After six days of recognizing the best that News/Talk radio has to offer, we’ve reached the end of the line. Today, we roll out our final category in the BNM Top 20 of 2022 presented by Steve Stone Voiceovers. If you missed any of the prior Top 20 announcements, click the BNM Top 20 tab on the menu bar on the website, and you can navigate through all of the different results that we distributed over the past week and a half. These results have been determined by 44 radio industry programmers and executives from 15 companies in 36 cities, and we appreciate them being part of our voting process.

As it pertains to today’s category, Original Digital Shows, these are the programs that are produced exclusively for audio and/or video outlets, not over the air radio programs. This means that radio shows that can get repurposed via on-demand were not eligible for consideration. We are looking at shows that are specifically created for digital outlets and digital audiences.

We try to make sure the top shows, hosts, program directors and brands from the News/Talk world are listed for voting consideration on all of our ballots but we also allow room for our voters to add nominees if for some reason someone isn’t listed. Though we triple check before publishing the lists and hope to present a perfect layout, mistakes do happen sometimes. If you see an error, please let us know. We want to shine the light on the best brands and shows in a way that makes them feel proud to be recognized, not frustrated by incorrect details.

I’d also like to point out that we don’t include NPR brands and shows on our lists. Maybe down the line that’ll change or we’ll add an extra category but for now, terrestrial outlets are our main focus. This series ends with today’s rollout but please make sure to visit the website tomorrow (Wednesday December 21). We’ll have an announcement to make, which we’re confident News/Talk media professionals will be excited about.

With regards to the voting in this category, here are a few things to be aware of.

#1 – Our executive voters were asked to pick their Top 20 selections based on a few key factors; quality of show (ear test), originality, ability to entertain-inform-connect across multiple platforms, ratings success, clearance (national shows) and industry buzz. Remember, our voters live in different cities, have different tastes, work for different groups, and value certain factors higher than others. This isn’t a perfect system but it’s the best one we’ve been able to create to showcase the industry’s best. Having done this for seven years for the sports talk format, we’re going to stick with it until another approach makes more sense.

#2 – Our executive panel consists of program directors and corporate executives from a number of top broadcasting companies including Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Beasley, Hubbard, Good Karma Brands, Cox Media Group, Radio One, Alpha, Bonneville, FOX News Radio, Hearst, Federated Media, Zimmer Communications, and Westwood One. We involve a large number of people in order to receive feedback from all parts of the country, and to avoid the results heavily favoring one company.

#3 – A total of 87 Original Digital Shows appeared on ballots submitted by our radio industry voting panel.

Which brings us to today’s category – Original Digital Shows. Congrats to The Joe Rogan Experience on being voted #1. This was the most impressive win I’ve seen in more than 7 years of reviewing results from a programming committee. Rogan not only earned the most 1st place votes in the category with eighteen (18), which was the most of any category in this year’s Top 20, but he also finished more than 200 points ahead of the runner up. We’ve had some comfortable victories before but nothing like this. BNM congratulates Joe, his team, and Spotify on the well deserved honor, as well as every other show that gained a spot on this year’s list.

Now, here are the full results of “BNM’s Top 20 Original Digital Shows of 2022!”

Additional Notes:

• Joe Rogan ran away with this category, finishing 221 points ahead of The Daily. That was the largest separation between 1st and 2nd place in a category for not only this series, but for any of the BSM Top 20’s we’ve done for the past 7 years. Rogan also recorded the most 1st place votes with 18.
• Spots 21-25 belonged to The Axe Files w/ David Axelrod, Chicks on the Right, Kennedy Saves The World, Zero Blog Thirty, and Politico Playbook: Daily Briefing.
• The closest contest involved Michael Savage and Rachel Maddow. Savage finished 2 points ahead of the MSNBC host. Additionally, Anderson Cooper held off Candace Ownes by 3 points.
• Of the 87 original digital shows to appear on ballots, 7 received at least one 1st place vote.

That’s a wrap for the BNM Top 20 of 2022. A huge thank you to Steve Stone Voiceovers for sponsoring the series, and all of the programmers and executives who took time to be part of our voting process. It’s been a pleasure highlighting the News/Talk radio industry for the past seven days, and we look forward to doing it again next year.

