For today’s #ThrowbackThursday blog post feature, it’s a hop, skip, and a jump six years in the past to October of 2019 and a popular post from that period that elicited much feedback and comments.  

Back then, we were beginning to see the germ of a new generation gap, specifically Boomers vs. Millennials and also Gen Z. In the ensuing years, that crack between the massive Baby Boomer cohort and younger generations has become more like an abyss. In the six years since I wrote this post, we see younger people feeling even more resentment toward Boomers, as the affordability of homes, investment portfolios, and even the cost of starting a family has become prohibitive for so many.

In fact, Millennials today are considered the first generation since the 1800s to believe they’ll be worse off than their parents. That’s a sobering thought but one that frequently comes across when we discuss generational differences. 

When it comes to programming strategy, broadcast radio has missed the proverbial boat, keeping its programming and personalities apart from consumers younger than age 25. I believe this will be a much talked-about decision in future discussions, analyses, and perhaps even dissertations focused on “What happened?” to radio.  

In the meantime, enjoy this brief journey into the not-so-distant past, and the beginnings of a cultural rift between generations that is very much in-play today. – FJ

October 2019

Talk about irony.

This was the week when Dan Vallie‘s National Radio Talent System teamed up with Benztown‘s Dave “Chachi” Denes to send Saga’s Bob Lawrence and me a young Millennial to mentor for a day.

Nick Tehrani was all he was hyped up to be – a 25 year-old student at the University of Louisville, dying to get into broadcast radio.  You can bet that me and my team pulled out all the stops, including a trip to Beasley’s Detroit radio cluster, and lunch with WRIF master programmer, Mark Pennington.

And for good reason.  Yes, Nick’s a nice guy, a hard-working, smart, considerate would-be broadcaster with a lot to offer.  He’s tech-savvy, and enjoyed chatting with Beasley eSports maven, Nate Bender, about games, gaming platforms, and lots of stuff that left this aging Boomer in the dust.

As it should be.  Because the whole idea of bringing the next generation into radio buildings is new ideas, energy, ideas, and ultimately, a vision.  We need to nurture every one of these Millennials – and their Gen Z siblings and offspring – with a scintilla of interest in being on the radio (or marketing it).

In Nick’s case, he’s got his mind set on programming.  And as someone who grew up with a group of PDs under the age of 30 back in the ’70s, I’m excited about the prospect.

So, as we were pointing Nick to the Detroit airport for his return flight, a New York Times story came roaring into my email box – and that’s the irony piece.  The headline says it all:

“‘OK Boomer’ Marks the End of Friendly Generational Relations”

And the subtitle:  “Now it’s war: Gen Z has finally snapped over climate change and financial inequality.”

The fact that three of you emailed it to me is usually a message it’s a story worthy of my attention – and yours.   The phrase – “ok boomer” – has become a hashtag, and a viral phenomenon on virtually every social media platform.

While some of the entries, posts, songs, videos, and photos are downright funny, they are steeped in truth – the essence of great parody.  We laugh because we know there’s a lot there.  For years now, Boomers have had their way in the job force, in financial markets, on the golf course, the fitness studio, and just about everywhere else.

And between the changes wrought by 9/11, the Great Recession, and other political, societal, and yes, climate change, the pathway for today’s Millennials, but especially Gen Z’s, is not an easy one.

The Times’ Taylor Lorenz captures the zeitgeist of the moment perfectly, referring to “ok boomer” as the equivalent of a digital eye roll.  Finally, there’s a way for teens and twentysomething to take out their frustration in the social space – with a wink and a hard elbow to the ribs.

And they’re not wasting any time.  #OKBoomer is all over the Internet, an emotional combination of humor, vitriol, and frustration all boiled into a series of posts with a common theme.

And of course, the merch is flying fast and furious – shirts, hats, hoodies, and other “ok boomer” wearables and signage that palpably illustrate the frustration that’s been brewing for a long time now.

But perhaps this Gen Z backlash has less to do with age, and more to do with mindset.  Lorenz includes a spot-on quote in her story by 17 year-old Julitza Mitchell about the Boomer attitude responsible for this digital uprising:

“You don’t like change, you don’t understand new things especially related to technology, you don’t understand equality.  Being a boomer is just having that attitude, it can apply to whoever is bitter toward change.”

If that mini-tirade has a ring of truth because of what you see every day in your radio station, your company’s ownership, or both, we’re on parallel paths.  For too many years, broadcast radio has ignored what has now become an existential challenge that may one day threaten the industry’s health:

There has been virtually no emphasis on attracting and welcoming young generations to this medium, driven in large part to a myopic focus on adult demos dictated by advertising agencies that care less about radio’s health or well-being.  This malignant neglect is part of what has spawned “ok boomer.”

It’s not that radio veterans have no pathway of understanding of America’s youth.  Nielsen supplies the biggest 48 markets with 6+ numbers, but when was the last time you looked at that column of digits and integers?  Who cares, right?

If Gen Z is looking for a spoonful – or a 55-gallon drumful – of revenge with “ok boomer,” their frustration, grumbling, and gnashing aren’t surprising or unexpected.  As a Boomer who grew up in the “we’re not going to take it” 1960s, I’ve often wondered what’s taken so long.

I’ve been very fortunate – blessed with two Millennial-aged kids who are both in the media business – as well as an entire team of them down the hall at jacapps, our mobile apps development company. 

I’ve watched and witnessed some of the growing pains associated with the blending of the two staffs in the kitchenette and in the conference room.  I believe we’ve navigated the gap well, but it hasn’t come without several dollops of patience, understanding, and trust on both sides.

Honestly, we had no choice – but neither do you.  We couldn’t launch a tech company 11 years ago with a bunch of remnants from the Woodstock generation.  If you want an effective startup, you’d better go with what we used to call “digital natives.”

I’m not piling on radio here – the industry has enough challenges to keep corporate executives, consultants, researchers, strategists, and marketers occupied for years.

But making it a goal to reassess, rethink, and understand the inequality in the broadcast radio business, as well as its long-term plan to appeal and market to the 70+ million Gen Z’s wandering the streets, highways, and fields of America ought to be near the top of the “Threats” (and “Opportunities”) list in an industry S.W.O.T.

Next year at the Radio Show – in addition to sessions on Alexa, podcasts, data, and programmatic – perhaps there should be even more emaphasis on an issue that ultimately may be more daunting than what the industry faced in the early years of television, MTV, iPods, and Pandora.

For lots of morning shows, “ok boomer” will very likely turn into a bit – and maybe even a benchmark.  You can hear the setup:  the Gen Z producer squares off with the aging hosts on reverse trivia.  Or let’s get one of each on the phone, and wait for the inevitable awkward jokes.

That may be good for a few laughs and even a few quarter-hours, but it does nothing to address a challenge that is as real as any other broadcast radio faces.

OK, Boomer, what’s your next move?

Thanks to the perceptiveness and wisdom of Trip Reeb who should never be on the receiving end of “ok boomer.” 

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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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