Our founder, Fred Jacobs, offers insights into the latest trends in broadcasting and digital media.

Hey Twitter, Gotta Go
There are momentous things happening in radio this time of year. But today’s blog post is about a more trivial matter that won’t make a ripple anywhere. After considerable thought, I deactivated my Twitter account last night. Holy Lori Lewis! But of course, there’s a reason, and it opens up a can or two of worms. So, now that I’ve hooked you, here’s my story and why I’ll be using different platforms in which to engage with you socially. I’ll miss tweeting with you, but it was time to say, “Gotta go!”
Read MoreKicking Ryan Seacrest’s Butt
And the RIFs just keep on comin’. Last week, the largest radio company in the U.S., iHeartMedia, held its earnings call for the Wall Street investment community, explaining the past quarter’s performance. But the highlight of the call was Bob Pittman’s forecast for 2025…and beyond. What are the implications of his plan, and what can talent – or anyone else working in radio – do to better position themselves for an unpredictable, challenging future?
Read MoreGet Short(y)
As media content options expand exponentially while attention spans shrink, the creative class is grappling with the best ways in which to present entertainment and information. In radio, most stations have played “The PPM Game” for more than a decade. And that dedication to keeping content short, concise, but entertaining is becoming part of a much larger, multi-platform trend. Long story short, keep it short.
Read MoreRadio’s Cultural Challenge
You’ve no doubt heard the phrase “Content eats strategy for breakfast.” It underscores the importance of making sure everyone in your radio company – from the CEO to the receptionist – is on the same page. And as broadcasters hustle to implement change and new digital initiatives, company culture has never been more important. Today’s #TBT blog post is a reminder of the degree of difficulty of pulling this off especially in today’s ultra-competitive business environment.
Read MoreThe Most Challenging Media Job In America?
What kind of qualities are radio companies prioritizing in program directors at a time when the industry is shrinking and consolidating these positions? What skills and sensibilities are most important today? Sometimes, we can learn more about our business when we step away from it. That’s what today’s blog post focuses on: a brand manager, showrunner, PD, but in actuality, her title is editor-in-chief of a magazine. And she can teach us a thing or two about radio.
Read MoreFor Radio, The Eyes Have It
In a world of exponentially more audio competition – podcasts, streaming services, satellite radio – how can a broadcast radio brand stand out, get noticed, and make a positive impression? It’s an important question many brands are grappling with in a radio industry struggling to remain visible and relevant. In today’s post, let me pose a possible pathway, albeit for a limited number of players who wish to make their mark and aren’t afraid to go in a different direction. The path to success isn’t an easy one nor is it cheap. But there’s evidence that suggests it can work.
Read MoreRadio’s Knights Of Meh
A new opinion piece from a content marketing maven jumped out at me late last month. It poses key questions about how we’ve used tech breakthroughs to improve our product over the past 25 years or so. And now that we’re staring that freight train known as AI in the face, what have we learned earlier regarding developments about creativity and innovation? I don’t purport to have all the answers, but I can promise you today’s post contains key questions you might want to ask during your upcoming end-of-year evaluations. Happy Monday.
Read MoreApple Slices
It is hard to argue with the success of Apple these past few decades. Much of the company’s incredible track record for innovation and excellence can be traced right back to the last two CEOs – Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. You can’t find two more different leadership styles, but in today’s post, we learn important lessons about how to get better at what we do from two of the best of all time.
Read MoreAre There Zombies Lurking Around Your Radio Station?
Halloween is here, a great time to “ghoulishly” reassess your station’s brand. This morning’s #TBT post is about a “devilish” exercise that can help you determine how many “zombies” are actually lurking around your radio station – promotions, events, digital assets, and features that are neither alive nor dead, but taking up time, space, and energy. And I promise: it won’t be scary.
