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Al Michaels: NFL Will Make Sure Netflix Solves Streaming Issues for Christmas Day

BSM Staff
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Al Michaels: NFL Will Make Sure Netflix Solves Streaming Issues for Christmas Day

Last month, Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions presented a boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson to consumers around the world. With the 282.7 million subscribers of the Netflix streaming service, 70 million of which are members of its advertising-supported tier, the company conveyed that it broke several records for a live-streamed sporting event. The Paul-Tyson fight, it divulged, was the most-streamed sporting event ever with a peak of 65 million concurrent streams, along with an average minute audience of 108 million live viewers globally. Yet throughout the match, there were several latency issues with the stream, causing reductions in video quality, audio and buffering.

As the fight was taking place, consumers expressed their frustrations on social media about the inconsistency as it pertained to the stream. There was also purported concern from media professionals about whether or not Netflix would be able to handle broadcasting two National Football League games on Christmas Day. The company signed a three-year deal with the league earlier in the year to present contests annually on the holiday, its first foray into live NFL game broadcasts. NFL games represented 94 of the top 100 television programs last year, and the most recent Super Bowl attained a record-setting audience averaging 123.7 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

With more streaming and technology companies becoming involved in live game broadcasts, viewers are familiarizing themselves with changes to the longstanding paradigm. Al Michaels, the play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football on Amazon’s Prime Video for the last three years, discussed the concern surrounding these potential games during a recent appearance on CNBC Squawk Box, elucidating that these issues would be fixed.

“We had our problems at Prime in the first year too, and we got it under control,” Michaels said. “So I do know that everybody was complaining about the quality of picture and buffering, etc., etc., but I think they’ll get it right, and they’ll probably get it right by Christmas Day – at least the National Football League’s going to make sure they get it right by Christmas Day.”

Michaels explained that despite the confluence of media platforms in the current ecosystem, people have been able to locate where the events are being televised. It is something he thinks about as he sees the college games listed on the Saturday morning newspaper, but he has evinced that consumers are able to discover what they want to watch. Michaels added that the ratings prove people know where to find the games, with Amazon recently reporting an average of 13.51 million viewers for its Black Friday Football broadcast, representative of a 41% YoY increase.

“Obviously in today’s world, you can figure out where to go to get what you need to get to, but it’s not the way it was,” Michaels said. “It’s so funny because I keep using that phrase once in a while when a game gets good, ‘Don’t touch that dial,’ and there’s no such thing as a dial anymore, as far as I know, so ‘Don’t log off’ or whatever you’re supposed to say in these days, but look, everybody seems to know where to find stuff, and they’re finding it, clearly.”

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.

Tucker Carlson Vaults Into Top 10, Dan Bongino and NPR Remain in November Podctrac Podcast Rankings

BNM Staff
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Tucker Carlson Vaults Into Top 10, Dan Bongino and NPR Remain in November Podctrac Podcast Rankings

Podtrac has released its November podcast rankings and shows from Tucker Carlson, Dan Bongino, and NPR saw top 10 finishes during the month.

The Daily from The New York Times remained in the top spot. In fact, the entire top five finishers were unchanged from October, as NPR News Now, Up First From NPR, Dateline NBC, and The Dan Bongino Show rounded out the top five.

The Tucker Carlson Show made its first appearance on the list of Top Podcasts by U.S. Unique Monthly Audience in November. The show from the former Fox News host ranked sixth on the list, one spot behind Bongino.

Also seeing strong finishes were Fox News Hourly Update (8th), The Ben Shapiro Show (11th), The Shawn Ryan Show (13th), 20/20 (18th), and Today, Explained (19th).

In the Top U.S. Podcast Publishers & Network rankings, iHeart Audience Network and iHeartPodcasts took home the top two places, while Libsyn, Wondery, and Acast rounded out the top five. NPR was sixth, while The Walt Disney Company, Vox Media, The Daily Wire, and Paramount also saw top 10 rankings.

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.

News Radio 1440 Morning Host Kevin Elkins Exits Amid Ongoing Cumulus Media Cuts

BNM Staff
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News Radio 1440 Morning Host Kevin Elkins Exits Amid Ongoing Cumulus Media Cuts

News Radio 1440 morning show host Kevin Elkins has announced he has been included in the ongoing cuts enacted by Cumulus Media.

