Sinclairannounced that Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson will return for its 11th season on Sept. 7, marking another milestone for the investigative news program at a time when many networks are scaling back original reporting.
Hosted by Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award–winning journalist Sharyl Attkisson, the weekly program has carved out a space for accountability journalism since its 2015 launch. Each episode spotlights in-depth reporting on issues. These range from government oversight to global affairs, while often taking viewers inside stories that receive little attention elsewhere.
“For more than a decade, Full Measure has stood out as one of television’s most consistent sources of accountability journalism,” said Scott Livingston, Sinclair’s senior vice president of news. “Each week, Sharyl and her team challenge assumptions, uncover the stories others overlook, and provide viewers with trusted context and perspective.”
The season premiere will air this weekend. Attkisson and her team will be reporting from El Salvador, once plagued by crime and violence but now under a strict security crackdown by President Nayib Bukele. The program will explore whether such an approach could be replicated in the United States. The episode will also revisit the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on its 20th anniversary. Examining if government disaster response has meaningfully improved in the years since.
Despite broader industry struggles, the program has grown its footprint. According to Sinclair, Full Measure has increased its total audience share by 49 percent since its debut. The most recent season alone saw a 25 percent rise in the 25-54 category, along with a 12 percent jump in Adults 35-64. Household share also climbed by 5 percent.
Attkisson said the ability to continue producing investigative content in today’s broadcast landscape is meaningful for both journalists and audiences. “It’s incredibly rewarding to continue to have the support of Sinclair and the Full Measure team for our groundbreaking program going into year 11 when so many other organizations are cutting back on original impactful reporting,” she said.
The series’ momentum was further recognized with 10 Telly Awards last season for excellence in news coverage.
Executive Producer Batt Humphreys added that the show’s longevity underscores its place in a fractured media environment. “Beginning a second decade of this program, with a growing audience, is almost unheard of in today’s broadcast news,” he said. “It’s a testament to the unique role Full Measure plays in bringing meaningful investigative journalism to viewers.”
Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson airs Sundays across Sinclair’s television stations.
Thanks to all of our loyal viewers and hopefully new ones starting this week!! “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson," Sinclair’s Weekly Investigative News Program Returns for Season 11 on September 7 https://t.co/ZMMN74tZms
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Day 1 of the 2025 BNM Summit Presented by Newsmax is taking place inside the Alvin Ailey Theater in New York City. Key takeaways from this year’s sessions and speakers are being passed along by Barrett Media News Editor Garrett Searight.
Check back throughout the day to find out what you’ve missed.
9:00-9:10 AM: Welcome to the 2025 BNM Summit Presented By Newsmax
Barrett Media President Jason Barrett opened the show by welcoming attendees to the Alvin Ailey Theater in New York.
Barrett began by noting that the Summit’s goal is always to gather the industry and tackle the big topics and issues within the industry.
He highlighted the switch to a three-minute qualifying time for PPM ratings with Nielsen, highlighting why the company made the decision to make the alteration. All-News and News/Talk Radio were some of the biggest beneficiaries of the change in the ratings since the change was enacted. However, Barrett mentioned that those figures were from the 6+ demographic, but is interested in learning what the figures from the key 25-54 demographic.
He highlighted markets like New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Phoenix, and Minneapolis, among others. In commercial stations in All-News, News/Talk, and Talk/Personality formats, in total, the ratings have grown 3.8% since the change was completed.
9:10-9:50 AM: The Common Sense Conversation Presented By Salem Radio Network
Scott Jennings (Salem Radio Network/CNN)
Jason Barrett led the conversation with Jennings, beginning the conversation about asking how Jennings approaches going into the lion’s den at CNN.
“I do a huge amount of show prep,” admitted Jennings. “I wake up in the morning, and now — because of the radio show, which is in the early afternoon — I wake up, and not only am I reading and doing show prep, I’m also writing the show. And so that actually, truthfully, has really dovetailed nicely with and enhanced my television show prep.
“But on a regular basis, I’m just consuming a massive amount of information, and I’m constantly trying to figure out what will be the vectors of attack around the table. I’ve been doing this long enough now that I’m pretty good at predicting how they’re going to come at it,” Jennings continued. “Now I am at a disadvantage in that A) I’m just one person, and B) I don’t have 20 people handing me notes. I don’t have anything on the teleprompter … I feel like my punditry is as well informed as anybody’s, but it takes me a lot of hours every day to do it.”
Barrett asked how much Jennings pays attention to social media chatter and criticism to his appearances on CNN, pointing to recent comments from Megyn Kelly, who argued that CNN host Abby Phillip should apologize to Jennings because she thought it was clear the host was trying to push him out the door of the show.
“I don’t particularly care for it when I think things are out there that are blatantly false, or portraying me in a way, or portraying something I said on the air in a way that’s not accurate or authentic to the conversation that we actually had,” he said. “So I do pay some attention to it, but I pay more attention to what I’m actually putting out, because I do spend a fair amount of time making sure that the content I’m making gets into my social media channels, and I spend most of my time on that, because I think that’s how a lot of my people consume it. They may not have seen the show, but they love to see a couple of minutes and go back and forth over.
“That’s really what I care about the most. It’s been kind of fascinating to see all the people who look in on the show or pay attention to it. Abby and I, we have a great thing going, in my opinion. For the network and for her and for that show, it’s been nothing but an unqualified success, even though there are moments where I think crazy things happen are set out there. Overall, what we’re doing most nights is pretty special.”
The topic then shifted to Jennings launching a radio show with Salem Radio Network. However, it’s a return to the medium for Scott Jennings, who previously worked in radio in his hometown as a teenager, and later in college at 840 WHAS in Louisville.
“I feel somewhat misled by Phil Boyce about how much work this would be,” he joked. (840 WHAS) allowed me to be a board op for two things, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and I also had to record Paul Harvey in the morning and play it back. So everything I know about talk radio comes from years of listening to Rush Limbaugh every day and listening to Paul Harvey every day. So what I am trying to do on the air every day, you probably hear some of both of that. That is basically what I think it is supposed to sound like. The A block of my show is an homage to Paul Harvey news every single day, and the B, C, and D blocks, I’m trying to do it the way I think Rush did it, as I heard it as a kid learning how this medium is supposed to sound.”
When asked how he measures the success of his radio show, Scott Jennings gave a candid answer.
“Well, the truth is I don’t, at the moment,” he shared. “I’ve been doing this for two months, and I have a sense that people like it. I think we’re on 180 radio stations right now, which tells me something, and it’s growing every week based on what I’ve been told. And so that is a metric that I think is good. Because sales are good. From what I can tell, we’re basically sold out. Those metrics right there tell me something.”
Answering a question from an audience member, Scott Jennings said he had no intentions of running for Governor of Kentucky. He did note, however, that he is not currently a candidate to run for the Senate race opening with the retirement of Mitch McConnell in the state. “I just haven’t made any announcements on that yet,” he concluded.
Chris Berry noted that Rush Limbaugh used to say that “You can get the news anywhere, but you can only get the news from me here.” However, he said that people can get the news in a variety of avenues today, so that personality needs to shine through today.
Drew Anderssen agreed.
“We listen to the host we connect with,” Anderssen said. “We have to be cautious of the echochamber. It’s a real challenge for our industry right now. We’ve forgetten that our mission is to entertain. That’s not to mean that you’re the funniest guy in the room. But we’ve lost the entertainment value of a great talk show host.”
“You have to do both,” Phil Boyce added. “(Rush Limbaugh) was able to combine the information with entertainment. If you can find someone who can provide that information in an entertaining way, you’ve hit the jackpot.”
McVay asked about what the message is to local hosts about why they need locality instead of just focusing on national topics. Mundo noted that there’s a recent topic that should be a natural subject for local hosts, but hasn’t been harnessed that way.
“90% of people listening to national talk radio don’t want to go to DC, haven’t been to DC, and don’t think about DC. But you look at some of the highest crime rates in this country based on homicide numbers, it’s Kansas City, it’s St Louis, it’s Memphis,” said Mundo. “There’s a lot of places that this connects around America that relate to the story on a local level. If you’re a local host, this is an easy way to weave the national story into your community.