A quick reminder, tomorrow (Wednesday December 21st) we will have a big announcement on this website. If you work in the News/Talk radio, television or digital business, be sure to check out what we’re working on for 2023. As always, we thank you for your support.

Welcome to day 6 of our 7 day BNM Top 20 of 2022 series presented by Steve Stone Voiceovers. If this is your first time visiting our website and you missed the prior Top 20 announcements, be sure to catch up on the top National Shows, Major and Mid Market Morning Shows, Major and Mid Market Midday shows, Major and Mid Market Afternoon Shows, and Major and Mid Market Program Directors. The results represent the collective input shared by 44 radio industry programmers and executives from 15 companies in 36 cities. We thank them for making time to be part of this process.

If you’re unaware, the News/Talk radio format is offered on over two thousand stations. The only larger format is country. We try our best to make sure the top shows, hosts, programmers and brands from the News/Talk world are listed for voting consideration on our ballots but we also allow room for our voters to add nominees if for some reason someone isn’t listed. Additionally, though we triple check everything before publishing the lists and hope to present a perfect layout, sometimes mistakes happen. If you notice an error, please let us know. We want to shine the light on the format’s best brands and shows in a way that makes them feel proud to be recognized, not frustrated by an incorrect detail.

One thing to add, we haven’t included NPR brands and shows on our lists. Maybe down the line we’ll change that or add an extra category but for now, terrestrial outlets are our main focus. This series will conclude on Tuesday with a look at the top Original Digital Shows, and then on Wednesday, we’ll have a big announcement from Barrett Media President Jason Barrett. Stay tuned.

As it pertains to the voting, here are a few things to be aware of.

#1 – Our executive voters were asked to pick their Top 20 selections for each category based on a few key factors; quality of show (ear test), originality, ability to entertain-inform-connect across multiple platforms, ratings success, clearance (national shows) and industry buzz. Remember, our voters live in different cities, have different tastes, work for different groups, and value certain factors higher than others. This isn’t a perfect system but it’s the best one we’ve been able to create to showcase the industry’s best. Having done this for seven years for the sports talk format, we’re going to stick with it until another approach makes more sense.

#2 – Our executive panel consists of program directors and corporate executives from a number of top broadcasting companies including Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Beasley, Hubbard, Good Karma Brands, Cox Media Group, Radio One, Alpha, Bonneville, FOX News Radio, Hearst, Federated Media, Zimmer Communications, and Westwood One. We involve a large number of people in order to receive feedback from all parts of the country, and to avoid the results heavily favoring one company.

#3 – A total of 79 radio stations appeared on ballots turned in by our radio industry panel.

Which brings us to today’s category – Mid Market News/Talk Radio Stations. Congrats to WLW in Cincinnati on being voted #1. This was the Cincy station’s 4th category win in this year’s Top 20, tying KFI for most total victories. BNM congratulates DJ Hodge, Scott Reinhart, and the entire WLW staff on a well deserved honor, as well as every other station that earned a spot on this year’s list.

Now, here are the full results of “BNM’s Top 20 Mid Market News/Talk Radio Stations of 2022!”

Additional Notes:

• WLW defeated KLX by nine (9) points in this category. The Cincinnati talk station recorded four (4) first place votes, the most among all stations to emerge victorious.
• Spots 21-25 were occupied by WOWO in Fort Wayne, KLBJ in Austin, WOAI in San Antonio, 105.9 KNRS in Salt Lake City, and WRVA in Richmond.
• The closest race in this category saw KDKA, WBEN and WTAM all separated by one (1) point from each other.
• Of the 79 stations to earn votes from our panel, twelve (12) received at least one 1st place vote.

Here is the remaining schedule for the BNM Top 20 of 2022.

• Tuesday December 20 = The Top 20 Original N/T Digital Shows of 2022

A reminder, BNM will have a big announcement following the Top 20 series on Wednesday December 21st. Make sure to visit the website that day to learn what else we’re up to.

The first week of our inaugural BNM Top 20 of 2022 series presented by Steve Stone Voiceovers comes to an end with a look at the News/Talk radio format’s top program directors. Next week we wrap up the entire series with a look at the top News/Talk stations and Original Digital Shows. Those get revealed on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a big announcement from Barrett Media President Jason Barrett on Wednesday.