Elkins had hosted Decisions with Kevin Elkins from 6-9 AM on the Cumulus Media Montgomery station. A U.S. Army veteran, Elkins joined the station in January 2001.

He revealed he had been let go in a Facebook Live video.

“Today was my last day at Cumulus, but to be fair radio is changing and it goes with the landscape,” Elkins said. “23 years at one job in one company is a good run. I am grateful for the opportunity I was given … It’s been a good ride. I don’t have any complaints about anyone or anything. Now I’ve got to figure out what to do in the mornings.”

Kevin Elkins added that his media future will include a podcast or another digital project after his long radio career ended earlier this week.

News Radio 1440 aired a time-delayed broadcast of the nationally syndicated Red Eye Radio in morning drive in the timeslot previously occupied by Elkins. It is unclear if that will remain in place permanently.

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.

1250 WTMA Morning Host/PD John Quincy Announces Retirement

BNM Staff
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1250 WTMA Morning Host/PD John Quincy Announces Retirement

After more than five decades in the business, including the last 17 years at 1250 WTMA, morning host and Program Director John Quincy has announced his retirement.

Quincy has worked in the Charleston, South Carolina market since 1981, previously working as an afternoon host at CHR and AC stations in the market before shifting to country and oldies. He joined 1250 WTMA in 2007 where he has helmed mornings and served as the station’s program director

“Retired! Today was my last day at WTMA and Cumulus Media Charleston,” Quincy revealed in a post on social media Wednesday. “That puts a cap on a 52-year career in radio, and almost 23 years at Citadel Broadcasting/Cumulus Media. I see plenty more sleep in my future. Please pray for my wife who’ll have to put up with me around the house full time.”

The TMA Morning Show was the only local program airing on weekdays on the Cumulus Media Charleston station. It was not immediately made available what the station will air in the 7-9 AM window where the show hosted by John Quincy was previously heard.

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.

Dick Vitale Provides Update on Cancer Treatment

BSM Staff
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Dick Vitale Provides Update on Cancer Treatment

ESPN and the V Foundation are in the midst of holding the 18th annual V Week for Cancer Research, which brings awareness and encourages donations in order to fund life-saving cancer research. The network aired the ESPYs speech given by legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach Jim Valvano, during which he implored attendees never to give up. Dick Vitale gave a speech in 2022 when he won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance where he articulated the importance of raising money for research and how he always remembers Valvano’s words.

Vitale, a longtime college basketball analyst for ESPN, has been fighting several health battles over the last few years, facing lymphoma, melanoma, vocal cord dysplasia and vocal cord cancer. Vitale shared that he was cancer-free in June following six weeks of radiation treatment, but shortly thereafter, a biopsy on the lymph node in his neck came back as cancerous. He underwent surgery the following week and has continued to undergo treatments. ESPN aired a video tribute to Vitale during its broadcast of the Miami-Arkansas game on Tuesday night, and he subsequently provided a personal update on social media.

“I am touched tonight seeing this video from my buddies at ESPN,” Vitale said. “I’m constantly thinking about Dec. 12 when I have a major scan to determine if I’m cancer free after my recent 30 radiation treatments. If I am it would be my NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!”

Vitale has previously stated his desire to return behind the microphone again, and he received several standing ovations from college basketball crowds while calling games amid the 2022 season. The longtime analyst became a member of the network shortly after its launch in September 1979 following a successful coaching career in collegiate and professional basketball. Vitale was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and he received the Humanitarian Award and inducted into the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame this past September. Moreover, he is a member of the board of directors for The V Foundation and hosts an annual gala in Florida to benefit the nonprofit.

ESPN has helped raise over $237 million for the V Foundation as it looks to end cancer, and all of the funds raised throughout this endeavor will be directed towards cancer research. This year’s iteration of V Week features a look into the impact of cancer within the world of sports and highlighting the importance of research and support systems for those afflicted.

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.

Amazon Prime Black Friday Football Ads Score for Effectiveness

BSM Staff
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Amazon Prime Video’s Black Friday Football not only drew a 41% larger audience audience for its sponsors than last year, but commercials during the game were very effective, according to data from EDO, which tracks the impact of ad campaigns.

EDO said that ads during this year’s Black Friday Football were 6% more effective than the average ad in an NFL primetime games. Black Friday ads were also 51% more effective than the average ad during this year’s NFL games on Thanksgiving.