“If you’re just looking at Fox or CNN and copying what they’re saying, why would anyone listen to you? You’re a local show. You’re a local talent. Weave it into what’s happening in your backyard. What are your crime issues? And I have not heard enough of that on that specific issue the last couple of weeks, and I think it’s a major missed opportunity.”
When asked where they look for the next crop of talents, the news/talk radio leaders had slightly differing opinions.
“If somebody’s smart, entertaining, and if they are opinionated, I think that those are the things that you have to look for,” said Berry. “It’s very elusive right now to find those people, because they don’t think about radio as being the place where they can make their mark.”
“Everybody thinks they could be a podcaster, but not everybody can. The metrics are different,” Boyce said, noting that he found a host like Charlie Kirk in podcasting.
“I think sports talk is a great space to look,” said Mundo. “I’m biased when I say that, because that’s what I wanted to do, and that’s where I was for the first 10 years of my career … I said that to myself, ‘What am I going to care about in my late 30s, my late 40s, my late 50s? What do I actually think I’m going to care about at those ages?’ And I think that there are a lot of guys like that in sports talk who have come to that conclusion.”
“I agree with Pete,” said Anderssen. “There are a number of people who are in that format that feel like ‘I got so much more to say, but I’m limited to what I can in the format.’ So I do think that’s a great place. I like social as well. I also like the traditional looking at the farm team on a local radio station … So I think those are two great spots.”
Where is the format headed? No one knows for sure, but there are ideas.
“I think that our audience is still there,” said Boyce. “I think our audience is very loyal, but our audience is aging. My biggest concern is that anybody under 30 didn’t grow up on am talk or even AM talk. They grew up not even on radio, and so we’ve got to capture the imagination of those young people and bring them back to radio. And I think that can happen … Things can change, but we have to be good. We have to be ready for them. We don’t want to be your grandfather’s radio station. We want to be ready for those people to get ready for us. So it’s a big challenge.”
“(The goal has to be to) give them a show that they find compelling, because if not — if you want to just get hyper served a specific topic — there’s a podcast for that out there,” said Mundo. “Podcasts are so niche by nature, there’s something for them that they can find, and they can get it whenever they want. So what are we going to bring them to the radio for? We used to think about using social media to kind of drive radio extra listening, but what about using social media to get people over to the radio by just hammering your frequency, your call letters, and people realizing young people who didn’t grow up on it?
“‘Oh yeah, this thing in the car turns on and there’s someone talking out of it, and it’s engaging and compelling, and it’s personal,” Mundo continued. “It’s all these things that we love, but it’s also live. That’s something they’re not going to get on a podcast.”
“I think you’ve got to use every tool in your tool belt to not only market and share your brand, but the personalities have to be engaged in that process as well,” said Anderssen. “I love seeing stations where there’s video included. It’s taking the best moments and leveraging those best moments across circle networks. It’s putting the content in pods, taking an entire show, taking great segments, and trying to get frequency and multiple platform distribution as a just part of the nature of what we do, and that’s still a challenge for a lot of us today.”
10:30-11:10 AM: Leading and Lifting Legacy Brands Presented By Core Image Studio
Mary Sandberg Boyle (WGN Radio)
Michael Spacciapolli (KDKA)
Bennett Zier (WRVA)
Tim McCarthy (Broadcasters Foundation of America)
With the legacy brand leaders, one topic that matters to them is the local knowledge and connections built by the hosts, which matter more than national topics.
“You have to be integrated into the community and understand what’s going on, also, not just in the city of Chicago,” said Sandberg Boyle. “Quite a bit of our listeners don’t, but they live 30 miles out. When you’re a 50,000-watt AM radio station that leads into many markets. You’ve got to be thinking worldly as well, so you have to be in touch with that. You don’t have to be born in our city or county area to understand that, but you have to have that emotional IQ.”
“The local connection of the talent is the most important thing that we do,” said Spacciapolli. “From a talent perspective, that is being entrenched in the community on multiple, multiple levels. It’s the ability to understand what’s going on in people’s community from our talent’s perspective, and putting themselves in a position where they have enough resources that they can actually deliver the content engagement that we need in the local communities. The thing that we focus on the most, and the one thing that I can see would have the biggest negative impact on the KDKA brand, if we ever lost any of that localism from local talent … It is a huge, a huge part of what we do and where we live.”
All three market leaders oversee brands that utilize the AM Radio band. When asked by McCarthy if the possibility of the band seeing a resurgence, or getting an influx of listeners and revenue due to the personalities placed on the band, the reactions were mixed.
“I think the answer is yes, and I think it’s going to be less about whether it’s AM or FM, but it’s going to be what is the easiest way for me to find the content that I think is terrific personality that I love and somebody that I can really believe in, when they tell me something that I can actually make my life a little bit better,” said Zier.
“I believe we talk a lot about the first crack at it is what’s coming out of the speakers, but what we do at what we do with it is so important,” said Spacciapolli. “And that’s why three years ago, we developed a full video platform at KDKA. We can take that content every day, every hour, every 10 minutes, and repurpose it all over social and put it in front of people in different demographics and touch them and engage with them.
“So is it good or is it bad? I don’t know about that part, but I think the reality of it is we need to touch them where they are, and there’s a lot of people living on social we can take our original content and repurpose it all over the place for them and all the different social channels,” he continued. “It’s very, very beneficial.”
“The real challenge is to be able to collect all that data where the different impressions come from, and pulling it in one place, you get a true representation of what was consumed, not just through the speakers,” said Sandberg Boyle.
Maintaining that status as a heritage brand in a given market isn’t taken for granted. But when asked if the legacy brands still did outbound marketing, the leaders stated that a reliance on grassroots has been what they have mostly relied on.
“Well, we have WGN-TV in market, and they have our promos. So we are on that station,” Sandberg Boyle said. “We do a lot of joint brand awareness. We did a billboard campaign during the pandemic, because we have a little bit of a lineup change and but mostly we aren’t marketing outbound.
“We send people out. That’s where we’ve invested, sending people out into communities and doing things that highlight different areas,” said Zier. “That’s what the strategy we’ve used. Because it costs a lot of money … I think grassroots is coming back again. I mean, we folded our tents and our chairs and our picnic tables during COVID. But I think getting our local talent out in the community. We will do TV this year, because WRVA will have its 100th year anniversary this year. And what we’re going to do is we have some ideas, but for marketing, we have to start thinking grassroots again.”
“We’ve used, I’d say, four different content partnerships we have in the market, two TV stations and two lifestyle magazines to create content partnerships that, in turn, allow us to get some free market from both of them,” said Spacciapolli. “So with the NBC affiliate, the CBS affiliate, we have content partnerships that allow us to get some TV exposure. The two lifestyle magazines, we actually feature some of their folks on our morning show, delivering lifestyle around the city. And then we get full page ads or on their socials or on their digital, so that allows us to get some similar marketing from that.”
11:25 AM-12:05 PM: The Keynote Conversation Presented By Newsmax
Chris Ruddy (Newsmax Founder/CEO)
Earlier this year, Newsmax went public on the New York Stock Exchange, with the price rising to nearly $250 per share at one point.
Chris Ruddy shared why he believed it was an important evolution for the company.
“We’re a 27-year overnight success story,” Ruddy said, noting that the company’s cable network didn’t begin until 2014. “We overcome a lot of obstacles,” he added.
Newsmax has one of the oldest median ages of news audiences in the United States. When asked if they’re interested in lowering that median, Ruddy explained why they don’t want to abandon the older end of the demographic.
“(Those 45+) are the group of the highest net wealth in the country and the highest disposable income, yet advertisers are not interested in that,” said Ruddy. “It doesn’t make any sense. So I’ve always embraced the boomer audience. I have people come in and say, ‘We really need to target a younger demo.’ The truth is, the younger demos are not interested in hard news … There is a value for younger because the advertising agencies, but there’s also a value that huge number of companies, from pharmaceuticals to financial companies and others. Health companies need to target the older demo.
“We’re not claiming we’re a young, hip demo and under 35,” he said. “The older audience is a very good audience. And there’s not a lot of competition out there.”
Barrett Media President Jason Barrett asked Chris Ruddy about his talent lineup, and what he valued from those folks. He said it’s insanely important to the brand’s success.
