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Points to Ponder From The 2020 BSM Summit

Jason Barrett
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Points to Ponder From The 2020 BSM Summit

One week ago, I was on stage hosting the 2020 BSM Summit. New York City was an excellent location for this year’s show, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results of this year’s show. Pulling off an event like this requires a lot of help. Without great partners, speakers, and attendees, none of it works. To each of you who gave your time or offered company support, I sincerely appreciate it. It makes the nine month process worthwhile.

I’m a firm believer that we should never stop seeking new ways to learn, and that our industry needs to rally together more rather than try to tear each other down. Each year projections for the radio industry fluctuate between flat and down, and if we expect to turn the tide, then we’ve got to find new ways to innovate and educate, and strengthen relationships. If you attend the show and don’t leave the room with actionable items to improve yourself, your staff, and your brand, then I’d question how much attention you paid at the conference. There’s progress and money to be made by attending the Summit, and it’s good to see many who hold it in high regard.

That said, each year when the show ends, I try to get as far away from it as possible. It’s a mentally exhausting process which involves scouting locations, selling sponsorships, creating sessions, securing speakers, laying out details for each member of the BSM team, and designing programs, signage and on stage presentations. There’s also the work after the event such as video editing, photo gathering, sending thank you cards, and gathering feedback on what attendees valued most.

Having had a chance to clear my head and reflect on what stood out, I wanted to pass along a few of my takeaways. I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting, but these particular points stuck with me.

‘MAYBE YOU DON’T REACH A YOUNGER AUDIENCE’

Bruce Gilbert made the point about radio chasing younger fans who may not be possible to reach over the airwaves during our ‘Power Panel’, and Mike Francesa added to that conversation when he explained why radio is making a big mistake by ignoring older listeners. It got me to thinking about the advertising and ratings world. We’ve measured sports radio’s success for decades based on Men 25-54, but who says that has to continue to be the case?

Mike’s points about people living older, and folks between the ages of 55-64 spending more money on sponsor’s products were fair. It’s also tougher to lure a younger audience to the radio because they consume content much differently. If the main goal of advertisers is to generate ROI (return on investment), and sports radio has the ability to motivate high income earners to support those businesses, then why do we care if the listener is 22 or 62? Shouldn’t the point be to reach people who spend money? Why is a 60 years old listener considered less valuable than a 25 year old male?

Furthermore, who says sports radio is only attractive now to men? Are we going to continue to pretend that women don’t enjoy this type of content too? This notion that sports radio’s success should be based on what mattered 20-30 years ago to Men 25-54 seems antiquated. If the proof shows that older fans watch and listen to games and sports talk more than younger fans do, and the interest in sports talk is growing among women, then maybe it’s time to expect our stations to reach ALL audiences, not just one smaller targeted demographic.

Nobody thinks sports television isn’t big business, yet when it comes to radio, the sports format gets treated like the little engine that could. That needs to stop. There’s no format in radio built for the present and future better than sports talk. Spike Eskin also made a great point about total reach needing to be where we direct our focus moving forward in determining the overall impact and importance of a talent and programmer.

’30 IDEAS IN 30 MINUTES’

One of the coolest things we did at the show was putting 10 PD’s/GM’s on stage to showcase 30 unique ideas in 30 minutes. Too often people go to conferences to network and tune out the information passed along, but if you were in the room for this session, chances are you were on your laptop or phone taking notes or capturing screenshots. The fact that each PD delivered their presentation on time (or very close to it) was a shocker.

Watching this session from the side of the stage reminded me how critical great ideas are. Judging from what each presenter brought to the stage, there’s a lot of cool stuff happening in markets across the country. Now the challenge is taking these big ideas back to our sales teams, and getting them to feel the same enthusiasm when pitching opportunities to existing and potential clients. There’s certainly no shortage of big thinking.

‘FOLLOWING UP AND HELPING SALES IS A MUST’

I’m always fascinated when we do an advertising panel because there’s always something said that resonates. In Chicago in 2018, one of the city’s top advertisers shared that she had never met a program director until our Summit. Last year, Ad Results mentioned that they cared less about Nielsen ratings and more about ideas and podcasting. This year we heard from a key sports radio advertiser that the follow thru from sales isn’t as crisp as it should be. The client was also not familiar with the PD’s of two big stations they do business with.

First, any business spending money on your station’s airwaves deserves five star treatment. That means following up, offering to update copy, checking in to see how the client is feeling about the campaign, and offering added value when opportunities arise. Are you in business with a partner or a sponsor? If it’s the latter, don’t be surprised when they don’t renew.

Secondly, sales professionals should be involving the PD much more in the buying process. If a PD gets in front of the client, and has the ability to hear the client’s ideas and objectives, and share how the station works and what stands the best chance of delivering results, both sides are more likely to have a positive experience.

By nature, most programmers are creative and have an ability to get the talent’s support when executing things to benefit station partners. If you’re in sales and not getting the programmer in front of the client to help you make them feel special, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Don’t get caught up worrying about what the PD might say or who’s idea got used on the air, focus on satisfying the client, following up with them, and delivering what they want most – results!

‘BARSTOOL IS PLAYING CHESS, RADIO IS PLAYING CHECKERS’

I was personally excited to spend time chatting with Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini. I find her to be refreshingly candid, one of the brightest and most forward thinking executives in the entire sports media business, and given the success of the Barstool brand, we should all be listening anytime she’s willing to share her wisdom. As I expected, she was tremendous.

There were many great points raised by Erika during our 35 minutes together that were valuable, but a few specific items stuck with me. First, she mentioned how the company understands pace when turning around merchandise. This is an area that Barstool thrives on and radio is asleep at the wheel on. The company has generated roughly a third of its revenue from moving products by recognizing when something is catching on, and reacting swiftly. They also understand that some things will fail, and don’t allow it to discourage them from creating new items. She explained that consumers won’t wait for things today, and compared it to SportsCenter previously being the place to turn to for reaction to the night’s games, whereas now, commentary is available as soon as a key moment occurs on the field or court.

I also appreciated Erika’s insights on podcasting and subscription models. She believes in the value of the live read, and not cluttering digital audio shows with programmatic ads. Erika also said she isn’t as high on the subscription business and feels it’s a lot to ask a brand’s fans to pay for content in addition to buying merchandise, supporting advertisers, purchasing a Rough N Rowdy pay per view, etc..

Lastly, she came across as someone who values radio and believes in fighting for talent. Erika shared that if she oversaw a radio company she’d build more community around talent, taking advantage of meetups, merchandising, and campaigns. She also spoke about the importance of having the back of key talent and not buckling to pressure when outside forces try to harm your business. She expressed how important it is at Barstool to stand for something, and not allow others to push the company around, which in turn has made working with talent like Dave Portnoy and Kirk Minihane valuable to their business.

RESEARCH, SOCIAL & PROGRAMMERS ARE CRITICAL

Between Larry Rosin, Fred Jacobs, and Steven Goldstein, we had a lot of smart people on stage offer insights into audience behavior. Each had different areas of focus that resonated with the room, but I particularly enjoyed seeing the amount of people in the room write notes and react as Larry showed video of a focus group weighing in on the insane length of commercial breaks. The on screen example definitely struck a chord.

I also loved Steve Cohen’s passion when I asked why a PD is still necessary in 5 years. We’ve seen a growing trend in the industry where GM’s are now also serving as sales manager for clusters. Companies have tasked some PD’s with managing brands in two cities simultaneously or overseeing 2-4 stations in one building, all with different needs, personalities, and content. Steve emphatically pointed out that people can’t get better and generate results if they don’t have support, training, and someone to work with them. Chris Oliviero followed up by comparing the PD to the conductor of an orchestra. The music may play without them, but without organization and direction, it’s just a matter of time until things don’t function properly.

My one regret is that our Social Studies session went on last on Thursday. I should’ve put it on Wednesday’s schedule. There were a number of PD’s and executives who weren’t in the room for it but needed to be. Demetri and I shared the results of a survey we conducted with 405 industry professionals on how they view their brand’s social media performance. We then did a deeper dive into two stations, showing how ineffective they were in the social space.

I’ve studied social media heavily for the past few years, and I see a few brands operating well, but most are either using a corporately mandated cookie cutter strategy which may work on music brands, but is less effective with a sports radio crowd. Others don’t even have a social strategy. The growth potential in social media is massive, and if sports radio wants to drive listening and advertising, then we’ve got to be much better at it. When your brand is ready to get serious about it, call me.

HONEST ADVICE FROM A TOP TALENT

The session I hosted with Bomani Jones, Peter Rosenberg, Brandon Tierney and Paul Finebaum was tremendous. It offered an honest point of view from key talent on how they view the world of sports radio. With other mediums available, many paying higher rates for top talent, why do personalities still feel radio matters?

There were a ton of great takeaways in this session, but two specific things that Paul Finebaum said stayed with me afterwards. When I asked Paul what he’d tell a young person who’s thinking about going into the radio business, he said he’d advise them not to. Paul shared how the industry is crowded, doesn’t pay people well enough, and doesn’t support the talent with making sure important support staff are treated well enough to be able to focus on their job. It was a commentary that sparked a few followups and became a topic of conversation with programmers and others in the room.

The other part of the discussion which connected with me was when Paul talked about the value of an agent and why professionals should look into representation when they’re ready. Paul explained how he’d reached a limit when using a local attorney to do local deals, and though some companies may not like dealing with them, agents work on behalf of the talent to help them earn better treatment. That isn’t always an option when representing yourself and trying to handle your own business.

With podcasting paying premium dollars to top talent to do less work, and TV rewarding personalities who have an ability to pop thru the screen, radio needs to do its part to hold on to exceptional talent. There’s a belief among many that I speak with that radio companies will do all they can to not pay their best people higher salaries. If they do agree to pay more, it usually comes with requesting 5-6 outlandish things that most personalities won’t agree to. Skilled performers will always command attention and bigger dollars, so if radio groups want to hold on to their stars, they’re going to have to accept that costs will continue to rise for those who do it well.