Compared to the average ad running in primetime on broadcast and cable, ads on the Amazon stream were 74% more effective.

Paying $750,000 per 30 seconds, that’s the kind of return on investment advertisers are counting on when dealing with Amazon, which has a ton of data on consumer buying behaviors.

The commercial that generated the most engagement with consumers was for Solo Stove featuring Snoop Dogg. The ad garnered 13.6% of all TV-driven engagement during the Black Friday game according to EDO.

Many of the ads during Black Friday Football had football themes, featuring players and former players, including members of Amazon’s studio crew. A good number of the ads also had interactive features that enabled viewers to get special offers, discounts and be able to place items in their Amazon carts by pressing a button on their TV remote control.

Last year, EDO measured retail commercials in the Black Friday game and found that consumer who saw a retail ad were 127% more likely to drive engagement than the retail primetime average.

Other top ads during the Black Friday Football telecast were for the Oura Ring, Ray-Ban, LEGO and Kia.

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.

ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin is Making Waves Going Toe-to-Toe with Stephen A. Smith, Mike Greenberg, and Others

John Molori
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ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin is Making Waves Going Toe-to-Toe with Stephen A. Smith, Mike Greenberg, and Others

Power, strength, confidence, presence – these are the words that come to mind when I watch ESPN personality Kimberley A. Martin, a woman who has staked her claim as one of the best football commentators on television. Martin’s work, chiefly on ESPN’s Get Up and First Take, has been remarkable.

In these days of walking on eggshells and avoiding controversy, the issue of gender is often one that people avoid, but let’s not do that here. The fact of the matter is that Martin is usually the only female analyst on any given sports talk show panel. Molly Qerim is alongside on First Take, but she is the host of the program, and while she ably engages in debate at times, her main job is to move the show forward, pace the program, and run the rhythm of the broadcast.

Moreover, Martin’s fellow panelists are not television neophytes like Rob Gronkowski or Tom Brady. She is sitting side-by-side and going toe-to-toe with grizzled and glib former players like Tedy Bruschi, Shannon Sharpe, Jeff Saturday, Dominique Foxworthy, Bart Scott, Damien Woody, Dan Orlovsky, and Harry Douglas. These are hardened NFL veterans who know the ins and outs, and X’s and O’s of football.

In addition to former players, Martin also debates some of the best gabbers in the TV game right now including the legendary Mike Greenberg and Stephen A. Smith. This pair is unquestionably the most articulate, prepared, and knowledgeable duo on television today. They have seen it all in every format through multiple generations.

Such is the heady backdrop in which Martin does her stuff. On the Thanksgiving Day edition of Get Up, Martin gave some real talk about the diversity of the Lions’ offense and how head coach Dan Campbell set the tone for the team by saying that they were not going to lose at home on Thanksgiving Day anymore.

She was also omniscient questioning whether Matt Eberflus is the head coach that can really develop quarterback Caleb Williams over the next few years. Just 24 hours later, Eberflus was fired by the Bears.

When asked whom she trusted more as a QB, Tua Tagovailoa or Jordan Love, Martin pointed to the fact that Tagovailoa still has not proven that he can win a game in cold weather. She also said that Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur has been excellent at mitigating mistake opportunities for Love with a strong running game.

Sure enough, Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs had 117 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown as the Packers beat Miami 30-17 at Lambeau Field.

Martin is unafraid to stray from conventional wisdom. She went against the popular grain saying that the Dallas Cowboys should keep Mike McCarthy as head coach next season. In addition, while she did pick the Pittsburgh Steelers to make the playoffs, she pointed to their red zone efficiency as a potential obstacle to going deep in the playoffs. I like the way Martin moves from generalities to specifics. It is a key weapon in her debate arsenal.

In a conversation as to whether the 2024 version of the Kansas City Chiefs could win their third straight Super Bowl, Martin emphatically answered, “Yes sir.” She talked about how everyone is downgrading KC, but noted that they always find a way to win big games. Again cutting through the BS, Martin pointed out that the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs are 45-11 overall between November and January.