“I wouldn’t say talent is everything. I would say it’s almost everything. And so it’s critically important to be a talent that resonates with an audience,” said Ruddy. “We have to find people that are unique and interesting, more so than Fox, because Fox just has a lot of gravity and a lot of geographic location.”
He added that the company launched an anti-trust lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday alleging that the network had colluded with cable operators to keep Newsmax off of lineups, or made deals that would see Fox Business Network and FS1 to be a part of basic packages if those operators added Newsmax.
Newsmax now has roughly 550 full-time employees between the network’s operations in New York, Washington D.C., and at the network’s headquarters in Florida.
When asked what he looks for while hiring, Ruddy admitted he values experience and loyalty.
“I’m big on continuity, that people are not just 10 years, 10 different jobs,” he shared. “That they’ve worked at a place they have discipline, and that they know their stuff. Newsmax has less depth than some of the networks. We don’t have as much resources, quite candidly with Fox and CNN — so our hosts and reporters can’t rely on the level of producers. A typical show on 20 producers, assistant producers, and bookers, but other networks have even more people, and so we really need people who are smart.”
Newsmax has dipped its toe into the audio world with radio shows and podcasts. Ruddy admitted the company would like to be more active in that space in the future, but believes some have gotten into the podcasting world under false pretenses, and wants to avoid that situation.
“So many people got into it because they heard that Joe Rogan or Megyn Kelly were making a lot of money, and they all thought they could make a lot of money,” Ruddy said. “And I could name a bunch of people with super famous names in a podcast that make no money in their podcast. It’s hard. You have to develop a following, then you have to keep people engaged, then you have to get advertising.
“It’s not a primary area, but we see it as a very important area and very synergistic because … we’re taking those folks in their cars, they can’t watch TV, and telling them about Newsmax programming, what they can tune in. I think it’s a good deal. We have been interested in getting in radio. We see some potential. But the truth is, the market is very ossified, because you have three big companies and they all have debt issues … I’d like to be bigger on radio. So I think I should just keep it at that,” he concluded, noting that the company now being public makes it more difficult to discuss future plans for the organization.
1:15-2:00 PM: The World According to Glenn Beck Presented By Premiere Networks
Glenn Beck (Premiere Networks)
Barrett Media President Jason Barrett began the conversation by asking Beck about his thoughts on state of the radio industry and the state of his radio show.
“Coming up in two years, it’ll be my 50th anniversary of doing radio. I go from city to city, and I will go to these stations, and they are empty,” said Beck. “Since I was a kid in the 70s, everybody said ‘Radio is over.’
“We’re at an inflection point right now. If people will start to look at the new tools on the horizon, start to look at the way people are connecting with personalities amd start reinvesting in personalities and looking for the people that can be local and go extreme, extremely local, I think the broadcast industry has a rebirth locally.”
Beck has plenty of avenues to distribute his content. Between millions of followers on social media and YouTube, in addition to his radio show and his digital media outlet, The Blaze. When asked about how he decides what is important, Beck had a simple answer.
“It depends on what it is,” he said. “We didn’t do a lot of these early on, up until about almost ’18, because we were trying to balance The Blaze. If you’re trying to get somebody to see it, you must be on YouTube. You have to be on YouTube. If you’re talking politics, you have to be on X. You want to appeal to lifestyle, you have to be on Instagram. But there are things that we edit or don’t post on each because we don’t want to screw the algorithm up. We know what will perform on Instagram, won’t on X, what will perform on YouTube, won’t other places. So we have to be really careful and have a team that that does all of that.”
Beck noted that he does five live commercials each day on The Glenn Beck Program. He said about five years ago he and Premiere Networks altered his clock in an effort to make the radio show sound more similar to a podcast.
“It makes it better for the audience,” he said. “We have seen numbers go up just by making that change, which gets us out of really the quarter hour business anyway. I think if your talent is good enough and willing to do the spots, the listeners stay longer. They’ll sit through the spots, especially if you’re good at doing them. I don’t do a spot twice. Everything is new every time. And the listeners sit through and they strangely don’t complain about it, which I think is is a remarkable feat.”
The way radio ratings are calcualated have been changed. Glenn Beck admitted he remains uninterested in changing to chase ratings.
“I’ve never changed anything because of the ratings,” he said. “The number one thing talent must have is authenticity. You have to be the person you are. If you’re not, they’ll smoke you out so fast, and you’ll be done. But if you are changing constantly for ratings, you’re never going to make it. I don’t pay attention to the ratings. I get big broad strokes. ‘How are we doing? Are we up? We down? How are we doing?’ The radio show is the whole me. That must be the center of the wheel.”
AI usage has been a hot-button topic in media circles. Beck was asked how and if he’s using AI, and he said he can’t afford not to use it.
“If you use AI to be able to enhance your work, it’s great. And if you’re not doing it, you’re going to be left behind. It is too powerful of a tool not to learn how to wield it. I’ve talked to some radio people who say, ‘No, I’m not going to ever use AI because it’ll replace us.’ Well, yeah, it’s going to it will replace you quicker than it will replace me. It’s a tool. Pick the tool up. Know when to use it, know how to use it, and wield it yourself, or it will be wielded against you.”
2:00-2:40 PM: Turning the Tables Presented By Xperi
Jeff Katz (WRVA)
Tom Cuddy (710 WOR)
Brad Lane (830 WCCO)
Ann Thomas (WJR 760)
Ken Charles (95.5 WSB)
Katz began by asking how much talent should a talent allowed to be.
“I’ve found with every talent you work with, there are different buttons,” said Cuddy. “It’s not one-size-fits-all. I have found that it takes a little while to figure out everyone on your team. There are some people you can call in your office and have a situation figured out in two minutes. Others, it can take a half hour. Everyone is different.”
“My job is to get hte most out of our talent and our programming,” said Lane. “My job is to make sure everything is compelling. And everything coming out of our speakers is my job. My job is to coach. They’re all different and are all managed differently. I won’t be able to turn them loose if I don’t get to know them.”
Ann Thomas was asked about where the next group of program directors will come from.
“We may see some future PDs and some of our younger talent,” said Thomas. “So I try to keep an eye on people that are interested in more than just being on the air. You get some people that really are interested in the behind the scenes stuff. So I think there’s some possibilities there, but I do agree it’s tough to find the program directors.”
“It’s very important to me to always have — for every position I have — who I would go to if tomorrow someone got hit by a car,” said Cuddy. “It used to be, years ago, I had two or three people for each position in my head. But those days are gone. With more and more radio stations not having overnight shifts where someone can break in, it’s much more challenging.”
“We’re going to find them in exactly the same places we’ve been looking and we were found,” added Charles. “So let’s stop lamenting the end and start nurturing the next. Because it is the next that will carry on whatever legacy we’ve left them at our radio stations. And they’re there and they want to be there. There are still people in their 20s and 30s who respect radio and want to be a part of radio. Yes, they’re fewer than they were. Yes, some of them don’t even know it until you introduce it, but they’re in all the same places. We need to look at them, cultivate them and nurture them.”
Trust is essential between a PD and a host. When asked how they build trust, answers differed.
“Well, I think that the best way to do that is kind of let them go, let them do what you’ve asked them to do, and only get involved when there’s a big issue,” said Thomas. “They need to know you’re not going to pick at them every single day. You’re only going to get involved when it’s absolutely necessary, and it’s good for the radio station and good for them personally.”
Cuddy shared an anecdote that his midday host, Mark Simone, has never sat down for a conversation in Cuddy’s office because he doesn’t want to get locked into a poor conversation. He added that he built trust with Casey Kasem by finding out who leaked the infamous “dead dog” tape.
“It’s takes different things, but you got to make the efforts time consuming,” said Cuddy. “But if the relationship is worthwhile, you do it.”
“We’re partners in this,” Charles said of coaching his talents. “So you can have really hard discussions, but when you get caught in that first lie or that first piece of BS, you are done. It doesn’t matter. Good news, bad news, whatever the news is you’re over and done with. So A) Don’t be a dick and B) Don’t lie.”
