tickets to events, being the flagship station comes with perks you can leverage leading to added revenue. Without that access, those perks often dry up, and the challenge of securing advertising partners and unique promotional opportunities increases.
Buffalo’s WGR is the lone sports station in the market. Holding the rights to the Sabres and Bills defined the station for more than a decade. Now, for the first time in an evolving content space, that definition may slowly fade. There’s no question losing the opportunity to serve as the flagship is a big blow to the brand. How WGR adjusts to this new reality will define its standing in the market for years to come.
The Bills’ news release was 100 percent correct. The delivery of media content has changed dramatically. People gravitate to phones over television, podcasts over radio, and on-demand over live. The only remaining true destination for live content is sports play-by-play. The Buffalo Bills believe they can absorb the costs and capture all the audience and revenue by owning their product outright from start to finish.
This move doesn’t just redefine the relationship between the Buffalo Bills, the Sabres, and WGR. It forces the entire sports radio industry to confront an uncomfortable reality.
ICYMI: Pete Guelli, president of business operations for the Bills and Sabres, Tuesday afternoon confirmed the plan for the teams to handle sales and production in-house with an affiliate network.https://t.co/SPJReIlqQn
For years, play-by-play has been the last true form of appointment listening, the one piece of content that trained audiences to find you at a specific time on a specific frequency. When that disappears, what remains isn’t just a programming hole, but an identity gap. Few have defined the odds, with many more facing the challenge every year.
Make no mistake about thigs. Stations can survive without rights. But surviving and mattering are two very different things, especially in markets where fandom is woven into daily life like Buffalo, NY..
The question now isn’t whether teams are justified in taking control of their own content. They clearly are. The real question is whether sports radio is prepared for a future where that ownership and access is no longer guaranteed.
The brands that endure will be the ones that stop treating rights as a safety net and start building value beyond the game itself. it can be done as the avenues of consuming content increase.
When play-by-play is no longer yours to lean on, the only things left are the strength of the voice, the trust of the audience, and the reason listeners choose you when the game isn’t on.
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The NFL is a year-round content-generating machine. With days remaining until the league’s 60th Super Bowl, interest in everything surrounding the game has never been higher. News, information, and opinion about the NFL drive revenue for publications, radio stations, and television networks. Business is good for the league and those who cover it, and few have done so in as many effective ways as Jason La Canfora.
“Content is king. I published my first article when I was 19,” said La Canfora. “I’ve been at this for a bit, and you just develop reporting chops. You can sense stories, develop instincts, and grow an ability to decode things in real time. I feel like sometimes I can see the future.”
The Baltimore-area native has been a guiding voice on his hometown station, 105.7 The Fan, for nearly six years. Before joining Audacy, La Canfora built his reputation in print journalism by cultivating sources and earning trust among football fans. That background separates him from many in his current role.
“There’s no substitute for becoming a writer or reporter,” explained La Canfora, who wrote for numerous publications, including The Baltimore Sun, Detroit Free Press, and The Washington Post. “Learning how to write on deadline teaches you how to synthetize information quickly. You learn how to keep it simple, stupid.”
La Canfora describes himself as an old punk rock kid who has always lived with a do-it-yourself mentality. That mindset helped propel him to opportunities with NFL Network and CBS Sports, where he worked as an insider. The exposure elevated his national profile and led to thousands of sports radio interviews across the country.
Adapting to Sports Radio
During that time, La Canfora often discussed radio possibilities with former 105.7 The Fan programmer Chuck Sapienza. In 2020, the idea became reality when La Canfora teamed with longtime host Ken Weinman in afternoon drive. Two weeks later, the pandemic reshaped everything.
“We did the first five shows as normal. The following Friday they handed us boxes and told us we’re doing shows from home indefinitely,” referenced La Canfora. “I did the show from my attic for about nine months. It forced us to produce a sports talk show with no sports, which got your mind working in a different way than ever.”
La Canfora leaned heavily on his team’s creativity, aided by his long-standing relationship with Weinman. Movie and pop culture tournaments filled the void, as did guests pulled from decades of contacts. He says the period tested the show and ultimately strengthened its bond with listeners.
Change has been a constant throughout La Canfora’s career. In December 2024, 105.7 The Fan shifted leadership when Sapienza and Audacy mutually agreed to part ways. The following month, the station hired Scott Jameson to lead the brand forward.
Another transition followed last month when Jameson announced he would step down after just over a year for personal reasons.
“I knew that it was going to be tough on Scott [Jameson] with his family in Detroit and moving into a market like Baltimore,” said La Canfora. “I wish I had more time with Scott. We really just didn’t have that much time. A year might sound like a lot of time, but it really wasn’t.”
La Canfora credits Jameson with expanding the station’s video and social media presence, calling it a necessary evolution. The next hire will mark his third brand manager in six years, and curiosity tops his wish list.