DOING THE RIGHT THING ALWAYS PAY DIVIDENDS

I introduced the Jeff Smulyan and Tony Bruno awards last year because it felt right to honor those who’ve made a significant impact on our industry. This year we added the Mark Chernoff award, and that too felt right to me. Just seeing the pride and joy on each of their faces as they talked about their experiences and earned laughs and cheers from their peers was rewarding. When Dan Mason, Pat McAfee and Mitch Rosen collected this year’s trophies, those positive vibes were once again felt in the theater. I also thought Chris Oliviero’s speech was one of the best 5 minutes of the entire two day event. Very sincere, moving, honest and accurate.

But what personally moved me was a moment that took place on stage between yours truly and Andy Fales from KXnO in Des Moines. Andy and his partner Keith Murphy risked their jobs in January after six of their colleagues were laid off. They expected to be fired but were pleasantly surprised when KXnO management re-hired the six employees, and used the opportunity to expand KXnO on to the FM dial.

Keith and Andy knew they were being presented with the Champions Award for their contributions in saving sports radio in Iowa, but they had no idea that I’d be sending them $1000 dollars to enjoy a fun night out with their teammates. I could’ve just recognized their story without digging into my wallet and most would’ve said ‘that’s pretty cool’, but I wanted folks to understand and appreciate what these guys did for their community, and take notice that BSM cares about the sports radio business.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done to highlight this format. Nobody has spent more more time and energy presenting the sports radio industry in a positive and professional light. From our columns, news stories, podcasts, Top 20 lists, the Summit, and every phone call I take throughout the year, people turn to BSM because they know we love the business and want to help people succeed at it. Ben Franklin once said ‘an investment in knowledge pays the best interest‘, well so too does doing the right thing. It may not always come back in the form of a paycheck, but impacting lives is pretty damn cool. I’ll sleep comfortably knowing the work we’re doing matters, even if it takes a few others a little bit longer to come around.

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THE LOCATION FOR THE 2021 BSM SUMMIT IS….

We’ve done Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, and so far so good. My goal for next year is to bring the conference south, and give folks in other cities a chance to experience it. With that in mind, five cities are possible to host our 2021 show. They are Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa and Las Vegas.

If you could spare a moment to cast your vote it’d be helpful to us. Simply log on to https://bsmsummit.com and let us know where you think next year’s show should be held.

THAT’S A WRAP

I screwed up at the end of the conference and forgot to bring my crew on stage for a final bow. Fortunately, Demetri remembered to acknowledge a few of our team, and that led me to recognize a few others who were part of making this year’s show a success.

Since I blew the final picture opportunity, I’d like to use this space to thank Stephanie Eads, Dylan Barrett, Demetri Ravanos, Tyler McComas, Brian Noe, Brandon Contes, Austin Stellato, Stephen Bolsenbroek, and Michael Matalavage for their help with the 2020 BSM Summit. It takes teamwork to execute a successful conference, and I’m thankful to have had a lot of support from a great group.

It was also very special having my son help out and see his dad in action. Hearing him tell me how proud he was of me, and seeing how the event has since elevated his desire to blaze his own trail in the business has me feeling I’ve succeeded at the one job that matters most – being a dad.

I’d like to close this column by expressing my gratitude to Premiere Radio Networks/FOX Sports Radio, ESPN Radio, Hubbard Radio, Compass Media Networks, Benztown Branding, Skyview Networks, Core Image Studio, Steve Stone Voiceovers, and Harker Bos Group. Their support of the BSM Summit is what makes it possible to produce this show. Any group who supports our business deserves the same in return. I’m more than happy to do my part. I encourage you guys to do the same.

Til next year.

To see some of the video highlights from this year’s Summit, visit our YouTube page by clicking here. You can also see some clips by following us on Twitter.

BSM Summit Day 2

Jason Barrett
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BSM Summit Day 2

9:00-9:10 – Opening Remarks by Jason Barrett

Jason Barrett welcomes the attendees to Day 2 of the 2020 BSM Summit with some raffles because radio people love free stuff. Barrett welcomes the first panel of the day featuring Bruce Gilbert, Chris Oliviero, Mark Chernoff and Steve Cohen.

9:10-9:55 – The Power Panel

  • Mark Chernoff-VP Programming WFAN and CBS Spors Radio
    Process for getting someone on-air – Let me give some kudos to Eric Spitz who found a lot of talent when he was with us. We did a contest in ’94 or ’95 and one of the contestants was Joe from Saddle River, Joe Benigno who was one of the best callers we had on-air. Joe won the contest to get an hour or so on-air and he wanted to get into radio. I suggested the Connecticut School of Broadcasting to learn about the industry and a local radio station to develop. He did, he bought airtime at WJDM 1530 and did shows for several months. When I was ready to move Steve Somers to middays, I needed to hire somebody for overnights and he won the audition.

    I’ve had these conversations with David Field. We need more diversity and Entercom has been doing a better job of that. We’ve done a better job of being diverse on-air, it has been harder to find women and minorities that apply for management. When Eric Spitz left I offered the APD job to two women who both chose other jobs instead. Our target audience is male 25-54 so naturally we get more men that apply for internships and look to get in the business, so the audience is not diverse enough, but I whole-heartedly wish there was more diversity.

    One unnamed program director once told me to find the listeners with Nielsen diaries and only worry about those listeners to focus on ratings. A lot of us still live with that mindset of programming our station to get Nielsen ratings. We have all this great content, but we only get 7% of the advertising pie. How is that possible? We need buyers to come to us on all of our platforms and see all of the content we create on those platforms.

    I told Boomer and Carton, just make sure everything emanates with sports, but from there I don’t care where you go. We’ve continued that with Gregg Giannotti and it has brought in a younger audience. The entertainment factor is important. Start at sports, but it’s okay to spread your wings, go off into other topics and I think that appeals to the younger audience.
  • Chris Oliviero-Strategic Advisor/Former EVP CBS Radio
    If you have talent who has talent, you need to focus on being able to keep them because they can cut you out and go directly to their audience. They can go to another market. I wouldn’t worry about finding the talent, I would worry about keeping the talent, because if they’re good, they’re going to be poached.

    If you’re in terrestrial radio and you have a heritage station, own that and appeal to your older market. Don’t try to change it, but if you’re building a new station, you have an opportunity to have a blank slate and you can build toward a younger audience.

    From a management standpoint, we just have to prioritize diversity and hold ourselves accountable. In years past, we would just lean on ‘well nobody applied.’ That excuse doesn’t work anymore, we need to do a better job of finding people.

    If you have an orchestra, you need a conductor, you need a maestro and that’s what a good program director can do. Imagine an orchestra without the conductor.
  • Bruce Gilbert-SVP Sports Cumulus/Westwood One
    Covering Kobe Bryant’s death – Our job is to make sure nobody says anything stupid. TMZ reported it, a lot of people were hoping it was wrong, but TMZ’s batting average on breaking stories is pretty damn good. Once there was second source we went with it. Our job is to support talent with the right information and timing.

    Spike Eskin nailed it yesterday morning, the younger audience doesn’t know a world where they can’t get the exact content they want, when they want it. I don’t know if we can get that younger demo to listen to radio. We’re way down on their list in terms of content. Even play-by-play which some of us spend a lot of money on, it’s easier for the younger audience to stream video of a game than it is to find audio of a game.

    We’ve all admitted it, we have failed in being more diverse. We talk about it at these conferences every year, but what is done to fix it? If you look at television and ESPN, this is one place where they are way ahead of us. They made it a priority and it was unacceptable to say nobody applied. We just have to be better about prioritizing it the way TV has.

    I would hope we can stop programming to Nielsen. We have been so focused on how to beat the meter and where to put commercials, but nobody asks how does that impact the listener? The bulk of our business is still in the core product, but we can’t wait for that to die before we adjust. We need to take this amazing content we create every single day and figure out how to monetize it four or five times over and not just post a show online as a podcast. There is huge audio upside on other platforms.
  • Steve Cohen-SVP Sports SiriusXM
    Covering Kobe Bryant’s death – We didn’t want to report anything from social media when covering the immediate news. SiriusXM NBA Radio was ready to go live, we moved their NBA game and Jaren Jackson did a good job of reporting and covering the news with facts.

    I love to see people start as interns, move to production, EP and program directors. You need to find people at every level and for us at SiriusXM we not only ask you to be a program director of your channel, but you have to work with all of our program directors. We all have to do a better job when it comes to diversity.

    I don’t have to play the ratings game with SiriusXM, for me I’m competing for dollars with other departments. Politics is so polarizing it’s becoming the new sports radio. Podcasts are wonderful, but having the companionship in your car in morning or afternoon drive is everything for a radio listener. The younger audience wants things snackable, shorter segments. If you look at our video content it’s quick, three or four minutes. We do fewer 40-minute interviews and we’ve adapted in those ways.

    On the importance of program directors at local stations – Who’s making people better? You’re gonna put some salesperson in as a program director? What moron is going to do that?! You need people that can coach talent and coach producers. This is an art form and somebody needs to be their to coach.
  • Moderator: Jason Barrett

9:55-10:30 – 2020 Vision presented by Hubbard Radio

  • Susan Larkin-Regional President, Market Manager Entercom NY
    Disruption will continue, change will continue. Did we know a few years ago that smart speakers would become the new radio in homes? 21% of RADIO.COM streaming now comes from smart speakers. We don’t know what we don’t know and things will continue to change. As a leader, you need to convince everybody that there is going to be constant disruption, lets disrupt ourselves and make sure we’re ahead of the curve. You set the tone as a leader, if you’re stressed or worried about the future, everyone is going to feel that.

