The Jacobs Media Blog

It may be every on-air radio personality’s worst nightmare. No, not the “dead air” dream. When it occurs, this one can be a problem that sometimes turns into a threatening, toxic situation. Today’s post is about the unbalanced listeners who become stalkers and their impact on innocent talent and stations themselves.

Many business have been disrupted by COVID. But local auto dealers have been especially challenged by the onslaught of online car sellers like Carvana. Local radio broadcasters can be the conduits to help hometown car dealers get their mojo back.

Local broadcast radio has a distinct advantage – being in the moment and connecting with an audience on an emotional level. That’s been especially the case since the onset of COVID. In today’s post, a renowned marketer opens his exclusive playbook to share the concept of creating “empathy@scale” – a quality that helps a brand stand apart. It’s a brilliant approach and I’m glad to share it with you.

News/Talk radio – commercial and public – has enjoyed the “Trump Bump.” But with a change in the White House, are we beginning to see a ratings “Trump Slump?” Or worse, a “Trump Dump?” As we reach a turning point, today’s blog post focuses on radio in 2021, and where it’s headed in content and in the ratings.

With more than 2 million podcasts now in existence, it would seem to be a stretch for someone to come up with a concept that hasn’t been done before. So, leave it to the wizards at IKEA, the famous Swedish retailer, to create a podcast that is truly original, unlike anything you’ve heard before. And it could inspire a whole new genre of podcasts, another signal the audio renaissance is the real deal. I’ve got a great example of this innovative effort so you can check it out for yourself.

At one point or another, we all get asked “the question.”
Would you advise a high school kid to pursue a career in radio? Of course, it’s complicated. But this week, a retirement was announced – the end of a 45 year radio career. You may not know this guy, but after you read his career recap, you’ll feel like you do. And you might have a better answer to “the question.”

Thanks to all those advancements in technology, we all have social media and email “blasts” at our disposal, designed to reach tens of thousands of consumers with a single keystroke or click of a mouse. But when it comes down to how a radio station can truly impact its audience in a meaningful, attention-getting way, a very analog form of communication may be making a comeback. And all it will cost you is a little time and some postage.

The world is changing, and so is the audience. And for radio stations and companies reinvesting in their brands by commissioning audience research, what are the new protocols. The same old questions will yield the same old answers. To truly gain insights, we may have to do something we haven’t done in a while: listen to our listeners.

2020’s roller coaster ride presented challenges for every radio station, trying to navigate the disruption. And while most suffered losses, research indicates that for those who stayed tune, their connection to their P1 station actually grew. Today’s post will show you how we measure loyalty, and how every radio station can leverage this engagement in the new year.

2020 was a tough year for radio, right? That’s the conventional wisdom, based on lower listening levels and the resultant hit in sales. But public radio’s metrics guru cuts the data differently than anyone else, and his take is not only encouraging, but also goes a long way toward explaining where we are – and where we might be headed in the entertainment and information landscapes. I think you’ll find it an eye-opener.

The music industry landscape is always fertile ground for great stories. In today’s post, I’ve put together a trio of great stories you might find unbelievable. The effects of heavy metal, an interactive music map of the U.S., and a strong opinion about the future of rock from one of its most visuals. Hopefully, it’s a great start to the weekend. Thanks for reading it.

You all know what today is – the first anniversary of the COVID crisis. It’s the perfect time to look back – and look ahead – at the pandemic and what it means to radio – and all of us. We’ve identified 12 impacts of COVID. Chances are, they’re part of your experience, too.

In Q4, it was an avalanche of political ad spending that helped 2020 finish on a high note. And now in the new year, we’re seeing signs there could be a revenue tsunami from two vices – weed and wagering. For today’s guest blog post, I hand the keyboard over to Paul Jacobs for a look at how radio companies are already defining their business models as we move into what we hope will be the Roaring 2020s.

When a radio station gets painted with the “too much talk” image, it can present a problem. In a PPM market, it can be fatal. And now a new research study reveals that most conversations run too long. What, if anything, can radio programmers and talent learn about how much talk is too much talk? We try to uncover the answers in today’s blog post.

These days, we’re hearing more and more people decrying the state of new music. In fact, some of them are actual successful musicians, lamenting the lack of great new songs and a dearth of emerging artists. Music, of course, is objective, and today’s blog – OK, rant – may inspire you to leave a pithy or even angry comment. But a little dialogue about the state of new music is a good thing. Better than arguing about Mr./Mrs. Potato Head, Dr. Seuss, and Neanderthals.

Since the start of the pandemic nearly one year ago, one of the oddest Internet trends has involved the comeback of memes. They’ve been around since “dancing babies” but in 2020, they became the foundation of much social media humor. Now, brands are jumping on the meme bandwagon. And when you look at their work, it’s not hard to visualize how great radio stations can seize the meme moment.

Recently, iHeartMedia announced an important restructuring of its entire operations. The move raises the same question at every legacy media company, big and small: how will you balance today and tomorrow? For clues, we look at what’s going on at ViacomCBS, and the launch of Paramount+.

Kelsey Grammer announced he will return for a third iteration of his hit show “Frasier.” The question is whether the neurotic shrink will return to dispense advice on the broadcast radio airwaves. That would be a win-win for radio, as well as “Frasier’s” new team of writers, now loaded with a cornucopia of juicy plot lines about how Frasier navigates radio in 2021.