The Jacobs Media Blog

Yesterday’s post introduced us to Ford’s dynamic new CEO, Jim Farley. He runs a proud legacy company facing the changing winds of new technology, the ripple effects of the pandemic, and outside competitors in the process of redefining the auto industry. Sound familiar? Today’s follow-up takes a closer look at Farley’s plan, his management style, and his leadership. We need all the inspiration we can get.

As the economy recovers from its 2020 pandemic “hit,” companies are rapidly reassessing the state of their industries, as well as looking inward at their own progress and challenges. The automotive world didn’t stand still during COVID – far from it. Electrification, autonomous, and data are all megatrends impacting the car business – and by extension radio broadcasting. Last month, Ford’s CEO addressed his troops in a “town hall” talk, the likes of which you’ve never heard before. Today’s blog post lets us be that fly on the wall.

It’s being called the “Resignation Economy,” and it is affecting more than just baristas and wait staff. It has been a painfully stressful 20 months for radio pros, trying to keep their stations on the air and profitable during these worst of times. Today’s blog post offers some startling job stats, but more important, a look at radio’s capacity to attract and hire strong people as we head into 2022. Of course, that assumes radio is hiring.

We love to talk about those generations. But do the labels – Boomers, Millennials, etc. – get us in trouble? Or worse, lead us down the wrong strategic path. New research suggests the generational stereotypes are often inaccurate and create more friction. Yes, even in radio.

Yesterday, Facebook officially changed its name to Meta. Radio has been no stranger to rebranding efforts, including its two biggest companies. Did Mark Zuckerberg just buy some much-needed cover – or does Facebook by any other name smell just as rotten? Let’s take a look.

“Reinvent Radio” – It’s almost become a mantra at industry conferences, virtual meetups, and strategic meeting. And yet, broadcast radio – year in and year out – sounds pretty much the same. Tech companies – Spotify, Apple, Slacker – have tried their hand at radio, with scant success. But now here comes Amazon with “Project Mic,” the newest attempt to reshape a 100 year-old medium. Here’s what they’re cooking up.

It’s budget season.  For many executives, it’s an especially challenging and difficult time of the year. Will there be investments?  Will there be cuts? For much of 2022 – a year of unknowns – there are some big decisions on the table.  We know that a key call is where to invest a station’s (or […]

These past couple of posts, I’ve focused on my dashboard paranoia – where will radio be displayed in the cars of the future. And it’s complicated. But today’s post is dedicated to problem-solving. How does radio reintroduce itself to automakers? How can broadcasters best represent their interests to car makers? Here are some ideas.

In the second post of our deep dive into the dashboards of today’s cars – and those that roll off the assembly lines in the coming years – we look at the outsized influence of Elon Musk and Tesla, as well as tech giants like Apple and Google, trying to capture an even bigger chunk of the car’s “brains.” Where does that leave radio? Come along for the ride.

AM/FM radios have been “standard equipment” in cars and trucks for 90 years. So, there’s no reason to believe the storied relationship between broadcast radio and automakers is in any jeopardy, right? Lately, I’m seeing storm clouds on the horizon as the car industry faces new competition, advancing technology, electrification, and the devolving dealership model. So, what are auto execs thinking about those dashboard radios? Buckle up.