    You better have thick skin if you’re in the sports business, especially in New York. Tim (McCarthy) and I go way back, but newspaper writers try to pin us against each other – ESPN vs WFAN and it creates clicks for them. But it shows that people are interested.

    I’m not an expert with content, but I want our leaders to talk to each other. Mark Chernoff has been a great resource and leader and he has a background in music radio, we also have program directors of our music channels that have a background in talk radio. I want leaders that are open to listening to other ideas and leaders that want to surround themselves with people that are better than they are.

    I challenge every single person here today, whatever you think you can do this year – multiply it. You have the responsibility to set a high goal. Be relentless, be obsessed with it, hire the right people and charge forward.
  • Dan Seeman-VP/Market Manager Hubbard Radio Minneapolis
    When it comes to content leaders, we look for people that will take risks and think outside the box. We built a female sports radio station in the Twin Cities that became one of the top stations in the market and there was only one person there with a background in radio. Now we’re trying a similar thing with SKOR North which is a digitally focused radio station. We have an AM signal for a base of what we’re creating, but AM radio isn’t growing so I’m more concerned about the digital metrics of SKOR North. We want leaders that share that vision with out talent.

    Love what you do. In this business today, as hard as its is, I want people willing to run through a wall. The days of doing your three-hour shift and going home are over. What are you bringing, what new ideas to you have, what platforms are you on? I want everyone to share the love and passion for this industry.
  • Tim McCarthy-SVP ESPN Radio, Market Manager ESPN NY/LA
    Everyone has to understand their role and how they can contribute. Everyone has to understand this is a business, we’re a family that has to work together. Talent doing a good job with reads and commercials helps us to sell more advertising. 10 years ago, a lot of our talent wouldn’t be doing all of the things we ask them to do today.

    We have to be honest and realistic with people, if an afternoon show is 25th in the market, adding a podcast isn’t going to help. If people aren’t listening on the radio, they’re not going to listen to the podcast. Just be clear and honest with people when change happens and they respect that.

    Make yourselves and everyone in your department as relevant as possible. This business isn’t easy. One thing that drives me crazy – how many radio stations market their product? Digital, billboards – they say they don’t have the budget for it, but then complain that they don’t have enough listeners. They need to find a budget to market their product.
  • Todd Markiewicz-VP/GM 97.1 The Fan
    Don’t assume everything your doing is the best that can be done. Have the courage to change. It’s important to think of it as being a content company, not a radio company.

    Have as many relationships as you can, inside and outside the building. If we continue to do that, because of the passion for sports, we’ll continue to win in this industry.
  • Moderator: Erica Farber-CEO Radio Advertising Bureau

10:45-11:20 – Imaging For VP’s and Bigwigs presented by Core Image Studio

Jim Cutler-Jim Cutler New York
Cutler presents audio, video and examples of bad imaging to the attendees, highlighting if you waste the listeners time, they’re gone.

Creative partners should bring ideas to the table at the risk of being shot down if you think you can help them succeed. A company called LoJack asked Cutler to do a commercial for them. LoJack is a device that goes inside cars in case the car is stolen. Cutler asked if he could call people who had their cars stolen for the commercial. The company said yes and it helped them earn tens of millions of dollars.

With six-second attention spans, news outlets are always screaming for attention with buzzwords like slammed, outrage and backlash in headlines. Cutler then read examples of bad copy radio stations are using to try and attract listeners. One station began the copy with ‘We now have a text line.’ Text lines and Facebook pages shouldn’t be promoted as being a new innovative idea. Another station wrote copy to promote a contest that will occur next week and included the phone number. No listener is going to remember the contest-line phone number a week later when the contest starts.

Any anti-women sports commercial for a radio station is shooting yourself in the foot. Fans at sports games are 50% women. Women are great, intelligent sports fans. Don’t shut out potential listeners.

Audience retention – most people leave audio content within 60-seconds. You can spend time creating a great five-minute parity song, but people aren’t going to hear the entire thing. Content needs to be less than 60-seconds.

Imaging needs to be short, quick and to the point, but topicality doesn’t erase creativity. You can still be creative and adrenaline pumping, while staying on point.

11:20-12:00 – Media Warfare: Is It Good or Bad For Business? presented by Steve Stone Voiceovers

  • Damon Amendolara-CBS Sports Radio
    I would want to know why my PD didn’t want me to engage in a media conflict. If I feel like it’s an important time to defend myself, I’ll do it. I’m usually tongue and cheek and sarcastic, when Mike Francesa called me out for my nickname, ‘DA’ it was fun, and here we are seven years later still talking about it.
    I don’t subscribe to making it personal, because you don’t know what the results will be. You have to pick your battles. But I think it’s good for business. The listeners that love the guy you’re going after, they’re going to be listening for the retort.
  • Kevin ‘KFC’ Clancy-Barstool Sports
    We’re at war every single day, we’re at war with each other and we’re at war with the internet. That kind of stuff is almost par for the course for us and our fans love it.

    Still, to this day, I think ESPN missed a great opportunity (Barstool Van Talk). I realize that ESPN is never calling me. I’m OK with that.
    I feel like we do more internal fighting than external. The times we really band together is when someone comes after us. They want us to go and do our thing and create intrigue with it.
  • Freddie Coleman-ESPN Radio
    I had a caller say he disagrees with me 90 percent of the time. I asked, why are you listening to me? I must be doing something right if I have a listener that disagrees with me that much.
  • Gregg Giannotti-WFAN
    When I saw the back page of the New York Post with me and Mike Francesa, the first thing I did was laugh. It was incredible to me that my career has brought me to this point. I used to be the kid in the car listening to Mike, now I’m the adult getting into media feuds with him. But then I thought, did I get to a level that I don’t respect? When Boomer saw the paper, he said ‘I’m proud of you.’ I had been trying to carve my niche in the show for two years and it was good to see that I said something people cared about.

    You have to have two people to battle. Mike doesn’t always engage, but when he does, you feel like you need to battle with him because if you don’t, it’s as if you don’t exist in this world. If it was hurting the radio station, I don’t know that I would do it, but my entire career has been instinctual.
    If a caller asks what you think about a co-worker’s feud, you better have his back. It looks really bad if you don’t.
  • Moderator: Jason Barrett

The Mark Chernoff Award

  • Mark Chernoff-VP Programming WFAN and CBS Spors Radio
    I might be the most berated program director in the history of radio. When I came to WFAN in ’93, I left K-Rock and Howard Stern. Stern said ‘you’re going to go work for that dirtbag Imus?’ When I got to WFAN, Imus said ‘you worked for that dirtbag Stern?’ I understood they had their issues, but I had a great working relationship with both of them.

    I love going to work and I still do after all these years. In the sports world, you never know what’s going to happen.

    As a program director, I always tell people to be a listener. That also applies to radio stations, listen as a listener. Listen to your station. If you hear something bad, change the channel and hear what other stations are doing because that’s what a listener would do. Take note of it and talk to you talent about it. At the same time, if you hear something good, tell your talent about that too.

    I’m happy to give this award to my really close friend, Mitch Rosen. Mitch knows and understands talent, knows how to run a radio station, he can manage up and manage down which is really important. He’s worked with great talent, knows how to talk and deal with talent, he’s an innovator and creative. Mitch is a great rights negotiator which has been vital to The Score’s success. He stays on top of the Chicago sports world and knows what’s going on in the entire sports world. I’m thrilled that this award is going to Mitch Rosen and couldn’t think of a better person.
  • Chris Oliviero-Strategic Advisor/Former EVP CBS Radio
    For a sports radio P1 junkie like myself, meeting Chernoff in 1998, fresh out of college was like meeting the Wizard of Oz. I was asking for part-time board-op work and he gave it to me. For $5.50 an hour.

    If there was going to be one award that is going to recognize sports programming excellence, it has to be named after Mark Chernoff. Mark was not the first sports radio PD, but Babe Ruth was not the first baseball player. You don’t have to be the first to be the best.

    Chernoff is a talent whisperer, from Stern to Imus to Francesa, Russo, Boomer and Gio. He’s helped raise millions and millions of dollars for charity, which he doesn’t talk about much.

    Mark was crucial to launching CBS Sports Radio, a thriving national sports network. He played an important role in bringing sports radio to FM. He’s helped launch stations in Boston, Pittsburgh and other markets that have all gone to the top. If you look at Mark’s finger prints, they’re all over the industry. What Mark is probably most proud of is his coaching tree. If Mark cares about you, he shows it and if he says he will help you, he does it. One of those people on his coaching tree is Mitch Rosen. The symmetry of Chernoff getting the award named after him and Mitch receiving the award is perfect.
  • Mitch Rosen-Brand Manager, 670 The Score & 105.7 The Fan
    It’s an honor to be the recipient of the Mark Chernoff Award, my longtime friend, and what I’ve learned about Mark is, his most prized possession is his grandchildren.

    I wake up every morning and I’m so passionate about what I do and I know most people in this room are. We have to be willing to change. Local sports is the future of sports radio. We have to be teachers and coaches with our talent, we have to try new concepts, experiment and be flexible – whether it’s gaming or technology. We have to look in the mirror everyday and be willing to change.

    Be nice. Over-communicate with your staff. If you treat people well, they’re going to work harder for you. Be open-minded, change happens in every business.

    I’m humbled and honored to get this award and to get an award with Mark Chernoff’s name on it is even more special because he’s been a friend for so many years.

The Champions Award

Keith Murphy & Andy Fales-1460 KXnO
Jason Barrett recognizes Keith Murphy and Andy Fales who helped save six jobs at their radio station in Des Moines. Keith and Andy chose not to do their show after cuts were made which helped bring the shows back to the station’s airwaves. In a video, Keith and Andy credited their listeners and sponsors for making it happen. ‘We’re thrilled to receive this award, but we accept this award on behalf of our listeners and sponsors.’

Barrett called Andy live from the stage on his cell phone to discuss the award and present him with a $1,000 check to take the entire KXnO staff out to dinner.

