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Spring Promotion Ideas To Renew Interest In Your Radio Station

Ron Harrell
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Spring Promotion Ideas To Renew Interest In Your Radio Station

Jim texted me and said he was clocking out and would be at my car in about two minutes. After a long day of client meetings and networking, I refreshed my brain with a few hours of real stories from a lifestyle-diverse mix of Uber clients.

He got in the backseat, and before exiting the hotel parking lot, I asked Jim, “Does it seem unusually quiet in downtown Nashville this week?” 

Before he said anything, I quickly answered with non-rhetorical questions. “Is it the cold weather, the end of the playoff season, or the reality of what happened on Inauguration Day?” I like to throw in little lines like the last one to research my audience. You need to know the room if you’re captivated in a car with a stranger for 12 minutes. 

Jim, who has been in the Music City hospitality business for nearly 30 years, laughed and said, “No, this is normal. We’ve had a slow week at the hotel.” Recovering from post-holiday activities and expenses affects the slow visitor trend in January. “When does it change?” was my obvious follow-up question. “Everything changes on March 1st,” he said. Springtime is in view, and college Spring Breaks kick in. Then there was this line from Jim. “I don’t know what it is about March, but everyone feels different about life.”

Radio brands live in the perpetual motion world of promotions and marketing. What’s next? What current event or trend can we turn into on-air ear candy? What are we NOT prepared for?

March is upon us, and if we believe hospitality industry sage Jim, your audience feels different about life starting in five weeks.

Radio is excellent at creating, developing, and executing ideas quickly. You may find inspiration from this list to create a quick promotion this year. However, save this one for 2026. Oh, and that means you start working on it in three months. 

Here are three categories to share with your team to create ear and eye candy for your brands: 

FOOD

  • Spring Taste Tours: You know the routine. It’s a taste tour of local restaurants. Food is the universal common denominator. It fits every radio format. Restaurant associations love these promotions, and tickets usually drive audience engagement with your brand. Bonus: With the ease of digital production, onsite interviews with the chef in the kitchen can create captivating social media content.
  • Easter Brunch: There’s time to capitalize on this date. Easter Sunday is April 20th this year. Where are we going for Easter lunch? Secure it now. Here’s the idea I want to do: Hire local culinary students to plan and prepare an Easter celebration lunch at the winner’s house. Do it, and don’t let legal stop you from executing this idea. However, have the waivers ready to sign.
  • Farm-to-Table: I attended a few of these events in Middle Tennessee last year. It’s the hip, bougie event right now. I’m neither of those; I just know some people who are. Research these groups on social media in your market and create an event specifically for your listeners. These are the types of events your audience remembers for a long time.

CLOTHING:

  • Prom Dress Drives: This promotion is in the HOF. It’s format-neutral, and multiple stations in a market can do it and serve the needs of a community looking to provide prom dresses to income-challenged youth. 
  • Wedding Dress Drives: Same as above. Think about how many wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses are one-and-done. 
  • Spring Fashion Shows: Digital assets complement our radio brands. Before the digital age, we never considered broadcasting a visual fashion show on the radio. However, we can promote the event using our reach and frequency medium and stream the results via Reels and TikTok videos. Well, maybe not TikTok. Stand by for that one.

PETS:

  • Pet Parades: Pet owners will do crazy stuff involving their revered animals. Add a pet category to a 5k race your station is sponsoring. Most races have runners and walkers categories. Create a category to walk your animals and watch the number increase. 
  • Adoption Events: This is a need in every market. Springtime creates feelings of renewal, and the desire to adopt a stray animal is emotionally stronger at this time of the year.
  • Pet Photo Contests: A proven classic. Use your website and social media platforms to create an American Idol or March Madness-type contest to engage and empower the audience.

THE OBVIOUS:

  • Easter. Mother’s Day. Earth Day. Sports Clinics. Spring Cleaning. Playlist Adjustments. Yard and Garden. Anything involving “fresh.”

Renew your station at a time when your audience is experiencing renewal. Oh, the end of the ride: Jim sat in my car for two minutes after we reached his destination. He was talking about some recent improvements in his personal life. Start the conversation for your audience, and they will follow your intentions.

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. 

Consultant’s Corner: Lori Lewis – Lori Lewis Media

Jeff Lynn
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Consultant’s Corner: Lori Lewis – Lori Lewis Media

Lori Lewis Media is a Social Media marketing agency specializing in marketing strategies for businesses of all sizes. Since 2008, Lori has spent time helping brands leverage social media. The website lists successes in elevating brand recognition and recall, increasing consumer conversion and retention, and boosting attendance and sales.

