About Paragon

Paragon was co-founded in 1988 by CEO Mike Henry. Initially called “Paragon Research,” the original focus was purely research for radio stations and the radio industry in general. Since that time, our industry focus has broadened to encompass all media, and our services have broadened to a heavier emphasis on strategic planning and consulting supported by research. The evolution was completed in 2001, when our name changed to “Paragon Media Strategies” to best reflect our broader media activities.

“ With some clients spanning the entire 20+ years of existence, Paragon is regarded as one of the premier media research and consulting companies in North America. ”

The genesis of Paragon dates back to 1980 with the formation of Surrey Research, one of America’s very first radio research companies. Surrey Research was a division of Surrey Broadcasting, which was headed by Paragon’s current President of the Research Division, John Stevens. Mike joined Surrey in 1985.

In 1988, Surrey Research folded operations when Mike and others from there co-founded Paragon Research. Mike Reid joined Paragon in 1989. In 1993, Mike Henry was named President, and in 1995 Paragon added media research specialist Larry Johnson. From 1988 until 2001, Paragon operated independently as a division of Susquehanna Radio Corp. under a limited partnership with the owner/operators at Paragon. During this period ownership shifted toward the management team at Paragon, and in 2001 the transition was completed when Paragon departed the umbrella of Susquehanna. The name change to Paragon Media Strategies anointed our independence as a completely independent company solely owned and operated by Mike and its employees.

Since 1985, Mike and the staff at Paragon have conducted massive amounts of media research and created strategy for literally hundreds, if not thousands, of media operations.

While many competitors, some much larger than us, have come and gone, Paragon has survived and thrived through an intense period of media consolidation. Paragon’s unyielding focus on audience-driven strategy has served us, and our clients, very well. During our entire existence, Paragon has been a vocal participant in media discussion and is well known for its national research studies that spotlight topical issues of concern to all of media and its audiences.

Paragon has been based in Denver, Colorado, since its inception. Most Paragon employees are based in the Denver office, although several telecommute from other cities. The staff at Paragon is part of our family, with the average tenure being eight years. Over the past five years, there has been no staff turnover and only new additions to the growing team of media professionals. Paragon clients know our staff well for their friendly service and unyielding attention to detail.