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The Media’s Attention Obsession, CMA Highs and Lows, KROQ, and the Power of Suno

Jason Barrett
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The Media’s Attention Obsession, CMA Highs and Lows, KROQ, and the Power of Suno

This is my first column in three weeks. Being fully transparent, I needed a break from the noise. I enjoy writing about the media business, keeping readers informed, and giving people something to think about, but there’s been a lot of hot air circulating lately. Sometimes that can be fun but it can also be exhausting. If I have nothing useful to say about a pointless beef between two parties, I’d rather say nothing.

Today, brands and people are fixated on generating attention. Will the next thing I talk about boost my radio or TV ratings? Is it going to increase my downloads or views? How much will it get shared on social media? It becomes a frequent case of chasing numbers to validate success.

Shows and talent with a bad plan and poor execution can get bailed out by one meter. Meanwhile others can deliver compelling content and perfect execution and have little to show for it thanks to a measurement system that has more holes in it than the black BMW sedan Tupac was riding in on September 7th when he was shot and killed in Las Vegas.

That can leave you questioning if what you do actually matters and is important. Do talent really care about these sensationalized battles or is it strictly ‘good for business’? Is the validation of their work tied strictly to ratings or revenue success? What about if their words motivated someone to want to get in the business or more importantly, saved someone’s life. Would that not count if it didn’t deliver a number or dollar?

In the past week alone, Stephen A. Smith-Drake Maye-Cam Newton-Dave Portnoy, Stephen A. Smith-Jason Whitlock, Clay Travis-Pablo Torre-Riley Gaines, Candace Owens-Turning Point USA, Pat McAfee-Sports Media pundits, and Megyn Kelly-Tucker Carlson-Mark Levin-Ben Shapiro-Nick Fuentes were all been involved in a series of drama-fueled storylines. I don’t blame any of them for leaning into the battles because they produce a lot of attention. Each of those hosts are expected to create interest, and they’re doing their jobs by raising the volume.

But in the grand scheme of what matters, some of these conversations are just hot air. I enjoy a strong back and forth between notable people just as much as anyone, but is that all that matters today? Is the only thing worthy of stopping us in our tracks a back and forth spat between two or three people?

I’m more interested in understanding what creators and businesses are doing to grow revenue. How brands are changing their strategic approach to grow their audience. What they’re doing to better understand how to reach more people in the spaces where they consume content. What companies plan to do differently in 2026 and 2027 to reverse the economic slide. And how the industry as a whole is going to address AI, ratings measurement issues, finding/developing new stars and ideas, AM radio’s future, and other critical matters.

I want to explore subjects that make people think. I want to talk to broadcasters to learn what makes them tick, how they view certain issues facing the industry, and during the course of those conversations, stumble into areas that open new doors. I’m planning to start that process in January when I relaunch ‘The Jason Barrett Podcast’.

It’s very easy to ask a question designed to produce a reaction, push it across social media, and watch it take off. But then I’d have to ask myself ‘is this what we’re about? Is this what we want to be known for? The answer to those questions is no. I’ve told this to programmers before, I can walk into a studio, grab the mic, passionately declare the NFL dead and label Soccer the new #1 sport in America, and within seconds I’d have full phone lines, texts and tweets. That doesn’t make it a smart, accurate or great idea. It just suggests that I know how to generate reaction and attention.

And therein lies the issue.

Some of the subjects we tackle here will never drive a large group of people to read us. They’re designed to connect with a specific group of decision makers and media professionals. It’s why I’ve said from day one, I’d rather reach 50 Bob Pittman’s or Bob Iger’s than 5,000 fans. Some outlets chase traffic and social shares, and if that works for them, awesome. That’s not our approach though.

I’d rather educate, celebrate and challenge the industry by doing quality journalism with experienced media writers, hosting beneficial events, providing recognition through our Top 20’s and Meet the Leaders series, and address issues, mistakes and unethical matters to improve the industry and its people.

Our approach is appreciated by many professionals. We see it in the readership we generate on a daily basis. However, it’s harder to earn marketing support for it. Those in charge of advertising budgets want maximum attention for their client’s brands or messages and many of the talent I mentioned earlier are perfect for them because they attract millions of ears and eyeballs.

Which brings us full circle. If media dollars are going to depend on the maximum amount of eyes and ears, get ready to hear a lot more noise. Original stories, reporting and issues that depend on substance may not produce the same level of attention, but I promise you, they matter and leave a lasting impression.

The Country Music Awards

The presentation of the CMA’s was fantastic. Lainey Wilson as host was the perfect selection (her opening medley was spectacular). The performances by Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton, Ella Langley, and Stephen Wilson Jr. (Stand by Me was incredible) were outstanding. The stage, lighting, production and banter between presenters were excellent.