“I’ve literally asked some of the talent, point blank, ‘Do you believe that I want you to succeed?’,” said Lane, before noting that having a conversation about the important topics instead of harping on the things that don’t need addressed as a way to build trust with talents.
Harris began the session by pointing out how many white men, many of the age of 60, are leading news/talk radio shows in the country.
SiriusXM host David Webb noted that his position isn’t from a commitment to diversity from his company.
“Do you have the talent? Do you have the knowledge to do this?” said Webb. “Most people out there in our business, while there are some — I’m sure they have different versions of it — most of them are, can you do a show? Can you get an audience? Can you deliver and do the fans want you back when you’re done? Now, diversity already exists in the population that look at the country. So are you trying to appeal to them intellectually or ethnically? I find it more disingenuous to just be heavily focused in any way on ethnicity rather than intellectually. Focus on your content.”
“I think there’s a presumption that it’s a bunch of white guys,” Valdes said of talk radio. “So when I make a reference to my upbringing or what I eat for dinner on Christmas, it’s really just to tell the story a little bit, to add a little flavor, because it’s theater of the mind. We’re doing talk radio. It’s a conservative commentary. We’re talking about the news of the day and doing analysis on those things. And ultimately, it’s a meritocracy.
“It’s also who wants to be in the game,” Valdes cotniued. “If you want to be in the game. I’ve never met too many people, my contemporaries — other Puerto Rican guys — say like, ‘Hey, I’ll be a radio guy.’ I just haven’t met them.”
Kate Delany — who originally started out in sports radio before shifting to news/talk — said she believed she got into the medium in spite of being a woman, not because she’s a woman.
“It’s about wanting to be in this business,” said Delany. “It took a while for me to break the glass ceiling … The bottom line was, did I get the audience? Was I entertaining? Did I know what I was talking about? Did I get great guests? Was I compelling? That’s radio, and that’s what I did. I didn’t worry about if there were people that criticized me. In fact, most men the listeners lifted me up.”
When asked what woman can bring to non-political talk, Delany said there are numerous options.
“I host radio talk shows. My job is to entertain, be compelling, and talk about what’s going on in my world,” she said. “I think what it is is I go deeper. What does it mean in your backyard? I think scratching it a little bit deeper. What does it mean? What does it mean to the consumer? Is it a bunch of nonsense about the tariffs, or is it not a bunch of nonsense? What does how does it actually affect us? And women care about that, because, guess what, they control the purse and most of the families.”
Peter Thiele gave the perspective from a program director’s position. He said he wouldn’t care or highlight the diversity of a given host, because ultimately the audience doesn’t prioritize those items.
“You stick 40 white guys who are in their 40s in a room, and you have them fill out what they think about a wide variety of things, you’re gonna get 40 different answers,” said Thiele. “You’ll find the same thing with this from people who are Latino, for women, for blacks, for any group. It’s a fact that goes through. There’s maybe a stereotype of that some programmers in this industry don’t quite get, is that you put on a person who is different than the target demographic, gender, or ethnicity that the audience won’t kick or won’t like it, it will drive them away.
“And I find that complete garbage,” Thiele continued. “You go in and you provide an authentic point of view, and you bring it up from your perspective, an audience will respond and appreciate it.”
3:35-4:15 PM: The State of All-News Radio Presented By Ramsey Solutions
Ben Mevorach (1010 WINS)
Michael Lysak (Bloomberg Radio)
Julia Ziegler (WTOP)
Jennifer Brown (CBS News Radio)
Tim Scheld (Montclair State University)
Scheld asked the question of what keeps the all-news leaders awake at night before jumping to questioning how they define their brands.
“For me, when it comes to the content that we put on WTOP, I say to everybody in the newsroom, all of my producers, talent, etc… We have to have balanced news every single hour,” said Ziegler. “It cannot be all death, Doom, gloom, politics, destruction, all of that. That is not what people will hear. They will turn us off. Someone can be interested in politics and want to know what’s going on there, but they can also be interested in what our feature reporter Matt Koufax has to say about a new Greek ice cream shop that’s opening up down the street, or whatever.”
“I was told a long time ago when we started the business, and you took somebody from outer space and you blindfolded them and drop them into the city, they should within just a couple of minutes what city they’re in based on how you program your radio station,” said Mevorach. “New York has some very unique qualities. In your face. It’s fast paced. It’s ‘Don’t waste my time.’ It’s ‘Get out of my way.’ It’s quirky, it’s very parochial. All those things make New York, New York. And WINS reflects that.”
“Ultimately, it has to be valuable to the listener,” said Brown. “Because we have such little time. What are we discussing? And is it understandable? Is it relatable? You know, is it? And I think when you say the rounded plate, I do think about, like, consumer stories, weather stories, and like, why is it significant?
“teasing”- right befote traffic reports, a lot use station for just traffic. Try to hold attention for after traffic updates, per Ben Mevorach
Admit on air if mistakes were made is an important way to gain trust in the audience. Human error applies to news people as well, says Ben Mevorach
Responding to calls and emails promptly is an important way to build trust- Julia Ziegler
“Make sure anecdotes about certain figures applies to the story being told”, said Jennifer Brown. An Example, most people have an opinion about RFK and his actions.
You will not be able to change the macro behavior, and tailor around that with partnerships and events. example, a pickleball tournament brought in millions of dollars in revenue for the radio station
Our partners are an extension of our brand and bring in listeners who wouldn’t tune in otherwise said Jennifer Brown when asked about the importance of partnerships.
How to battle News Fatigue? Bern Mevorach changed the layout of the studio to raise staff morale, examples, Music movies
Jennifer Brown reminds her staff to take care of themselves and their loved ones.
Barrett Media News Editor Garrett Searight led the discussion.
How do you balance between national and local? Put emphasis on local, people want to hear about their city, even though at the end of the day it’s New York-Sid Rosenberg.
Mark Simone- The local details make the listening experience that much richer
Mike Gallagher- So many NY Stories are national (mayoral race used as example). Take local stories and put a national emphasis on it. Keep local instincts, and you will succeed at the local, national, or regional level
Erick Erickson- There is always a local issue that can be related to at the national level.
What does show prep look like?
Msrk Simone- Always constantly be prepping, it’s not just showing up a couple hours early. Always be gathering information and stay informed. Prep is 24/7
Sid Rosenberg- If you’re predictable nobody will care, cited getting his start under Don Imus.
Mike Gallagher- concurs that show prep is 24/7. More avenues compared to generations past , where a couple hours of prep would suffice (social media, different sources)
Erick Erickson- Be yourself, do not try to be too hard to be like the greats like Rush Limbaugh. Let your soul speak as much as you speak
Sid Rosenberg – If you’re enthusiastic, your base will follow you. Trust yourself, and the audience will trust you
What do you need from a program director at this stage in your career?
Mark Simone- need program director, because it’s the one person who’s job it is to say “this isn’t quite right”, sort of like a father figure or significant other.
Erick Erickson- Someone who can tell you youre screwing up without losing his job for telling me to do so,
Rosenberg- Hates program directors. The best ones are the ones who leave the talent alone, even if they do something they don’t like. A program director for a seasoned veteran is annoying.
How did you learn to handle criticism?
Mark- Disable comments, most of it is negative. After a while it means nothing
Sid- The only criticism I care about is my wife. You want people to like or hate you. Vanilla is not what you want in this business. Character attacks are what I dislike, but criticism of the job is fuel.
text lines should be utilized- mike
Mark Simone- More points, less words. Twitter World, keep varying topics, don’t focus on same thing for 20 minutes.
Radio is not dying- Mark Simone. Cited articles from 1966, and 1948 that radio is dying for various reasons, and doesn’t believe it for a second.
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Emmanuel Acho is betting that fans want more from postgame sports shows than recycled highlights and desk analysis. The two-time Emmy Award-winning host and creator is launching SPEAKEASY: Sophisticated Sports Talk, a new digital-first series that promises to bring live reactions, cultural commentary, and fan interaction into one space. The show debuts September 4 on YouTube, immediately following the NFL season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
Acho, a former NFL linebacker and co-host of FS1’s SPEAK, will front the program alongside Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer LeSean “Shady” McCoy and TikTok comedian Kieran Hickey-Semple. Together, they aim to deliver what they describe as an “afterparty, not an anchor desk.” The format is designed to capture the pace and tone of modern sports consumption rather than replicate legacy postgame coverage.
