
from Jacobs Media
For a half century, I’ve conducted research designed to better understand the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of the radio listening audience. Some studies address highly complex questions where the answers may be elusive. But others are fundamental and basic questions that are easy to ask and answer. And yet most radio programmers don’t know these essential truths, even if they’ve been working at the same station a decade or more. You may know your cume, your time-spent listening, and even the gender, age, and location of that “heavy deep” panelist in your metro, but do you know the answer to this morning’s simple question? Take my challenge and click “READ MORE” below.
Read MoreDon’t look now, but an apparent new marketing trend is “rebranding”—new logos and stylings for existing brands. For others, however, it’s more radical surgery—changing a brand’s name altogether. Today’s post talks about the process of refacing a brand—what works, what doesn’t, and how managers can avoid the inevitable “sand traps.”
Read MoreThe pro basketball and hockey playoffs are heating up. That means more locker room celebrations. It also means those painful press conferences where the star or coach of the losing team has to explain what happened. As radio competitors, we can often learn more from those difficult Q&A sessions than from the champagne showers or victory parades. And that was the case in today’s #TBT post from two years ago when the team that was shockingly upset by an underdog had a lot to say that those of us in radio can all take to heart.
Read MoreWhat’s the value of a hot new innovative idea? We opened that door yesterday with a blog post about the rise of TikTok as a social media success that has enjoyed impact across the entire space. That story reminded some of the innovation that wasn’t—the much-hyped Quibi. It’s a tragic tale of misplaced hype and billions of dollars wasted on an experiment that was either ahead of its time or not so innovative in the first place.
Read MoreSocial media continues to evolve. Proof of that in 2025 is the rapid growth, maturation, and buzz for TikTok. If you get beyond the controversy over its ownership, TikTok has emerged as a reliable tool for not just catering to teens, but attracting older consumers. That’s right—your listeners. Let’s take a look under the hood.
Read MoreFor a half century, I’ve conducted research designed to better understand the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of the radio listening audience. Some studies address highly complex questions where the answers may be elusive. But others are fundamental and basic questions that are easy to ask and answer. And yet most radio programmers don’t know these essential truths, even if they’ve been working at the same station a decade or more. You may know your cume, your time-spent listening, and even the gender, age, and location of that “heavy deep” panelist in your metro, but do you know the answer to this morning’s simple question? Take my challenge and click “READ MORE” below.
Read MoreDon’t look now, but an apparent new marketing trend is “rebranding”—new logos and stylings for existing brands. For others, however, it’s more radical surgery—changing a brand’s name altogether. Today’s post talks about the process of refacing a brand—what works, what doesn’t, and how managers can avoid the inevitable “sand traps.”
Read Moreour blog
Have you heard about the Google Home glitch that prevented most radio streams from working—for weeks? Neither had I until consultant James Cridland surfaced the problem in his “Radioland” newsletter over the weekend. It’s a cautionary tale for radio broadcasters, especially when most PDs are wearing multiple hats while trying to ensure quality on a growing number of devices and platforms. How can we prevent these glitches from becoming disasters while ensuring there’s no “next time?”
Read MoreThe Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is as well-known for its controversial omissions and inclusions as it is for the music that originally put the place on the map. And now, a new campaign to promote the induction of a musician, performer, and “Renaissance man of all media” who has been systematically ignored by the Rock Hall. Perhaps next year, this oversight will finally be corrected.
Read MoreThere I was at 35,000 feet over Nebraska when I spotted a Mashable article on Twitter with this title: “Old, boring radio remains strong—but this app wants to change that,” complete with a sepia-tone photo from the 1940s featuring a family listening to old time radio. So today’s #TBT blog post is a message to all those media, tech, and entertainment reporters who just love to take that cheap shot at radio.
Read More