Yet some things didn’t feel right.

Leanne Morgan and Lainey Wilson onstage at the CMA Awards; photo credit: Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, Carrie Underwood, Kane Brown and Luke Bryan not being there raised eyebrows. The push of The Red Clay Strays over more accomplished acts felt orchestrated and off. Then came closing the show with BigXthaPlug and Luke Combs (wrong spot in the lineup).

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Like anything though, there’s always room for improvement.

The KROQ Variety Story

I’m no expert on KROQ in Los Angeles. I’ve kept up on news involving the station over the years, and used to listen occasionally to Kevin and Bean (great show). I remember the Los Angeles rock station going through challenges 5-6 years ago, so to see the brand thriving again is great. I hope it continues. Between the return of Kevin Ryder and the success of the morning show it sounds like Kevin Weatherly has recaptured the magic.

I’m all for highlighting radio success but I thought the Variety piece read like a one-sided PR story. KROQ’s growth should be recognized but little was said about the competitive battle in L.A. between KROQ, KLOS and ALT 98.7. KLOS had a big ratings book in July and ALT ranked higher with 6+ according to the article. Is the station’s turnaround a case of panelist changes or are there other metrics and moves worth highlighting? If the station wasn’t as strong 1-2 years ago as it is now, what changed? Is it as simple as adjusting the playlist and re-hiring Kevin Ryder or are there other factors? The morning show soaring from 14th to 2nd warranted much more attention. That’s a great story.

YouTube screenshot of Kevin Ryder chatting with Variety’s Michael Schneider in April 2026

The Variety piece also never mentioned that Nicole Alvarez left KROQ in August. She even wrote a scathing piece about her exit in The Hollywood Reporter. It also didn’t feature any input from Mike Kaplan or others who worked at the station previously though plenty of shots were fired at them. The best part was Kevin Weatherly’s insight on music adjustments and Kevin Ryder’s return and how the brand’s ratings changed upon his arrival. That was supported in the piece by the data chart shown.

I have no dog in the fight. As I said before, the KROQ crew deserve a ton of credit for turning things around. I love seeing radio brands earn recognition for good work. I’d just have liked to see more balance and a little more ground covered by Variety. KROQ is an important brand in an important market. There was a lot more worth diving into to tell a complete story.

AI Music and the Suno Effect

At the 2025 BSM Summit in Chicago, I showed how AI could create a song about the Shadeur Sanders-NFL Draft night saga. I encouraged professionals to use new tools to elevate their on-air creativity. While my example was solid, I barely had scratched the surface of what Suno can do.

Xania Monet, Breaking Rust and The Velvet Sundown are AI artists that have created buzz and impact. Real artists may hate it, but they’re not in danger as much as mid-level studio producers. Similar to radio, great talent is irreplaceable. You also can’t do live remotes/concerts, sell merchandise and endorsements without people. But AI music isn’t going away. My hope is that YouTube, Spotify and social media platforms will label it better, and Billboard’s charts will separate it so it’s less confusing.

Being a former musician, I wondered how advanced Suno can get. I’m no expert but I spent time recently taking original songs that were 30+ years old, and re-creating them with modern sounds. I also took lyrics and melodies I wrote that hadn’t yet been put to music, and turned them into completed songs. I even wrote a few pieces in the vein of current artists, utilizing ChatGPT to determine the right keywords for Genre, Style, Mood, Tempo, Voices, Instrumentation, and Mastering. There were some hiccups in the creation process, but the final results were impressive, and they were done within seconds.

The more detail you provide Suno, the better the final product is. I’ve produced songs in the vein of Rap Rock, Country, Industrial Rock, Alternative and Pop Rock. The one above is an original Country-folk rock ballad that had lyrics and a melody but no prior musical arrangement. This was created within seconds.

I’m not starting a band or chasing a record deal, but some upcoming artist is going to create future hits using Suno or other AI technology such as Klay. Record labels are investing millions for a reason, it’s a gamechanger. Many will push back but if history has taught us anything, technology usually prevails. The only question is ‘how will it be used to make music better in future years?’