“Social Media is not about volume, it’s about differentiation” – Lori Lewis.

She is this week’s featured consultant.

Jeff Lynn: Social media is a moving target that often changes. How do you, as a radio station, navigate it effectively?

Lori Lewis: The most effective approach to social media is first having a leader who matches the nature of social media as well as the tone of the brand. The leader must be open to everyone’s content ideas yet able to discern and discuss what aligns and what does not with the brand so the effort towards social is collaborative.

There’s no difference between having a leader over the social space and having a leader over the mothership, the FM/AM stick. Imagine running a radio station without a leader – everyone winging it day in and day out – with lots of opinions. Nothing good comes from winging it.

Find someone at the station or in the building who is inherently of goodwill and enjoys social media. That’s your person to begin building structure, meaning around the space, and navigating it effectively.

JL: Should a radio station speak on social media as one voice or with each talent?

LL: Great follow-up question because here’s where a leader is critical. Over a year ago, content distribution began to change to interest-based delivery – shipping content to people who have a higher propensity to consume each specific topic of content you create to a blend of followers and non-followers. A leader would know that and teach everyone who creates content to focus more on building an essence around the stations’ social accounts – moving away from random voices and topics.

Interest-based algorithms have been the largest shift in social media. But this shift is not to imply a radio station’s social presence should only be one person and their “one voice.” This means social media accounts need to have an essence, a spirit about it – a purpose – so that when non-followers see your content and go to your account to check you out – there’s similar content – a similar vibe to follow for more of that type of content.

JL: For Facebook, is it still effective for the post to include a question to spur interaction?

LL: Of course – but if all you do is ask questions, you become predictable, which leads to fatigue, and folks will move on from you.

The main reason people use social media (just behind checking on family & friends) is boredom. Good old-fashioned boredom. So, your strategy should be everyone’s cure for boredom. And daily questions don’t cut it.

JL: Specifically for music radio, how important is video, and what are the best platforms for the brand extension?

LL: Meta’s Reels exceed 200 billion plays per day across Facebook and Instagram. YouTube’s Shorts Daily Viewers have reached more than 70 billion. TikTok users watch more than 1 billion videos per day.

Impressive numbers show how important video is for brands leveraging social media for awareness and growth.

JL: Is Facebook becoming skewed to the older audience formats, or can it still be effective for Top 40 and Alternative stations?

LL: From my point of view, Facebook use is more about geography than generation. In the country’s more rural, less connected areas, kids use Facebook as much as their parents. In the more populated cities, I find kids more distracted and need more dopamine hits. Facebook doesn’t offer that. Instagram, TikTok, and Snap do.

JL: This may be an impossible question, but can you list three best practices?

LL: People often ask if there are any patterns I’ve seen in the past 17 years of working in and studying the social space. And I always give them this:

The less interested we appear to be in the audience, the less interested they will become in us. People are walking around with the Internet in their pants and have no idea what to do with all of this connectivity. We are more connected today than ever, and we are the loneliest people on the planet.

Our current U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, declared loneliness as an epidemic throughout the country. So, be that brand – be that person who takes time to remind people they matter. I don’t care what content “went viral” or how much you’re “hitting it out of the park on social media.” If you’re not contributing to the intangibles of brand building, which in part is interacting with people on your social assets – your time spent on social is not the highest and best use.

The brands and the people who get social media are about helping people feel a part of something. That’s what creates sustainable brands and people.

#2 and #3 best practices?

See #1.

Contact Lori at Lori Lewis Media.                    

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.

Digging Through Data: Larry Rosin, Edison Research

Garrett Searight
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Digging Through Data: Larry Rosin, Edison Research

With the calendar turning over to 2025, Barrett Media is sitting down with some of the best and brightest media researchers in the industry for a weeklong series, “Digging Through Data.” We begin the series by speaking with Larry Rosin, the President and co-founder of Edison Research, the firm that produces surveys like the Infinite Dial and the Share of Ear Study.

The conversation with Larry Rosin came on the heels of new data from Edison Research that showed that audio listening levels are returning to pre-pandemic levels, with at-home time spent listening while listening in every other enviormnet seeing an uptick in 2024.

According to data from the latest Share of Ear study update, daily time spent listening at home continued to drop in 2024 from its 2022 peak. The average audio consumption of those aged 13+ in the study showed 127 minutes of listening at home, with 107 minutes taking place in all other locations. That time at home figure has declined from 152 minutes in 2022.

Meanwhile, the category of all other places rose from a low of 91 in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Rosin, however, isn’t sure the industry will ever see the figures seen before the COVID-19 pandemic made a massive shift in audio consumption arena.