Martin’s excellence comes from experience. Before joining ESPN, she was a Senior NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports and co-hosted an all-female weekly football show called Cover 3. She was also an NFL beat writer for the Washington Post and Newsday, and a columnist for the Buffalo News. In addition to First Take and Get Up, Martin has also been featured on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, Fantasy Football Now, NFL Live, Around the Horn, SportsCenter, and ESPN Radio.

Martin is outspoken, passionate, and extremely smart. Her takes are original and filled with the right mix of stats and sass. Her weekly repartee with Smith on First Take is especially entertaining. It is very difficult to go up against Smith in a head-on debate. He cuts through an argument with great relish, like a chainsaw in a $5,000 suit, but Martin never backs down from her points. She lets Smith roll, waits her turn, and then does some cutting of her own, calling Smith out on any hypocrisy or double talk.

More than just talk, Martin is a terrific listener. In fact, some of her best takes actually come from hearing opposing viewpoints. She is adept at breaking down and analyzing a game or a player and seems to look at football from a different perspective. She often focuses on the personal side of the game and is a champion of players who have overcome obstacles or been overlooked. Martin’s chops as a newspaper reporter are apparent. You can tell that while she has a tremendous on-air charisma, she is still a writer/reporter at heart.

Martin does, however, recognize that her current gig is on television. She gets that it is a visual medium and her fashion sense and enthusiastic style stand out in an extremely positive way. At times, Martin’s facial expressions show that she is just waiting to pounce on a fellow debater’s dissertation.

It is clear that her background covering NFL teams in Washington, Buffalo, and New York has given her solid contacts throughout the league. She has a rapport with players and coaches, and inside info to dole out when necessary. Perhaps Martin’s greatest strength is her feel for the drama of the NFL season. She gets that it is a week-to-week soap opera.

Smith likes to say that his regular Stephen’s A-List is “fluid.” Well, so is the entire NFL season and Martin understands this. She is a media professional for sure, but has a unique way of tapping into the fan psyche as well. Uniqueness is a watchword for Martin. When she makes a point, it’s not something that I’ve heard ten other people say already.

There are a lot of great female football broadcasters out there now, but while many of these women are in sideline reporter or host roles, Martin is in the trenches, in the fray, and part of the linguistic melee. Martin’s fearlessness crosses into societal matters and discussions on inequality and biases both in and out of sports. Social issues? No problem. Political topics that leak into sports? Sure. Off the field problems for players and teams? Absolutely. Martin takes on all discussions and debates and, in doing so, has become a vibrant and vital part of ESPN’s talent roster.

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.

Music Radio Should Be Creating Events And Doing The Unexpected

Robby Bridges
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Music Radio Should Be Creating Events And Doing The Unexpected

Fifty years ago this year, when Frank Sinatra returned to performing after a brief self-imposed retirement, the first concert he did was largely the show he’d been doing previously, but held in New York’s Madison Square Garden, it was recorded as a live album and a tv special titled “The Main Event.” It was announced by Howard Cossell, no less! When Sinatra came on stage, it was an event, a history-making every performance each time.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the “Glicked” phenomenon, the simultaneous release of the movies “Wicked,” “Gladiator II”’+ “Moana 2”, the box office saw its best Turkey holiday ticket sales in five years—an event. Meanwhile, on TV, network coverage of the Cowboys-Giants game averaged nearly 40 million viewers.

NBC’s telecast of the Macy’s parade was the highest rated ever, with 31 million tuning in. Event. Speaking on NBC, they have one of the few network shows where every episode is hyped and anticipated: “SNL.” Event. Forget broadcast for a minute and think newspaper. Conservatives all over America went out and got a paper with the Trump election victory headline as a historic keepsake, just as liberals did a year earlier when it read “Trump indicted.” Events.

So, it begs the question, with the ever-intense competition for ears, what are and what can radio content creators do to create event radio? We’ve seen traditional entertainment avenues, in TV, movie theaters, or papers, still draw huge numbers with the right moment; what about radio?

Of course, in many cases, creators are wearing multiple hats at a radio station, and many are navigating unfamiliar waters in building a social media and video footprint for their shows/content, some newly with the massive cuts inflicted by the bigger ownership groups (Hi Bob, Hi Mary, Hi Caroline! Don’t even think about it, David).

What can creators do to make every show an event? Can we raise expectations for the unexpected? Can we attract attention? Can we do things that truly matter in the community? Can we harness social assets to build cume? Sure, no one grand slams every at-bat, but can we strive to make every word choice matter every break?