1:40-2:15 – Sports Radio Coast to Coast

  • Don Martin– SVP FOX Sports Radio/Premiere Radio Networks, VP and GM of AM 570 LA Sports
    National radio is 400 locals, and it’s everyone’s job to make sure those local stations sound good with what’s provided on the air.

    Don’t be afraid to ask national talent to call in to your local show, the worst that can happen is they’ll say no. You’d be surprised how often they say yes.

    Los Angeles is known for one thing – traffic. I have a producer that had the idea to have Dan Patrick cut a liner for every freeway in the area. So our listeners hear Dan Patrick throw it to our traffic reporter for updates on specific freeways. That wasn’t my idea, that was my producer’s idea, it’s important to hire strong producers as well as talent.
  • Justin Craig– Senior Director ESPN Audio
    Jason Fitz just started his new national show First Take Your Take, and he goes on 25 local stations a week to support it. He’s hoping to make it 30 and keep increasing it.

    What does national radio need to do a better job of? “Shorten our commercial breaks.”

    We have to blur the lines of national and local radio. Good content is good content and we have to work towards that collectively.
  • Scott Shapiro– VP FOX Sports Radio
    When you’re doing a national show, we try to bring topics that appeal to a broad audience. You want to play the hits. Use a few key topics that reach a broad audience and dig deep on those. Don’t try to cover too many different topics like SportsCenter in 1995.

    There is no reason a national host can’t develop the intimate relationship with your local audience. It’s on us to hire talent that can do that. It shouldn’t matter where they’re broadcasting from.
  • Amanda Gifford– SVP ESPN Audio
    Whatever we can do from a network perspective to make the local stations feel like Will Cain is part of your station, we’re happy to do it. For local program directors, if you have things you want us to record or do, don’t be afraid to ask. We’re still in the PPM business, the talent wants to do well, if cutting liners and integrating within the local scene is going to help them get better ratings, they’re going to do it.

    The ability to be nimble quicker is what radio does better than TV. Radio is much more intimate, there’s more freedom, more ability to be creative. Not everything has to fit into a 22-minute block. It’s also more challenging than TV, which any host will admit.
  • Moderator: Jeff Rickard- 1070 The Fan

2:15-2:50 – TechSurvey: Sports Radio’s Deep Dive

  • Fred Jacobs, President Jacobs Media
    Jacobs presents attendees with various charts detailing information about sports radio audiences based on 50,000 surveys.

    The audience isn’t very diverse. Are there a lot female sports fans as potential listeners? Possibly, but sports radio listeners are 85% male and 15% female.

    97% of sports fans watch TV/Video for an hour each day. 95% have a smart phone, 85% have a social media account, 76% watch streaming content. Three out of every four sports radio fans can connect their phone to the car. Twitter is the most important platform for sports radio fans.

    Why do people listen to sports radio? 84% listen because of sports topics. 67% enjoy talk shows, 65% say it’s the easiest to listen in the car, 52% feel a connection to the hosts. 50% listen because radio is free, which can be an advantage as other platforms continue charging subscription fees.

    43% of listeners listen to AM/FM radio in the car. 22% listen to an AM/FM radio at home, work or school. For sports radio listeners, 41% listen on an AM/FM radio in the car, 15% at home, work or school which equals 56% traditional listening and 44% digital.

    In 2013, 76% of sports radio listeners used traditional AM/FM radios and digital listening was just 24%. In seven years those numbers have changed significantly.

    As people get into on-demand audio and podcasts, the less traditional radio they listen to. Broadcast radio in the car has 59% of audio usage, satellite has 18%. If you eliminate cars that are not connected, AM/FM goes down to 50% and satellite increases to 25%. 38% of sports radio listeners say they listen to less AM/FM radio once they subscribe to satellite.

3:05-3:40 – The Content Cycle presented by Compass Media Networks

  • Adam Schein-Mad Dog Radio/CBS Sports Network
    I find myself thinking about show topics all day long. The tiebreaker for what to start with is, what am I most passionate about? What can you do to put a spin on it and make it your take?

    I still use legal pads and take bullet point notes for my show. For my monologue I don’t script it, but I’ll write out a quote so I don’t misquote anyone and then I ad-lib the rest and hit on the bullet points.

    I still think the two-way sports talk connection exists. There is a way to use calls as a tool and vehicle in sports radio to get back to your main topic. I think a lot of national sports radio hosts are afraid to take calls, I don’t think they want to be challenged. I cringe when I hear that people don’t want to take calls. There’s an art to it, if you have a bad producer or someone that doesn’t want to take calls it won’t work. They can challenge you, they can make you better, more opinionated and more entertaining.
  • Maggie Gray-WFAN
    One of the things that distinguishes radio from television is the listeners feel like they really know you, so when something tragic happens, they feel like the hosts can be there for them. It’s a huge responsibility that I don’t take lightly. You have to trust your gut instinct and have confidence in that instinct when something serious happens on-air. You can joke about sports, have fun talking about sports, but when real life things happen, you need to be there for the listeners and that separates the really great hosts.

    We have a new show so we’re still finding all of our strengths and weaknesses. I try to be Belichickian about it and find out what everyone on the show does best. I like the idea of creating a universe for our show, so I like including the producer and board-op and let them be characters on the show. They have to be willing to do that.

    I thought our three-person show that people had a lot of questions about ended up working really well. We became friends and I think that came across genuinely on-air. Even if we argue, it’s not personal, we just see sports through a different lens. With a solo show, all of my jokes would land flat!
  • Chris Carlin-98.7 ESPN NY
    You have to find ways to separate yourself. I want to be the guy that gives you the aspect or idea of a story that you haven’t thought about yet. I want to find a different spin or unique angle to a story.

    I had not done local radio in awhile and I credit Spike Eskin at WIP for helping me because he thinks about things so differently. I was able to learn how to plan a show and take topics in different directions.

    You have to prepare each day like you’re not going to get one call which sounds nearly impossible for most local hosts. I believe callers can add to a show. At WFAN, when I was getting started, all I had to do was say baseball and the lines were lit and you can get too dependent on that. You’re not going to get better, develop your voice and do things to make yourself compelling if you use calls as crutch.

    I prefer to have a co-host, I think there’s something about building a partnership in radio. Now I’m trying to figure out what kind of solo host to be.
  • Carl Dukes-92.9 The Game
    I do a five hour show, we take very little calls if any in a week. There are reaction days during the football season after a big matchup, that’s when I take calls.

    We have a tendency to just take calls and not solicit what kind of calls we want, that’s what derails a show and turns it into a train-wreck. What are we talking about and how can callers enhance the conversation? I need to tell them exactly what I want to talk about and then I need my producer to have five-minute conversation with them before they go on-air.

    The producer is the most important element to the show and that often goes under the radar. Having a producer that takes the same approach to the show as a host is the number one thing for a show. There are some great shows with unbelievable producers that challenge the hosts and we need that. Also, if your producer is more worried about the show they don’t have, rather than the show they’re working on with you, then you have the wrong producer.
  • Moderator: Michael McCarthy, Senior Reporter Front Office Sports

3:40-4:15 – 30 In 30 presented by Hubbard Radio

Guests: Lakin-Mackey-Rush-Mamola-Tepper-Williams-Kinard-Spittle-Porth-Graci

Armen Williams – Sports Radio 610 Houston
A look into 610’s creativity and execution around Texans Takeover, StoernTalk, and the Best Bugs Tour.

Phil Mackey – SKOR North Minneapolis
Last year the Twins set the record for most home runs in a season. We bought a $2,000 insurance policy on a $50,000 giveaway if you could guess the player who would break the record and they did it with a grand slam. The Twins were at bat with the bases loaded and a chance to break the record. The game went to commercial for a pitching change and we had 1,500 people sign up for our app because of the promotion.

How do you get 18-34 year olds to consume sports talk radio? Maybe you don’t, put content where they use it > YouTube. We get 75,000 monthly YouTube viewers and each one watches video for an average of 8 minutes.


Gordy Rush – 104.5 Baton Rouge
Video highlights on YouTube hep bring new audience to your brand. For our three shows in the first six months 104.5 will do six figures just through YouTube highlights. In July, all of shows will be on YouTube Live. Gordy also shared how 104.5 executes their Studio sponsorship and the LSU Whiskey and Whine postgame show.

Gavin Spittle – 105.3 The Fan Dallas
Flagtober – we make custom flags and pass them out in October. We drive to 10 locations in 12 hours on a Saturday which gets 150-300 people to each location because they all want that flag. They put them on flagpoles and promote your station.

Find what game your local audience is playing. We hold a cornhole tournament, but it can be any game that is popular in your community.

Shan and RJ’s Firehouse Tour. Embrace your community and hand out t-shirts at firehouses, each appearance brought out 100 listeners.

Rod Lakin – Arizona Sports 98.7FM
We used a multi-platform approach last spring when the Arizona Cardinals had the number 1 pick. They were rumored to be interested in Kyler Murray and still had Josh Rosen. We reached out to Carson Palmer and Kurt Warner to discuss what they believe the Cardinals should do. They spoke for an hour and 20 minutes in a pre-recorded spot. We broke it up into three different parts and offered it as an uncut podcast. 98.7 also delivers Newsmakers Week and The Territorial Roast Cup Battle built off of Arizona-Arizona State.

Dave Tepper – Altitude Sports Radio 92.5FM Denver
Bracket Madness, for two weeks we register people on-air for the promotion. 120 listeners get selected, we throw a party where 16 of them get paired with a Sweet 16 team, if you’re team wins you get the grand prize. Altitude also does promotions giving away $925 with a special Pick 4 contest, and boosts the hockey fan’s appetite with another promotion titled ‘Mystery Puck’.