“Fans don’t just want highlights—they want in,” Acho said in announcing the series. “SPEAKEASY is where athletes call in, celebrities pull up, and fans roast us live. It’s fast, funny, and built for how we actually consume sports today.”
The series will stream live after every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday NFL game throughout the season. Added midweek studio editions will be available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. A special Friday episode is also scheduled for September 5, following the Chargers-Chiefs matchup in Brazil. Additional live shows are planned for holiday games and select postseason contests.
Set inside a lounge-style studio in West Hollywood, SPEAKEASY is banking on variety and spontaneity. Segments will include player drop-ins just minutes after final whistles, celebrity guest appearances, and fan call-ins designed to spark debate in real time. McCoy’s “Truth Serum” will bring his trademark unfiltered takes, while Hickey-Semple will lean into comedy and internet-native content through a segment dubbed “Kieran’s Remix.” Acho will also track and revisit weekly predictions in a feature called “Acho’s Receipts.”
McCoy said the goal is to replicate the feeling of watching games with friends, not sitting through rigid studio analysis. “We wanted a show that feels like hanging out with your people, real fans, real laughs, no filter,” he explained.
Acho’s background positions him uniquely to test this approach. He developed Uncomfortable Conversations with Emmanuel Acho, a digital series on race and empathy that was executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, drew more than 100 million views, and became a New York Times bestselling franchise. That project earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Series.
His subsequent work at FS1 brought him another Emmy, this time for Outstanding Emerging On-Air Talent.
Production of SPEAKEASY is handled by SpeakEsports LLC, with distribution exclusive to YouTube. The series intends to straddle sports and culture, hoping to capture both hardcore fans and a younger digital audience accustomed to creator-led media.
It’s time to have an Uncomfortable Conversation about my sports television career. pic.twitter.com/jZJL01Hkdn
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After more than seven years on the air in Tampa mornings, Laura Diaz is preparing to close one chapter of her career and begin another outside of media. Diaz, who co-hosts mornings on iHeartMedia AC Mix 100.7, announced she will be leaving the station at the end of the week. Her final day is set for Friday, September 5.
“It is time for me to start a new chapter of my life and I’ve decided to step away from the show and I will be pursuing a career outside of the radio business. Yeah, stepping away from media,” Diaz told listeners during the morning show. “I’ll be in Tampa. I’ll be around.”
Diaz joined WMTX in January 2019 arriving in Tampa Bay after spending seven years as a co-host on Johnny’s House at XL 106.7 in Orlando. Beyond radio, Diaz also built a background in television news, having worked as an anchor and reporter in Orlando and Monroe, Louisiana.
Throughout her tenure at Mix 100.7, Diaz brought a mix of personality, relatability, and journalistic polish to mornings, carving out a loyal listener base in the competitive Tampa market. Her exit reflects a growing trend of on-air talents pivoting into new industries, a reminder that career paths in media are often evolving.
In a social media post, Diaz thanked her devoted listeners for their support over the years.
“After more than 20 years in media, I’m hanging up the mic,” she posted. “Thank you so much for sharing your mornings and hearts with me over the years. I’m forever grateful for you.”
While Diaz steps away, mornings at WMTX will continue with her co-host, Brody. He joined the station in April 2019, a few months after Diaz’s arrival, and will now take on a larger role in guiding the program.
Listeners will have the chance to hear her sign off one last time this Friday, closing out a memorable run in Tampa morning radio.
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The Toast to 10 series presented by Premiere Networks, is a month-long series looking back on 10 years of Barrett Media. Throughout the month, you’ll hear from those who’ve shaped the company, managed and created the content, read the site, and partnered with the brand between 2015-2025 to share how they’ve seen it play a role in covering the media industry and educating, celebrating, and challenging the business.
There’s a story in everything, including in the storytelling itself. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Barrett Media. A company that began with the concept of filling a need in the radio industry trades has blossomed into a brand covering radio, television, and digital media. The story surrounding the growth of the Barrett Media brand can only be told by the people who helped build it.
From the inside out, Barrett Media has evolved with time. Once known as SportsRadioPD.com, the format, look, and content that the publication produced morphed with the URL itself. Over the last decade, many names have helped contribute to the success and growth of the brand becoming a respected voice in the industry.
Getting Started With Barrett Media
Formed with the minds of those who worked in and around the media industry, every tale is different in how they began working for Barrett Media. From current staff like myself to former staff who told their tale of how they started, what they witnessed, and where they see the Barrett Media brand moving forward.
“I became a program director a week before I turned 28, and I didn’t know anything,” said Garrett Searight, news editor for Barrett Media. “In 2022, Barrett Media was hiring another sports editor and part of my duties at the station I was at was running a companion sports website. I was interested in the position, so I fired off an email to Jason [Barrett].”
Searight said he used Barrett Media as a resource in a time when he needed assistance with his new programming role. This isn’t an uncommon trait for many, including myself. When I entered a programming position at the age of 30, I also relied on the depth of insight and analysis from Barrett Media as a resource.
Last year, when I was part of a reduction in force for the first time in my career, Jason Barrett and Barrett Media offered me an opportunity to share my story on how I was using an unfortunate moment in my career to provide encouragement to those who also felt the same fate. It was an opportunity to share my voice and provide perspective, an extension shared by many with Barrett Media.
“I had been let go from a producing gig and was working at this really nice hotel. I absolutely hated the job and was looking for any way to get back in,” said Demetri Ravanos, weekly columnist for Barrett Media. “I saw Jason was looking for writers and shot him an email expecting him to completely not remember me. He then asked when I wanted to start writing.”
Barrett Media has provided opportunity for many to share their voice with the industry. From current events to breaking news, the growth of the brand continues to be elevated by those who contribute to it.
No one on the Barrett Media staff would know more about the growth of the brand than Stephanie Eads, the director of sales for the company and Jason Barrett’s fiancée.
“Everybody always called me his assistant PD, because they knew that he was always talking to me about the business,” said Eads.
She explained that her beginnings with Barrett twenty years ago while a retail manager selling clothes at a clothing store were also joined with taking a deep dive into the radio industry. Understanding the passion that Jason Barrett had for the business of radio, she says she was always part of the business even if she was never working directly for the company.
“At the beginning of 2020, I then became what I call the hugger and kisser,” said Eads of her elevation to eventually becoming a full-time employee of Barrett Media. “That’s what my LinkedIn should say. It shouldn’t say Director of Sales and Strategic Partnerships. It should be the hugger and kisser for Barrett Media, because when I walk in a room and I see somebody, that’s literally the first thing that I do. Jason Barrett will never be that person. That’s my job.”
Dealing with the pressures of a small business and operating out of the same household with your boss does have its challenges. Eads is an avid reader of the Barrett Media website, especially on Monday’s following Jason Barrett’s column. She says the weekly piece has not only become a topic when meeting with current and potential clients, but is immediate debate around the dinner table.
The Megaphone That the Industry Needed
While the brand has seen many changes over the past ten years, the constant has always been showcasing the people of the industry.
“We made a conscious effort to tell more stories about the people in the business. Spending time talking with people [more than] looking for more news,” said Dave Greene, a former sports editor for Barrett Media. “[Barrett Media] has continued to evolve, and the team has done a great job of continuing to tell more stories about the people who make our business what it is.”
Tales of people, with depth and different perspectives. A collective conversation sharing in the passion for media and elevating each other.
“I enjoyed seeing the analysis and ideas for programmers. Providing solid takeaways that programmers can use,” noted Jeff Lynn, former Barrett Media music editor.
An online think tank that reaches to all corners of the industry. From traditional to digital, Barrett Media has grown as a trusted brand providing guidance, headlines, and depth—diving into the personal stories of the people that shape the industry.
“The level of connection that Jason has. The interviews we would do for profiles of people from national to local was eye-opening,” said Alex Reynolds, former digital manager for Barrett Media. “It was a fascinating ride, and it was only amplified by the summits.”
Barrett Media has hosted annual summits since 2018 in sports and expanded to host news summits for the last three years. Gathering the industry’s finest leaders to come together and tell their story, share knowledge, and navigate conversations to find a better tomorrow together.