Quick Hits

  • The final installment of Meet the Leaders drops this Wednesday. The series created in partnership with Point to Point Marketing has been excellent. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to check it out. If not, go here. For the final feature, we’re excited to have Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson participating. His conversation with John Mamola should be a must-read.
  • Pete Mundo‘s column on Friday about AM Radio created a stir. Some weren’t thrilled with his opinion, some texted to express their thanks for the issue being raised. I don’t tell our writers what to write about but I do ask them to be honest, topical, factual and accessible. They also know that once we publish an article, the content isn’t being changed unless it’s to correct a mistake. I realize that this is a sensitive topic, but there are thousands working at AM radio stations who want answers. Congress has had this issue on their radar for nearly 3 years thanks to the NAB. It’s time they treated it with some urgency. Jobs and the health of an industry are at stake.
  • On behalf of everyone, if the news cycle could exist without the use of the word felching that’d be great. IYKYK.
  • Congrats to Dave Ramsey and the entire Ramsey team on 100 million streams, listeners and viewers. Props to Spotify on marketing that news in a New York City billboard.
  • Speaking of marketing, I was in a few New York City taxi’s last week and it was great to see Newsmax and 77WABC prominently displayed on the in-car video screen that plays for passengers. Smart non-traditional marketing that keeps both brands top of mind. Most importantly, it’s just great to see two valuable brands out there promoting themselves. TV and radio needs more of that.
  • If you want to read a great piece on leadership and turning around an organization, check out this article by the San Francisco Standard. It examines how Joe Lacob and Peter Guber turned the Golden State Warriors into a world class franchise. There’s some great management lessons for media executives in the article. I was in the Bay Area for Lacob and Guber’s early years. They pushed so many of the right buttons while showing what passionate, intelligent, and invested leadership looks like.
  • Candace Owens put out a very troubling tweet the other day. She claimed she received intelligence from a highly placed source in the French government that authorization was given to have her assassinated. If true, our government needs to step in to make sure she’s protected and France understands there will be serious consequences if any American media professional is harmed. We can’t have free speech and those who use it being gunned down for using their voice.
  • It’s not every day that you learn of a radio station’s signal being hacked. That apparently happened on Sunday in Houston. ESPN 97.5 shared on X that audio aired on its airwaves that didn’t come from the radio station.
  • There are a few new songs worth checking out. Shinedown has another hit with Searchlight. Lakeview is back with Sorry, which is great. Rob Thomas‘ Ghost immediately strikes a chord, and Bad Omens‘ Left For Good already has over a million views in just 5 days.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

How Thanksgiving Week Can Launch the Future of Your Sports Radio Station

John Mamola
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How Thanksgiving Week Can Launch the Future of Your Sports Radio Station

Welcome to the shortest workweek of the calendar year: the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s the lone week when many talents in sports radio skip using paid vacation because the days off are already built in. More people are on the roads, more families are in the car, and sports dominate television.

It’s also a time where nearly every full-time sports radio personality finds themselves sitting at the table instead of behind a microphone

For all the talk about how the industry can evolve for a new generation, this week is the perfect opportunity to build those bridges. Yet many programmers look at the holiday meter counts and choose the easy path with syndication or best-of programming. How can sports radio claim it’s hard to find tomorrow’s talent when the opportunity sits right in front of us?

No one prefers to work on a holiday weekend, but plenty of people itching to enter the business do. Programmers and talent across the country often recall the moment they first wanted to crack the mic. Today, opportunities are more limited than ever because of budget cuts and syndication deals, which makes these holiday windows even more valuable.

Find Your Future

That doesn’t mean the future of your station should be denied a shot. Podcasting and digital media may have pulled some attention away from traditional radio, but what better time to re-ignite passion for broadcasting than a week already built for experimentation?

The part-time producer holding a weekend shift or the staffer logging hours on play-by-play broadcasts has dreams far beyond their current schedule. Have they told you? If not, ask yourself why.

If they have, this week is their moment. Create it for them.

Will they be the perfect fill-in for your top-rated morning show? Maybe, or maybe not. But when do you want to find out if they have a shot to be? The easy answer for most programmers is the holiday book, a throwaway for most sports radio stations as it typically doesn’t matter for the revenue line.

Wouldn’t you rather test a new voice during Thanksgiving week than hand them multiple days or weeks later without knowing what they can do? Full-time hosts stack their vacation time for the holiday book because it doesn’t affect their bonuses, even with the NFL in the stretch run.

If the kids are out for Christmas or New Year’s break, most marquee sports radio hosts are too.

Programmers should be thankful for the Thanksgiving two-day opportunity to plan for later this year and beyond.

Get Creative

Gather your targets and craft your pairings like a fantasy radio competition. There are no limits to this. Get creative.

Pair that part-time producer you’ve noticed with a full-time producer begging for more on-air reps. Look at the local podcast scene and identify who knows your teams and audience. A simple DM or asking your producers how to reach someone could open the door to meaningful cross-promotion.

Sports writers and columnists guest on radio shows every week. They know the rhythm, understand the audience, and appreciate the validation that radio exposure brings. Plus, they could be a full time talent in the station’s future.

Don’t worry about budget. It’s a holiday. A small gift card from a client can go a long way for someone outside your building. Concert tickets are often easy to secure. Stations have plenty of giveaways. Use them.