John Mamola – 95.3 WDAE Tampa Bay
Florida is a very political state so we did The Great Sports Debate. This was the first time we had all of our talent in one room at the same time. We had them on stage at the state fair and it was the highest attended date for the fair.

The Tampa Bay Rays don’t have a lot of All-Stars, but when they do we want to get behind them. We started #ClickCorey for Corey Dickerson when he was up for the final spot in the MLB All-Star game. He was sixth in voting when we started the campaign and he finished first by over one million votes. WDAE’s final promotion is an event titled ‘Sneaker Soiree’.

Chris Kinard – 106.7 The Fan Washington DC
Our app is very important, but a lot of stations carry play-by-play at night. That leads to listeners being shut out because the station can’t stream the game. Give people a reason to be on the app by experimenting and trying new things without worrying about negative ramifications because PPM rules don’t apply to the app.

Chris then went over some of the ways 106.7 The Fan embraces new technology and sports betting to help The Fan drive additional listening and new revenue opportunities.

Jim Graci – 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh
FAN Uncensored gets all of our talent on one stage at the same time. The first year we had 300 people attend, now we’re up to 600 people. It’s a great opportunity to let hosts tell stories, have fun and build a connection with the audience.

We bring talent to youth softball and baseball games. We went to 20 events this year and it gives us an opportunity to get out into the community, build new relationships and give away sponsored SWAG.

The last project is creating original video content with unique personalities. The Fan’s evening host Paul Zeise drives (auto dealer sponsor) with a friend and offers passionate takes on current sports news. Titled ‘Road Rantz’ it’s a simple way to play off of the host while treating the sponsor to quality branded content.

Ryan Porth – 102.5 The Game Nashville
Season of Giving – All three of our shows brought ideas of how to give back to the community during the holidays. Our morning show collected toys, the midday show collected winter clothing and our afternoon show collected school supplies. We raised over $13,000 in donations.

The Titans made it to the AFC Championship this year, but we don’t have the Titans’ rights. A year ago we got rid of sports updates, but leading up to the Championship game we did hourly updates featuring the Titans and Chiefs. It was our most popular sales asset back in January and it opened our eyes to similar opportunities.

The final piece of the puzzle is utilizing Predators playoff tickets to drive listening and revenue. They remain one of the hottest items in the market.

4:15-4:50 – Topic: Social Studies presented by Harker Bos Group

  • Jason Barrett-President, Barrett Sports Media
    Jason and Demetri reveal numbers based on a survey conducted to talent and producers which asked for their input on their station’s social media strategy. There’s a lack of information being passed along to key members of brands.

    JB looked at 1310 The Ticket in Dallas and how they used social media in one week – 77 total posts across three platforms. 3864 engagements from fans, but zero responses from the station. Demetri did a similar dive on 1080 The Fan in Portland.

    Producing great creative content without paid media behind it is like setting up a candy store in the desert. Stations are also too reliant on flooding timelines with articles and text content, material which produces less engagement and reaches a small portion of the audience. Video, creative images, audiograms and infographics are proven to make a bigger impact and should be focused on by brands.

    WIP in Philadelphia does a custom show just for Facebook during the NFL season. The Game in SF almost always posts content with video or creative images, hence the reason why they generate a lot of views, sharing and engagement. ESPNLA operates strongly this way on Instagram.

    Five years from now, program director’s who only have an ability to drive Nielsen ratings won’t be as important. You need to be a digital expert too and not just leave it to the young people in the digital department.

    Analyze what is working and what isn’t. Treat each platform differently.
  • Demetri Ravanos-Assistant Content Editor, Barrett Sports Media
    Your audience is looking for video and creative images. As you scroll through Twitter, even if it’s something you’re not interested in – a moving image or creative image will catch your eye. Audiograms and polls are engaging to a lesser extent. Articles and text are far less important.

    Demetri looked at 1080 The Fan in Portland and how they used social media over the course of one week – 133 total posts on three platforms and almost half of them were articles, the least impactful content to share. 807 total engagements from fans, but only nine responses from the station.

    If you’re not engaging with fans, how good at social media are you? It’s called ‘social’ media, but if you’re not social with people, that’s more of a case of ‘pushed’ media.

    Everything SKOR North in Minneapolis does on-air is built with the idea of giving it a second life digitally.

    Write short, smart, witty and in a relatable and engaging way. Don’t bombard people with meaningless content, use your time wisely to pass along valuable material.

Mitch Rosen Is Humbled And Rejuvenated

Andy Masur
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Mitch Rosen has been in the radio game for a long time. He’s spent some 30 years in his home market of Chicago, working for a number of well-known and respected stations including WGN Radio, and ESPN 1000. Rosen has been the program director for 670 The Score, since 2005.

Under his leadership, The Score has become one of the most respected sports stations in the country. Rosen added a second station to his portfolio in the Summer of 2019. In addition to leading the Score, he took on the added responsibility of programming 105.7 The Fan, in Milwaukee. He’s a busy guy, and wouldn’t have it any other way.  

Rosen will be honored at the 2020 BSM Summit in New York next week as the first ever winner of the Mark Chernoff award. 

I recently sat down with him to get his thoughts on winning the prestigious award, what it’s like to program two stations simultaneously and just how competitive the Chicago market is with two sports stations on the air. 

Andy Masur: You were the top guy on the BSM list of major market PD’s and will be the first to receive the Mark Chernoff award. What does that mean to you, having your peers recognize what you do for the format?

Mitch Rosen: It’s very humbling, I’m very honored two-fold. Number one, Mark and I are very good friends in this industry, so, to receive this award named for him is really an incredible feeling. I’ve learned so much from him. I remember about 16 years ago, I started in February of 2005 and Mark interviewed me over the phone for the job at the Score. Ever since then, learning from him and talking to him and still to this day running ideas by him and consulting him on different things, it’s just amazing that I was the one chosen for this award is a great honor.  

This award and honor it’s really not about me, it’s about the people I work with, it’s also about our brand, you know the Score brand was born in January of 1992. I happen to be the one that day in and day out works close with this brand. But it’s about the people, it’s producers, on air talent, people in our digital department, people at Radio.com sports, Entercom, CBS Sports/Westinghouse. So many people touch this brand and oh by the way it’s our audience. Without the listeners of Chicago and folks that listen to our product on the Radio.com app and online every day, you know, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be overseeing this tremendous brand, so even though my name is on it, it’s all about the Score brand and about people that I work with on a daily basis. 

AM: What are you looking forward to at the BSM Summit?

MR: I always look forward to collaborating with my peers. Also, watching and listening to the great panels. I think the panels Jason has put together this year are incredible and I always look at it as a great learning experience. No matter how long you’ve been in this business when you can absorb knowledge from some of the people that he’s assembled is great. It’s great to see some of my peers that you really only get to see once a year at Jason’s summit, so that’s what I’m really looking forward to, seeing a lot of people in the industry and talking about great ideas. As we know our industry, I feel, changes on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. To be able share ideas and knowledge is really huge. 

AM: What is the competition like in a crazy sports town like Chicago with 2 sports stations?

MR: This market is unusual, you have two stand-alone AM radio stations in us and WMVP (ESPN 1000) and I think it’s a credit to this Chicago sports market. Both stations do very well. I think at the end of the day when you look at it, I think our station has more listeners throughout the year on a weekly basis. Though, if an outsider said you have two stand-alone AM radio stations that talk sports and on a weekly basis combined you cume sometimes a million and a half people a week that’s pretty impressive. 

We’ve seen the trend of sports stations going to FM around the country and it just hasn’t clicked yet in Chicago. I think it’s a testament to when there’s great content people find you. When you have two great AM stations, and I think both do a good job in terms of content, its not just the AM band anymore. It’s all the different platforms through social media that people find great content and I think that’s how we’ve survived over the years since 1992 and you have to adjust with the times. You can’t sit back and wait for technology to come to you, I think you really have to follow technology and be ahead of the game. We’ve seen that in what we’ve done with live video streaming on a number of our shows and the OTT products and things like that. 

AM: You and Mike Thomas at ESPN 1000 are friends, what’s the dynamic like in competing against him and his station?

MR: He’s a friend, he’s a colleague, he’s someone I respect, but I think he would say the same thing, I wake up every morning and you think how do I get better? How do you get better than your competition? How can you motivate your staff to produce better content every day? 

I also think we compete in a world that isn’t just sports. We live in the demographic of 25-54 year-old persons and obviously our main target is men, so how do we do better than some music stations? We are all fighting for an audience, how do we get more ears on our station, more eyeballs on our digital platforms? That’s what we strive to do every day.  

AM: In a sports market like Chicago, what is the importance placed on having Chicago guys on the air talking Chicago sports?

MR: Everybody knows their city I think better than others. I’m fortunate enough that I was born in the Chicagoland area. I’ve been fortunate to work in this market since 1988. My first job was at WGN radio, first as an intern, then I was hired at WGN shortly after that. I feel it’s important that people that work in this market in sports radio either grew up here, or worked here. 

You look at our lineup from top to bottom, these people have worked here long enough and lived here. I think it’s important that they know the background of Chicago sports, they know the audience, they know geographically where people live and where they come from. They know the passion of Chicago sports, they know what it was like being a fan and they know the teams in this market. Every market is different. I can only speak for Chicago and now a little bit Milwaukee. But for the Chicago market I think it’s vitally important that people live and breathe this throughout their life. That’s how I feel about it.  

AM: How do you view the landscape of sports radio in Chicago and the format in general?

MR: I’m still a believer in live and local. I think in this format specifically. We’re in the opinion business, people always want to talk about live and local sports. People in Chicago want to give their opinion about the Bears. They want to give their opinion about the Cubs and about all local sports teams. I don’t see that going away. 

