Everybody wants to get into radio.  Or so it seems.

The newest entry is IBM.  Yes, International Business Machines.

And no, they’re not looking to buy radio stations.  They’ve created one of their own.  At least their employees have.

Fast Company reports a group of IBM employees – most with music or college radio chops – have created their own internal intranet radio station.

With a “daily cume” of 5,000-6,000, the station covers myriad topics related to the company and technology, and is open to any employee who wants to create a show.

Overall, IBM employs 370,000 people around the globe, so the station’s “cume rating” is still low.  But it’s only about a year  old, and probably hasn’t done any direct mail, billboards, or cash giveaways.  Kidding, of course, but the concept is fascinating because it uses the principles of radio to intimately communicate with a large, global employee base. (Although “A mainframe a day in the month of May” sounds appealing.)

Fast Company compares it to a college or community station.  Co-founded by Miroslav Azis, the station webcasts out of Austin from 9a-6p Central Time.

He describes IBM Radio as “a safe place for people to hang out, have fun, and talk with each other.”

Sounds a lot like all those campus radio stations where many of us got our starts.  And its spirit is a reminder why most of us got into radio in the first place.

Thanks to Mike Stern.

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Fred Jacobs

President & Founder at Jacobs Media

Fred Jacobs founded Jacobs Media in 1983, and quickly became known for the creation of the Classic Rock radio format.

Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.

In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.

Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.

Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.

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