“I doubt it ever gets fully back, just because remote work is a really persistent trend that was massively accelerated by the pandemic and has stuck in many ways,” said Rosin. “But we’re seeing more and more in-car listening. And in-car listening is good for radio. Obviously, the largest reach for radio comes in the car. And (a rise in in-car listening) has been very helpful for radio.”

One of the things that Rosin predicts will also be helpful for the radio industry in 2025 is the shift from Nielsen to a three-minute qualifying listening down, down from the previous five-minute benchmark.

“The five-minute rule was, I guess you could argue, somewhat arbitrary, so changing it to three is equally arbitrary,” the Edison Research President said. “The radio industry gets 15 minutes of credit for three minutes of listing, so you can’t complain about that.”

Larry Rosin added that, while he takes no issue with the change from Nielsen, he does believe that the shift to a three-minute qualifying time will “without a doubt” be a point of demarcation in the research world.

“They’ve already published that certain formats will benefit more than others, so you’ll just see this reset across the board,” Rosin said. “The aggregate numbers for radio will go up a lot … Obviously the reach is going to go up, and the total rating is going to go up, which is good for radio.”

Despite the move being a good one for radio, Rosin did share some concerns about how the changes will be received in the advertising world.

“I hope that advertisers don’t just look at that and say, ‘Wow, radio delivers more than I understood.’ I fear that they will say, ‘Oh, you’re saying I can get more points for the same amount of money, so I’m just going to give you less money and achieve the same number of points.’ I worry that that will be the outcome here,” he shared.

“But it will lead to a big reset of a lot of things just the way PPM was a reset in 2011/2012 when that rolled out.”

As for 2025, Larry Rosin said Edison Research has two main goals for the calendar year.

“We continue a really strong focus on podcasting. We’re coming out with a lot of new enhancements to what we’re doing in that space, too,” he shared. “Our main focus is making sure that advertisers have the information they need to put more money into podcasting. We are going to have some reasonably big announcements on ways that we are using our data to reduce friction and to increase the profile of podcasting, and to help advertisers understand it, buy it more easily, plan for it, buy it more easily, etc.

“With regard to radio and the Share of Ear Study, this data helps so effectively fight the argument, ‘No one listens to the radio anymore.’ Share of Ear is super effective for that. So I want to work with our radio clients — and maybe possibly get new radio clients — who can use this data to talk to advertisers.”

Rosin concluded that 2025 will include a large focus on helping connect advertisers with data that gives them confidence to utilize the audio space — whether it be radio or podcasting, digital, or streaming — to market to consumers.

“I would say that’s our main focus for this year: providing data that talks to advertisers and helps companies that sell advertising in the audio spac and help bring more money into audio. No one will complain if more money comes into audio, right?” he said with a laugh.

“Then they can all fight over it, but no one complains if it’s fighting over a bigger and bigger, bigger and bigger pool of money. So that’s our goal, is to increase that pool, to help advertisers understand that there’s an incredible audience there. It’s incredibly effective and tends to be very efficient in terms of return on investment. So that’s our big focus for ’25.”

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.

Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino Continue to Set a High Standard for Sports Radio Conversation in Atlanta

Dave Greene
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Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino Continue to Set a High Standard for Sports Radio Conversation in Atlanta

If you look up ‘Veteran Sports Radio Hosts’ in a dictionary, there is, or at least should be, a picture of Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino. The two midday hosts at 680 The Fan in Atlanta have been at this for decades.

When some hosts get older, they tend to slow down, and you can tell they prepare less and they’re just collecting a check until someone taps them on the shoulder and retires them. Not these guys. As I eavesdropped in on an episode last week of Cellini and Dimino, I heard two veteran sports radio hosts still very much at the top of their game.

Nick, of course, followed in his brother Vince’s footsteps into the business and has worked on both the content and business ends of media in both radio and television. Dimino is a caller-turned-host who is a virtual encyclopedia of sports history.

The pair first worked together, along with Steak Shapiro, as part of the lineup at 790 The Zone, before being teamed up again with Dickey Broadcasting. In late July 2022, the duo announced they had signed four-year contract extensions, giving them at least a year and half still to go on those agreements.

Cellini and Dimino is one of those shows where I will simply say, if you want to hear how sports radio is supposed to sound, give this show a listen. Atlanta fans are fortunate to get not only the insights of two people who have been around the Atlanta sports market since Bill Clinton first took the oval office, but also their guest list.

