Our Latest Industry Blogs

When it comes to local media digital revenue, opportunity isn’t just knocking—it is loudly pounding. On the heels of a rich, new research study from Borrell Associates, Jacobs Media’s digital revenue guru, Chris Brunt, is poised and ready for action. In today’s guest blog post, Chris sets the scene for what a smart, cogent, and effective local digital strategy looks like, and how to get there…from here.

You can learn a lot about a person once you discover their all-time favorite decade for music. But these days, the traditional patterns are unpredictable, especially when you’re looking at younger generations. Their tastes are all over the music map, and that has implications for radio programmers trying to stay relevant and current. Today’s #TBT blog post is a quick visit to 2021, and music research you probably haven’t seen before that’s an eye- and an ear-opener. For those of us who elevate the study of music tastes, habit, and consumption to the level of astrophysics or macroeconomics, this throwback post is for you. Just click on “READ MORE” below and see if your music tastes are in-synch with your generation’s.

Today’s post picks up where yesterday’s left off. It was all about our new air talent study presented at the Christian Music Broadcasters’ Momentum 25 conference last week. On-Air Pulse takes a deep dive into the brains of Christian radio talent in the U.S. And in today’s post, I’ll A/B it with our most recent commercial radio talent survey, AQ6. So, grab a cup of coffee (and you’re excused if you want something a little stronger), click READ MORE below, and let’s go.

I’m back from Momentum 25, the annual conference put on by the Christian Music Broadcasters. As is the case year after year, 700 attendees made the trek to steamy Orlando to learn, share, commune, worship, and experience why this radio format is in the process of celebrating some of its best days ever at a time when the entire industry is feeling the heat. What’s working and why? And how can radio broadcasters in other disciplines learn from the Christian phenomenon? I’ve got those answers for you. Just click “READ MORE” below.

For a half century, I’ve conducted research designed to better understand the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of the radio listening audience. Some studies address highly complex questions where the answers may be elusive. But others are fundamental and basic questions that are easy to ask and answer. And yet most radio programmers don’t know these essential truths, even if they’ve been working at the same station a decade or more. You may know your cume, your time-spent listening, and even the gender, age, and location of that “heavy deep” panelist in your metro, but do you know the answer to this morning’s simple question? Take my challenge and click “READ MORE” below.

Borrell Associates just released its 2025 Annual Local Digital Media Benchmarking Report.  The 23rd edition shows many perils for traditional media companies, but it also suggests opportunities for business development – not only in digital, but also for traditional advertising. While local digital media spend has crossed the $100 billion mark and will continue grow dramatically, traditional…

Don’t look now, but an apparent new marketing trend is “rebranding”—new logos and stylings for existing brands. For others, however, it’s more radical surgery—changing a brand’s name altogether. Today’s post talks about the process of refacing a brand—what works, what doesn’t, and how managers can avoid the inevitable “sand traps.”

The pro basketball and hockey playoffs are heating up. That means more locker room celebrations. It also means those painful press conferences where the star or coach of the losing team has to explain what happened. As radio competitors, we can often learn more from those difficult Q&A sessions than from the champagne showers or victory parades. And that was the case in today’s #TBT post from two years ago when the team that was shockingly upset by an underdog had a lot to say that those of us in radio can all take to heart.

What’s the value of a hot new innovative idea? We opened that door yesterday with a blog post about the rise of TikTok as a social media success that has enjoyed impact across the entire space. That story reminded some of the innovation that wasn’t—the much-hyped Quibi. It’s a tragic tale of misplaced hype and billions of dollars wasted on an experiment that was either ahead of its time or not so innovative in the first place.

Social media continues to evolve. Proof of that in 2025 is the rapid growth, maturation, and buzz for TikTok. If you get beyond the controversy over its ownership, TikTok has emerged as a reliable tool for not just catering to teens, but attracting older consumers. That’s right—your listeners. Let’s take a look under the hood.