The Jacobs Media Blog

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.

We often think of career advancement as climbing the ladder of success. But a story in the Harvard Business Review explains that companies that help their talent grow their “career portfolios” have a leg up over the competition. Today’s blog post takes a deep dive into how to see, hear, and recognize radio’s air personalities in a novel way designed to produce loyalty and results.

What does it mean to be part of a community? Many complain that radio has lost its sense of community over the years, due to deregulation, a changing economy, altered commuting times, and other societal changes. But I’ve got two great examples of what it means to part of a great radio community that will remind you of why you got into the business in the first place.

2022 may break records for concert attendance and box office receipts. But who is “The King of Concerts” over the past several decades. Pollstar has now been around 40 years, and tracks this data. I’ve done a special pullout of the top 30. Did your favorite artists and groups make the cut? And who are the surprises? Click here and let’s break it down.

Today, I’m following up last week’s post about “agification.” Just how important is a Gen Z strategy for aging traditional media companies and brands? If you ask NPR, the LA Times, and Major League Baseball, they are well down the path of experimentation and innovation when it comes to teens. Do any of these old line brands have a prayer with their “next gen” strategies. Does broadcast radio?

Pop culture pundits continue to scratch their heads as the nostalgia wave permeates TV, movies, music…and of course, radio. Now, new Share of Ear data tells us the story about where radio broadcasters are right now….and where the industry is headed. It’s an important conversation I hope you’ll join.

One of the megatrends in music so far this year as been in “collabs” – the collaboration between artists to create big hits. And that’s also the case in the media world, where mergers, acquisitions, and “collabs” have become newsworthy and noteworthy. Is there a “ft.” in your company’s future?

In radio, we’re taught that “dead air” is forbidden. But there is true value in the art of just “pressing pause.”

We’re living in an era where it’s become fashionable to “double-down” on whatever wrong-headed strategy we’ve chosen for our radio stations or our companies. The very act of fessing up and admitting we screwed up is a rarity. But lately, we’re seeing responsible executives step up to the mic and take the heat. So, that’s the thrust of today’s post. I’m coming clean. Here are three things I clearly got wrong.

It seems like EVERYONE these days is chasing innovation these days – even the California State Senate. One enterprising state senator has introduced a bill that could change the way media are funded in the Golden State. That may generate a few Friday laughs from the JacoBLOG readership. But at least this creative legislator is trying to solve a big problem, especially in hs smallest media markets. And that makes you wonder, why isn’t radio working harder to solve some of ITS existential problems. Let’s start with impossibly long stopsets and mind-numbing pledge drives.