As a great example of this, the episode I tuned into featured a visit with MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa who spent the beginning of his career playing for the Braves. DeRosa is someone I have heard interviewed many times and he is always good, but with Cellini and Dimino he was just a bit better than usual.

One of the reasons for this was the questions being asked by the hosts and the other reason is because DeRosa was so comfortable and relaxed with them, he gave great answers. Whether they were talking about the posters he had on his wall as a kid (Don Mattingly and Farrah Fawcett) or breaking down what the Braves still need to do in the offseason, it was a conversation you enjoyed listening to, so much so you didn’t want it to end.

Atlanta had just hosted the college football championship game the previous night, so the hosts talked about Ohio State’s win and how Notre Dame played, with one of the main topics being the Irish going for a field goal when they were down by 16 points. Cellini and Dimino disagreed on the decision Irish head coach Marcus Freeman made, but both hosts defended their points well.

Dimino made a great point after they had played some sound from Freeman about that very decision. It would have been a 4th down and 9 and Freeman basically said he wasn’t confident in his offense getting the 9 yards in that situation. For Dimino, that was all he needed to hear. “We don’t need to wonder, the coach just told you the reasons for the decision.” Disagreement over.

Another topic from the game was about the emotions shown by ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit. Dimino said it was “strange” that after the game itself, Herbstreit was the second highest topic trending on X. Dimino agreed with those who think if the broadcasters are allegedly impartial, then you can’t have it both ways and it isn’t right to get emotional on national television about a game you are calling, or perhaps you shouldn’t have been calling that game and shouldn’t do broadcasts involving that team.

In wrapping up the college football talk and the breakdown of the night before, Cellini said, “This is going to be how it is now,” as he referenced Ohio State’s run and the losses they suffered along the way. Which may have not been an overly provocative statement, but as they went to break, that statement made me think for the first time that this IS how it will most likely be in college football. We may never see an undefeated college football team ever again, and if we do, they will have gone through a gauntlet to get there.

There were an impressive number of sponsored elements to the show including an ‘X Platform Question of the Day’ and solid segments such as ‘The Drive into the Red Zone’ where they caught you up on all of the latest news with the Falcons and the rest of the NFL.

Unlike most big cities, that ‘rest of the NFL’ part is important in Atlanta, where the population more than tripled in what seemed like no time. The point being many of the listeners are not from Atlanta and want more of the national perspective. With hosts like Cellini and Dimino, who aren’t originally from the area either, they understand the balance and have the knowledge to cover both the local and national stories.

I liked how they mixed in some gambling talk as they looked ahead to the NFL conference championship games. One future many missed out on was the Washington Commanders who had a 6.5 win total before the season and found themselves one game away from the Super Bowl. Cellini and Dimino talked about the difference Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has made and how quickly things can change when the right player is brought in at that position.

The show makes you really think as a sports fan, but there were also some gems added in that made you laugh. As they talked about the NFC Championship, Dimino asked how banged up Jalen Hurts could be if the line is moving in favor of making the Eagles an even larger favorite. He then drops a great old school reference and says, “I don’t know if he’s on meds or if he’s being given the ‘Miyagi-treatment’ but moving 1.5 points means there are some people who still don’t believe in Washington and are thinking you can’t go to a Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback for a team and an organization that was 4-13.”

Later, when talking about the crowd at the college football game the night before, both hosts pointed out the only unifying part of the game came when one of the officials was announced as being from the SEC and all of fans booed. Domino would later add about the game being played at the home of the Falcons, “We saw something we don’t see that much there, asses in seats and people being excited about it.”

Cellini attended the game and is from Ohio, so he had a rooting interest in it. Like any ‘brothers’ would do, Dimino knew Cellini was feeling good about the win but didn’t want to him to get too high and mighty about it. At one point Dimino said, “This is you feeling good, celebrating like you played last night, that’s all.”

Both hosts did hit a bit of a wall, but the great part was they acknowledged it because like most people, they had been up late watching the game and taking in the aftermath. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep, man, I know you didn’t either – we’ll drag each other across the line,” Dimino told Cellini.

Another highlight was a ‘BTG’ segment which stands for ‘Beyond the Goatee’, a sponsored segment where Dimino riffs on all kinds of topics. In this case there were music topics relating to the remake of the song Africa by Weezer and a Whitesnake remake. Other topics included whether or not someone should be arrested for charging $400 to park to attend the Ohio State-Notre Dame game, Cowboy movies, Funko Pops being made based on old John Hughes movies and more.

Cellini and Dimino delivers solid, smart and fun sports talk radio. Just as Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino have done for many, many years.

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.