If this is your first time checking out our website and you missed the prior announcements, be sure to get caught up on the top National Shows, Major  and Mid Market Morning Shows, Major and Mid Market midday shows, and Major and Mid Market Afternoon Shows. The results represent the collective input shared by 44 radio industry programmers and executives from 15 companies in 36 cities. We thank them for making time to be part of this process.

The seven categories we’re examining during this year’s series include the industry’s top national and original digital shows, the best morning, midday and afternoon shows, and the top stations and programmers in both Major (#1-#20) and Mid-Sized (#21-Below) markets. We separate large and mid-sized cities since the opportunities and challenges they face are different. Not included in our lists are NPR brands and shows. Maybe down the line we’ll change that or add an extra category but for now, terrestrial outlets are our main focus.

For those who are unaware, the News/Talk radio format is offered on over two thousand stations. The only larger format is country. We try our best to make sure the top shows, hosts, programmers and brands from the News/Talk world are listed for voting consideration on our ballots but we also allow room for our voters to add nominees if for some reason someone isn’t listed. Additionally, though we triple check everything before publishing the lists and hope to present a perfect layout, sometimes mistakes happen. If you notice an error, please let us know. We want to shine the light on the format’s best brands and shows in a way that makes them feel proud to be recognized, not frustrated by an incorrect detail.

As it pertains to the voting, here are a few things to be aware of.

#1 – Our executive voters were asked to pick their Top 20 selections for each category based on a few key factors; quality of show (ear test), originality, ability to entertain-inform-connect across multiple platforms, ratings success, clearance (national shows) and industry buzz. Remember, our voters live in different cities, have different tastes, work for different groups, and value certain factors higher than others. This isn’t a perfect system but it’s the best one we’ve been able to create to showcase the industry’s best. Having done this for seven years for the sports talk format, we’re going to stick with it until another approach makes more sense.

#2 – Our executive panel consists of program directors and corporate executives from a number of top broadcasting companies including Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Beasley, Hubbard, Good Karma Brands, Cox Media Group, Radio One, Alpha, Bonneville, FOX News Radio, Hearst, Federated Media, Zimmer Communications, and Westwood One. We involve a large number of people in order to receive feedback from all parts of the country, and to avoid the results heavily favoring one company.

#3 – A total of 40 program directors appeared on ballots turned in by our executive panel.

Which brings us to today’s category – Major Market News/Talk Program Directors. The men and women charged with guiding America’s top brands and personalities may earn respect and admiration inside the hallways of their respective employers but far too often they fly under the radar in the public eye. So, we’re changing that. One thing to address in advance, some of these folks may hold titles such as Vice President of News/Talk, Director of Operations, etc.. Rather than making it complicated, we’re sticking with Program Directors since they all play key roles in managing programming departments.

Our winner in this category is KFI’s Robin Bertolucci. Robin’s leadership of KFI has helped the Los Angeles brand become one of iHeart’s top stations for billing, streaming, and radio listening. This week alone, KFI has finished 1st in every single category of the BNM Top 20 of 2022. That’s a testament to the great work she and her team deliver on a consistent basis. BNM congratulates Robin on a well deserved honor, as well as every other brand leader who earned a spot on this year’s list.

Now, here are the full results of “BNM’s Top 20 Major Market News/Talk Program Directors of 2022!”

Additional Notes:

• Robin Bertolucci won this category by 39 points ahead of WTOP’s Julie Ziegler. Robin also received the most first place votes with ten (10).
• Spots 21-25 belonged to Bryan Buckalew, Kristina Koppeser, Chuck Tyler, Dave Tepper and John Mamola.
• We had our first tie in this year’s series. It was for 20th place between Greg Stocker and Stephanie Tichenor. Additionally, the race for spots 7-9 was very tight. Bruce Collins, Grace Blazer and Tom Cuddy were all separated by one (1) point.
• Of the 40 programmers to earn votes from our panel, eight (8) received at least one 1st place vote.

Here is the remaining schedule for the BNM Top 20 of 2022.

• Monday December 19 = The Top 20 Major/Mid Market N/T Radio Stations of 2022
• Tuesday December 20 = The Top 20 Original N/T Digital Shows of 2022

A reminder, BNM will have a big announcement following the Top 20 series on Wednesday December 21st. Make sure to visit the website that day to learn what else we’re up to.