Ask anyone about the newspaper business these days, and they’ll tell you it’s about over. Circulation numbers are falling fast, young people don’t bother reading them, classified ads are moving to the Internet, and the entire model is breaking down.
But if that’s the case, how come business morons like Jack Welch, David Geffen, and Eli Broad are all in the process of reportedly putting deals together to buy losers like the Boston Globe and the LA Times?
What do these billionaires know that insiders in the newspaper industry don’t? And as Larry Grimes, a newspaper broker notes, "There are banks waiting in line to back these guys."
Old media may be down, but big brands and old habits die hard. If Jack Welch and guys like him can find a way to breathe life into these troubled media outlets, there are creative paths that will work for radio, too.
This is yet another reason why it’s important for our business to incorporate new thinking into an old industry. While today’s modern day radio companies are much different than in the past, it is essentially the same people running them. Just like the newspaper business.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Media And Technology In 2025: Believe It Or Not! - April 18, 2025
- In Radio, You Just Never Know - April 17, 2025
- The Secret To Making A Great Podcast (And Great Radio) - April 16, 2025
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