A Sobering Social Media Reminder Talk Radio Hosts Should Never Forget

Perry Michael Simon
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A Sobering Social Media Reminder Talk Radio Hosts Should Never Forget

Once upon a time, I was one of the millions of people who would opine about anything and everything in the news by posting my “insights” on social media. Because my day job included having opinions, I wasn’t worried about saying the wrong thing or alienating my audience (which kinda knows my general political positions anyway). Whatever was in the news, I’d post something about it. At times, I felt like I was obligated to post something about every major news story and sporting event. It became like another job.

In the past couple of years, I broke that habit. Now, while I’m occasionally moved to post something, I generally don’t anymore. Even when something cries out for comment, I’m… well, I’m retired from everything else (besides this column), so why would posting on social media be any different? That’s why, if you follow me on any of the various platforms, I’ve been quiet most of the time since All Access collapsed and my working days ended. I do have things to say, but…

It doesn’t matter. Nobody cares, or at least the absence of my commentary will not impact things, just as nothing changes when I post stuff. It’s not healthy to constantly feel the need to comment on every single issue, especially when you are in no way qualified as an expert on the matter. That’s not to say that you should never speak up or have opinions; our way of life practically demands that you have an opinion on critical issues and be well-informed about what’s going on. But you have to be realistic about whether what you’re saying online contributes to the conversation or just adds to the noise.

It’s noisy out there. The number of posts that fall under the “this person has no idea what they’re talking about” category is bigger than ever, and that means more and more misinformation, more trolling, more confusion. People getting their “news” from Facebook and X and Threads and BlueSky are buried under the “expert commentary” of others who may be legit, or may be trolling, or may be bots, or may just be talking out of their asses.

Even legitimate news sources are dismissed by doubters with the “MSM” label, and feeds are overflowing with comments from people with no expertise or knowledge about the issue, or anything (see posts about vaccines, tariffs, the Fairness Doctrine, and the law, for starters). Do you want to contribute to that noise? Even if you’re right – even if you’re a legitimate expert – you’ll be shouted down and the noise will continue, and nobody will walk away enlightened.

The promise of social media – the democratization of reporting, giving voice to the previously suppressed – is long gone in a cacophony of idiocy, with actual Nazis, antisemites, TERFs, and misogynists reigning supreme. It’s the apotheosis of “just asking questions,” where ignorance is celebrated and truth is anything you want it to be. Why be part of that, especially since you’re not exactly being paid to do it (unless you’re an “influencer” or you get a few pennies from Elon if you pay him eight dollars every month. Oh, maybe you’ve scored a spot as a panel pundit on CNN from your online activity).

The platforms are the ones using your opinion to make money (and train their AI engines). You get to think that your value is measured by the number of followers and likes you accumulate.

Break the habit. Remind yourself that nobody will miss you or even notice you’ve left the platform. Save the opinions for your own talk show or column if you happen to have one, and for actual in-person conversation with others if you don’t. Otherwise, it’s not worth the hassle, energy, or aggravation to continue to get into social media arguments. Stick to cat videos and complaining about airline service, and leave the pontification to people you trust. There’s no law that says we have to participate in a world that’s been Joe Roganized and Alex Jonesified.

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.

What the Future of Nielsen Radio Ratings Looks Like After Video Ratings Wars

Dr. Ed Cohen
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What the Future of Nielsen Radio Ratings Looks Like After Video Ratings Wars

While radio (or “audio” if you prefer) has not seen any substantial improvements or changes in the measurement system in years (the last Nielsen PPM markets went live at the end of 2010), television (or “video” if you prefer) has been working with competitive services for some time now.

If you missed the big TV ratings news of the past week, there was a major announcement. The Media Rating Council (MRC) granted accreditation to Nielsen’s “Big Data + Panel” national TV measurement, an industry first. Karthik Rao, Nielsen’s CEO, stated “The accreditation of Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel is a landmark moment for TV ratings, as it will forever change audience measurement”. While this sounds like the usual PR-devised blather, Rao is right.

Only a handful of people in the radio business work with the MRC process. I represented Clear Channel (now iHeart) in the late ‘90s and Cumulus during my tenure there. When I was part of Arbitron, I presented to the MRC Radio Committee many times. George Ivie, MRC’s Executive Director/CEO, is a friend and one of the best people around.

Several radio groups are MRC members, specifically iHeart, Audacy, Cox, Cumulus, Hubbard, SBS, and Urban One. Industry groups with radio interests are also members including the NAB, RAB, and the Radio Research Consortium on behalf of noncommercial stations.