The job isn’t over for programmers. Listen and provide real-time feedback. You don’t need to monitor every second, but thoughtful coaching shows an investment in their future — and the station’s. That same care is what allows them to share their future with you.

That’s how I got my start in sports radio, and it’s why I’m still here nearly two decades later. I’m living proof that, when given a shot, amazing things can happen. It’s something I’m forever thankful for.

Useful Opportunity

Sports radio embraces this week as an industry built on connection. It brings families together through the love of sports. It provides an escape during traffic jams and last-minute runs for cranberry sauce. A week where bickering in the car on Black Friday gives way to a laugh about the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

Live, local, and connected — everything sports radio must continue to be, no matter who sits behind the microphone.

If sports radio truly wants to evolve, it can’t wait for perfect conditions or perfect timing. The future is built one rep at a time, one show at a time, one unexpected voice at a time. This Thanksgiving week, give your next star the runway. Give your station the lift.

Most of all, give your audience the live, local connection they deserve. That is how the format grows — and how it survives. Be thankful for the opportunity presented.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Why McGraw Milhaven Couldn’t Say No to Taking Over ‘America at Night’

Garrett Searight
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Why McGraw Milhaven Couldn’t Say No to Taking Over ‘America at Night’

In his younger days, McGraw Milhaven would lie in bed, listening to the dulcet tones of Larry King and Jim Bohannon in late hours. He could never have dreamed of being able to host a nationally syndicated radio show in the same timeslot as the venerable talk radio hosts.

But then, Westwood One came calling with an offer he couldn’t refuse: taking over America at Night.

Despite loving his job as morning show host and Program Director at St. Louis’ The Big 550 KTRS, McGraw Milhaven couldn’t say no to the opportunity.

On December 1st, Milhaven will take over the show that has been hosted by Rich Valdes since the death of Bohannon in 2022.

He couldn’t hide his anticipation for the move.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty excited,” Milhaven said. “If somebody had told me that one day you’ll be hosting that show, I would have told you I have a better chance of going to the planet Neptune than actually hosting this show. It’s a wonderful opportunity, but it also with that comes a responsibility. You’re on 256 radio stations. Radio is a wonderful, wonderful medium, and you want to respect the medium. So you want to try and do it right out of the gate. So while there’s a lot of excitement, there’s a lot of, you know, work to be done to make sure it’s done right.”

Many news/talk radio hosts aspire to host a nationally syndicated show. Those hopes and dreams are often accompanied by the idea that it needs to happen as soon as possible in one’s career.

But McGraw Milhaven is a news/talk radio lifer, with more than 30 years in the medium. Surprisingly, he’s thankful that this opportunity didn’t pop up earlier in his career.

“I don’t think I could have done this show when I was 25,” he admitted. “It’s the difference between somebody going to an open mic night for the first time and somebody who’s been a 20-year comedian. You’ve taken the slings and the arrows, you’ve done the bad shows, you’ve been fired, you’ve come back, you’ve reinvented yourself, you’ve watched the news, you followed the news, and you’re able to take criticism better. You’re able to understand the constructive criticism better.

“So the fact that I’m a little older, I’m a lot more confident in how to do it, and I know how to do it, and I know what good radio is, and I know what good conversation is, and I can trust my instincts,” Milhaven continued. “That’s probably the biggest thing going is that when you’re younger, I don’t necessarily think you trust your instincts because you’re trying to please everybody else. But as I’ve listened to this show, I know this show, and I’m going to trust my instincts. Because my instincts are that America at Night is a place where America is going to go to have a conversation before they go to bed.”

America at Night with McGraw Milhaven won’t be just another show focused on conservative politics, the new host says.

“It’s not going to be agenda-driven one way or the other,” he said of the new program. “It’s just going to be a place where one can expect interesting conversations all night long. I want news makers to feel like they’ll be asked the questions and then I’ll shut up and let them answer it. I want them to feel like they have a place to tell their story. They don’t have 30 seconds to get a sound bite in. But a greater truth, a greater understanding, give the nuance of a story so that the audience has a better understanding of the story. They might not agree with the guest, they might disagree with the guests, they might not understand it, but at least they’ll come away understanding where the guest is coming from.”

He added that there’s a method to his madness.

“I think talk radio at night is that it’s best when you take the audience to places they’ve never been,” Milhaven said. “Whether it’s a World War I battlefield, Pearl Harbor, or New York City on 9/11, I want storytellers. I want book authors, historians, experts, to take the audience to places they’ve never been every night. There are plenty of places where the audience can go to listen to right-wing talk. That’s not to say I won’t have conservatives talking … We’re going to have all of those things, but we’re going to have the whole spectrum of it. We’re not going to throw tomatoes at each other. It’s not going to be bombastic.

