Our Latest Industry Blogs

The “Best of JacoBLOG” starts this holiday week off, and brother Paul gives me an always welcome writing break. Today, he takes control of the keyboard to author what became one of the most ambitious posts of 2024. It’s all about about the state of radio digital transformation. It’s a tough read, but an important one we hoped would stimulate thought, criticism, and new ideas. Change is hard. But not changing is even harder. This post also marked the launch of Jacobs D.R., our digital revenue initiative spearheaded by Chris Brunt. We’re looking forward to big things in the new year and hope we can be part of the solution.

We always hear “Radio needs to do a better job telling its story.” But where would the creative come from and how could broadcasters pay for it – especially in this economy? OK, here’s some back of the napkin math for you.

One of the existential quandaries in radio programming involves how long to keep spinning those songs on the playlist, whether you’re the new hip-hop station or the classic rock king. Today’s “Best of” post from earlier this year takes on the notion of music burn-out and its role in consumers getting tired of a radio station. It turns out we can learn a lot from a marketing whiz who offers insights about ad “wear-in” to the conversation. I think you’ll find it helpful as this crazy year wraps up.

Our “Best of JacoBLOG” continues during this holiday week. Today’s throwback post is part 2 of “Is Public Radio A Victim Of Its Own Org Chart?” a two-parter that stirred up much conversation when it first published last July. It questions public radio’s “the way we’ve always done it” mindset, taking a deep dive into “brilliant at the basics” programming and on-air marketing. Rethinking these “givens” could help turn around what may be remembered as the most challenging year in public radio’s long and prooud history.

Welcome to the “Best of JacoBLOG” as we sprint – or perhaps better put – stagger to the end of yet another challenging year. Today’s throwback post from 2024 ran last January, looking ahead to the new year. While it wasn’t designed to be predictive of 2024, it turned out to discuss some of the key issues many of us have faced these past 12 months. I hope you find it helpful, and maybe even fodder for how we’ll need to prepare ourselves for the year ahead.

What a year! In 2024, rapid advancements in AI reshaped content creation, audience engagement, and operational efficiency, presenting both opportunities and challenges for broadcasters. Major AI platforms launched transformative updates: OpenAI’s GPT-4o reduced inaccuracies and became freely accessible; Google released two updates to Gemini; and Meta and X introduced new tools. These developments expanded options for…

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.