As someone who has attended every Barrett Media summit except one, I can share firsthand the depth of knowledge and insight these events provided me. The rare opportunity to sit in on the brightest minds of the business was paramount. The feedback and notes I took back to my brands were invaluable. It simply was an event that didn’t happen before, filled a need in the industry, and has grown ever since.
The annual summits are not just the only items of Barrett Media that separate it from the competitors. The level of daily and unique content that sparks the mind, celebrates performance, and shares tales of growth is the standard at Barrett Media.
“In the world of trade publications, we’re a complement to what everyone is doing,” said Eads. “Each trade publication has its specific purpose. With us, our site is a must-hit daily because there’s always going to be something new on our site that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Living in the 24/7 news cycle, finding something different is always a challenge. For the last ten years, Barrett Media has aimed to provide the news of the day but also advance the stories as well.
“People are starting to rely on it [Barrett Media] as a source of news. It’s in that top tier of industry websites,” said Andy Drake, webmaster for Barrett Media. “Even though I’m on the team, I’m relying on it. When I hear about something in the industry, I’m going first to Barrett Media to find out what the details are.”
Barrett Media has spent the past decade building a reputation as a destination for lifting up the business while challenging it for the better.
“I have always asked the question, ‘Who promotes our business?’ The big companies don’t, the small companies can’t. Most people sit around and ask questions rather than find solutions,” said Greene. “I think Barrett Media combines great industry knowledge with promoting the industry and the great things happening in it versus just the doom and gloom.”
Becoming A Trusted Source
Over the past decade, there are several stories that stood out in the minds of those who participated. Both past and present recalled some of their favorite moments of breaking news.
“I remember the reaction when [Barrett Media] broke news that Mike Golic Jr. was going to leave ESPN,” recalled Ravanos. “If we had been a minute slower, like four different people would have had the chance to break that story.”
For Searight, breaking news was also one that topped his list.
“We broke the story that Westwood One’s contract with The Daily Wire was not going to be renewed. It was an interesting reaction from people in the industry,” said Searight. “There were some people who carried those shows that learned about it through Barrett Media and might not have been thrilled that they found out through Barrett Media and not from Westwood One or The Daily Wire.”
Breaking news was nothing new for me personally in my career, but I had yet to experience it from an insider perspective on the industry. The heartbeat intensifies as you contemplate how to frame a story that only you have. The real challenge for me was in the editorial—providing opinion on the industry, giving insight, and igniting discussion about brands and moments that stood out at the time.
As a reader, I craved the daily columns on the happenings in and around the industry. It was a way to be plugged in, learn, and think differently about the subject matter all at the same time.
“I like strong opinions, so reading the columns from John [Mamola], Demetri [Ravanos] and others is what I enjoy,” said Greene. “It is always good to get more perspective from others. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I want to send Jason a column out of the blue to combat something that was said.”
Editorial can also include challenging the messaging from industry leaders. Barrett Media has always strived to elevate and celebrate but also remain a platform to challenge fairly and hold accountable as well.
“The challenge part is important,” said Ravanos. “It doesn’t always have to be adversarial, but a good industry publication celebrates the wins while also demanding better when the industry is hurting itself.”
Ravanos recalled a column he wrote in 2022 as an example of that challenge. He wrote that another lineup switch at ESPN Radio was without a “flamethrower” and lacking punch for affiliates to grab onto. A piece in which Ravanos remembered getting plenty of reaction from the halls in Bristol, CT.
A challenge that was met with feedback both agreeing with the piece (albeit some asking to not be named publicly), but also proclaiming ignorance on the writer himself.
The Outlook for the Future
Ten years after it began, Barrett Media is continuing to build on its foundation and into the future.
“I think it only gets better,” said Lynn. “It only gets stronger and becomes more of a big brand in the coming years.”
With mounting challenges affecting the media landscape in the coming years, the mission statement is to be prepared to face them head-on. Advancements in social media, artificial intelligence, and adaptations to new and innovative ways of consuming content are ever present.
“History tells me that Barrett Media will continue to evolve and ultimately be what it already is—the leading independent resource for media professionals,” said Greene.
Focusing on growth with influence in the industry will be a vital key to the success of Barrett Media, and to the next generation looking to break through into the media landscape.
“Barrett Media will continue to grow because of my experience with it,” said Reynolds. “The young college kid that wants to be in media, there’s no better brand to follow or get involved with than Barrett Media. The connections and the straight-up education it can give you being so tied into the industry are invaluable.”
There’s a story in everything, including in the storytelling itself. The past decade for Barrett Media is a true tale of how a simple idea can impact many. How a social media hashtag created conversation amongst those within the sports radio industry. The engagement broke norms and set a new standard for how those within the industry seek out information, community and guidance.
In my mind, Barrett Media has served as a platform for unifying the spirit of collaboration. The barriers set by companies previously didn’t allow those within the walls to seek out conversation and partnership. It was difficult to connect with those within the industry for honest feedback without corporate spin.
Today, Barrett Media’s influence has connected, elevated, promoted, and serviced an industry that needed a voice. Where industry professionals can find more than just a copy and paste. It’s about personalities in a personality business—opinions in the opinion business—speaking up for the industry and holding it in high regard. Challenging it when it requires it and celebrating the wins when no one else did.
That’s the story I’ll remember about these past ten years, as Barrett Media’s next chapter is yet to be written.
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I’ve always believed in the saying that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. It’s guided me my entire career. No one is ever truly lucky without preparing to meet the moment when the opportunity presents itself. In media, preparation is key to a successful broadcast. No talk radio host just leaps on the mic and holds the audience’s attention without some sort of prep. No matter how big or how small, you need to have something to talk about with depth, perspective, and clarity in your presentation. That wasn’t the case on Tuesday with the debut of Wake Up Barstool on FS1.
The new morning program on FS1, a partnership between FOX Sports and Barstool Sports, was a mystery since the announcement of the brands partnering. There was no word on exactly what the program would be or who would be hosting it until a week ago. Big Noon Kickoff cross-promoted the program heavily with Dave Portnoy’s appearances on the Saturday morning college football pregame. Still, there was plenty of mystery surrounding exactly what to expect.
While it’s unfair to judge a book by its cover, the debut episode taught lessons that everyone working in media should adhere to. If you don’t prepare, no amount of luck will save you from how the debut of Wake Up Barstool went on Tuesday.
As someone who has worked on morning shows and programmed stations with local morning talent, I understand the challenges of the daypart: the early wake-up calls, the late nights keeping up with content, and trying to balance an everyday lifestyle with the demands of an early morning commute.
It’s the single hardest daypart to host any type of programming on radio, television, or digital.
I looked forward to the debut of Wake Up Barstool because I wanted to see something different from the digital content behemoth that hasn’t been seen before. I wrote a column a week ago stating my three objectives for a successful Wake Up Barstool run. The first was to be different and stand out—be something unique to the platform that the show is being distributed on.
The debut fell short on this point in spite the digital views and traffic it recorded.
The show, hosted by Portnoy, Brandon Walker, Rico Bosco, and new Barstool Sports personality Jason Williams, lacked energy and direction, and it seemed as though the talent didn’t know what to talk about or where to go.
Portnoy often asked for the “behind the scenes” to be explained to him live on air—where to look for certain highlights of discussion or even if they could use the highlights to discuss. He also didn’t know how to properly tease into a break, which is something he’s never done on any of his current Barstool-branded podcasts or video shows.
Portnoy took a shot at FS1’s prior morning show, which drew no ratings. He also criticized his own graphics department for not having correct graphics created for cross-promoting other Barstool Sports podcasts.
Then there was a moment where Portnoy referenced a story by CBS News naming the outlet and mis-representing the story itself to fit a Michigan narrative.
It got out of sorts at one point, as Portnoy continued to ask questions about how things ran. Co-host Brandon Walker took a shot at him, saying at least he was at rehearsals all last week.
Who Stood Out
As for the contributions of the co-hosts, Walker stood out as the star of the debut, knowing how to fit time for highlights with short and concise discussion points. He was able to hit on the key major points when topics were identified, which wasn’t all the time.