“We’re going to challenge the guests, liberals and conservatives. And we’re going to have conversations with them, just like you would at a bar, just like you would at a kitchen table or dining room table with your friends. There’s going to be a wide spectrum of guests, a wide spectrum of topics and a wide spectrum of opinions.”

McGraw Milhaven is adding the Westwood One show to his plate. He isn’t leaving his role at The Big 550 KTRS, where he’ll continue to host morning drive. Obviously, it’s going to be a change, but it’s one he looks forward to tackling.

“I’ll figure it out,” he shared. “KTRS has been overwhelmingly supportive. Westwood One has been overwhelmingly supportive. And the producers who are at Westwood One are great. I’ll lean on them, and my producers at KTRS are great. We’ll figure it out. I’m not too worried about it,” he said with a laugh before adding, “famous last words.”

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

From Rock Art Shows to Ticket Stubs: Creative Promotions Radio Can Steal From Classic Rock

Mike Stern
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From Rock Art Shows to Ticket Stubs: Creative Promotions Radio Can Steal From Classic Rock

Let’s start this week’s post with a Classic Rock history lesson. I’m sure there are at least a few people reading this who remember 1992 when a gentleman named Scott Siegelbaum partnered with KSLX in Los Angeles for the first ever Rock n Roll Fine Art show. The event was a huge success. It gave the public access and an opportunity to purchase artwork both related to Classic Rock and created by Classic Rock artists.

After a five-year run in Los Angeles, Siegelbaum eventually took the show on the road. He partnered with stations across the country to give listeners a chance to buy unique, rare pieces of art related to the music they love while also generating non-traditional revenue for the stations.

I’m not suggesting that bringing the Rock Art Show back is the key to solving today’s revenue issues. But it wouldn’t be the worst idea either.

What got me thinking about the Rock Art Show is the video Pink Floyd released this week. It’s helping to kick off promotion for the Wish You Were Here boxed set which comes out on December 12th.

The video features the song “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-9, New Stereo Mix)”. It is the first time all the pieces of the song have been together in one mix instead of split in half as bookends to the rest of the tracks on the Wish You Were Here album. The visual is British comedian, actor, and artist Noel Fielding, who has been a Pink Floyd fan since the age of twelve, painting an amazing likeness of Syd Barrett, the subject of the song.

If you haven’t seen the video you should. It’s mesmerizing. If you want to hear Fielding talk more about the painting you can see it here.

This release comes on the heels of “Dear Pink Floyd” a new poem written by Poet Simon Armitage. It was released last month as the first promotion for the boxed set. If you want to hear it, check out this video of Armitage reading the poem for the first time.

I also read an article in NME about a website that allows fans to generate facsimile tickets for any show. The idea came from Tim Burgess, lead singer of the band The Charlatans. He surveyed the group’s two thousand fans on X/Twitter where they expressed enthusiasm for the ability to create mementos of the band’s upcoming tour. Of course, with tickets being digital today, a true stub is not a common thing.

Burgess said the idea led them to look at old tickets where they learned there weren’t many templates that made it possible for the site to create a stub for nearly any show. Unfortunately, the band, and therefore the available templates, are British. But the idea doesn’t seem that impossible to recreate for the United States. If Burgess isn’t working on it, maybe someone can take the idea and create an American version.

I write all of this to hopefully inspire you. Too often in radio we think only in terms of audio when our listeners have five senses, not just hearing. When marketing budgets are low, we must rely on creativity to get attention beyond our existing cume. Maybe thinking in terms of art, like paintings and poetry, or other mementos like ticket stubs could lead to creative ways to create buzz without a budget. Whoever’s in charge of the 50th Anniversary Wish You Were Here boxed set certainly thinks so.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robertson on the Stories, Struggles, and Sound Behind Their New EP “Celebrate”

Terrie Carr
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Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robertson on the Stories, Struggles, and Sound Behind Their New EP “Celebrate”

I call them the band that invented the “Bangin’ and Twangin” sound in active rock that so many now emulate. One of the rock format’s true underrated, unsung heroes, Edmonton, Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry.

My favorite southern tinged hard rocking metal (ish) band of the past 16 years just grabbed the number one most added slot at rock radio last week with their new tune “Celebrate”. A big congratulations is well deserved. It comes just in time for the season of celebrations.

BSC is one of those bands that never disappoints. Back in the day we called it “Southern Rock”. That meant the songs were rich in stories, and featured heavy guitars and the best musicians. They also delivered the goods live.

I saw BSC last Tuesday in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Not only did they deliver, but the “Celebration” vibe was in the room for their 90+ minute set. They blended all of their radio hits with an energetic stage show.

