Our Latest Industry Blogs

What makes a legendary radio station? Is it about how many Marconi and Crystal statues it manages to snag? Is it about how much cash flowed during its lifetime? Or is it more about longevity and whether it stayed with its original format throughout its radio lifetime? That’s the topic of today’s #TBT blog post where the center of attention is a long-running radio station whose plug got pulled five years ago in 2019. You know the call letters, but can we consider this station an iconic radio brand?

In their most recent earnings call, Starbucks experienced a rough prior quarter, which brought out the boo birds and second guessers. This time, it also brought out the company’s long running CEO, Howard Schultz. He ran the Starbucks empire for nearly 40 years, and he recently posted an “explainer” of how Startucks got itself ijnto this mess – and how to get out of it. Yes, Schultz’s story dovetails nicely into radio’s current challenges. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and click “READ MORE.”

Everyone wondered how big the boomerang effect would be on various industries mortally wounded by the pandemic: cruise ships, concert venues, and movie theaters are good examples. For the concert business, the numbers are now in, and to no one’s surprise, 2023 smashed all previous records for attendance and revenue. Our Techsurvey 2024 confirms this phenomenon, showing which formats are the most engaged, and pointing the way to how radio can take advantage of this huge opportunity in both its marketing and branding. Take your seat and check it out.

Marketing, as we once knew it, has become an endangered species at most broadcast radio stations. But don’t think having a marketing budget means guaranteed success. We often think of the New Coke debacle when we recall epic marketing disasters. Proving that even the biggest, smartest, and wealthiest companies can be victims of disastrous decisions and bad judgment, we were witness to what may become one of the worst marketing decisions of all time this week – by one of our biggest and best brands – a “crushing” defeat.

In our effort to analyze whether the word “radio” should give way to more expansive terms like “audio” or even “media,” we might want to pay attention to a growing phenomenon: more and more “amateurs” are creating their own radio stations in their workplaces, often accompanied by much joy, enthusiasm, and passion. What does this say about how consumers value the romance of “radio” but also how they feel about us broadcasters?

April showers, May flowers, June PRTS.  Perhaps not romantic or even memorable, but for all of us at Jacobs Media and PRPD (now known as PMCC or Public Media Content Collective), June is the month where the fieldwork begins on the biggest study of public radio in America.  And this year’s effort will follow suit…

The big news story this month has been campus unrest making its way through college campuses across America. At Columbia University, its college radio station distinguished itself with stellar coverage of that school’s student protests.

In response to questions from two readers, the Washington Post’s data department tested the appeal of 20 different formats/genres across an extensive array of national demographic groups. And in an impressive showing, one of them took top honors in 17 of 20 categories. To learn the big winner, just click on “Read More.”

The “AM For Every Vehicle Act” continues to make progress in D.C., no simple task given these contentious times. But hearings earlier this week had their share of fireworks and even controversy, thanks to a “crank’ idea from the auto industry. No one said it would be easy.

This week has been a rarity in the AI world, a week where there have been no major press releases, upgrades, mergers, affiliations, or PR disasters. Behind the scenes, there have been previews of upcoming things to look forward to, such as a recurring rumor about Apple both teaming with ChatGPT for upcoming iPhone releases and Microsoft releasing a…