The Jacobs Media Blog

Memes and animated GIFs are everywhere in the social space. Usually, they center on celebrities, politicians, musicians, and other famous folks. But rarely are they about radio. Until now.

Whether the topic is “deregulation” or we shorten it to just “regulation,” opinions throughout the media, tech, and entertainment worlds are numerous and highly charged. In just the past few weeks the subject of whether the government should get involved – or get out of the way – has been at the epicenter of media conversations – all the way to the FCC.

An appearance by teen singer/songwriter sensation, Billie Eilish on Jimmy Kimmel’s show the other night turned into an internet generational dust-up. The 17 year-old didn’t know who Van Halen was, starting a web “controversy” once again pitting Gen Zers against older generations. Obviously, we need some perspective, and so to the rescue is former Jacobs consultant, Keith Cunningham who has always been on the cutting edge of music trends. Or so he thought.

Minor league baseball – small market radio. The analogies are endless. But there’s a Class D team in Savannah, Georgia that’s making global waves because of its “Fans First” philosophy. Today’s post lays out 10 lesson to learn from the Savannah Bananas and their enigmatic owner, Jesse Cole, whether you’re in Dallas or Decatur. You’ll want to take notes.

Today’s blog post has a simple theme. It’s about how an empty chair in a meeting can help you discover your station’s “cultural truth.” Starting with Amazon, a “Fans First” philosophy is being employed by more and more brands in an effort to realign marketing with the audience’s existing beliefs – about your station, and maybe about radio, too.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, today we’re reprising a post from 2017 in honor of “WKRP In Cincinnati,” a TV sitcom about radio. Aside from being a great parody of the radio business, the show featured one of the great sitcom episodes of all time about a Thanksgiving promotion gone very wrong. Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving (here in the U.S.), and whatever you do, don’t copy this promotion.

Amazon’s new HD music streaming platform is a shot across Spotify’s bow. It’s now a drag race to capture the biggest share of Generation Z music subscribers. But when you look at the first TV commercial in their marketing campaign, you may be a bit surprised to see which musical icon they chose.

The announcement Mayor Michael Bloomberg is spending $30 million on political ads to launch his Presidential campaign. The bad news is that broadcast television is the lucky recipient of this windfall. Radio? Missing in action. There are reasons why broadcast radio is too often an afterthought, despite being the king of all audio media. Today’s post asks some tough questions about radio’s perceptions – among both the audience and advertisers.

It’s been said that consumers today have the attention span of a goldfish. In reality, most have simply become more discriminating about the content they let into their lives. Today’s post talks about how audio content creators must focus not just on their content, but the time it takes to get to it. Whether you’re programming a radio station or producing a podcast, the changing consumer mindset is of importance to your success.

Classic Rock meets Augmented Reality in a clever new piece of software to celebrate another Queen milestone. If you’ve ever tried your hand – or vocal chords – at karaoke, the “Freddie Meter” will bring a smile to your face and remind you why technology can provide amazing new music experiences.

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, the company culture has never been more important. In fact, consultants Cognizant believe it may the whole thing. Today’s blog post is a reminder of the degree of difficulty of pulling off sweeping new initiatives, as we recently saw with Disney+.

Many in radio are paranoid about an impending economic recession. But sometimes there are unintended consequences, even in a financial downturn. Radio may have a distinct advantage over its digital competitors, especially when the going gets tough.

A trip to Iowa this month reveals a slew of candidates throwing a lot of money and much effort at winning those caucuses in February. But the new leader in the polls – a virtual unknown – the mayor of Indiana’s fourth largest city – has taken a different approach to campaigning. Mayor Pete is using a strong ground game, and more street teamers than his competitors. Is there an analogy to local radio? You get there is. Do I have your vote?

It’s that time of year – not just holiday music on the airwaves – but staffing realignments, budget cutbacks, reductions in force. In other words, the departures are piling up again this year, and the impact on those who still have their jobs can be considerable. Despite this difficult topic, today’s blog post shows how departing employees and managers can exercise class and go out the door with important and constructive messages to their fellow staffers, despite their obvious disappointment.

Today’s post follows up on two recent stories JacoBLOG covered – the perils of launching a new company logo and the “OK boomer” phenomenon. We’ve got some great, funny, and cringe-worthy responses to both of these posts. And of course, you always have the opportunity to throw in your 2-cents.