Our Latest Industry Blogs

Broadcast radio is often criticized for its quantity of commercials, especially during the medium’s modern era where music stations almost universally only run two (long) stopsets per hour. But it’s the QUALITY of radio ads – especially locally – that have made radio more vulnerable to other ad platforms. At CES 2025, we saw AI models focused on producing quality commercials efficiently and effectively. Maybe the bots can help radio solve what has become a chronic problem and a glaring deficit.

How can broadcast radio best be described in 2025 – in just a single word? That was the challenge I issued here earlier this week, and hundreds of you answered the bell. The result is a word cloud – or word salad – that has to be seen to be believed. It depicts an industry in flux, and a study in contrasts by the current and former pros who submitted a response. What does it mean? Anything and everything.

What are the values that drive listening in today’s crowded audio environment? Is it about being live and/or local? Does music curation matter? What about breaking new music and discovering new artists? In 2025, many of the elements originally foundational for broadcast radio have been altered by the ravages of digital competition. Or have they? Apple Music is testing the boundaries, a radio experiment worth watching. It’s the topic for today’s blog post.

On this MLK Day holiday, a simple question for you. How would you describe the year ahead for radio in just one word? Click “READ MORE” and I’ll take it from here.

We’ve spent a good chunk of the week finalizing the themes and compiling content from our trip to CES as we prepare for the annual Jacobs Media CES Industry Webinar. [Register for Tuesday’s event here.] One of the big themes of what turned out to be a 2.5-million-square-foot-AI-festival was using the technology to connect real…

For long-time radio professionals, the skills necessary to be successful in broadcasting are generally agreed upon – the conventional wisdom of running a radio station or company. But what would happen if some bright young person came along and proceeded to turn radio as know it on its side? That’s what Steve Jobs did back in 1983 in a recently discovered video where he outlines a very different vision for radio. Forty or so years later, how can we learn from the genius behind Apple to reinvent a legacy medium in need of a new vision?

The power of celebrity has never been stronger, especially on social media where it is coveted. So-called brand influencers are cashing in on the trend. But there’s no substitute for true stardom, and that’s what Cameo is all about – putting celebrities to work to record customized, personalized greetings for fun and profit. And now anybody can join Cameo in their new “X” program – a chance for your station’s own stars to shine. Or not.

Recently returning home from CES, I am well aware of technology’s ability to wow us and even blow our minds. But there are a lot of seemingly ordinary media stories that are just…unbelievable…but true. Check these out.

A mantra at CES each year is “Every company is a tech company.” Yes, even radio companies. But just saying it doesn’t make it so. Last week in Las Vegas, we were treated to some stellar examples, particularly by Delta Airlines whose presence this year at CES was nothing short of spectacular and attention-getting. Delta provided a textbook example of how any company or organization can make smart, strategic use of the technology to achieve their highest goals. Take notes – this is a good one.

Remember when social media used to be fun? We’d discover long-lost classmates, post memes of our dogs, and bask in that raise or promotion. But today, social media has become heavily politicized, from an upcoming TikTok ban in the U.S. that actually may happen to new policies from Mark Zuckerberg and his social media portfolio that should raise lots of questions about priorities and values. Yes, the “landlord” is back at it again, and today’s blog post explains what’s up and includes the video that’s all you need to see.