By now, we all know about vinyl’s comeback. Consumers are buying physical records again, and the music industry is vibratiig with the renewed sales of albums. The most innovative of the music makers are leaning into their most fanatical fans – the collectors who have to own every vinyl variant they can get their hands on from their favorite artists. Colored vinyl, picture discs, and other innovations are changing the economics of the music game. Can radio benefit from this phenomenon? Click on “READ MORE” to check it out.
Read MorejacoBLOG
Our founder, Fred Jacobs, discusses the issues facing broadcasters today.
Hey Radio, Are You Ready For An NFL Bake Off?
Imagine a 4-minute playoff that would pit all 32 NFL teams against each other in head-to-head combat. Well, that happened last week – but not on any football field. Instead, every NFL team competed hard on social media to produce the funniest, cleverest, and most viral video short to highlight the 2024-25 schedule. It’s a case study in creativity, celebrity, and humor. And there are great lessons here for radio stations and their personality shows. Are you ready for the “2024 NFL Schedule Debut Bake-Off?”
Read MoreLet’s Eat Somewhere Else
The restaurant business is littered with eateries that started with great promise, only to fizzle out. Kind of like radio station formats. For today’s blog, it’s a look at consumer food products and the lengths they now go to in order to stand out and grab attention – without compromising the essence of their brands. I hope that deep into my many analogies, you’ll walk away with a different way to think about the radio stations you program and market.
Read MoreThe Most Strategic Marketing You Can Do For Your Station Right Now? Promote Your App!
As research budgets continue to dwindle, broadcasters should recognize just how much free data is available. That’s what our Techsurveys have been all about over the past 20 years. And now a new research study focused on female radio consumers is out, and it’s loaded with timely and actionable insights. One of its conclusions? Radio could do a much better job with its mobile app efforts. That’s the topic of today’s blog post, along with some easy and free techniques any station can use to market its app.
Read MorePulling The Plug On A Radio Brand
What makes a legendary radio station? Is it about how many Marconi and Crystal statues it manages to snag? Is it about how much cash flowed during its lifetime? Or is it more about longevity and whether it stayed with its original format throughout its radio lifetime? That’s the topic of today’s #TBT blog post where the center of attention is a long-running radio station whose plug got pulled five years ago in 2019. You know the call letters, but can we consider this station an iconic radio brand?
Read MoreFour Words You Never Hear On The Radio Anymore: “Stick It And Win!”
Like the cart machine and splicing block, bumper stickers are part of radio’s past. But there was a time when they were an integral part of station marketing. Now, one of the biggest brands in the world appears to be cancelling its free sticker policy. And you have to wonder what effect that decision may have on the company popularity and customer passion.
Read MoreFixing Starbucks, Fixing Radio
In their most recent earnings call, Starbucks experienced a rough prior quarter, which brought out the boo birds and second guessers. This time, it also brought out the company’s long running CEO, Howard Schultz. He ran the Starbucks empire for nearly 40 years, and he recently posted an “explainer” of how Startucks got itself ijnto this mess – and how to get out of it. Yes, Schultz’s story dovetails nicely into radio’s current challenges. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and click “READ MORE.”
Read MoreWelcome Back, My Friends, To The Show That Never Ends
Everyone wondered how big the boomerang effect would be on various industries mortally wounded by the pandemic: cruise ships, concert venues, and movie theaters are good examples. For the concert business, the numbers are now in, and to no one’s surprise, 2023 smashed all previous records for attendance and revenue. Our Techsurvey 2024 confirms this phenomenon, showing which formats are the most engaged, and pointing the way to how radio can take advantage of this huge opportunity in both its marketing and branding. Take your seat and check it out.
Read MoreI’ve Got A “Crush” On You
Marketing, as we once knew it, has become an endangered species at most broadcast radio stations. But don’t think having a marketing budget means guaranteed success. We often think of the New Coke debacle when we recall epic marketing disasters. Proving that even the biggest, smartest, and wealthiest companies can be victims of disastrous decisions and bad judgment, we were witness to what may become one of the worst marketing decisions of all time this week – by one of our biggest and best brands – a “crushing” defeat.