It’s how you go about figuring out through which platforms, through what different ways you communicate with the audience, those are the type of things that continue to evolve and change. As a programmer you have to be willing to adapt and change. What I was doing three or four years ago as a PD has changed.  Today as a brand manager you just have to be able to be adaptive, go with the changes, be open to ideas and come up with new ideas. You can’t wait for it to come to you. You have to be willing to share things with the staff and be open to feedback and ideas from everybody. That’s how I see it, I think this format is as strong as it ever will be and it’s all about being live and local.    

AM: What do you see as a benefit of having team play-by-play on The Score?

MR: I am a firm believer for a sports radio station to be successful you need to have a team’s play-by-play on your airwaves. It’s a great marketing tool that you can cross promote in play-by-play. It brings in a cumulative audience that helps you market your other day parts. From a sales standpoint it’s a great opportunity to generate revenue with the right business deal. Again, for a sports radio station today in 2020 its imperative that you have a play-by-play property/partnership on your radio station. 

AM: How difficult is it to be effective as a PD in two cities at once, juggling Chicago and now 105.7 the Fan in Milwaukee at the same time?

MR: I love it. You know, traditionally I’m in Milwaukee for a day and a half a week. With modern technology I’m always in touch with the Milwaukee market. I’m fortunate enough that I have great assistance there with Steve “Sparky” Fifer who also is a co-host on our “Wendy’s Big Show” in the afternoons. I have a great staff there, from our morning show to middays and afternoons.

Milwaukee has really become a great sports town. The Packers had success this year, being a game away from the Super Bowl. The Brewers have been competitive in the NL Central and of course the Bucks. They’re probably the best team today in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. It’s fun, it’s only 90 miles from Chicago and to me being in the business a long time, it’s rejuvenated me in terms of something fresh to work with and great people. You combo that and it’s just been a joy to part of that organization. 

Clancy, Wischusen, Mamola, Markiewicz, McHale & Kloss Complete The 2020 BSM Summit Lineup

Jason Barrett
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Clancy, Wischusen, Mamola, Markiewicz, McHale & Kloss Complete The 2020 BSM Summit Lineup

The wait is almost over. The 2020 BSM Summit takes place next week in New York City and I’m glad to see so many excited about what we’ve put together for this year’s conference. That’s what makes doing it worthwhile. I couldn’t pull this off without great partners, helpful PR people, and many talented personalities, programmers, and executives taking time to get involved. I truly appreciate your time and support and look forward to seeing all of you next week.

Before we get there though I want to share a little bit of news because we have some final additions to the schedule who I’m sure folks will be interested in hearing from. I am thrilled to welcome Barstool Sports’ Kevin ‘KFC’ Clancy, New York Jets radio play by play voice Bob Wischusen, WDAE PD John Mamola, 97.1 The Fan VP and Market Manager Todd Markiewicz, Katz Media’s VP and Director of Sports Marketing Lauren McHale, and Town Fair Tire media buyer Pam Kloss to this year’s show.

KFC will be part of a fantastic panel on Thursday February 27th titled ‘Media Warfare‘. It takes place from 11:20a-12p and includes Gregg Giannotti from WFAN, Damon Amendolar of CBS Sports Radio, and Freddie Coleman from ESPN Radio. Is it good or bad for business talking about teammates, competitors, and executives? I look forward to leading the conversation with this talented group.

Bob Wischusen will step into our Inside The Game panel on Wednesday February 26th. The discussion will be moderated by Cumulus SVP of Sports Bruce Gilbert and feature Westwood One EVP Howie Deneroff, 95.7 The Game PD Matt Nahigian, and SiriusXM Sports PD Jason Dixon. This panel will offer interesting perspectives on play by play broadcasts as seen thru the eyes of the radio station, and those inside the play by play booth. With Bruce guiding the ship, attendees will be in great hands.

Todd Markiewicz will step in for Joe Bell to our 2020 Vision panel which includes Susan Larkin, Dan Seeman, Tim McCarthy and Erica Farber. GM’s have to manage a lot more than talent and program directors realize, and this conversation will bring much of it to light.

John Mamola completes our roster for the 30 in 30 session which I’m really looking forward to. It’s scheduled to be our final session of the Summit, and the goal is to provide the room with 30 ideas in 30 minutes. Having 10 PD’s/GM’s participate and offer different ways to elevate the buzz, ratings and revenue of a brand will be a lot of fun.

Lauren McHale and Pam Kloss sign on to join Premiere Networks and FOX Sports Radio SVP Don Martin for a conversation on sports radio advertising. What do clients want, value, disregard, and wrestle with when determining whether or not to advertise on a brand? We’ll get those answers on Wednesday February 26th from 2:15p-2:50p.

For more information on the Summit visit https://bsmsummit.com. I look forward to seeing everyone next week as we continue the crusade to make the business better for all involved.

Dee, Giannotti, Nahigian, Rickard, Dixon, & Porth Added to the 2020 BSM Summit Lineup

Jason Barrett
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Dee, Giannotti, Nahigian, Rickard, Dixon, & Porth Added to the 2020 BSM Summit Lineup

Planning this year’s 2020 BSM Summit has been far more demanding than our 2019 show in Los Angeles. What you see in the final presentation is only half of what’s been pursued to make sure we leave a permanent mark on New York City on February 26th and 27th.

Over the next week you may notice lesser social media activity from yours truly. Content will still be provided daily on the website but if I disappear from your Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin timeline for an extended period of time, understand that I’m deep into the process of making sure we have every detail covered to execute a successful Summit.

You probably thought we were done announcing all of our speakers for this year, but I always like to leave a few final additions for the very end. I may even have a few others to share next week so stay tuned. If you work in the sports radio industry and haven’t bought a ticket to this show, what are you waiting for? I promise you, there isn’t another event that focuses on this format and brings together this many smart, talented decision makers in one room. If you’re invested in your career, expanding your knowledge, and increasing important relationships, you have 3 days left to purchase your ticket. To do so, visit https://bsmsummit.com.

But now it’s time to tell you a little bit about the latest additions to our schedule. I’m pleased to welcome Entercom’s President of Sports Mike Dee, WFAN morning host Gregg Giannotti, 95.7 The Game Program Director Matt Nahigian, SiriusXM Sports Program Director Jason Dixon, 93.5/107.5 The Fan Program Director and Morning Host Jeff Rickard, and 102.5 The Game Program Director Ryan Porth to this year’s BSM Summit lineup.

Starting with Mike, he joined Entercom in May 2017 after previously serving as President and CEO of the San Diego Padres and Miami Dolphins. He also spent time as the COO for the Boston Red Sox. In his current role he has executive oversight of the company’s sports business enterprise with a focus on the company’s relationship with its extensive portfolio of professional and collegiate teams, revenue development from national sales and marketing programs and expanded distribution through both audio and digital initiatives. Mike has also been involved in the creation of Radio.com Sports and will offer his insights on Wednesday afternoon in our sports betting panel.

Gregg Giannotti, has smoothly settled into mornings on WFAN with Boomer Esiason, consistently delivering great ratings, and greater laughter. Boomer and Gio were recently voted the #1 major market morning show of 2019 and I’m thrilled to have Gregg take part in a very interesting panel we have planned for Thursday on the pros and cons of media warfare.

Matt and Jason are programmers with extensive experience in the sports talk format. Matt’s career has taken him to San Francisco after spending time in Philadelphia and Northbrook, IL where he programmed for the now defunct Sporting News Radio network. Jason works in Washington DC for SiriusXM after previously programming stations in Detroit, Raleigh, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Both Matt and Jason will be part of a Wednesday panel with a strong focus on maximizing play by play.

For Jeff and Ryan, they both program their respective brands, but also lend their voice to the airwaves to engage with fans. Jeff works in Indianapolis but has also enjoyed stints in Salt Lake City and Denver, in addition to hosting shows nationally for multiple sports radio networks. Ryan on the other hand has worked his way up the ladder in Nashville going from intern to PD. In that process he added on-air duties too. Jeff will be involved moderating our national sports talk conversation on Thursday, and Ryan will be part of our final session, one which will see 10 program directors and general managers on stage at once. It’s sure to be entertaining.

It’s Spring Training For Broadcasters Too

Andy Masur
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It’s Spring Training For Broadcasters Too

It’s that time of year again. Yes, it’s baseball season. Time for you to get back to work calling games.

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Let’s face it though, its’ been a while since you cracked a mic to do a baseball broadcast. All winter you’ve been calling basketball, football, hockey or something else to keep you sharp. The problem, none of those sports replicate the pace and cadence of a game on the diamond. It’s good that you’re keeping yourself in a game calling frame of mind. That’s important. Don’t sweat it, you might be rusty, but there are ways to get ready well before that first call of the year. 

One of the best ways to stay prepared and ready to go before the season even starts is to pay attention to what is going on with your team. Stay on top of the moves, trades, signings and storylines. This is essential to your “storytelling” and makes you sound like the expert on your club. Make some calls in the off-season, get to understand the why’s and how’s that went into the transactions. Some of the information won’t be used on air, but it’s great to have that background knowledge. Get to know some of the new players or staff so you have a head start going to Arizona or Florida. You’ll be ahead of the game for sure. Keeping on top of this information will make it easier to get back in the booth. 

I mentioned this a few columns ago, but podcasting is also a great way to stay on top of things. You get to talk the game and build a following and brand as an added bonus. It’s also a great way to keep your interviewing skills fresh and a podcast will keep you in a flow of being “on air” and producing content during your off-season. A podcast can be done on your time and continues to keep you top of mind and will attract new listeners to your actual broadcasts as well. 

Baseball is so unique in its delivery style, there really isn’t a sport that mimics it exactly. Again, calling hoops, football and other sports will serve you well by staying in the frame of mind. Prep, routine and command are all things that can stay sharp by just being on the air. After some time off you need to get back in the swing of putting your scorebook together. Meaning the notes you like to use, stats, format and color coding of the book. 

