Our Latest Industry Blogs

The only things worse than bad ratings is when your audience falls over that dreaded “demographic cliff.” The last thing a radio brand needs is a listener base that has “aged out.” Meanwhile over on television, some of the biggest new hits on broadcast TV and streaming video platforms stars gray-haired AARP members. What gives?

On-demand audio and video are advertiser darlings, while traditional media struggle to maintain their marketing relevance. Today’s #TBT from five years ago was about Netflix’s latest success, “The Irishman,” a Martin Scorsese gangster film being acclaimed as a “hit” – based on download data. It turns out the vast majority of those who started watching “The Irishman” never finished it. Today’s throwback blog post takes a look at the dichotomy between on-demand and traditional media as marketing vehicles and critical successes as we enter into what promises to be a challenging new year.

The media ecosphere is ever-changing and in a constant state of flux – with one exception. The popularity of Classic Rock – as music, a radio format, and as a prime part of our pop culture – is a constant. And today’s blog post is evidence of that – three remarkable stories from the “Classic Rock Highway.” Enjoy the ride.

When you think about some of the most successful entities in entertainment history, there’s almost always been a face of the brand – a personality out in front who connects with fans. In today’s post, Jacobs Media’s Mike Stern channels one of the all-time best companies in the industry – Disney – to make the point that when they have a new princess to add to their lineup, success usually follows. So, who’s your radio brand’s princess?

Did you get your exclusive, personalized Spotify “Wrapped” package, a your musical consumption summary for 2024? This year, Spotify rolled out new features, leaning heavily on AI. Yet, reviews on their value are mixed. What do you think of the growing trend in personalized usage trends and what do they say about us as consumers? Today’s blog post is a look at how technology is being used to track our lifestyle habits.

It was mid-February this year when OpenAI previewed Sora, their text-to-video AI engine.  The examples were jaw-dropping,  but there were unresolved safety issues. Only a week after OpenAI’s announcement, Google decided to pull back their text-to-image AI engine after it created historically inaccurate images, spurring a public outcry.  AI companies got gunshy. OpenAI spent ten months fine-tuning…

While most broadcast radio companies are immersed in their mad dash to plump up Q4 and close the books on a mostly dismal 2024, SiriusXM is in a race to put the finishing touches on a new/old strategy to redouble its efforts in the car. Translation: AM/FM radio is in SXM’s crosshairs big-time, an effort to achieve dashboard dominance in this rapidly changing audio environment in cars. How will their plan fare? Should radio broadcasters be concerned? To learn more and engage in the conversation, just click on READ MORE. And buckle up.

Conventional wisdom says that media consumption has expanded as our choices – video streaming, podcasts, games, social media – have exponentially multiplied. But what if that’s not true? A new research study shows media usage slipping post-COVID, ushering in an era where experiences may matter more than ever. Does IRL = more TSL? Click to see why this may, in fact, be the case.

Back in the day, pretty much everyone owned a piece of radio station merch. These days, radio competes with some of the biggest brands in the world for the privilege of fans display logos. How can radio effectively keep pace with mega-brands like the NFL and Netflix, both focused on winning the merch wars? Today’s blog provides some answers.

Even companies on the brink of bankruptcy may be just an idea away from salvation. Innovation takes many forms and can come from unpredictable sources. Today’s blog post is a case in point. It tells the story of an unlikely pivot from a 100 year-old company that fortunately was open to embracing “the next big thing.” Would your company have the foresight and intelligence to seize a similar moment?