Read MoreThey Love Radio (But They Don’t Love US)
In our effort to analyze whether the word “radio” should give way to more expansive terms like “audio” or even “media,” we might want to pay attention to a growing phenomenon: more and more “amateurs” are creating their own radio stations in their workplaces, often accompanied by much joy, enthusiasm, and passion. What does this say about how consumers value the romance of “radio” but also how they feel about us broadcasters?
Read MoreWhat Is “Audience Development” Anyway?
April showers, May flowers, June PRTS. Perhaps not romantic or even memorable, but for all of us at Jacobs Media and PRPD (now known as PMCC or Public Media Content Collective), June is the month where the fieldwork begins on the biggest study of public radio in America. And this year’s effort will follow suit […]
Read More“We Have Lost The Script”
The big news story this month has been campus unrest making its way through college campuses across America. At Columbia University, its college radio station distinguished itself with stellar coverage of that school’s student protests.
Read More“Americans REALLY Love Classic Rock”
In response to questions from two readers, the Washington Post’s data department tested the appeal of 20 different formats/genres across an extensive array of national demographic groups. And in an impressive showing, one of them took top honors in 17 of 20 categories. To learn the big winner, just click on “Read More.”
Read MoreThe Auto Industry To Radio: Crank It Up!
The “AM For Every Vehicle Act” continues to make progress in D.C., no simple task given these contentious times. But hearings earlier this week had their share of fireworks and even controversy, thanks to a “crank’ idea from the auto industry. No one said it would be easy.
Read MoreHow Are Your Ratings?
The loneliest job in the radio station? Hands down, it’s the PD. Everyone in the station likes to think they’re a program director – until the book comes out. And if it’s taken a tumble, the PD is likely suffering alone. Today’s #TBT post is an homage to all those radio programmers – past and present – who are cranking out multiple music logs before holiday weekends while everyone else at the station is out the door, making out those weekend schedules, and taking complaint calls from angry listeners. Hats off to the PD.
Read MoreFirst I Look At The Purse
When the going gets tough, the tough find reveneue somewhere.
These days, radio’s directors of sales have to creatively divine money wherever they can – even in unconventional places. But when you’ve got ample audience in unpopular demographics, you’d better make the best of a challenging situation. A very popular brand you all know has launched a slick media campaign unashamedlly targetting mature adults. If they’re right, there will be important lessons here for radio broadcasters.
Read MoreRadio’s Game Theory
Playing the ratings and revenue game has become precarious for radio in 2024 – whether you work for commercial or public radio stations. In an environment where ad dollars are increasingly hard to come by and the competition seems to be expanding exponentiallly, radio organizations need innovative solutions to traditional challenges. The answer may be puzzling in more ways than one. But, of course, that’s the game we’re playing. (Click “read more” to escape from my lame puns.)
Read MoreRadio’s Perception vs. Reality Problem
The relationship between perception and reality is a very familiar one to most radio veterans. And new data from our recently released Techsurvey 2024 reveal a gap between radio’s perceived and actual weekly reach. Today’s post takes a deep dive into broadcast radio’s challenge to tell its story as the media environment gets congested with even more choices. As radio struggles to fight for listeners and ad dollars, this equation becomes more critically important.
Read More“The One Thing” About Techsurvey 2024
Yesterday’s industry presentation of Techsurvey 2024 seemed to be the right data at the right time. But to get a sense from YOU about what stood out, I asked webinar attendees to tell me their “one thing” takeaway from the study. The response was excellent, as you’ll read in today’s post.
Read MoreCan AI Create “New” Classic Rock Songs?
Technology has come a long way in recent years, but there’s no better example of its power, potential, and exploitation than AI – Artificial Intelligence. Today’s #TBT post was originally written three years ago. And even back then, the technology was being used to create Classic Rock sounding songs, mimicking dead artists. How far we’ve come.
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