





from Jacobs Media
For a heritage radio station, there’s nothing more exhilarating AND daunting as planning for a big station birthday—the ones that end with a zero. The upside is the opportunity to remind the audience and advertisers you’ve been around a long time, but the downside is reinforcing you’re long in the tooth, doing the same things in the same way you have for decades. Fortunately, there’s a national brand now celebrating its 40th year in business. Rather than going down the tried and true path, they’re burning the playbook. Let’s look into how it’s going.
Read MoreLife is transitory – for radio and for all of us. Maybe it took a year like 2020 to remind us that it can come and it can go – just like that. Now here we are in another “moment” – a very unsettled 2025. What can we learn from those prreviously tumultuous times?
Read MoreInternet memes come and go, usually at a rapid pace. So, in today’s JacoBLOG, you might want to pay attention today because next week, it will be something else. AI Action Figures may be just the thing for radio personalities looking to warm things up and bring a sense of fun and whimsy to their shows and the stations they work for. Inspired by a story Chris Brunt dug up, today’s blog post takes a break from our “radio drama.” Hope you enjoy.
Read MoreEverywhere you look these days, short-form videos are dominating media trends. In today’s blog, I have eye-opening new data from Techsurvey 2025 and a compelling rationale suggesting an investment in video—by radio. Seriously, here’s why.
Read MoreFor many radio broadcasters, the first quarter was a struggle, and Q2 is challenging. News out of D.C. on the economy has been turbulent and ever-changing. And those anticipated tariffs haven’t stabilized the way business is being transacted on Wall Street or Main Street. But for sharp radio sales teams, the chaos could translate to results, assuming they make a series of smart, opportunistic moves. For today’s post, our sales expert, Paul Jacobs, grabs the JacoBLOG keyboard to put together a strategic sales plan we hope you’ll give a good look—and a good think.
Read MoreFor a heritage radio station, there’s nothing more exhilarating AND daunting as planning for a big station birthday—the ones that end with a zero. The upside is the opportunity to remind the audience and advertisers you’ve been around a long time, but the downside is reinforcing you’re long in the tooth, doing the same things in the same way you have for decades. Fortunately, there’s a national brand now celebrating its 40th year in business. Rather than going down the tried and true path, they’re burning the playbook. Let’s look into how it’s going.
Read MoreLife is transitory – for radio and for all of us. Maybe it took a year like 2020 to remind us that it can come and it can go – just like that. Now here we are in another “moment” – a very unsettled 2025. What can we learn from those prreviously tumultuous times?
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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.
Read MoreTwo 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.”
Read MoreAnother 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.
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