The Jacobs Media Blog

A bold new TV campaign for a British radio station leans heavily into the smart speaker opportunity. But that’s not the only thing innovative about it. This is a radio station whose parent company is investing in television marketing. For broadcast radio, it doesn’t get much bolder than that.

Today is one of those “good news / bad news” days on JacoBLOG. The bad news is that being a “news junkie” these days can be harmful to your health. The good news is that for music stations, it can be a great motivation to tune in and escape. Today’s post breaks down new research, including just released PRTS 2022 data, to help you make sense of the situation. That’s the good news.

If you’ve every mistranslated Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” lyric into “S’cuse me while I kiss this guy,” this Friday blog post is for you.

Media personalities come and go, but today’s blog post stories of a greying anchorwoman who lost her gig and a twentysomething former night jock who only wants to entertain on the radio airwaves will open your eyes. These stories that have sprouted up around the 25-54 year-old margins speak volumes about how talented personalities are trying to navigate an increasingly difficult space. I know you’ll have thoughts on these fascinating broadcasting tales.

One of the hardest positioning feats many of us face is changing the entrenched perceptions owned by a tired, old brand – especially when the negatives outnumber the good deeds. But the tools are there for the taking, especially in the social space. And smart brands are developing social strategies that can successfully change hearts and minds. Radio, are you listening?

A new term gaining popularity in workplace circles is “quiet quitting.” For some, it’s the quiet pursuit of that elusive work-live balance. For others, it’s playing the delay game on a boring or bad paying job as an unhappy employee seeks greener pastures. But what about radio? Who are the “quiet quitters” and is anybody serious about attaining a work-live balance? Keep reading.

If you work in radio for a station that plays (or played) new music, you likely know how arduous it’s become finding new hits to play. And if you’ve seen a music test lately, odds are those song scores aren’t what they used to be. A new analysis by a UK research firm may have uncovered some of the key variables that define the new music landscape.

The big story in the social space these past couple of years has been the astonishing runup of TikTok, stealing legions of teens away from establishment players like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumbler. Today’s blog post is an exercise in strategic warfare and what to do when your brand is disrupted. Do you simply copy your new competitor or is there a more effective way of doing battle. Get out your white boards, and let’s start drawing up plays. Because radio programmers and strategists can learn from the missteps of the big boys and girls.

Today marks the opening of Podcast Movement in Dallas – a time when thousands in the podcasting community commune with each other. But what is the current state of the podcasting platform, and what are we learning about where the medium is headed? Thanks to brand new research data, I’ve got valuable new insights from our Public Radio Techsurvey 2022 as well as AQ4, our air personality study you might find surprising.

The art of radio play-by-play is being threatened by sports franchises looking to cut expenses. This time, it’s the Portland Trail Blazers, looking to save money on their broadcasts by not sending their play-by-play teams on the road. And what does it say when radio broadcasters themselves put less value on their air talent during RIFs?

For a heritage brand, staying the course can turn out to be a dangerous path. Like the so-called “prevent defense” in football, it always seems to allow the other side to put up some points. That why Disney’s moves this year have been worth the price of admission. They’ve rolled the dice, butted heads with a rising political figure, and even started running R-rated content on their video streaming platform. For heritage radio brands, it’s a great object lesson.