Can we break some molds, take some chances, and try something fresh more often? We can and we should. Radio content should be an event at least some of the time to stay relevant and meaningful to consumers. Creators today should do everything they can to make that happen, and owners should give them every possible resource to do it. And now, on with the show….

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.

Anatomy of a Broadcaster: John Buccigross

Andy Masur
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Anatomy of a Broadcaster: John Buccigross

When you think about either incarnation of the NHL on ESPN, it’s hard not to imagine the face of John Buccigross. He has been a featured broadcaster both times and his love of the sport always comes out. Buccigross is one of the more popular hosts of the NHL on the network, thanks to his relatable style and fun-loving personality. The return of the sport to ESPN has given Buccigross a second life in the hockey world.

“I’ve always loved hockey, I grew up with the game, and to be able to cover it now, to be a rightsholder is just pretty cool,” Buccigross told Awful Announcing in 2022. “There’s nothing like being a rightsholder, especially when you’re around a sport that you love. …And as we’ve gone through this first year as a rightsholder, going to different arenas, we’re always welcomed with open arms and a red carpet.”

Buccigross was raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania, before moving to Steubenville, Ohio, at age 11. He played basketball at, and graduated from, Steubenville Catholic Central High School. He then graduated from Heidelberg College where he majored in communications and theater arts.

ROAD TO ESPN

The road to ESPN for Buccigross wasn’t a long one, it was more like a cul-de-sac. Buccigross worked at WPRI-TV in Providence, R.I. He started as the station’s weekend sports anchor in 1994, and later was named weekday anchor. Before WPRI, Buccigross worked at a local news network, Cape 11 News, in Massachusetts from 1989 to 1994.

In 1996 he joined ESPNEWS as an anchor, just prior to the 24-hour sports news network’s launch. He appeared on ESPNEWS for a couple of years before making the transition to ESPN2 as the primary host of NHL 2Night, a 30-minute show dedicated to hockey highlights and news. He was with the program from 1998-2004. During that time Buccigross also contributed a weekly NHL column for ESPN.com.

Buccigross is part of ESPN’s NHL team as a play-by-play commentator for select NHL games. He also hosts The Point, a weekly hockey-focused studio show on ESPN2. In addition, Buccigross is an occasional host of SportsCenter, a program he anchored regularly before ESPN re-acquired the rights to NHL games.

ESPN and the NHL

He’s always been a hockey guy and was not exactly giddy when ESPN lost the NHL broadcasting rights to NBC back in 2005. Buccigross, though, got a big gift, when the network regained the rights to the league in 2021. Proving his passion for the sport, the news of the NHL’s return hit him hard.

“I was surprised after the announcement how emotional I got,” Buccigross told Boston.com in 2021. “I was driving around, and actually started to tear up. It was kind of weird, I don’t know why. I don’t know if it was those 16 or 17 years that we were kind of carrying the torch for the NHL, and to have the hope that it would return to ESPN finally fulfilled.”

“I think part of the emotional response for me was that fans kept bringing it up on social media after the news was official, playing the old “NHL 2Night” jingle. Nothing gets into your soul like music, and just hearing a few notes of an old song can bring memories flooding back.”

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN PARM’S FOR DINNER

Thanks to his large social media following, Buccigross is sharing his love for Chicken Parm. I mean what’s not to love about Chicken parm right? Just ask my wife, if it’s on the menu where we dine, it’s going to be in front of me shortly. 

Buccigross is known to post photos of his own chicken parm and rates others’ submissions. He said that also started with Ray Ferraro on NHL Tonight.

“I gave him [Ferraro] the nickname of “Chicken Parm,” because he would mention that a lot of hockey players liked to have chicken parm in the afternoon,” Buccigross said in the 2022 story from Awful Announcing.

“I don’t think I even had chicken parm growing up, because we never really went to nice restaurants; McDonald’s was fine dining for me. So, I’m 32, 33 years old and I go ‘Huh, I really like this chicken parm. It’s always good, it’s tasty, it’s simple.’ So, I just start tweeting pictures of my own, maybe a couple of pictures of myself making chicken parm for my kids. And people would show me theirs, and I’d go ‘That’s nice,’ and then I just started to rate it at one point. And then all of a sudden, they’re flooding in, and it becomes this little fun thing. I roast some people’s chicken parm. It’s all about engagement on social media, and I think I have a little bit of a touch with how to engage people, do it in a nice way, a funny way, not a cruel way.”