I’ll save an explanation of the MRC process for a future column, but this accreditation announcement is a huge deal. Consider how the national TV ratings system evolved. If you’re around my demo, you remember three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) and public broadcasting. That was national television in the United States for many years. A prime-time program needed about a 20 rating to survive. If you don’t know, a 20 rating meant that 20 percent of all the households in America were watching that program at the same time. Not a 20 share, but a 20 rating! 

A random Facebook post appeared in my feed recently quoting Bing Crosby about his TV show in the mid ‘60s. He said it failed because the ratings were poor as the show couldn’t do much better than a 14 rating. Today, the Super Bowl can beat that as well as presidential election results. Nothing else can touch a 14 rating and yet, the program failed.

“Big data” is the savior. For TV, that means cable boxes, satellite boxes, and smart TVs, all sending data back with information about viewing with millions and millions of data points (Nielsen claims to have 45 million homes and 75 million devices). The problem is that while Nielsen or its competitors can get their hands on the data, they have very little idea of who, if anyone, is viewing (perhaps the family dog is watching Dog TV). The viewing must be “modeled” in some fashion to add demographic and other information to make it useful to advertisers. 

Big data is wonderful because it can include viewers watching programming with very small audiences, whether broadcast, cable, or streaming. Think about it this way: if 100,000 people 18+ in the United States watch a program, that sounds like a lot, but when the base is around 260 million, it’s nothing. There is no way that a survey can deal with small numbers like that and be representative.

Enter the Nielsen national panel which consists of around 42,000 homes and just over 100,000 people. Nielsen recruits and maintains the panel and while some may quibble, it is projectable to the US population. The panel is used to “adjust” the big data, assigning demographic information and correcting for biases. And yes, it’s a very complicated process. If you’re wondering, the answer is also “yes” as to whether PPM is included. 

Now that I’ve used 600+ words to describe television measurement in a radio trade press website, how does this news affect our medium? If I try to spin it positively, this is a big deal for Nielsen and may put the company back in the driver’s seat in the competition for national TV ratings supremacy, which means money.

Perhaps some of the future profits can be spent improving the radio/audio service beyond changing the quarter hour measure from five minutes to three. Perhaps Nielsen will finally move ahead and integrate radio data with Nielsen One, their cross-platform service. Or perhaps Nielsen will focus on big data for radio, admittedly with limited options, but DTS AutoStage is headed in that direction and the automotive OEMs and some startups have data as well. Perhaps…

Did you know that Nielsen has expanded the PPM sample to the entire continental US? The national television panel can now handle out-of-home viewing in 48 states and DC effective today, January 27. And radio paid for PPM’s development.

Nielsen makes a lot of money from the radio service. Without any serious competition, there is little need to invest in improvements unless the subscribers push back.

While there may be no serious competitors today, there is always the option to go without ratings. Is the ROI for Nielsen still there? Once Nielsen finishes congratulating themselves on a major breakthrough, let’s hope the company turns its attention to improving the radio/audio service, sooner rather than later.

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.

Gary Krantz and Pete Medhurst Gave Their All to the Radio Industry

Jason Barrett
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Gary Krantz and Pete Medhurst Gave Their All to the Radio Industry

Last week was a bummer. The radio industry lost two talented professionals and quality people when both Gary Krantz and Pete Medhurst passed away. After learning of the news, I thought back on a conversation with a former co-worker earlier in my career in St. Louis. She shared a piece of advice, which was ‘work to live your life, don’t live your life to work‘.

Many will probably agree with that statement. I don’t.

It’s easy to suggest to others how they should approach their personal and professional lives. But we’re all built differently. Some count the hours until the work day ends so they can go home, relax, enjoy time with family, and think about anything but their job. Others like myself, wish there were more hours in the day to get things done. We’re driven by what we do, enjoy the challenges, and think about creating success from morning to night.

This popped into my head last week when I listened to The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan. The morning crew paid tribute to Pete Medhurst who recently lost his battle with brain cancer. Grant and Danny did the same the afternoon before. Pete was a talented broadcaster and regular reader of ours. He loved the business, and I had the pleasure of talking to him a few times over the years. It was easy to see, he loved his work and was driven to be great at it. He enjoyed being a part of the industry, and his curiosity and attention to detail stood out during our conversations.

The Junkies shared how hard Pete worked at his craft, detailing what went into his preparation, what he sacrificed, and what made him exceptional. Every host on 106.7 The Fan spoke of Pete in a way that conveyed a deep respect for what he did, along with a genuine affinity for who he was. As I listened, I thought there was no better compliment to pay a man who loved his work, and wanted to excel at it.

