In December, I announced plans to host our first BNM Summit at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN on September 13-14. I didn’t share many details at that time because we were nine months out from the event taking place, and we had a sports summit at USC in Los Angeles coming up in March. Fortunately, the sports conference went well, and once it was over, it was time to start laying the groundwork for our first BNM Summit.

Since then, our Director of Strategic Partnerships Stephanie Eads has traveled to Nashville, the NAB in Las Vegas, and spent hours on the phone talking to potential partners. I’ve been busy as well talking to folks across the format about speaking at the show. In the weeks and months ahead, I’m sure my phone, email and direct messages will get an even more intense workout as speaker interest tends to rise rapidly after we make an announcement.

I knew when we decided to take this plunge that there’d be folks in the news/talk format wondering if we can pull it off. I recognize that my work in sports media is what I’m known for most. Though I’m proud of my sports radio programming career and what we’ve done with BSM, I wouldn’t run this event if I was not committed, interested, and confident in my ability to help news/talk media professionals. I also wouldn’t have launched and continue to invest in Barrett News Media if it wasn’t a long-term priority. You may know me more for sports media today, but I’m 49, and over the next decade, I’m on a mission to make sure the Barrett brands are well known across the news media and sports media industry.

If you’ve attended one of our sports conferences before, then you’re aware of what to expect at this show. If you haven’t had a chance to join us, let me explain what you’re in for.

Our Summit’s are created to bring together news/talk media professionals from all areas of the business to share knowledge, examine key issues, build and strengthen relationships, highlight and introduce brands and individuals, and explore ways to improve and increase business. We cover a wide range of issues on local and national programming, content creation, ratings strategy, revenue management, advertiser demand, social media, audience behavior, podcasting, opportunities in technology, diversity, money making events, and more. To learn more about the conference, visit and bookmark BNMSummit.com.

As cool as it is having a bunch of talented, successful people in the room, if we can’t deliver information to help people improve their brands and businesses, it doesn’t last. It’s why I obsess over everything we put on stage. I realize industry folks hate leaving the office, so if you’re making the commitment to spend two days with us in Nashville away from your normal surroundings, I want to make sure it’s worth it.

And that brings me to our first announcement for the upcoming 2023 BNM Summit.

I am very excited to reveal the first seven speakers for our show. It is an honor to welcome FOX News contributor and the host of Outkick’s Tomi Lahren is Fearless Tomi Lahren, Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Blaze TV’s Fearless Jason Whitlock, COX Media Group and Compass Media Networks syndicated talk radio host Erick Erickson, Super Talk 99.7 WTN morning host and PD Dan Mandis, WIBC morning man Tony Katz, 95.5 WSB Program Director Ken Charles, and nationally recognized voice talent Jim Cutler to the 2023 BNM Summit.

What I love about this group is that they each bring unique experiences to the Summit. If you’re looking to learn how to create engaging digital content, build a strong social media following, and deliver thought provoking opinions that create additional conversation, few do it better than Tomi and Jason. If you wish to learn what it takes to program news/talk brands on a local level and thrive without a big national presence, Dan Mandis and Ken Charles have answers for you. If you seek insight on owning a local market and riding that success into syndication, Erick Erickson and Tony Katz know how to do it. And when it comes to using imaging to enhance brands, nobody explains it better than Jim Cutler.

To avoid any confusion, the Summit is not open to the public, only to members of the media industry. We also don’t cater to one party over another. If you’re a CEO, GM, executive, media buyer, advertiser, PD, host, salesperson, digital leader, producer, researcher or ratings analyst, and you have information and knowledge to share to help folks in the room get smarter and grow their business, that’s what matters. The more we open our minds to different approaches, and take advantage of in person conversations, the better off we all are.

Media professionals looking to attend the BNM Summit will be pleased to learn that tickets to the two-day show are only $224.99. However, to celebrate our first show announcement, I’m discounting tickets for the entire month of May to $174.99. The price will increase on June 1st so please take advantage of the savings while it lasts by clicking here.

If you’re traveling to Nashville and trying to figure out where to stay, you’re in luck. There are multiple hotels near Vanderbilt University’s Student Life Center (the location of our event). To help keep costs down, BNM has teamed up with Homewood Suites by Hilton to offer a special nightly rate of just $179.99. The hotel is three tenths of a mile away from the conference, and if you don’t prefer walking, a shuttle is available to take you to and from the event. Other nearby options include the Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, and Courtyard by Marriott.

I will have more speakers to announce in the near future, including a few who we’ve already secured for the show. I could have hit you with everything all at once today, but what’s the fun in that? I prefer building suspense through a series of announcements, so stay tuned. There will also be details in the near future about our After Party, and a few other items we’re working on so please keep an eye on the conference website.

Before I wrap this up, those looking to associate their company or brand with this event are encouraged to email Stephanie Eads for information on sponsorship opportunities. A full deck is available and she can share what is and isn’t available. Those looking to explore speaking opportunities can reach me here. Though I look at every request, please understand that I won’t be able to take care of everyone who asks to participate.

Come September, we plan to have a star studded lineup, top notch agenda, and a few hundred media professionals gathering in Nashville to explore ways to improve the business. I look forward to seeing you there, and appreciate all of you who are taking time to speak and attend.