Bosco was a target for Portnoy for the entire program, with many “inside baseball” Barstool references. If you didn’t know the Barstool brand, you would have found yourself lost in translation with most of the banter between Bosco and Portnoy.
As for Williams, he felt out of place for the entire program. The former NBA standout didn’t add much to the commentary and, in some cases, didn’t know much about the subject matter at all.
If being different and standing out was the goal, the Wake Up Barstool debut lacked in all facets. Say what you will about the success of Breakfast Ball in its short-lived history, but that program only had two days of rehearsals and was executed much more professionally on day one than what Wake Up Barstool put together on Tuesday morning.
The reason for the drastic difference: preparation.
The hardest lesson for any broadcaster to learn is how to break the model of what you’ve always known. It will take some time for podcasters to understand how to tease breaks and pay off the tease. There are any number of radio hosts turned podcasters who understand the struggles of unlearning everything you knew to adapt to what you have become.
Portnoy will learn from this debut episode. I don’t expect he’ll be asking the floor director about holding up two fingers going to break or asking on air if they can use highlights for discussion. One would assume there will be more pre-production meetings moving forward. The level of importance the FOX Sports partnership has to the Barstool Sports brand will help this.
Once the first couple of weeks of hosts are done with a few reps, stars will be revealed. Following Big Cat, T-Bob Hebert, Walker, and more get added time on air, there will be lineup changes. This will ensure the best people are being put in the best places to win.
The first episode of Wake Up Barstool left a lot to be desired. It was obvious that preparation wasn’t a focus. It was a swing and a miss, but the effort will improve.
There’s a lot of pride in how Barstool Sports frames its content. They pride themselves on being cutting-edge and ahead of the game, all while staying true to its brand. The good thing about morning programming is that there’s always another day and another opportunity.
If luck will have it, Barstool may indeed wake up.
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Sitting in church this past weekend, one of the pastor’s remarks stuck with me: nothing gets done without community. With that comment, he was just getting warmed up. The message went on to challenge us to get off the couch, be present, stay active, and connect with people. It’s been a chaotic ten years for the world, and most certainly for our country. For urban radio, the challenges started years earlier.
First came the loss of street teams, then weekend personalities. Long before that, the loss of morning show hosts and afternoon talent—casualties of syndication.
So here’s my covert mission for urban programmers and personalities who are still in positions to engage their communities. To paraphrase a post from social media: tell me your station is the people’s station without telling me you’re the people’s station. The assignment, if you choose to accept it, is simple—be the community’s source and resource on what’s to come.
Let me back up.
The response from the urban community to companies retreating from the DEI table has been impressive. Once the call went out, the collective pushback was inspiring. This again shows the power of our collective audience.
My concern, however, is that social media gets all the credit.
That might not be the case if the Tom Joyner morning show were still part of the morning routine for millions of African Americans. There is much more to be done. Urban radio has always been the spark behind community action, and right now there’s a need for a roaring fire to support efforts that could impact the work urban stations have championed since the earliest days of the civil rights movement.
Tom understood this very well.
Yes, this sounds heavy. But the truth is, urban radio has always been filled with pioneers. It has never been just about playing records—it’s been part of a movement. Those of us who work in it should understand that. It’s what has always set us apart and what built the foundation of relevance and esteem we still stand on today.
Of course, music and artists evolve, and that has created challenges over the years. Radio itself has evolved as well, sometimes surrendering ground—and relevance—to other media.
But let’s not forget: focusing on the audience and community is the fun part. That’s what makes working at an urban radio station deeply rewarding and worth the effort.
Looking ahead, there will be times we have to walk a fine line. But no matter what, we have to put the community first. That means providing consistent updates on voting rights and healthcare changes. It means informing listeners about national efforts to resist policies perceived as unfair, whether through town halls or nonviolent protest.
This doesn’t need to feel heavy or consume endless airtime. Give it what works—and extend it onto the station’s social media platforms. Still, don’t shy away from giving these efforts real on-air attention.
Listeners are looking for credible sources to keep them informed. Highlight the local heroes and the community champions who are actively fighting for the issues that affect everyday lives.
Again, as the popular social post goes: tell me you’re the people’s station without telling me you’re the people’s station.
I’d love to hear your thoughts—on this and on the overall state of urban radio. Email me at ken@kenjohnsonmedia.com or find me on LinkedIn.
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He’s the liberty-loving Latino reminding America that your ethnicity shouldn’t define your politics. Newsmax and KSEV radio host Chris Salcedo has seen a dynamic rise in the media world.
And it is no accident.
It has come with thousands of hours of hard work, research, and dedication, which has led to his new book, The Rise of the Liberty-Loving Latino: The New American Revolution.
Salcedo’s journey began in 1992 when a radio station moved into his hometown above a bakery. “So I applied there. I asked the program director, ‘I’ll do anything. I’ll clean your toilets, I’ll run sandwiches for the jocks, I’ll do whatever you need to be done,’” the radio host recalled.
The program director saw the young Salcedo’s potential and gave him something a little more meaningful to do. “My first gig was typing the news at an adult contemporary station,” he said.
A short six months later, he was on air reading the news. From the foothills of San Diego, Salcedo made his way to TV in Dallas-Fort Worth, where he covered traffic and weather before making it big as a news anchor.
“From there, to Washington, D.C., for an all-news radio network—fledgling—spent a couple of years there,” Salcedo went on to say, “then back to Dallas-Fort Worth, where the Chris Salcedo Show was born on the Blaze.”
Salcedo went on to note that Glenn Beck was the first to really let his opinion shine. “Glenn Beck was the first to recognize the Chris Salcedo Show—not Chris Salcedo, a news person or a newsreader. [Beck] recognized that Chris Salcedo was a Latino who had lots to say.”
Today, Salcedo hosts a radio show, podcast, and TV show daily. Looking back, he says it’s always been conservatives who have given him a platform to radiate across the airwaves. “It’s always been left-wingers who didn’t think that I had anything to offer,” Salcedo said.
It’s a sentiment that ties into The Rise of the Liberty-Loving Latino. The book, Salcedo says, “chronicles what I classify as the biggest political revolution to hit the United States since the formation of the Republican Party.”
For decades, he has been documenting what he calls a “monumental shift as Latinos all across the fruited plain [who] have said, ‘Oh, wait a minute, I’m really not a socialist. I’m really not a leftist. I love America.’”
Salcedo has seen firsthand how the left tries to demoralize Latinos from voting Republican. “They call us coconuts [because] we are brown on the outside and white on the inside, as if a desire for freedom and liberty, adherence to the rule of law, and the stability that the Constitution provides is somehow a ‘white thing.’”
He blistered at this sentiment: “That’s what the left does. Communist, socialist, leftist—they demonize anything that they don’t want.” Salcedo went on to explain that it is not just Latinos who lean right that the left gives nicknames to. “They do [the same thing] to our black brothers and sisters. They call them Oreos.”
“I find it repugnant, the idea that you have to be a political persuasion to lay claim to your heritage. It’s insulting. Most real Americans reject it. But do you know why the Democrats embrace it?” he rhetorically asked. “[It’s] because they’re not Americans anymore.”
“55%of the Latino community went for President Trump in states like Texas,” Salcedo boasted. “That’s not a hypothetical. That actually happened across the country. A majority of Latino men voted for President Trump. That’s not a hypothesis. That’s not something that’s my opinion. That actually happened.”
He welcomed the debate from the left about the way Latinos vote, but he always hits back with facts. Still, he also wants it to be noted: “I, as a conservative, I can’t wholeheartedly recommend Republicans. I mean, the Republican Party hasn’t been conservative in a good many years. I can recommend America First.”
Salcedo believes those who believe in the Constitution and rule of law have congregated under this “America First” umbrella thanks to President Donald Trump.
“I sat down with Trump, and I gotta be honest with you, I’m hoping I conveyed what it’s like to sit down in a room with him well in the book,” Salcedo said. “It’s different than what you see on television.”
The conversation, Salcedo expressed, is “the launching pad to the broader discussion about [the shift in the way Latinos vote].” He believes “those who are fighting the hardest right now to preserve America have been joined by a whole lot of Latinos, which, since the election, has only grown.”