Read MoreHere In My Car, I Feel Safest Of All
That pending bill in front of Congress to mandate AM radios in cars may be coming into focus as the clock is ticking…LOUDLY. This has been one of those tough moments when radio broadcasters and automakers are at odds with each other, debating what is truly important and even essential in new car dashboards. Today’s blog post traces the relationship between these two storied industries, the current breakdown, and the road forward. Let’s go for a ride.
Read MoreLISSEN 2 MOR RAYDIO!
Today’s post is a continuation of a conversation we started yesterday, exploring how great brands can build on their core strength by looking for adjacent audience interests and creating content to meet changing customer needs. Whether you’re in a crowded radio market or the highly competitive fast food industry, today’s post provides strategic food for thought for radio broadcasters in search of what’s new and what’s next in the mobile space. There’s never been a better time to apply your strategic goals to your mobile program.
Read MoreWhat’s Your Station’s APPhilosophy?
What’s new and hot in the media/technology space? Certainly not mobile apps. After all, they’ve been around since the first Obama Administration. But a closer look at the data tells us that particularly among radio fans, mobile apps have become bigger and more valued than ever. What’s behind the surge, and how can any radio station reap the rewards? Just click “READ MORE” and let’s get the new week going.
Read MoreWhat’s Goin’ On (On The Radio)?
How’s your station’s “FOMO factor?” Do your P1s even know what you’re doing and is your station making use of the entire marketing arsenal available to any brand, regardless of market size, RIFs, and budget? Getting a consumer’s attention and delivering a marketing message has never been more challenging. Today’s blog post will give you plenty of food for thought.
Read MoreIs Facebook Becoming The Classic Rock Of Social Media?
During the past decade, we have learned that social networks can “age out” just like radio formats or music. Today’s #TBT post revealed how “new research” revealed that Facebook usage among teens had hit at an all-time low. But Mark Zuckerberg lost no sleep because he owned the ultimate social media “cluster.” Today’s blog post looks at cluster strategy from a whole new angle.
Read MoreDeath By 1,000 (Salary) Cuts
A tough topic in today’s blog post, but one that is the talk of the radio biz: job security and the industry’s changing economic realities. It’s a sensitive topic and one that is all around us. The trend is now raging throughout the TV business, and clearly impacting radio.
Read MoreAre You A Radio “Lifer?”
Radio has never been known as a stable career, but these days, job security is an oxymoron. And it’s just radio. Employees across the spectrum are less likely to work for the same companies before moving on to the next opportunity. What does all this mean to the overall forecast for radio as in industry? Fewer say they’ll spend the rest of their careers in radio, another factor that makes the business even shakier.
Read MoreRadio’s “October Surprise”
In a tough 2024, radio has quietly made something of a comeback this month – its version of an “October Surprise.” And when you total up some of the amazing things that have happened on the radio airwaves this month, it’s a great reminder about how impactful the medium can still be.
Read MoreIf A Magazine Can Embrace Its “Print-ness”…
Anytime I see a legacy media brand stage a comeback, I don’t just get celebratory. Or nostalgic. Instead, I dig in to try to figure out how they did it. Once such triumph recently occurred for a magazine that was first launched in 1857 – before the Civil War. The fact it’s enjoying great success in 2024, a trying time for all media – makes it worthy of our time.
Read MoreRadio’s Pre-Existing Conditions
The relative health of the radio broadcasting industry is always a hot topic and a subject of much debate. But back in October of 2020, those conversations were being overshadowed by the pandemic, an event that even back then we knew would be a game changer. Four years ago, it was a different world – but not really. I think when you take a look back with me, you’ll gain some perspective about where we are now as an industry. And even better, you won’t have to social distance or wear a mask!
Read MoreBecoming The G.O.A.T.
Watching and listening to Tom Brady try to get comfortable and learn an all new craft in the play-by-play booth is a reminder of how challenging a broadcasting career can be – even to a G.O.A.T. on the gridiron. It simply takes time to hone a new craft. As author Malcolm Gladwell prescribes, “10,000 hours of practice.” Well, look at the time!
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