With that in mind, I suggest to watch a game or two to remind you of the descriptions and pacing of a broadcast. I would encourage this even if you are a radio broadcaster just so you can get immersed in the game again. Just seeing the field and hearing the sounds get you right back into that mindset and gets those creative juices flowing. You probably won’t need more than a couple of innings before you are calling it right alongside the broadcasters of the game, but it’s a good refresher course for the brain and your ears. 

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I would even think about listening back to a game you broadcast last season. Just like watching a game, listening to one you’ve done will serve as a great refresher of your own pacing and cadence. I like to do this after the season, maybe a few months after the last game just to hear what I did on a certain night. Enough time has elapsed to critique myself, make some notes and to find other ways of describing plays. I want to hear how I handled certain things and calls. This helps me to try and evolve as a broadcaster, to take mental notes about how I’d like to handle certain plays and calls going forward.

We can all learn and get better, but this is a good reminder, not only of what the game sounds like, but what you sound like. You’ll be amazed at what you pick up just listening to a tiny segment of previous work you’ve done. Keeping on top of your work can help you improve and polish your style heading into a new baseball season. 

Spring Training isn’t just for players, use it to your advantage as well.  Whether you’re a minor league broadcaster or major leaguer, the Cactus League or Grapefruit League can be a great time to get back in rhythm. Usually these broadcasts are less stressful than a regular season game. You can be loose and re-establish the working relationship and chemistry with your partner. Most stations aren’t broadcasting a ton of games in the exhibition season, so relish the ones you get to do! 

In Spring games, the regulars very rarely play the full game. Why is this relevant? Well remember what I said about staying on top of and mastering the storylines for your team? Prospects will likely see a lot of time. Your listeners are, depending on the team, probably pretty familiar with the top guys in the farm system. Give them something other than the obvious. It’s good practice for the regular season too when may have to refer to one of these guys if they are having a good game or year. 

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Rust is inevitable in the first few games back from a long break. Don’t let it get to you. Don’t get frustrated. Just like anything, the more times you do it, the less time it takes you to reacclimate yourself to the booth.

Michael Kay, Don LaGreca, Chris Canty to Attend the BSM Summit Private Party Presented by ESPN Radio

Jason Barrett
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Michael Kay, Don LaGreca, Chris Canty to Attend the BSM Summit Private Party Presented by ESPN Radio

After announcing 8 new participants to the 2020 BSM Summit last week, and the addition of Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini yesterday, we’re officially up to 56 speakers at this year’s show. If you work in the sports media industry, this is the event you should be at. Not only do you gain an opportunity to hear from successful people who’ve accomplished great feats in different areas of the industry you’re in, but the connections you make at the event are unmatched. Tickets will be on-sale for just one more week. To secure your seat visit https://bsmsummit.com.

I also want to point something out that may or may not influence your decision to join us this year, but is worth noting nonetheless. Though I haven’t decided yet if I’ll host a Summit next year (that always depends on audience and advertiser interest), if I do, I can tell you that it won’t be held in the Northeast. With this year’s show taking place in NYC, our options for next year will run five or six deep and not include any of the three cities we’ve already held BSM events in. I’ll unveil the list of cities under consideration on the day of this year’s conference, and rely on feedback from industry folks to determine which location is most appealing should we continue the Summit in 2021.

But that’s for later.

In two weeks, we’ll have a star studded cast of talented and influential people gathering inside the Ailey Citigroup Theater to share information, explore important issues, and work together on solutions to help America’s best sports media brands improve revenue, ratings, and relevance. Though everyone attending will be focused during the day on learning, at night, it’s important to make time to unwind, laugh, network, enjoy a meal and/or beverage, and meet some folks who are exceptional at what they do.

With that in mind, I’m pleased to share that our private cocktail party on Wednesday February 26th at the All Stars Sports Bar and Grill, which is presented by our friends at ESPN Radio, will include appearances by Michael Kay, Don LaGreca, and Chris Canty. Michael, Don and Chris will join ESPN Radio’s Jason Fitz as special guests at our celebration event following the first day of sessions.

Kay and LaGreca have been fixtures on 98.7 ESPN NY for well over a decade, earning high marks for the work they do in afternoons alongside Peter Rosenberg. In fact, they were ranked the #2 afternoon show in our 2019 BSM Top 20. They finished 1st in 2018.

Additionally, Kay is known to many for his exceptional work as the television voice of the New York Yankees on the YES Network. He’s been involved in calling the team’s games for nearly 30 years including their last 5 world series championships. Don meanwhile has also called games for the NY Rangers, hosted pre/post game shows for the NY Jets, and has broken the internet on occasion with some of the funniest and most passionate on-air rants.

Chris’ path has been different. He followed a successful career on the football field by making a smooth transition to the studio. Now installed in middays with Rick ‘Humpty’ DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg, the three men have continued to make strides, earning a Top 8 finish in the 2019 BSM Top 20 Major Market midday shows.

Having these guys on hand to interact with our attendees should make for a great night after a busy first day inside The Ailey Citigroup Theater. It’s possible a few others could join the party too, so if we have any other additions we’ll keep you updated on this website and on social media.

To attend the cocktail party you must work in the media industry and have a ticket to the Summit. That ticket gets you into all of the sessions, the ESPN private party, and the Tuesday night Summit Kickoff at the Watson Hotel with Pat McAfee. For more information visit https://BSMSummit.com. I look forward to seeing you in the big apple.

Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini to Speak at the 2020 BSM Summit

Jason Barrett
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Each year when I build the BSM Summit, I try to take a moment or two to appreciate how the final picture looks once the full lineup is assembled. I’ve been fortunate the past few years to attract many successful personalities, executives, GM’s, PD’s, and media professionals to share perspectives on different layers of the industry. That’s what makes the show a huge benefit for those in attendance. If you work in the media business and haven’t yet bought your ticket, this is the final week to do so. You can reserve your seat by visiting https://bsmsummit.com.

For our New York show on February 26-27, we’ve once again assembled a powerful group of speakers, but the news I have to share with you today I’m especially excited about. I love learning from successful people, and giving those who attend our conference an opportunity to do the same. When you look at the past 5 years in media, few brands have made a greater impact than Barstool Sports. Leading that movement alongside Dave Portnoy has been CEO Erika Nardini, and I’m thrilled to announce that on Wednesday February 26th at the 2020 BSM Summit, Erika will join me on stage for a 1 on 1 conversation at the 2020 BSM Summit.

Since joining Barstool Sports in July 2016, Erika has led Barstool to explosive brand and business growth as one of the fastest growing companies on the internet. It is the 6th largest podcast platform in the world with the number one sports podcast and female podcast, and the 10th largest distributed media company in the US. Barstool Sports drives 1.6 billion social views and 26 million video views monthly and 11.9 million listeners across its platforms, owning the 18-34 year old demographic.

But that’s not all.

In less than 4 years, Nardini has grown the company’s employees from 15 to 201, and its revenue to nearly 100 million. She’s helped launched over 35 brands, including breakout franchises in entertainment, sports, and sports betting.

Perhaps even more impressive, Barstool has seen its valuation increase from 10-15 million in 2016 to 100 million in 2018 to 450 million in 2020 when the company recently sold a 36% ownership stake to Penn National Gaming for $163 million in cash and stock. The casino company will pay another $62 million in three years to increase its stake to 50%. Penn National will also have the ability to buy controlling interest in Barstool at that time for an amount to be determined.

Nardini’s work has led her to be named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People and one of the Most Powerful Women in Sports by AdWeek and Forbes Magazine. Prior to joining Barstool, she held several notable positions at top internet companies such as AOL, Demand Media, Yahoo! and Microsoft.

Barstool is known for its original takes and unfiltered view, and that approach has helped the brand become a driving force in comedy, sports, entertainment and culture. But running a company of this size with an army of critics and diehard fans requires the right vision, strategy, flexibility, and conviction. I’m looking forward to spending time with Erika and picking her brain on the present and future of the industry, and learning how she navigates the various challenges associated with operating Barstool’s business. The session is sure to be one of our Day 1 highlights, and I’m sure our attendees will take away a number of gems from the conversation.

Jacobs, Raffensperger, Coleman, Amendolara, Eskin, Graci, Rush & Lakin Join the 2020 BSM Summit

Jason Barrett
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Jacobs, Raffensperger, Coleman, Amendolara, Eskin, Graci, Rush & Lakin Join the 2020 BSM Summit

The 2020 BSM Summit is less than 3 weeks away, but that isn’t stopping us from adding extra reinforcements for our two-day conference in the big apple. If you haven’t bought a ticket yet, I hope you will. Tickets will be only be available til Sunday February 16th. To secure your seat click here.

I’m proud of how this event has come together this year because it’s not easy to assemble, and coming off of last year’s successful show in Los Angeles, it could’ve easily gone the other way. Our speaker lineup is very strong, and when we announce the full agenda late next week, I think those coming to the show will find a lot of informative and interesting sessions to enjoy. It takes nine long months to build this show, and there are always last minute changes, additions, and unexpected twists and turns. The weeks prior to the show are the most intense with everyone wanting questions answered and last minute information provided. It’s why my month of February includes many sleepless nights.

But what makes hosting the Summit rewarding is knowing I have a chance to bring people together from all parts of the country and different areas of the media business to explore ways to elevate the industry . When I last looked at our guest list, I saw more than 40+ programmers, general managers, and executives were coming to the show and that’s pretty cool. If you’re an owner, industry executive, general manager, programmer, on-air talent, digital specialist, behind the scenes employee or seller working in the sports media industry, the information and connections available in the room at this event is unmatched. If you don’t leave the building with better relationships and more knowledge on how to increase revenue and ratings, then you didn’t pay close enough attention.

Before I share the names of who’s been added to our lineup, I want to give you a heads up to be on the look out tomorrow and Monday for two additional announcements. Tomorrow we’ll have details to share about our private cocktail party on Wednesday night February 26th. Our friends at ESPN Radio have helped secure a few more special guests who I’m sure attendees will be excited to say hello to after the first day’s sessions are complete. On Monday, I’ll be announcing another addition to our speaker schedule which I’m personally excited about. This special guest will have many in the room taking notes during her session. Stay tuned!