For young people looking to follow in Chris Salcedo’s footsteps, he believes you have to be committed. “My theme song on my radio show is ‘Hole Hearted,’” Salcedo said. “It’s about lost love, you know, there’s a hole in my heart. But I took it literally, as in W-H-O-L-E.”
“To do this job, you’ve got to be fully committed to what you believe in and what you talk about.” He later added that it’s important “to be honest in what you’re doing” and “be open to what God is telling you.”
Chris Salcedo’s book The Rise of the Liberty-Loving Latino: The New American Revolution comes out December 9 and is available for pre-sale now.
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.
Near the end of the last century, Apple came out with a slogan that resonated with many consumers: “Think Different.” Many radio people have said the same thing in recent years, and the slew of poor earnings announcements for the second quarter of 2025 from publicly held radio groups should be accelerating that conversation.
As a researcher, I look at radio’s problems from my little part of the world: the ratings. Ever since I entered the industry about 50 years ago, complaining about the ratings has been an art form. No one ever liked Arbitron as a business, even if the people were good folks, and today not many have good things to say about Nielsen Audio. When your career prospects are contingent on whether someone wears a watch on a given day or a near-illiterate draws a line in a paper diary, that’s an unusual way to make a living.
Regardless, what we’ve had from the radio or audio ratings system is methodological continuity. The diary service goes back to the mid-’60s and, other than the Jerry Lee and COLRAM-led diary update in the mid-’80s, has endured in nearly the same form for six decades. PPM was first used to measure radio audiences in Houston and Philadelphia nearly 20 years ago, but Arbitron’s initial patents for the system date back to 1995.
Some aspects of the methodology, notably around recruitment, have changed as we moved from landlines to cell phones. But a programmer who retired in 1970 could look at a 2025 ratings report and probably understand the data. Of course, that programmer would ask, “Why don’t I have a printed book, and what happened to the sideways style?” If you don’t know what that’s about, ask an old radio person!
We still have average quarter hour and cume. Reach and frequency models require both, and radio sells off the AQH number. Some of you have bonuses based on AQH, typically on rank. Yet the idea of an average quarter hour audience in a world that has become digital-focused is completely outdated.
I’ll spare you the history because what matters is the present and the future. The media world has moved to “impressions,” and digital has done well with this measure. I’ve written before that an ad appearing for two seconds on 50% of a website counts as being viewed—therefore, an impression. Not to mention that at least a quarter of all digital “impressions” are “viewed” by bots. When I’ve mentioned that assertion to friends in the business, the typical reaction is that the reported percentage is low. Yet advertisers and agencies keep spending more on digital.
Meanwhile, depending on the market, it takes three or five minutes—not seconds—to create anything for radio AQH or cume, unless those minutes cross a clock quarter hour, in which case there is no audience.
Why do we put up with this mismatch? Stations pay an inordinate amount of money to Nielsen, which then creates estimates that set far higher standards for radio audiences than those for the digital world.
If you think this column is another “Nielsen Sucks” exercise, you’re wrong. Sure, there is much to complain about with respect to the service, but Nielsen is simply continuing a legacy measurement system that has withstood any number of challenges over the years. I can speak from personal experience, having held the title of Director of Research at Birch/Scarborough when the staff was informed of the service’s shutdown in December 1991.
Some operators have decided to forge on without Nielsen. In a handful of cases, they’ve chosen Nielsen’s far smaller competitor, Eastlan. In some cases, the question is whether stations can go without a measurement service entirely. That’s an ROI issue. Is the return on the price of Nielsen data still a strong positive? If you’re in a major market, you may be dealing with a large number of agencies that use the data and still buy radio. For national buys, data is necessary.
But is there enough business coming in to make a fair multiple of the cost of Nielsen data? I can’t answer that question, but market managers, regional managers, and of course CEOs have the data and can decide.
If the system as it stands today is not “fit for purpose,” what should replace it? It’s not reasonable to think that the entire radio and audio industry can move forward with no independent measurement system. The question is, in 2025 and beyond, what data to collect, how to collect it, and what metrics to report? Lurking behind those questions is the bugbear of how much such a system should cost.
In the coming weeks, I’ll put some meat on the bones of this thought process, outlining ideas for a new system. The time has come for the industry to determine whether the current system makes sense anymore. If it doesn’t, let’s consider alternatives.
For those of you attending the BNM Summit and the celebration of Barrett Media’s tenth anniversary in New York this week, I hope you have a great time. Sadly, I’ll miss the summit and the bash, but if you’re there, enjoy!
Let’s meet again next week.
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.
Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to attention. The ESPN star has built a career out of bold proclamations, dramatic delivery, and never shying away from a debate. Now, with SiriusXM giving him a platform to host a political talk show, Smith is about to test his voice in an entirely different arena.
And while the transition from sports radio or television to political talk may look seamless on the surface, the stakes couldn’t be more different.
Sports talk and political talk share the same broadcast DNA. Both formats thrive on strong opinions, clear personalities, and a willingness to embrace confrontation. A good host must be entertaining, informed, and able to command the attention of an audience that can easily change the channel. But the difference is in the substance. Sports talk hosts can afford to be wrong. Political talk cannot.
When Smith argues about whether Dak Prescott is a top-tier quarterback or debates who the real GOAT of the NBA is, the ramifications are limited to heated barbershop conversations and social media sparring. If he’s wrong, it doesn’t change anyone’s life. No player’s contract is affected by Smith’s take on First Take. No team’s record will be rewritten because of his opinion. Sports talk is fun precisely because it’s high-energy conversation about low-stakes topics.
That is not the case in political talk radio. The moment Stephen A. Smith shifts his platform to politics, the audience dynamic changes. Instead of diehard Knicks fans or Cowboys haters, his listeners will include policy-makers, candidates, donors, and activists. The people tuning in won’t just be looking for entertainment — they’ll be searching for affirmation, guidance, and in some cases, ammunition. Words carry more weight in this space, and the wrong take could echo far beyond the SiriusXM airwaves.
The danger for Smith lies in assuming the transition will be easy. Yes, he has mastered the rhythm of talk radio. He knows when to pause for effect, when to raise his voice, and how to bait a caller or co-host into a fiery exchange. Those skills will serve him well. But political talk requires an added layer of care and depth. When you claim an election was “stolen” or declare a candidate “unfit,” you’re not just entertaining an audience. You’re shaping the national conversation, whether you intend to or not.
That’s what separates sports talk from political talk. A bad take on the Dallas Cowboys is forgotten by Monday Night Football. A bad take on a sitting president or Supreme Court justice could spark headlines, backlash, and even policy reactions. Stephen A. Smith may be ready for that responsibility — he’s always said he wants his voice to be bigger than sports — but it’s a responsibility that should never be underestimated.
It’s also worth noting that SiriusXM is a unique venue for this experiment. The platform is national, unfiltered, and draws a wide-ranging audience. Unlike a regional sports talk station where the conversation is hyper-local, SiriusXM puts Smith in front of a politically diverse crowd with strong opinions of their own. Every word will be dissected. Every stance will be amplified. And unlike on ESPN, there won’t be a producer reminding him to pivot back to LeBron James if the conversation gets too hot.
The stakes of Smith’s new venture are monumental. He’s no longer playing in the shallow end of entertainment talk. He’s stepping into the deep waters of political influence, where audiences aren’t just listeners — they’re voters, lawmakers, and decision-makers. For Smith, the challenge won’t be generating headlines. He’s been doing that for years. The challenge will be making sure those headlines don’t damage his credibility or the discourse he claims to care about.
Ultimately, Stephen A. Smith deserves credit for taking this leap. Many sports personalities talk about expanding their reach, but few are willing to put their reputation on the line in a field where mistakes have legitimate consequences. The easy thing for Smith would be to stick with sports, where the wins and losses don’t extend beyond the playing field. Instead, he’s venturing into a medium where his words will matter in ways they never have before.
Sports talk has always been about entertainment. Political talk, however, is about influence. If Stephen A. Smith understands that distinction, he could become a fresh and compelling voice on SiriusXM. But if he treats political debate the same way he treats an argument about the NBA Finals, the results could be disastrous. The stakes are no longer just games. The stakes are the country.
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.
