It has already not been an easy year for American businesses. But it isn’t just the tariffs and other political issues. Many companies were struggling before we rang in the new year. And they’re trying to claw their way back, despite the headwinds of the economy. Radio companies, in particular, have been struggling whether it’s […]
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Our founder, Fred Jacobs, discusses the issues facing broadcasters today.
Radio’s New Audience Equation: Z Over Y = Trouble
Don’t look now, but that 800-pound gorilla in most radio station conference rooms has put on some weight. Yes, it’s none other than Gen Z, now representing 20% of the U.S. population, carving out a core audience segment that defies marketers and content creators alike. In radio circles, they remain an afterthought. With each passing year, they gravitate even further away from AM/FM radio. Gen Z is in the crosshairs for today’s #TBT post.
Read MoreWhat Is It With Female Robot DJs?
Today, an update on AI DJ “AI Ashley” and a blockbuster expose about a robot DJ in Australia who fooled “her” audience for months.
Read MoreWhy “Dance With Those Who Brung You” Should Be Radio’s Operating Philosophy In 2025
In yesterday’s post, it was all about a “superfans” strategy for entertainment brands. Today, we bring it home to radio and the value of a focus on “those who brung you to the dance.”
Read MoreThe Exponential Value of Nurturing Radio Superfans
Across the World Wide Web, it has become more and more valuable to focus on core fans rather than a broader group of more casual users. And now a new research study amplifies the value of “superfans,” suggesting strategies to keep them satisfied. Think about the radio listeners who remain committed to radio, its stations, and its personalities. And for public and Christian radio, add in another layer: loyal fans who also donate. It’s a different model, it deserves thought, and that’s how we’ll start the new week.
Read MoreWhat To Do If Your Radio Station Goes Through A Midlife Crisis
For a heritage radio station, there’s nothing more exhilarating AND daunting as planning for a big station birthday—the ones that end with a zero. The upside is the opportunity to remind the audience and advertisers you’ve been around a long time, but the downside is reinforcing you’re long in the tooth, doing the same things in the same way you have for decades. Fortunately, there’s a national brand now celebrating its 40th year in business. Rather than going down the tried and true path, they’re burning the playbook. Let’s look into how it’s going.
Read MoreA 2020 Lesson? It Could All Be Gone In A Flash
Life is transitory – for radio and for all of us. Maybe it took a year like 2020 to remind us that it can come and it can go – just like that. Now here we are in another “moment” – a very unsettled 2025. What can we learn from those prreviously tumultuous times?
Read MoreHow AI Can Give Radio Personalities More…PERSONALITY
Internet memes come and go, usually at a rapid pace. So, in today’s JacoBLOG, you might want to pay attention today because next week, it will be something else. AI Action Figures may be just the thing for radio personalities looking to warm things up and bring a sense of fun and whimsy to their shows and the stations they work for. Inspired by a story Chris Brunt dug up, today’s blog post takes a break from our “radio drama.” Hope you enjoy.
Read MoreCan Radio Afford To Miss The Short Videos Boat?
Everywhere you look these days, short-form videos are dominating media trends. In today’s blog, I have eye-opening new data from Techsurvey 2025 and a compelling rationale suggesting an investment in video—by radio. Seriously, here’s why.
Read MoreMedia And Technology In 2025: Believe It Or Not!
If every day feels like another chapter in “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!,” have I got a blog post for you: four media and tech stories that may seem just a tad unbelievable. Except they’re true.
Read MoreIn Radio, You Just Never Know
For all the research that’s conducted every year, we never know what will become successful in the worlds of pop culture and entertainment. That’s especially true in both the music and radio industries. Today’s #TBT post features two such stories which prove that as smart and experienced as you may be, you just never know. Or as a friend of mine in the business likes to say, “Nobody knows anything.” He’s right.
Read MoreThe Secret To Making A Great Podcast (And Great Radio)
Both the Infinite Dial and Techsurvey 2025 reports reveal strong numbers for podcasting. In fact, each study reveals that podcasts have entered the mainstream. Smart podcasting studios like Wondery are seizing the moment, and proactively marketing their companies to audiences, advertisers, and podcast creators. It turns out that many of the attributes that make podcasts popular are the very same characteristics common to great radio shows and stations. But there are some key differences, too, that are determining factors.
Read MoreI Read The (Local) News Today, Oh Boy!
Broadcast radio of all varieties finds itself under growing pressure to figure out its most advantageous place in the media hierarchy. How can it both be different and viable? Public radio stations have increasingly faced challenges to remain credible, relevant, and financially stable. Of course, there are no simple solutions, but there may be an available pathway that could solve myriad problems. That’s the basis of today’s blog post.
Read MoreRadio, Now What?
We love to have the generations debate where we argue about which demographic block has the edge, is more innovative, or simply lucked out. Whenever we have this discussion, it seems the one group that is invariably left out is Generation X. Time after time, they’re overlooked, ignored, or simply not given the credit for what they’ve accomplished. And now, it appears that technology—including AI—may be leaving them behind…again.
Read MoreThe Hazards Of Duke
Wouldn’t it be great to have a logo for your brand that millions want to buy and proudly wear? That is, until it ends up on the shirt of a less-than-desirable citizen who just might make your precious brand look bad? It recently happened on a popular TV show to one of America’s great universities. And be careful—it could happen to your radio station brand, too.
Read MoreSimply Unpredictable
In radio, we’re always predicting: formats, morning shows, song hits, ratings. But as we learn every year during the NFL Draft, no one really gets it right all the time. It’s our overconfidence—or hubris—that often fogs our decision-making process. So, let’s put your predictive powers to work. Today’s #TBT blog post tries very hard to get it right. Or wrong.
Read MoreFlush ‘Em Or Fix ‘Em? What Should Radio Do About Its Aging Brands?
Over the past week, the two big stories in radio have been the NAB and the Trump Tariffs. But a major format change in the Twin Cities has sparked lots of conversations, and today, I joined the fray.
Read MoreRadio: It’s Time To Stop Playing Small Ball
There is no bigger radio conference in the world than the NAB convention, happening this week in Las Vegas. What are broadcasters talking about? Where are the speed bumps? Where are the solutions? It all starts with conversations. And let’s hope radio is thinking BIG and talking about the right stuff.
Read MoreWhy AM/FM Radio Will Never Die
It’s NAB week for broadcasters, the annual industry gathering in Las Vegas. And it is coinciding with economic uncertainty, highlighted by plummeting stock prices and much hand-wringing. This isn’t the first time radio’s signature conference happened concurrently with an economic meltdown. If you remember the Radio Show in Austin in 2008, this year could be déjà vu all over again. And you know what? We got through that one, too. Here’s the story.
Read MoreCan Radio Win “The Last Touch/First Touch Challenge?”
The battle for dashboard primacy just got more heated. That new Quu report has a key takeaway—the “last touch/first touch challenge” in cars should generate strategic conversations in every radio company, big and small. Today’s blog post breaks it all down, and leaves you with some important action items. I hope you’ll take some time today or over the weekend to read it over and give it a think.
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