OK but now let’s fill you in on today’s details. We have some exciting additions to promote. I’m pleased to share that Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media, Mike Raffensperger of FanDuel, Damon Amendolara of CBS Sports Radio, Freddie Coleman of ESPN Radio, Spike Eskin of Sports Radio 94 WIP, Rod Lakin of Arizona Sports 98.7, Jim Graci of 93.7 The Fan, and Gordy Rush of 104.5 ESPN have been added to our on stage lineup at the 2020 BSM Summit.

In Fred Jacobs’ case, he’s one of the smartest radio minds in the business. Anytime a PD or GM can take advantage of his insights and research, do it. It’ll help you a ton. Mike Raffensperger meanwhile is the CMO of FanDuel, one of the nation’s largest sports betting gaming operators. Adding Mike’s perspective to our sports betting panel will help many in the room gain a better idea of where this space is heading.

On the programming end, I’m thrilled to have Spike, Rod, Jim and Gordy join us on stage. All four represent different cities, and bring different layers of experience to the conversation. Rod, Jim, and Gordy will be part of our final session on Thursday. Spike will be involved in the opener on Wednesday morning.

Last but certainly not least is the talent. It’s personally gratifying to add Damon and Freddie to the show. I almost hired DA in 2009, and we both grew up in the same upstate NY area. Freddie and I on the other hand both worked our way up the ladder in Poughkeepsie, NY and I produced his first audition and many six hour long shows with him on ESPN Radio. Each have gone on to lengthy runs in the sports radio business, and they’ll have a lot of wisdom to share with folks in the room.

Once again, if you’re looking to join us, tickets are still available. We’ve got an action packed show already assembled, but even more firepower to be announced soon. Thanks as always for supporting BSM, and I hope to see you at the Summit.

John Mamola Needs Some Competition

Andy Masur
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The landscape of sports radio and radio in general, for that matter, is constantly changing. This presents challenges for sports programmers around the country. With more ways to listen to content, you have to keep up or risk getting left behind. 

With the Barrett Sports Media Summit in New York just around the corner, we’re featuring one of those sports programmers who will be in attendance. I caught up with John Mamola, the program director at WDAE in Tampa. Mamola and I discussed the Summit and how his station is facing those challenges. 

Andy Masur: What are you looking forward to in the upcoming BSM Summit?

John Mamola: Just bouncing off the one I attended in Chicago, I love hearing from guys like Mitch (Rosen, PD 670 The Score in Chicago) and on a local level Mike Thomas (new GM of ESPN 1000). Just to gather their thoughts, I mean, you know, the best of the best is who I love hearing from. Especially from a local perspective. At the same time, you know, guys like Justin Craig, Scott Shapiro, who deal with syndication and affiliates, the relationships between the local affiliates and the national syndicators. Also, how they can potentially craft their programming to a local audience if at all. That’s my biggest challenge here in Tampa. We run Dan Patrick but how can we make him as much Tampa as possible? Hearing ideas and general discussions with those guys on how exactly they do that is invaluable for me. Hearing guys chime in on their own and things that they’ve tried on a local level for national syndication. 

I’m looking forward to hearing things on Nielsen and ratings and percentage of the ear and that kind of stuff. How podcasting is becoming more and more a prevalent medium for people as opposed to the actual radio in the car. Anyone who’s really associated with that, that’s definitely of interest to me. 

AM: You mentioned a few names, are those the guys that you’re most looking forward to hearing from at the BSM Summit?

JM: The bigger names on the local level, so guys like Mike Thomas and Mitch, and you know, Chernoff. I’m really interested to hear from him because he didn’t attend the one in Chicago. Anyone that deals with how people are consuming sports radio is of interest to me.  

AM: What did you think of the first one you attended in Chicago?

JM: It was great! I’m just happy to see that the first one was a good kickoff, starting point, for the second one. Looks like the one in LA went extremely well. I’m happy to see a third one in New York. 

I also like how Jason has taken these to major markets, Chicago, New York and L.A. I’d be interested to see where the fourth one goes, if he continues to do this and I hope he does. Maybe something a little more south, maybe not so top 20, maybe something top 40 just to kind of get a different spin on things, maybe a different feel on things from the people in that local market. 

AM: So how long have you been at this? Give us some of your background.

JM: I didn’t have any notion of getiting involved in radio, until i found out that my pre-pharmacy credits didn’t transfer to the university of Illinois-chicago.  Not happy about that. I watched Private Parts and thought “hey that looks like a fun career!”, so I looked up the Illinois Media School, took a tour the very next day and that was the start. I got my internship at The Score, worked my way up to overnight board op, then a part time board op on the weekends, and then full-time in the mornings. Then WDAE came calling. There was an opening, I thought, “okay, well I have a kid on the way, and I just got married, so I have to start thinking career as opposed to a job.” I figured something as a programmer would be a little more stable, if there even is such a thing as stable. I’ve been here since April of ’11 and the PD since about three years ago. 

AM: What are some of the challenges facing local sports radio and national sports talk?

JM: The biggest challenge for me, is I don’t truly have a head-to-head competitor. It’s not a bad thing but, at the same time, it’s not a good thing. I like competition. I’m from Chicago, where it’s MVP (ESPN 1000) and The Score going head to head. It’s a little bit of a different way of approaching things and a different way of competing. It’s all about winning the ears of sports fans in the market. 

We haven’t had a real true winner (sports franchise) down here in quite a while. Fans become complacent, there are beaches to go to, and a lot of fun things to do in Tampa. That’s why attendance at Rays games has been last since well before I was born probably. The Bucs have struggled, and even though the Lightning are the hottest ticket in town, they’ve had 230 straight sell-outs, the amount of platforms they’re on here locally is not near the same amount that the Bucs and Rays have.  

It’s a different sports market when you come from such a die-hard city where people are raised and their dads were raised to root for certain teams. You just don’t have that down here. It’s really interesting sometimes the balancing of hyper local with Rays, Bucs, Bolts as opposed to national stuff with Patriots, Giants and Bears and all that kind of stuff. We try to do, not necessarily a 50/50 split between local and national, we try to do, probably 70/30. just because we know that there are a lot of people down here that are just not from here. 

Nationally, I think the biggest challenge for every radio station around the country is “how do I become even more prevalent in every single area where people consume media?”. Younger audiences are going to YouTube, Twitch and they’re going to different streaming outlets, you know Spotify, people listen to podcasts on Spotify.  How can we continue to expand our spider web to where we’re just as prevalent with a Spotify listener or a Pandora listener? How can I get a videocast on a Twitch channel where I can reach new listeners or new viewers? I think that’s the single biggest challenge because the days of just turning on the radio in the car or having a home radio where you just listen, is becoming extinct. How do I become easier to get to right away for that person who has an hour and a half to two hour drive, instead of having to search for me.  

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AM: So then how do you brand your station, knowing how important the on-air product is, but also realizing the other platforms need your attention?

JM: We still are content first. My main focus is, “are we providing the best content we can at that given time?”. Are we playing the hits as much as we can? That’s first and foremost, because if you’re not doing that, then they’re not going to come find you anyway. Multiple times per hour, we remind people that, on that iHeartRadio app you can listen to WDAE live, on the go, or however you may wish, headphones, smart speakers or whatever you want to do. We actually run imaging every hour to remind people they can listen to us wherever they want to. It’s just finding different ways to make sure that everybody that’s attached to every single one of our talents and our properties has full access to whatever they may need, whenever they need it, at all times.

We’ve seen the results. We had over a million MUVs (mobile user views) last year. It was with a very strong social push with all of our talent. The biggest challenge is how do we get outside of that? We’re just trying some different things, because with technology it’s all about trying and failing. Once in a while we get a hit, then it’s about trying to build off of that hit.

AM:  Is there a value, even if the teams are playing poorly, to having play-by-play on your station?

JM: Absolutely because play-by-play brings cume. That brings the potential listener that may not consume you Monday through Friday, but boy do they love Rays baseball. We’re in a great spot locally here where, every franchise is with iHeartMedia. All the teams have their own individual sticks. For example, the Lightning are on our news station, the Bucs are on our rock station, we have USF football in addition to Rays baseball. We air every Rays game, all 162 plus weekend and evening Spring Training games. The value of play-by-play is still very high. It helps you brand your station as “The home of X”, but at the same time it brings in a different kind of listener where you can hopefully use the limited space you have in that play-by-play to come back to you every morning. You do have those little windows of opportunity potentially, with every single play-by-play deal that you have. If you’re not maximizing that to it’s the greatest potential, then you’re not taking full advantage of what could potentially lead to new listeners each and every day.  

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AM: How much do you have to talk to your talent about keeping a play-by-play partner (the Rays in your case) happy, but still speaking the truth on the air?

JM: We have great working relationships with all our partners. The general rule is “keep it on the field”. We’ve built up a lot of clout with the Rays, so when the whole announcement with the Montreal split came up, we aired the press conference in full, that was a good 65 minutes of radio. The owner of the Rays was coming up with this concept and trying to sell the media and answer a lot of questions. At the same time, we’d be lying to our audience if we were all 100 percent on board with it. The only direction I gave my talent was, at least let the man have his say first. He said his peace and our talent reacted as such. Honestly the organization wasn’t happy with the reaction, but at least they knew that we would be willing to at least give it a chance. I know there are some sports stations that you have to walk a line and you can’t go over it. For us down here there really isn’t a line. We all understand the business we’re in, and we all want to win. We may have disagreements, but we’re just talking sports.  

We don’t lay off anything. It is what it is. We’re talking about sports. We’re talking about games that grown adults play, so we can all have our own opinions on things and i think the franchises understand that. 

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