Our Latest Industry Blogs

JacoBLOG readers know a running topic here is dashboard metadata – how radio broadcasters can direct-message their listeners behind the wheel. While so much about audio entertainment has changed in recent years, there’s been one constant: the car remains radio’s #1 listening location. But the dashboard continues to rapidly evolve, and we’re tracking its progress in our annual Techsurveys. In fact, in today’s post, I’ve got a data point from the just completed Techsurvey 2025 study that may end up becoming the most dramatic finding of this year’s study. Buckle up!

It’s been another frenetic week in AI. Let’s strap in and see what happened! Amazon Goes All-In With Alexa+ After months of speculation and delays, Amazon officially announced a major AI upgrade for Alexa on Wednesday. The long-awaited Alexa+ service will begin rolling out in the coming weeks, starting with Echo Show devices featuring screens…

It’s a rare occurrence in radio, but right now, we’re witnessing a ratings methodological change the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. Nielsen’s switch “3-Minute” quarter-hour crediting has the makings of being a strategic game changer – if we let it. How will your station or company play the game now, and what impact will it have on your short- and long-term future?

There are few things in life you can count on, but baseball is usually one of them. Every February, the teams congregate in Florida or Arizona for spring training – the beginning of a new season. And the other thing you can depend on is that these games will be broadcast on the radio, as they have been since KDKA/Pittsburgh started the tradition in 1921, carrying Pirates games. But back in 2020, just a couple weeks before COVID struck, the Oakland A’s announced all their play-by-play coverage would be stream only. A’s fans went nuts. How did this end up playing out? That’s the topic of our #TBT post today.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of JacoBLOG, my passion play project. In today’s post, I look back but also ahead to where we and it may be headed. As a wise philosopher once said, “What a long, strange trip it’s been!” And that’s thanks in no small part to you, those who take the time to read it and even occasionally comment on it. I appreciate you, and I hope today’s post conveys that.

What did YOU do last week? Did you earn your salary? Did you accomplish anything of value while on the job? If these questions rankle or even offend you, imagine how those federal workers were feeling when they were asked to bullet-point the five things they got done last week. And what if a similar exercise was instituted by a broadcast radio company to test its employees? Well, I did it for you in today’s timely blog post. Just click “READ MORE.”

Over the past few weeks, DOGE – which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency – has become a lightning rod for change through systematic downsizing. But for broadcast radio in the States, a DOGE-like philosophy has been in play for years. What can our government learn from radio about the strategy and execution of RIFs, and conversely, is there any wisdom broadcasters can glean from the chaos and fear rolling across the country?

Ideally, this newsletter would stick to the biggest AI headlines, broadcaster-friendly insights, and tools you can use at your station, but once again, this week has been dominated by wonky, technical AI developments. The biggest of those is the release of Grok-3, the new model from X.ai.  Grok-3, allows users to add “think” and “big brain” modes…

If we’ve learned anything from just 30 days of Trump 2.0, big, bold moves are what get noticed. Today’s post looks at well-known brands that have stepped up the energy and are proactively taking risks. They might not all pay off, but they’re sure getting noticed. From Delta Airlines to Guitar Center, more and more companies and brands seem willing to throw the dice and THINK BIG!

Back in 2016, a small independent coffee company rocked the world with a powerful TV commercial in Super Bowl 50 they managed to get for FREE. The powerful story of Death Wish Coffee Company endures nine years later. Hopefully, it’s inspirational to all those small broadcasters, fighting the good fight year after year over the AM and FM airwaves.