“I haven’t been in this part of the business as long as others. Ideally, I’d love someone who’s familiar with the show and can hit the ground running,” said La Canfora. “Someone who’s engaged, inquisitive, and always asking questions about what we do. Also tries to find other ways to do it. Personally, that kind of relationship is so key to me.”
Evolution of the NFL Insider
Every on-air talent wants an engaged coach, especially one focused on refining a proven product. That mirrors the leadership styles La Canfora observed while covering NFL coaches as an insider for NFL Network and CBS Sports. In recent years, however, the insider role has shifted, often creating more problems than value.
Social media now demands instant information, fueling a nonstop cycle of contracts, hirings, and firings. La Canfora left his CBS Sports insider role in 2022, believing the position no longer resembles journalism.
“It’s almost anti-journalism, and so brazenly transactional. I tried to do it differently and be ahead of the curve. Leaning into the writing aspect of it and having that stand up,” said La Canfora. “The technology and Twitter of it all, it really is mindless. I don’t miss it at all.”
He questions whether the role would carry the same weight without Twitter.
“I’m not talking about people reporting and writing nuanced NFL content. I’m talking about the ‘I spit this piece of information out before you’ bit. It’s already s**t. What’s beneath s**t,” questioned La Canfora. “It’s so bastardized, manipulated, and tit for tat. When it hit the stage of I’m going to give it to you, but you have to tweet it exactly as I text it to you. What’s lower than that? If you want to stay on this gravy train, you have to credit me and my agency before I show you what the real numbers are. What is that?”
Authenticity in a Digital World
La Canfora built a sizable following on Twitter/X through insights, opinion, and information. On 105.7 The Fan, he keeps his four-hour radio show distinct from his personal social media presence.
He recently leveraged that audience to launch Wanna Bet, a podcast inspired by growing up around bookies. After consulting advisors and discussing the idea with Audacy, the project launched last year with co-host and station producer Ben Hall.
“We just started doing it, and I wanted to differentiate Wanna Bet from everyone else. We’re going to show all our work. It’s funny how others in the space feel like yesterday didn’t exist,” explained La Canfora. “I had chances to put it on regional sports networks. It’s a TV show, but Audacy was interested in it. We just started doing it on Twitter, and Audacy helped us out with a lot to get it going.”
Active on Twitter/X, La Canfora acknowledges pushback from some employers over content that blends sports, podcasts, and politics. He remains unapologetic, noting his bio reads, “I speak for myself not corporations.”
“I’m me. I’ve never taken a class on social media nor know anything about social media. People will like it, hate it, or be in the middle,” said La Canfora. “There’s people who tell me I shouldn’t be so political. I’m a citizen first, and only on this planet for so long. I strongly believe in what I believe in.”
He hopes that honesty teaches his children to question narratives and stand firm in their beliefs. He jokes that criticism does not affect him, noting he sleeps well.
“This [social media] is just an extension of me. I’m not speaking for your corporation. There’s no stance here,” explained La Canfora. “I’m not always going to be somebody’s cup of tea, and I am so very fine with that.”
La Canfora feels fortunate to balance a successful radio show with a growing podcast brand. Still, industry layoffs filling his social feeds raise concerns.
“Sports media in general is teetering. Maybe it’s time for more re-invention. I don’t take a day for granted that I do this,” said La Canfora. “I don’t know if the pendulum is going to start swinging the other way anytime soon. My Twitter feed is filled with people announcing they’ve been laid off.”
After three decades in the industry, his advice is simple: build your own platform when possible and embrace the do-it-yourself mentality that has fueled his career while continuing to feed the NFL’s content machine.
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From the time of Casey Kasem to the advent of PPM, smart programmers have encouraged talent to tease upcoming content and contests. Securing just one more listening occasion from a meter holder is priceless.
Regardless of format, the average listening occasion lasts between 8 and 12 minutes. If your station is at the high end of that range, you are doing something right. Most stations receive three to four occasions per day; increasing that average from 3.4 to 3.9 can easily result in a half-share increase in demo—a sizable rank improvement in a compressed market.
Great teases grab attention, increase time spent listening, and enhance the station’s image across all formats. However, there is a significant difference between a good tease and a poor one.
Poor Tease: “Bill Belichick is not going to the Hall of Fame; details coming next.”
This isn’t a tease; it’s the entire story. There is no reason for the listener to stay through a commercial break when they can find those details on any sports app.
Great Tease: “This may be an historic snub for one of the greatest of all time; details coming next.”
This creates anticipation and drama, and listeners can’t use Google to get the information before the story hits the air. By omitting the subject’s name and the specific reference to the Hall of Fame, you leave the listener no choice but to stay tuned. Using descriptors like “historic” signals that the news is significant.
