The Jacobs Media Blog

Fan loyalty is a hot commodity. But how can you convert the average listener into becoming a brand evangelist for your radio stations? New insights from our Techsurvey 2021 provide the road map. And we’ve assembled marketing insights to help any station identify and grow its hardcore fans.

Life is transitory – for radio and for all of us. Maybe it took a year like 2020 to remind us that it can come and it can go – just like that. Thoughts to wrap up the week.

It’s always important to follow current radio listening trends. But the new ways in which consumers are watching TV – and how they’re increasingly paying for commercial-free content – could have an even more pronounced effect on their radio usage patterns. In today’s blog post, we have exciting new data to share that sheds much light on changing content consumption, and how radio can adapt.

In times of crisis, a culture of innovation becomes even more important. But how can the average radio cluster break through and foster that spirit while so many staffers are working from home? I consulted with one of the best market managers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with for advice, and he didn’t let me down. I think you’ll like his prescription for how any radio group can build a winning culture – even during a pandemic.

How do you buy a birthday gift for someone who seemingly has everything? That’s how it shakes out for Spotify, celebrating its 15th birthday this week. And attention radio and other audio players: the innovation just keeps on coming.

Radio programmers are always seeking to make a true emotional connection with their audience. It’s about creating “the feels” for your listeners. But how do you accurately identify precisely what that is, and how to reflect it back to your listeners? We take on that lofty challenge in today’s blog post. Warning: it is not a light read, but hopefully a conversation starter.

Technology has come a long way in recent years, but there’s no better example of its power, potential, and exploitation than AI – Artificial Intelligence. And now, that technology is being used to actually create Classic Rock songs. Today’s blog post gives you a listen, ready or not.

Conventional wisdom is often handed down like folklore – and is often just as inaccurate. Today’s JacoBLOG takes us inside the world of videogaming, where women are increasingly making their mark, upending long-held beliefs about audience targeting. It’s a cautionary tale that demographic stereotyping has become as outdated as cart machines and pagers.

Radio has done a fantastic job during the past year managing its remote presentation, sales, and administration. But what toll is WFH taking on station culture? New research reveals there is one group of workers especially vulnerable because of COVID restrictions – perhaps the most important people in determining radio’s future.

Understanding a radio station’s “chemistry” – the combination of factors that makes it successful – is a key to surviving and thriving in our highly competitive media landscape. Sixteen years after leaving terrestrial radio, Howard Stern’s legacy is for every station to discover its Brand DNA. And like a simple litmus test, it can often be learned by asking just one simple question.

Women’s History Month has come and gone, but there are big gaps in how female artists are played on the radio, as well as how women are given a fair shot at management and programming jobs inside stations and with the companies that own them. Now, a new research study reveals a surprising finding – the algorithms that are the engines of streaming platforms may be mathematically biased against female artists. Today’s blog has the story and what it means to radio.

Hopefully it’s not a trend, but more sports teams and networks are cutting costs by eliminating radio affiliates, radio play-by-play teams, or both. The newest slight is happening this season in Toronto. But the good news is that a certain Canadian rock star is making his displeasure known. If this sounds to you like something the broadcast radio industry ought to tackle this season, you’ll enjoy today’s blog post.

The best brands in the world know how to engage their audience, their region, and their life group. In today’s post, we take a leisurely drive to the Great White North to pick up social connection tips that are priceless. The coffee’s on me.

More and more, we find ourselves asking the same questions? When do we get back to “normal?” And what will “normal” look like? Today’s blog post tackles both of these questions. And as always, raising a few more. How can media executives and their teams prepare to “meet the moment” that will be be upon us before we know it?

“Live & local” isn’t just a catch-phrase. It is a bona fide strategy, available to any station in Any Market, USA. After the Year of COVID, we are looking for that bounce-back. Doubling down on your hometown isn’t just a good idea. It’s a way forward. Today’s post provides data and common sense about why it’s not too late for broadcast radio to embrace “live & local.”

In the first three months of 2021, a hot new medium emerged that everyone is talking about – or talking on. Thanks to Clubhouse, social audio is a bona fide trend, and other big players are jumping into the space. Radio broadcasters are asking lots of questions about how they might participate in this Audio Renaissance. But are they asking the right questions about how and where they can remain viable and relevant in the audio ecosphere?

In-car dashboard technology was a key trend at CES this year. Some displays are so big they’re referred to as “pillar-to-pillar,” spanning the entire width of the car’s interior. But there is one tech challenge that has eluded engineers for decades – installing a skip-free turntable in cars that will play standard vinyl records. That is, until now. .

There’s a new “Big Three” in town – Google, Facebook, and Amazon. And while they have made a powerful mark over the last decade, their COVID ad revenues are astronomical. Today’s blog post looks at the percentage of every ad dollar spent with these three companies – it’s bigger than you think. And what that means for traditional advertising media – like radio.

Ready or not, the EV revolution is here. At least that’s what the automakers are hoping. Is America ready for electric vehicles? Is radio? Today’s blog post goes down the EV path, including a bodacious company name change. No, not from Entercom – from Volkswagen.

For heritage brands, the challenge – and the opportunity – is in digital transformation. But as we’ve learned over the years, that’s easier said than done. So, I recently ran across a landmark brand that is successfully evolving, growing, and adapting. And while the example seems like an unlikely analogy to the radio business, it’s actually a great fit. Today’s post is all about 8 best practices for how heritage brands can digitally transform – and thrive.