The Jacobs Media Blog

  One thing about this blog – and especially after doing it consistently for 18+ years now – you meet a lot of people along the way.  Because of my writing and the topic of radio (and related things), many posts touch the heartstrings of a lot of people, whether they’re still in the game […]

A lot of research we see online that compares generations is just clickbait. And often it sets up culture skirmishes between us. Is looking at data through the generational lens still valuable? We’ve been doing it in our Techsurveys for years. But now the well-respected Pew team is questioning this analytical point of view. Is it fair and insightful to compare Boomers vs. Millennials (and other odd groupings)? We’ve got the answers.

This has been an interesting week on this blog.  Volume was markedly increased, as was the number of comments left by scores of you, not only here but on my socials.  But too bad there’s no way to measure the emotional intensity of the written word, because this week’s posts – especially Monday and Tuesday […]

Sometimes it’s just strange the way a new phrase enters your cranium – and just stays there – like the mental equivalent of an earworm.  For me, it’s been two words I keep seeing, especially on T-shirts: Be kind I know it’s nothing new, but for some reason I keep bumping into people sporting variations […]

Alpha Media broke ground last week by being the first to launch an AI DJ. In fact, they’re taking their midday personality – Ashley Z – and using RadioGPT to produce entire shows via this technology. Why are they doing it? How are they doing it? And what do they want the radio industry to know about it? Phil Becker, Dylan Salisbury, and Ashley Elzinga sat down with me in an exclusive tell-all conversation about AI and how it’s being used at Live 95.5 in Portland, Oregon. It’s an amazing story. Click here for Part 1.

Earlier this week in D.C., a large group of enthusiastic radio professionals came together to support AM radio in the car. Our sessions were called “Radio’s Road to the Future,” and one panel in particular, demonstrated AM radio’s unique ability to connect with truly diverse communities and social subsets not ordinarily reached by FM stations or other media. To get a sense for AM radio’s continued contribution, click here, and read the story of how the industry is working hard to keep AM radio standard – and free – in new cars and trucks, and both EVs and internal combustion vehicles.

Commercials suck, right? Consumers may think so, but that isn’t stopping video streamers like Netflix and Disney+ from launching lower-priced tiers that carry ads. And soon, Amazon Prime Video is slated to join them. Elon Musk is now facing the reality that Twitter will have to run more ads now that he’s hired marketing exec Linda Yaccarino. So what does that mean for commercial radio? Here’s my take.

Yesterday was one of the most rewarding days Paul and I have spent in radio. We spent the day in D.C., hosting a series of keynotes, panels, and sessions revolving around the proposed “AM Radio In Every Vehicle” Act. But this important issue is nothing new, a deja vu moment for many of us who have been concerned about radio’s place in the car for many, many years.

The A.I. drumbeat gets louder every week. Rather than be paralyzed by fear, this exciting technology presents amazing opportunities for everyone in radio – IF we’re creative and innovative enough. Today’s JacoBLOG post (written by a human BTW) offers up a list of applications, ideas, and hacks. By no means is it exhaustive, because no one has tapped into all the possibilities. That’s the beauty of it. So, think of today’s post as a start you can build on.

Now in the 40th month since the COVID outbreak, work from home is still very much a condition of employment, especially for younger members of the workforce. It continues to affect weekday routines, time spent in the car, and by extension, radio listening. This year in Techsurvey we added questions to make understanding WFH and its implications easier for broadcasters to make out strategies and tactics. Here’s how we put it together.

Remember the old Internet game, “HOT or NOT?” It swept the web twenty years ago, a chance for millions to rate the looks of random people online. For today’s post, we dust off HOT or NOT, and relaunch “the radio version” of the game. Is radio HOT – or NOT?

Last week’s post about Wolfman Jack and the spirit and energy who brought to radio stirred the passions in many of you. But one commenter on this blog put it all together. And without his permission, I’m using his message as the jumping off point for today’s conversation. The weather’s warming up, the sun’s out, and there’s a spirit of innovation in the air. Let’s jump into the sandbox to see what we can create.

With each passing week, radio broadcasters are learning about A.I. technology, and its ability to rapidly transform the industry. While every business and industry will no doubt be impacted, radio appears to be especially susceptible to the promise, the potential, AND the perils of A.I. What are the implications of its widespread use – on the sound of existing stations, on the way talent adjusts to the technology, and to end users of the medium – that is, the audience?