Talent should write their teases while preparing the story or content break. This is most critical during morning shows, when listeners are distracted by their routines. If you promise specific, compelling details in eight minutes, they will make sure they are back to hear the payoff.
Teasing is the fundamental rule of clickbait and is seen throughout NFL broadcasts. However, unlike the NFL, you should avoid “laundry listing” upcoming elements. Tease one meaningful thing at a time.
While we know the percentage of listeners playing contests is small, we also know that number is dramatically higher among those carrying meters. Still, exercise care when talking about upcoming giveaways. Teasing $10 boat show tickets doesn’t work, but Harry Styles tickets do.
Teasing music can also be effective in certain situations. I would question a CHR station forecasting yet another Sabrina Carpenter song, or a classic hits station letting listeners know one more Michael Jackson song is on the way. However, there are moments when you can genuinely create anticipation. Consider this example:
“The sheer terror of being on stage has kept many potentially great talents from making it, and it almost prevented one of the biggest female stars in the business today. Her story and her latest smash are coming up next.”
The artist referenced in this tease is Olivia Newton-John. This tease was written 46 years ago by Casey Kasem and uses “sheer terror” to immediately grab the ear. It serves as a reminder that the tools helping us in the PPM era were effective long before the meter ever existed.
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The Super Bowl is many things, but for media, it’s a week-long convention hiding in plain sight. Long before kickoff, Media Row becomes the real action, and not just for the teams playing on Sunday.
Sports radio and television brands descend on the host city regardless of whether their local franchises earned the trip. San Francisco can be crawling with New York, Chicago, and Dallas microphones even when those teams are home on the couch. That alone should spark a question news/talk radio hasn’t seriously answered yet.
The appeal isn’t fandom. It’s a concentration of many items, beneficial for many entities. Media Row works because it gathers an extraordinary number of important figures in one place. Athletes, executives, agents, entertainers, sponsors, and politicians drift through a tightly packed ecosystem. They’re covered by the media, but they’re also there for the media itself. Relationships are built. Access is negotiated. Deals are floated. Content gets made at scale, often with minimal friction.
That’s why sports outlets show up even without a rooting interest. Being present matters. It’s a reminder that media companies don’t just cover events, they participate in them, and in some instances create them. Media Row is less about the game than the gravity created by everyone orbiting the same moment.
Advertising plays a huge role in that gravity. Brands understand the value of proximity. Sponsorships, live reads, pop-up sets, and branded interviews create revenue streams that justify the travel and production costs. Super Bowl Media Row is expensive, but it’s also efficient. A week there can replace months of scattered sales calls and booking efforts.
News/talk radio, by comparison, doesn’t really have an equivalent. Outside of the RNC and DNC in presidential election years, there aren’t many places where the entire ecosystem converges. Those conventions matter, but they’re cyclical and inherently partisan. They also prioritize politics over everything, which limits their usefulness for long-term industry growth.
CPAC comes closest to a smaller Media Row-style environment. There’s content being produced, advertisers sniffing around, and a recognizable audience. Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest has similar potential. Both events show flashes of what’s possible when personalities, audiences, and sponsors gather with intention. Still, neither has fully crossed into must-attend territory for the broader news/talk universe.
That’s where the opportunity feels glaring. News/talk and political podcasting are packed with influential voices, growing networks, and loyal audiences. What’s missing is a deliberate push to create a shared destination that benefits content creators, companies, and consumers at the same time. Not a trade show. Not a political rally. Something designed around conversation, access, and collaboration.
Right now, the industry mostly watches from the sidelines. There’s plenty of “it sure would be cool if we had something like that” energy. Cool doesn’t build momentum. Intent does. Sports media didn’t stumble into Media Row at the Super Bowl by accident. It grew because enough people decided it was worth showing up, even before it was perfect.
News/talk radio doesn’t lack voices or influence. It lacks a home base and a spot on the calendar where everyone in the industry can point to it and say, “Well, I know where I’ll be that week.” Until that changes, the format will keep circling major moments instead of creating one of its own. The appetite might already be there. What’s missing is someone willing to set the table and invite everyone in.
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The Presidential Super Bowl pregame interview is back, with Tom Llamas set to converse with President Donald Trump this week.
Tom Llamas is sitting down with President Trump on Wednesday for a pre-recorded interview. Portions of the discussion will air on NBC Nightly News on Wednesday evening. An extended version of the conversation will stream on Top Story with Tom Llamas on the NBC News NOW streaming app at 7 PM ET.
The interview will mark the first time that Llamas has sat down with President Trump since he took over as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News in June 2025. It also marks his first interview with President Trump during his second term.
NBC News did not provide details on where inside the pregame show the interview would air. The network’s coverage begins at 12 PM ET with Road to the Super Bowl, before the Super Bowl LX Pregame Show officially begins at 1 PM ET.
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.