I also recently caught up with Chris Robertson, Black Stone Cherry’s soulful vocalist and frontman. Chris joined me on the Carr Stereo Podcast for a discussion about the new release. The record comes out on March 6, 2026. Chris explains why this EP is special and why “Celebrating Your Damn Self” is something we all need. 

Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robinson

TC: The new EP is titled “Celebrate”. I know you are a big Bob Marley fan, so I made a connection with that. 

CR: We started writing this stuff, and for the last several releases, we’ve written just pretty much on the bus. Then we get in the studio and put it together the rest of the way. With this stuff, we decided we wanted to get together, not on the bus. So we started getting together at Ben’s house and just writing songs together.

It was really refreshing to do it that way and not to be confined to the back of a bus. There is something different about the new stuff. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it yet, but it just feels different.

It feels like every time we make music, I kind of end up in the same scenario. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s different, but still sounds like us. There’s just a different energy.

I’m glad because it means we’re not repeating ourselves over and over. I’m super excited for people to hear this stuff. I haven’t really got to talk about it with anybody yet, so this is awesome.

TC: Let’s Talk About “Celebrate”. I felt when I heard it, it was very “living in the moment”. Your vocals are so soulful. Bringing it to church, there’s that beautiful light, and that gorgeous hook. There’s just something really magical about “Celebrate”. That’s a standout track.

CR: Yes, that one, we had that music and the music was really driving and really heavy. We had that melody come up in the chorus and the first word that was said was Celebrate. We wanted to write a song about just celebrating every victory, whether it’s being able to get up in the morning and smile or getting through your day at work.

Every victory in life is worth celebrating to some degree. I think we get away from that entirely too much. We need that.

TC: Don’t you feel we need that now?

CR: We harp on ourselves so much. And if we’re not doing it, the next person is going to harp on you. So “celebrate your damn self”

TC: Seven songs is a lot on an EP.  Six new tunes. Then we’ve got this great cover of “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds. I literally listened to it and hit your management company back and said, “I never thought of this song being a metal anthem. I kind of do now.”

CR: I’ve always heard it that way. Like even when I was a kid watching “The Breakfast Club”, I would hear that song. I was like, ‘that’s a rock and roll song, man’.

You know, it’s a pop rock song for the 80s. But I always heard it as a big, heavy rock song.

TC: And Ty Ty’s on it. Tyler from Theory of the Dead Man, Tyler Connelly.

CR: I couldn’t think of anybody better to put on this song.

TC: The EP also delves deeper into emotion and the band’s refined songwriting. The song “Deep” chronicles an extremely painful moment in guitarist Bell Wells’ life. “I’m Fine” which Chris describes as a line we often give, is when everything is NOT really ok. 

CR: I don’t know why it’s taken so long for men to be more vulnerable about mental health and things of that nature. But, the most classic line is, “If you’re not doing good is, I’m fine, man.” That was the whole idea behind the song. 

Nothing is okay, you know, but you tell the world you’re fine. At some point, you get to where you’re tired of trying to hide everything and you’re just, I’m fine. It’ll be fine. It’ll be what it is, you know. I think we’ve all hit that point.

The “Celebrate” EP is rich in storytelling, killer jams and the live show was a perfect kick off to a rocking holiday season. Check out my full in interview with Chris Robertson below.

Celebrate Your Damn Self and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Why Talk Radio Isn’t Capitalizing on the Moment

Perry Michael Simon
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Why Talk Radio Isn’t Capitalizing on the Moment

If you could design a dream scenario for the talk radio industry, what we’re living through right now would probably qualify.

There’s a constant stream of news which at any other time in history would be talked about for months or even years, but there’s a new one practically every few hours. Keeping up with it is difficult – you have to doomscroll on social media and watch cable news and read newspaper sites and Substacks to know the latest, and it’s kinda mandatory to do so, because so much of it directly affects you and your family, from the bill at the grocery store to your kids’ education.

Talk radio should be a go-to right now, a good option for following the headlines and making sense of it all. And this is what you’ve been dreaming of, right? No shortage of material, everyone has an opinion, tailor-made for an interactive, news-forward medium. No sitting in front of the computer staring into the abyss hoping that you can come up with something, ANYTHING to talk about for two or three hours.

Why, then, is talk radio not really part of the action?

Let’s face it, there’s not one talk radio show that generates any heat regarding what’s going on in the news, or, really, anything at all. Not one syndicated show, not one local show. Sorry, but no civilian is saying “did you hear what (your name here) said about (massive national or local topic)?” No “Rush Room” equivalents. No influential talkers. It’s just, well, there, serving the same core audience it’s been tightly grasping since the ‘70s, as those listeners make their involuntary departures. Figures that the talk radio dream of unlimited great material is here but it might be too late.