I’m sure there were other things in Pete’s life that were equally important to him and his friends and family. In the professional world though, the things that audiences and co-workers notice most are how you execute, how hard you work at it, and how successful you are doing it. Those who get close to you learn more about what makes you, you, but most just know the professional, their abilities, their results, and their commitment. Fortunately for Pete Medhurst, his body of work, and the way he did it, rubbed off on those around him. It’s why they’ll remember him forever.

Gary Krantz was another gentlemen who lost his life last week, and had a similar spirit. I had the pleasure of talking to Gary many times in person, on the phone, and at our conferences. He loved the business, the people in it, had a lot of success in it, enjoyed playing the role of a connector, and understood the industry’s challenges. I don’t think I ever saw Gary without his ear piece in, ready for the next business call. His accomplishments and experiences over the years helped him create a legendary resume.

If you didn’t get a chance to read Garrett Searight’s tribute piece with feedback from industry folks, click here. It captures how highly regarded Gary was by those who knew him. I’d also recommend taking a listen to the conversation he had with E.B. Moss a few years ago. It showcases how interested he was in the industry, and covers a ton of his professional experiences.

Gary’s passion for the industry rubbed off on his son Michael who’s now pursuing his own path into it. Though the news of his passing was sad, and not having him here sucks, the best thing we can do is remember how much he loved what he did, and how he brought people together to make things better. Those who crossed paths with Gary know, he was quick witted, charismatic, unafraid to call something ugly, and passionate about the future.

When you’re driven to be great and successful, it consumes you. Many of the best in broadcasting, sports, music, and politics live and operate this way. Is it for everyone? No. Can you have success without being fully obsessed? Probably. But I see a lot of accomplished people who are built similarly. Take a listen to Nick Saban talking last week with Ryan Clark on The Pivot about this. It’s the same exact mindset.

Whether it’s Mark Cuban, Dave Portnoy, Paul Heyman, Clay Travis, Stephen A. Smith or others, top performers are relentless in their pursuit of excellence. They can succeed today, and feel unfulfilled tomorrow. That quest to compete, learn, be challenged, and win never ends. I know it well because it’s how I’m wired too.

I wake up thinking about how to attack the day and make an impact. It’s a passion and obsession that can’t be tamed. The smallest things create the biggest stress because you’re always aiming for perfection, even though you know being perfect will never happen. It drives others around you crazy because they don’t function the same way and they see the positive results you’ve produced. Yet no matter how great you are today, you’re thinking of what could be lost tomorrow if you take your eye off the ball.

Those who aren’t built this way don’t understand it. They can’t process why someone would spend hour after hour focused on work, not taking advantage of the time available to enjoy life. But for myself, and many others, it’s the only way we know how to function. From the time I stepped foot in this business, my mantra was ‘I’ll sacrifice what others won’t, and outwork anyone and everyone in every building I step foot in’. If I’m going to do something, I want to do it well, and make a permanent mark in the process.

As a programmer, it was common for the morning show and late night show to see me in my office. It sent a message, he’s always listening, and is invested in our success. Even now running a publishing and consulting company, my day starts at 6:30am and doesn’t end until 11pm or Midnight. I’ll take a break for family events, dinners, movies, etc. but that doesn’t mean my work isn’t top of mind. And I function that way M-F and spend hours on both Saturday and Sunday working too. My one exception, I break away to watch the NFL on Sunday’s during the fall!

Each individual has to decide for themselves how much they want out of this profession, and what they’re willing to do to get it. If a less stressful life is what you seek, that’s perfectly fine. For those who need to reach the top as much as they need oxygen to breathe, that works too. It’s not the worst thing in the world to wake up excited, challenged, and scared to death of what could be lost if you weren’t your very best. But it’s also ok to be content with an 8-9 hour day, and enjoy other aspects of life than your work.

The reality though is that we are in a competitive business that many want to be a part of. Success requires effort, focus, vision, and sacrifice as much as talent. A ‘living to work’ mindset is more often rewarded with promotions and bigger paychecks than those who operate the opposite way.

Gary Krantz, and Pete Medhurst understood that. So too does Nick Saban. It’s why their commitments and work stood out and will be remembered. Other parts of their lives may be equally special, and more deserving of higher praise, but in a dog eat dog business, there’s no greater sign of respect or appreciation than to acknowledge what one did to make a lasting impact. If you told both Gary and Pete that the work they did mattered, and would be recognized after they were gone, I’m sure both would feel good about what they did to make a difference.

If living to work provides joy for professionals who crave success and wish to be remembered, that should be appreciated. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be known for more than just being a good person who loved and supported his or her family. Pete Medhurst and Gary Krantz gave everything they had to this business. They each made significant contributions to it. The least we can do is remember it.

Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket Celebrating 31 Years on the Air

BSM Staff
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Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket Celebrating 31 Years on the Air

The Ticket, which broadcasts over the 96.7 FM and 1310 AM frequencies, celebrated its 31st anniversary on the air Friday. Initially making its launch on Jan. 24, 1994, the station has continued to thrive in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with a compelling lineup of sports talk programming with familiar voices. In fact, the station won the Marconi Radio Award for “Major Market Station of the Year” from the National Association of Broadcasters last fall, marking the first instance a sports talk-formatted station had won the award in this category over three decades.

The initial station lineup featured Skip Bayless and Curt Menefee each having their own morning shows, which was followed by Mike Rhyner in the middays. Craig Miller and George Dunham, who remain on the airwaves today as part of The Musers, co-hosted an afternoon program spanning from 2 to 5 p.m. CST. Chuck Cooperstein then closed out the day for a three-hour show in the late afternoon and early evening. Bruce Gilbert, the senior vice president of sports for Cumulus Media and Westwood One, recently discussed The Ticket in an interview with Barrett Media.

“Radio stations don’t do what The Ticket has done in 30 years’ time,” Gilbert said. “Radio stations don’t have a morning show that’s been on the air for 30 years. It’s phenomenal; it’s a great story. Someone wrote a book on The Ticket probably 10 or 15 years ago, and there should be a whole new book. That book is completely worthless at this point because the book continues to be written. It’s a remarkable property that we are all extremely proud of.”

Over the last several years, The Ticket has endured lineup changes related to the retirement of Norm Hitzges and resignations from Jake Kemp and Dan McDowell. Furthermore, The Musers recently cut back their hours on the station, broadcasting for three hours in morning drive rather than their longstanding four-and-a-half-hour duration. Catlin, who participated in a previous interview with Barrett Media, emphasized the importance of remaining focused on continuing to improve and appealing to listeners in the locale.

“We have got to continue to get better and to continue to evolve to be the best reflection of our community that we can possibly be,” Catlin said, “and to be still entertaining and informative and have a place in our audience’s minds and hearts.”

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.

Erika Ayers Badan Joins Vice Media Board of Directors

BSM Staff
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Erika Ayers Badan, the chief executive officer of Food52, is joining the board of directors for Vice Media as the company expands its foray into sports programming. Ayers Badan, the former chief executive officer of Barstool Sports, will be the only independent director on the board as the company’s sports division embarks on several unscripted projects. The news of Ayers Badan joining the board of directors for Vice Media was first reported by Dade Hayes of Deadline.

Vice Sports recently released the first episode of a three-part series surrounding the legacies of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady hosted by Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo. Moreover, the division will be premiering a new six-part docuseries about John Calipari’s first season as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball team next month, which was produced by Omaha Productions. Vice Sports also announced a broadcast partnership with Arena Football One that grants it the right to Sunday Nights in the Arena in prime time starting in mid-March.

“Erika is an innovative media executive, who brings significant digital, sports and content creation experience to the Vice board,” Mike Lang, executive chairman of Vice Media, said in a statement. “We look forward to leveraging her expertise as we enter our next phase of strategic growth – with Erika joining our Board being the latest example of the momentum we’re building at Vice.”

Outside of her work in management and marketing roles for brands such as Yahoo, AOL and Bkstg, Ayers Badan has served on various company boards in the past. In addition to Vice Media, she is also a board member for Malaria No More, Axon and the Premier Lacrosse League.

“I have always had so much respect for the Vice brand and mission to be an authentic and alternative voice,” Ayers Badan said in a statement. “I spent a lot of time studying Vice as we were building Barstool Sports, and it’s exciting to be part of the company’s future. I look forward to partnering with Mike and the board.”

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.

Rich Media Names Don Jarrett OM In Idaho Falls

BMM Staff
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Rich Media Names Don Jarrett OM In Idaho Falls

Rich Media has named Don Jarrett OM for the company’s Idaho Falls cluster.

Jarrett will continue in his role as PD and morning host for The Wolf 96.1/102.1.

His oversight will include Classic Rock The Pick 94.9/104.5, Hot AC Star 98, and News/Talk KID 92.1/106.3.

GM/GSM Sandie Fulks said, “Don’s passion, work ethic, and dedication to his craft drive him to excel daily. He has built The Wolf into a Country powerhouse with excitement, creativity, sales-driven programming, and content. We’re now asking Don to share that knowledge and experience across all Rich Media properties.” 

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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