Last Friday’s post about Steve Jobs’ “take” on radio back in 1983 was an eye-opener for me – and apparently, many of you. Even though the medium has been an integral part of American media, culture, and society for a century now, many of us see broadcast radio through a different lens or spectrum.
And that makes sense, whether you’re a consumer, a radio professional (currently or in the past), or a government worker for agencies like the FCC, FEMA, or the Federal Election Commission. Chances are, we all view radio differently.
The good news is that JacoBLOG was not banned over the weekend. We’re still publishing – and thriving, thank you – and we’re on holiday Monday as we honor MLK Day, the first three-day weekend of 2025.
Consequently, today’s post won’t be a heavy lift. In fact, I’ve appropriated the gist of it from a story Mike Stern recently sent me from the Content Marketing Institute:
“What’s Your Word for 2025?”
For his “Rose Colored Glasses” column, Robert Rose came up with the idea to sum up the new year in just ONE WORD. Given how complicated our world is, I find the exercise to be both appealing and also something of a conundrum.
For 2024, he chose “imaginative.” I thought it through, and came up with “challenging.” I’m sure your interpretation of the year just ended would be highly dependent on your individual experience: personally, professionally, or based on other criteria.
And that’s the point. We can all look at the same thing and see it very differently. Steve Jobs didn’t view radio back in the early ’80s the same way most of us working in the industry did, especially at that time.
So, what’s your unique “take” on broadcast radio in 2025? In a word, how would you describe these next 11+ months? What’s the state of radio in 2025 – in just one word? 
Are you bullish or bearish? Will it be a memorable year or more of the same? Are you a glass-half-empty or a glass-half-full person when it comes to the state of the radio broadcasting industry this year?
Use the “comments” section below to leave your one-word thought about radio in 2025, and I promise, no attribution will be made. My plan is to just tabulate responses – not name names. And please forward this post to friends and colleagues in or now out of the business so we get as many responses as possible.
You can also use my Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky pages as well – @fnjacobs.
Or if you’d like to keep it just between you and me, shoot me an email here, and use WORD in the subject box.
If the response is good, I’ll create a word cloud that depicts the overall tone and attitude that defines “broadcast radio” in 2025.
So, what’s the word?
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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Governmental
Quicksand
LOCAL
TELL YOUR FRIENDS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR COVERAGE AREA.
Community
Signify
– So much of radio is just going through the paces. We used to make a difference and have a purpose (other than a place to put content between commercials). We can be something more significant than a signal. We have the ability to bring people together–to help shape and tell the story of the community we serve. We can frame and re-frame the story. We can create the narrative. We can give people the talking points to their lives. We can uplift humanity and move society forward. We can be there, in the moment, in the past, and in the future. We should do more of that – especially on the music stations – they can be so much more than a jukebox. People don’t tune out because of talk. They tune out from meaningless talk. Say something that matters, or don’t say anything at all
Great word and an even better explanation, Les. Thanks for engaging with this.
Struggling
Searching
Dependent
Community
UNCERTAIN
Maintaining.
We don’t know for certain what challenges we face — especially at the FCC — but it’s going to be a bumpy next four years and we have to be able to hang on for dear life as best we can.
Indispensable
Unfocused
Rejuvenate
(Trying to think positive!)
Beleaguered
Tenacious.
After 100 years, we’re still here.
Survivors
Winners
Relevance
DOOMED!
Unless the a maga-corporations that own many of the biggest radio stations, realize that what Kipper McGee said in 2020 will, in fact, come true. His quote “IF RADIO DIES, IT’LL BE RULED A SUICIDE.”
Let’s put the F-word “FUN” back into what comes outta the speaker!
Hopeful.
Self-realizing
irrelevant