Ah, but hasn’t the audience gravitated to podcasts? Aren’t there stars on the rise there? Not really. Sure, people like Joe Rogan have a lot of fans, but most folks don’t listen to his show, and he’s not constantly in the news and certainly not a must-listen outside the brosphere. The issue for podcasts is that they’re outdated the moment they’re recorded. By the time they post, new lead stories have broken, and the one the podcast is focused upon has either come to some kind of resolution or has already faded into the background.

Anecdotally, I used to listen to several political podcasts. I don’t listen to any of them anymore. I’m not looking for analysis of last week’s hot topics. I want to know what’s happening right now, and I suspect that while I’m listening to the podcast, things are afoot that I should know right away.

The assignment for talk radio hosts, producers, and programmers, then, is to find ways to get in on the action. Just talking about the news hasn’t worked; nobody cares if you love or hate Trump. They do care about how the news affects them and their wallets, and you should be directly addressing that, comparing supermarket prices past and present or explaining what redistricting will mean for your state.

But you also need to come up with events and stunts and ways to draw attention to yourself. Maybe it’s organizing protests. I don’t know and nobody’s paying me to come up with this stuff, so it’s up to you. Generate clips that get into people’s doomscrolls rather than the lame celebrity gossip posts corporate generates for you. The world is burning and you’re posting a picture of Ariana Grande on the red carpet? You deserve your irrelevance.

The other thing is to go the other way and talk about anything BUT what’s in the news. A lot of potential listeners need a break from the action, and music may not be their answer. Think about what you talk about in real life when you’re not talking politics, and talk about that on the air. Be a refuge from the real world. Have some fun. Might as well, considering the alternative.

Either way, this should have been an opportunity for talk radio to regain its prominence among the media. That it hasn’t is sad, but there’s still opportunity if you want to go for it. Otherwise, those funerals aren’t just for your remaining listeners. Talk radio, we hardly knew ye….

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Why Didn’t Anyone Stand Up For Mary Bruce As President Trump Attacked Her?

Garrett Searight
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Why Didn’t Anyone Stand Up For Mary Bruce As President Trump Attacked Her?

It’s been a few days since President Donald Trump verbally attacked ABC News’ Mary Bruce, and I still can’t shake one question: Why didn’t anyone in the White House press corps step in?

Not one reporter spoke up. No one repeated her question. No one even tried to slow the moment down. They all just stood there as if this was normal.

And to be clear, the questions Bruce asked were not out of line. They weren’t personal. They weren’t framed with bias. They were standard questions for a president at a formal event. Yet the response she got was a personal attack. That alone should bother anyone who thinks the office of the president should come with some level of professionalism. I know the pushback will be, “Well, what about Obama? What about Biden? What about Clinton?”

My answer is the same now as it has always been: I didn’t stutter. It’s unacceptable no matter who is in the White House.

But the bigger issue is the silence in that room. A group of reporters assembled for the purpose of asking questions saw one of their own get targeted, and no one said a word. Not even a polite, “To follow up on Mary’s question…” Nothing. It’s hard to view that as anything but fear. Fear of losing access. Fear of being singled out next. Or fear of causing a scene. But if the press corps can’t stand up for the basic right to ask a question without being personally attacked, then what are we doing here?

This isn’t about the moment being awkward. It’s about a room full of people who say they’re committed to holding power accountable choosing not to hold power accountable in real time. And it wasn’t even the first insult. Trump had already called another reporter “Piggy.” That should have been the point where reporters stepped in. You can’t claim to be the watchdogs of democracy when you bark only when it’s convenient.

You don’t have to like the reporter next to you, but you respect the job they’re trying to do. If someone in power tries to knock them down for doing that job, you at least show you’re not intimidated. You don’t have to be the hero. You don’t have to turn the briefing room into a protest. But you can at least signal that you heard what happened, that you know the line was crossed, and that you won’t let it go unanswered.

That didn’t happen. And the silence gives the impression that the press corps is more worried about preserving its access than preserving its credibility. Access is only valuable if you use it. If you’re too scared to ask a tough question or too scared to defend a colleague who did, then the privilege of being in that room loses its purpose.

Some reporters will argue that pushing back only fuels Trump. They’ll say they don’t want to become part of the story. But the story already included them. Trump made sure of that the moment he turned his answer into a personal attack. If he can do that without any resistance, why would he stop? Silence doesn’t cool the temperature. It rewards the behavior.

News organizations love to run promos about truth, courage, and accountability. Those slogans look great on screen. They sound great in meetings. But moments like this reveal whether those words mean anything. If the press corps can’t defend one of its own when she’s being singled out by the most powerful person in the country, then there’s a gap between what it says and what it does.

