Sports Radio Could Learn from the ‘Oldies Station’ | Barrett Media (2024)

Barrett Media’s brand expansion takes place on Monday July 15th. I announced forthcoming changes were on the way on this website on May 6th. What I left out is that July 15th happens to be the first day of the Republican National Convention, and the beginning of the all-star break in Major League Baseball, with the annual Home Run Derby taking place that evening.

Sports and news media readers will continue receiving the same, stellar coverage we’ve always provided. However, there will be a number of changes on 7/15. We will have a new logo, new website design, new newsletters, and a new URL (BarrettMedia.com).

But that’s not all.

Music radio will become a key part of our daily coverage, along with podcasting and tech news. As I said last month, there are thousands of music stations across this country, and not enough outlets covering them. We can’t solve the problem by ourselves but I’m hoping we can help brands, programmers, executives, talent, sales professionals, and others increase attention on the great work they’re doing.

Other improvements are being made too. We are adding a Voices section to help folks showcase their work. We’re also adding another item as part of our membership service that folks will be excited to have access to. We’ll share those details closer to the launch.

To serve music radio professionals properly, I knew we needed folks who love to write, are passionate about the business, and have different experiences. Our first three columnists reflect that, and I’m thrilled to have them joining our team. It’s my pleasure to welcome Ron Harrell, Kevin Robinson, and Robby Bridges as Barrett Media’s first three Music Radio columnists. Many in the industry know all three of these men, but in case you don’t, here are a few details.

Ron Harrell has held leadership roles for Chancellor Media, ABC Radio, CBS Radio, Hubbard Broadcasting, WAY Media, and Hope Media Group. Warm 106.9 in Seattle, WayFM in Nashville, KLUV, KVIL, and KJKK in Dallas, WDVD and WDRQ in Detroit, and Mix 100, Kool 105, and Jammin’ 92.5 in Denver are all brands that Ron has managed. We met last year at the 2023 BNM Summit and have stayed in touch since. Ron currently works as a contemporary consultant specializing in radio, streaming, and podcast optimization. He resides in Nashville.

Kevin Robinson and I have known each other dating back to 2009 when we both worked for Bonneville St. Louis. He’s an accomplished programmer and talent coach with four decades of experience. His career includes stops in Chicago, Phoenix, Buffalo, St. Louis, Louisville, and Lansing. CBS Radio/Infinity Broadcasting, Bonneville International, Hubbard Radio, and Salem Media Group are among his former employers. Kevin is now the Executive Director for WYRZ in Indiana. He also runs Robinson Media in partnership with the Audience Development Group.

Robby Bridges is the third columnist joining our team. He serves as VP/Programming for 107.1 The Boss and 99.7 WBHX in northern New Jersey. Additionally, he co-hosts the morning show on 107.1 The Boss alongside his wife Rochelle Gagnon. Robby’s career extends over three decades, and includes stops in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, Detroit, Providence, New Bedford, MA and Bridgeport and New London, CT. Companies he’s worked for include Press Communications, Cumulus Media, Audacy, Townsquare Media, Scott Shannon’s “True Oldies Channel”, and more.

I plan to make a few more hires. Among them will be an editor/writer, features reporter, and one or two more columnists. I’m specifically looking for folks who love to write, are creative and passionate, and possess music radio relationships. If that’s you or sounds like someone you know, please send a resume and writing sample by email to [emailprotected].

My goal is to elevate the music radio industry just as we’ve done for sports and news media folks. Creating content on artists and labels may happen down the road, but our immediate focus is to highlight broadcasters, brands, programmers, promotions, digital, sales, etc.. I want to hit the ground running on day one, but I also know that it takes time and adjustments to make a brand strong. I’m confident that as the days, weeks and months pass, readers will see our content and coverage continue to improve. Having Ron, Kevin, and Robby on board is awesome, and I’m looking forward to featuring them, and adding others soon to help us grow.

We have 42 days to go until we launch the new site. Groups interested in reaching industry decision makers and professionals through our website, newsletters, conferences, and social media platforms can reach Stephanie Eads by email at [emailprotected]. If advertising isn’t a fit, sharing our content or job postings on social media or writing a guest column goes a long way. We value and appreciate your support, and look forward to sharing another update with you before the end of the month.

Thumbs Up:

Damon Amendolara & Damon Bruce: The two talented hosts created a full-day event for A’s fans in Oakland. It started with a live show on YouTube, which included notable guests and a live audience. They then gathered with fans for a pre-game tailgate before invading The Coliseum waving ‘SELL” flags to draw attention to the franchise’s disastrous ownership group. They then capped it off with post-game fun at Ricky’s, a popular spot among Bay Area sports Oakland fans. Just a cool, original creation from two guys who agree that the A’s belong in Oakland, and their owner is responsible for destroying a once proud franchise.

Boomer & Gio: Great shows have an uncanny ability to take small moments and turn them into content gold. That’s what makes Gregg and Boomer so good. They did just that last week when a woman named Joan called into their show. The call and follow ups from Gregg and Boomer were entertaining, producer Al Dukes interjected at the perfect times, and what started as a bizarre phone call, became funny, interesting, and a great piece of digital content. Nice job by all involved. The next time I need my appliances repaired, I know who I’m calling.

ESPN/ABC NHL: Great production always brings a smile to my face. The open for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was outstanding. Great storytelling, voiceover, and the perfect use of clips in the right places to build up the drama. When big games happen, ESPN’s production team is always on point. Take a second to watch this if you haven’t already seen it.

Thumbs Down:

US Women’s Olympic Basketball Committee: I’m not a WNBA fan but recognize how much Caitlin Clark has done for the league in a short period of time. Her play has been fantastic, and the attention she’s generated for the game has created excitement beyond anything the league has ever experienced. To not put Clark on the Olympic team, when her skill warrants it, and the attention she generates elevates the sport, is one of the dumbest business decisions I’ve seen. NBC executives, which have billions invested in the Olympics, must be furious.

Whether you like Clark or not, she is injecting life into the league unlike anyone else before. This is not a Lin-sanity moment. This is a Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Mike Tyson, Rhonda Rousey-UFC, Tiger Woods experience. It’s been shocking to see many in the WNBA discrediting and rejecting her rather than embracing her. The league appears content with operating in the land of obscurity instead of on big stages under brighter lights. If the goal is to win the gold, and get people to watch, then this decision makes zero sense. The Olympic team will likely win. Whether large audiences care enough to watch is the bigger question.

YES Network: If you wanted to watch Friday night’s Yankees-Dodgers game in New York, you had two options. You could pay $9.99 per month for Apple or $24.99 per month for YES. The Yankees TV network also lets you sign up for the year for $239.99. The Apple subscription doesn’t give you a ton of Yankees access, but the cost is manageable. Meanwhile, YES charges more per month than Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, ESPN Plus, and Peaco*ck, and is only $110 less annually than NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube. Baseball needs all the help it can get attracting fans to its product. Price gouging them isn’t going to improve the situation.