Our Latest Industry Blogs

I’ve been especially vocal this year about the premium value of personalities to broadcast radio, particularly when new RIFs are announced. But now we’re seeing proof that talent trumps playlists. In fact, brand new data from our soon-to-be-released Techsurvey 2025 shows the audience is onto recent talent cuts.

A 1,300 job radio RIF? It happened last week to Voice of America and its associated services. Of course, it’s a political story and a radio story. Most Americans tune in shows like Elvis Duran and Delilah, but more than 420 million listeners around the world cume VOA – or at least they did. Thoughts on what it all means in today’s blog post.

Two weeks after UK musicians launched a campaign opposing a proposed British AI law—one that would allow tech companies to train AI on their content by default unless they actively opt out—concerns over creators’ rights continue to gain traction. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently expressed outrage over the Chinese AI engine DeepSeek allegedly training…

Were radio DJs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s the original “influencers?” Maybe so. But today’s social media pitchmen and pitchwomen are likely pocketing a lot more revenue than radio personalities ever made from bar nights, phone store grand openings, and live endorsements. Is “influencer marketing” a place where still-popular radio personalities can go? And what can they learn from both teenage and geriatric influencers with big followings and the ability to sell lots of stuff?

Eight years ago right now, the 45th President – Donald J. Trump – was about halfway through the first 100 days of HIS FIRST TERM. Here we are exactly eight years later, and it’s a case of “deja vu all over again.” What did the media – especially radio – learn from the chief executive where the “gold T” stands for turbulence. Welcome to this week’s #TBT.”

It was a tough day for the radio family yesterday. We lost the best and brightest. Bob Rivers left us after a long but gallant fight with the ravages of cancer. I wrote this two-part post in 2014 when Bob left the radio studio. I’m republishing it today as a tribute to his life and all that he meant to so many of us.

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post about Nielsen’s new “3-Minute Rule” for PPM markets. It sparked a number of questions and even a misconception or two. So, I went to the source – Nielsen’s Rich Tunkel – who saw this project through after just 10 months. Rich answered all my questions – about how to measure this change without jumping to conclusions, as well as the metrics that can help any station navigate the new “3-Minute Rule.”

Another week in radio and another tragic round of RIFs. How can the industry make the tough calls while still maintaining a sense of empathy and class? And after years of staff reductions, when will the analyses tell us once and for all whether this painful “less is more” approach will ever work for radio? Fair warning: a tough JacoBLOG post today.

I had my first encounter with AI in healthcare this week. During a checkup, my physician entered the examination room with his trusty laptop (typical) and a smartphone set to record (new). Before the appointment started, he explained that the healthcare system was testing a new AI system designed to record and summarize our conversation.…

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’re likely not going to want to read today’s post. It’s about the 5-year anniversary of COVID, an event we’d just as soon forget. But I’m hoping you’ll open it up and join me in thinking about how radio has been permanently impacted by a tragedy no one anticipated or was prepared for. The pandemic forever changed radio, and in order to move forward, we’ve got to process the past. It’s about perceptions, trust, and giving the audience more credit and power than we usually do.