And that gap isn’t encouraging. It makes it harder to feel optimistic about the state of journalism. Because if the people in that room won’t stand up for a colleague, how can anyone expect them to stand up for the public?

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

KSL Newsradio Program Director Kevin LaRue Exits Amid Layoffs

BNM Staff
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KSL Newsradio Program Director Kevin LaRue Exits Amid Layoffs

KSL Newsradio program director Kevin LaRue has departed the Bonneville International news/talk station amid layoffs at the organization.

LaRue had been the Program Director of KSL Newsradio 102.7 since 2006. Before joining Bonneville International, he spent more than five years as the Program Director of WFIR in Roanoke.

Between cuts at KSL Newsradio 102.7, KSL.com, and KSL-TV more than 30 positions were eliminated at the Salt Lake City operation.

In a statement, the company says that it has restructured its operations, combining many of its aspects into one entity.

“Since 2009, KSL Newsradio and KSL TV have operated in a different company than KSL.com,” the statement from Bonneville said. “Wednesday, the step was taken to unify all platforms and aspects of the KSL brand under one leadership team.”

Also exiting the news/talk station was Heather Kelly McShane, a reporter and host with the outlet who spent 13 years at the station.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

830 WCCO Raises Nearly $375K in Latest Interrupt Homelessness Radiothon

BNM Staff
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830 WCCO Raises Nearly $375K in Latest Interrupt Homelessness Radiothon

830 WCCO recently held its 23rd annual Interrupt Homelessness radiothon to benefit Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, raising nearly $375,000 in the process.

Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities serves over 2,000 men, women, and children annually by providing
essential needs like food, shelter, and clothing, alongside holistic programs designed to break
the cycles of homelessness and addiction.

“When Minnesota comes together, no one gets left behind. It’s a testament to our amazing fans and incredibly supportive partners at WCCO for lifting those in need through Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities,” said 830 WCCO Brand Manager Brad Lane.

“Our fans’ generosity isn’t just a donation, it’s a gift of dignity, hope, a warm meal and a bed,” Lane continued. “Using the breadth and power of this legacy platform to help the work that UGMTC does; this is what it means to be a good neighbor.”

“Today, we’re highlighting how our holistic services truly interrupt homelessness. I’m struck by how many of the men and women who shared their stories on the air did so because they want others to reach the same place they are now, sober, housed, employed and healing,” said Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities CEO Pam Stegora Axberg.

“Their message to our community was clear: ‘Help make my story possible for someone else.’ And today, thousands of donors answered that call,” she continued. “Together, we are breaking the cycle of homelessness for our neighbors. That’s what makes a day like this so special.”

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Jason Whitlock Wants To Be Remembered as the Best Sports Writer “Ever”

BSM Staff
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Jason Whitlock Wants To Be Remembered as the Best Sports Writer “Ever”

Jason Whitlock, the outspoken sports journalist known for his bold commentary and unfiltered takes, discussed his legacy this week on The Sage Steele Show, making clear how he wants to be remembered.

“I guess if I want the world to remember, I want the credit that—and this is just a worldly ego thing—but I believe I’m the best sports writer. Maybe ever,” Whitlock said.

Whitlock career spans traditional outlets both in print, radio and television with his current independent media platforms. He reflected on what he believes distinguishes him from his peers. Whitlock specifically pointed to his willingness to tackle controversial social and racial issues. Topics many sports journalists avoid as part of what makes his work unique.

“Most sports writers never take on the super serious issues and explore… make that part of their brand,” Whitlock explained. “There’s issues from Colin Kaepernick to racial issues. I feel like I’ve taken a lot of bold stances. If I were to refine it and remove myself from it and be more Christian, I want to be remembered as, like, ‘Oh man, Whitlock was the boldest sports writer ever’ because of his biblical worldview. Because of his faith in God, and the way his grandmother discipled him. That just made him an elite sports journalist.”

Throughout his conversation, Whitlock did not shy away from claiming personal influence over the current generation of sports writers. He suggested that many are attempting to emulate his style but falling short.

“If you actually look at this era of sports writers, and I apologize for this sounding narcissistic and arrogant. I look out and see all these people trying to mimic what I did, and they’re doing bad versions of it,” he said.

Whitlock has written about sports for several local newspapers including The Herald Times and The Charlotte Observer. During his 16 years as a sports columnist for the Kansas City Star, he was awarded the National Journalism Award by the Scripps Howard Foundation in 2008. He then took his writings to ESPN and AOL Sports, then serving as editor in chief of The Undefeated till 2015.

Currently, Whitlock is the host of his daily Fearless with Jason Whitlock program on BlazeTV.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

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