Now, some teams have been bringing him chicken parm in the booth, when he’s there doing a game.

Buccigross relayed to Awful Announcing, “They did that in Seattle. And once another team sees that, they’re like ‘Oh, we’ve got to do that! We don’t want the Kraken to one-up us!’  So, it’s happened in Carolina and Chicago and Buffalo now. And the rest of the cities need to get on the chicken parm wagon. It’s nice when teams copy other teams when I benefit with chicken parm. Broadcasting makes you hungry, let me tell you.”

WHY IS HE SO GOOD?

Passion. Fun. Creativity. Knowledge. These four pillars set him apart from many others, especially those that cover hockey like he does. You can feel his enthusiasm and it resonates with true hockey fans and even the casual ones. His segments are enjoyable, entertaining and yes, informative as well. Breathing life into his coverage and analysis.

Buccigross is an excellent storyteller as well. The stories are often about things he’s experienced, that are interwoven with historical examples and facts. This helps the viewer understand the anecdote. 

I like the way he interviews players as well. It seems like there is a mutual respect between broadcaster and skater. Hockey players understand that they need continuous coverage to grow their game in the US and Buccigross knows how to get some personality out of the players. It’s critical for fans to see that side of a player, to ‘get to know’ that individual and want to see him play. Buccigross respects the game and players appreciate that and are more willing to ‘open up’ a bit when they are on his show.

Making things fun for the viewer is something else Buccigross excels in doing. He’s got his catch-phrases, like “nahmally good”, which is a play on “normally good.” Painful moments on the ice are met with an, “Oh, Knights of Columbus that hurts!”

OVERTIME CHALLENGE

Beginning with the 2012 NHL Playoffs, Buccigross began hosting the #Bucciovertimechallenge on Twitter (now X), asking users to guess the player (one for each team) who would score the game-winning goal for every overtime game throughout the course of the playoffs. Selected winners receive a branded item from his online store. It’s become a charitable arm as well. His website www.bucciot.com, contributes to hockey related and hockey led charities.

OTHER CHARITY WORK

Buccigross wants to honor his longtime friend and colleague Barry Melrose and raise money for an important cause in the process. Melrose left ESPN last year after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Buccigross helped to launch a website called www.assistmelrose.com to raise money for Parkinson’s research.

“Barry has given his life to hockey. Let’s do something for him, as he battles Parkinson’s,” the website reads.

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.

Promo Meeting: Ideas, Concepts And Thought Starters For Music Radio

Jeff Lynn
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Promo Meeting: Ideas, Concepts And Thought Starters For Music Radio

Welcome to the Promo Meeting.

In this new, once-a-week feature, we will highlight stations with ideas that, well, let’s be honest, you can steal or adapt for your station. When I was programming, a friend I considered to be a great programmer told me, “If you steal a promotion from me, you have stolen twice.”

If you have something unique that you would like to share or have highlighted, I would love to hear from you—email jeff@barrettmedia.com

A timely idea is “Reverse Porch Pirates.” A station drops presents on listeners’ doorsteps while dressed up like the burglars in the Home Alone movie. Use your database to select homes in your hot zips and surprise them. Be sure to get a video for social media.

An easy and perhaps overplayed theme is the “12 Days Of Christmas.” I recently heard from stations that had given it a new spin. Every Christmas, there are must-have toys and games. They have the hot ones and are doing the “12 Plays Of Christmas.”

97.7 WQDR Raleigh is hosting “Hope for The Holidays.” Working with the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, the station is fulfilling the Christmas wishes of over 1,000 needy children. Donations of a new toy and cash are accepted. Here is the webpage set up.

At Christmas time, the need for blood donations spikes, largely due to the number of elective surgeries in January. How about hosting a “Bleed For Aldean” blood donation drive for Country stations? Give away Aldean merchandise and send one person to an Aldean show or a visit to one of his bars in Nashville, Gatlinburg, or Las Vegas.

This one is from the brilliant and slightly twisted mind of Paige Nienaber at CPR Promotions. “Tree For All” is a simple way to dress up Christmas tree giveaways. Work with a local supermarket or a tree lot that will likely trade for mentions.

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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