Our Latest Industry Blogs

Today’s post marks the end of our “Best of” series from 2024. It is a granular look at the digital content radio organizations have created during these past 30 years – and what might transpire moving forward. And I pose questions – 18 of them, in fact – every content creator and media executive should ask BEFORE greenlighting new media products and projects. This is an interactive process. I’m hoping to hear from many of you because this is truly a community effort. In fact, that may be the only way for radio to address its current set of daunting challenges. Have a look.

It is anyone’s guess whether 2025 turns out to be a rebound year for radio or a continuation of arduous times for the business. Thus, here’s a “Best of” blog post that’s almost one year-old that brought much-needed positive news about radio, defying conventional wisdom about the state of the medium. No, it didn’t change anything, but it felt good to start the new year on a positive, uplifting note. So, let’s try it again. And if no one’s said it to you recently, Happy New Year!

The big – and rather shocking – radio stories this past year came from across the border. It wasn’t that Bell Media was selling off more that 40% of their radio group to seven different broadcast companies – it was that one of their corporate officers announced the reason for the sale: radio is no longer a viable business, according to the company. In today’s “Best of” post, I’ll revisit what it meant to say the quiet part out loud, and why the effects of their announcement was most definitely felt in the 50 states in 2024 – and perhaps, beyond.

The “Best of JacoBLOG” starts this holiday week off, and brother Paul gives me an always welcome writing break. Today, he takes control of the keyboard to author what became one of the most ambitious posts of 2024. It’s all about about the state of radio digital transformation. It’s a tough read, but an important one we hoped would stimulate thought, criticism, and new ideas. Change is hard. But not changing is even harder. This post also marked the launch of Jacobs D.R., our digital revenue initiative spearheaded by Chris Brunt. We’re looking forward to big things in the new year and hope we can be part of the solution.

We always hear “Radio needs to do a better job telling its story.” But where would the creative come from and how could broadcasters pay for it – especially in this economy? OK, here’s some back of the napkin math for you.

One of the existential quandaries in radio programming involves how long to keep spinning those songs on the playlist, whether you’re the new hip-hop station or the classic rock king. Today’s “Best of” post from earlier this year takes on the notion of music burn-out and its role in consumers getting tired of a radio station. It turns out we can learn a lot from a marketing whiz who offers insights about ad “wear-in” to the conversation. I think you’ll find it helpful as this crazy year wraps up.

Our “Best of JacoBLOG” continues during this holiday week. Today’s throwback post is part 2 of “Is Public Radio A Victim Of Its Own Org Chart?” a two-parter that stirred up much conversation when it first published last July. It questions public radio’s “the way we’ve always done it” mindset, taking a deep dive into “brilliant at the basics” programming and on-air marketing. Rethinking these “givens” could help turn around what may be remembered as the most challenging year in public radio’s long and prooud history.

Welcome to the “Best of JacoBLOG” as we sprint – or perhaps better put – stagger to the end of yet another challenging year. Today’s throwback post from 2024 ran last January, looking ahead to the new year. While it wasn’t designed to be predictive of 2024, it turned out to discuss some of the key issues many of us have faced these past 12 months. I hope you find it helpful, and maybe even fodder for how we’ll need to prepare ourselves for the year ahead.

What a year! In 2024, rapid advancements in AI reshaped content creation, audience engagement, and operational efficiency, presenting both opportunities and challenges for broadcasters. Major AI platforms launched transformative updates: OpenAI’s GPT-4o reduced inaccuracies and became freely accessible; Google released two updates to Gemini; and Meta and X introduced new tools. These developments expanded options for…