from Jacobs Media
How can broadcast radio best be described in 2025 – in just a single word? That was the challenge I issued here earlier this week, and hundreds of you answered the bell. The result is a word cloud – or word salad – that has to be seen to be believed. It depicts an industry in flux, and a study in contrasts by the current and former pros who submitted a response. What does it mean? Anything and everything.
Read MoreWhat are the values that drive listening in today’s crowded audio environment? Is it about being live and/or local? Does music curation matter? What about breaking new music and discovering new artists? In 2025, many of the elements originally foundational for broadcast radio have been altered by the ravages of digital competition. Or have they? Apple Music is testing the boundaries, a radio experiment worth watching. It’s the topic for today’s blog post.
Read MoreOn this MLK Day holiday, a simple question for you. How would you describe the year ahead for radio in just one word? Click “READ MORE” and i’ll take it from here.
Read MoreWe’ve spent a good chunk of the week finalizing the themes and compiling content from our trip to CES as we prepare for the annual…
Read MoreFor long-time radio professionals, the skills necessary to be successful in broadcasting are generally agreed upon – the conventional wisdom of running a radio station or company. But what would happen if some bright young person came along and proceeded to turn radio as know it on its side? That’s what Steve Jobs did back in 1983 in a recently discovered video where he outlines a very different vision for radio. Forty or so years later, how can we learn from the genius behind Apple to reinvent a legacy medium in need of a new vision?
Read MoreHow can broadcast radio best be described in 2025 – in just a single word? That was the challenge I issued here earlier this week, and hundreds of you answered the bell. The result is a word cloud – or word salad – that has to be seen to be believed. It depicts an industry in flux, and a study in contrasts by the current and former pros who submitted a response. What does it mean? Anything and everything.
Read MoreWhat are the values that drive listening in today’s crowded audio environment? Is it about being live and/or local? Does music curation matter? What about breaking new music and discovering new artists? In 2025, many of the elements originally foundational for broadcast radio have been altered by the ravages of digital competition. Or have they? Apple Music is testing the boundaries, a radio experiment worth watching. It’s the topic for today’s blog post.
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Everyone wondered how big the boomerang effect would be on various industries mortally wounded by the pandemic: cruise ships, concert venues, and movie theaters are good examples. For the concert business, the numbers are now in, and to no one’s surprise, 2023 smashed all previous records for attendance and revenue. Our Techsurvey 2024 confirms this phenomenon, showing which formats are the most engaged, and pointing the way to how radio can take advantage of this huge opportunity in both its marketing and branding. Take your seat and check it out.
Read MoreMarketing, as we once knew it, has become an endangered species at most broadcast radio stations. But don’t think having a marketing budget means guaranteed success. We often think of the New Coke debacle when we recall epic marketing disasters. Proving that even the biggest, smartest, and wealthiest companies can be victims of disastrous decisions and bad judgment, we were witness to what may become one of the worst marketing decisions of all time this week – by one of our biggest and best brands – a “crushing” defeat.
Read MoreIn our effort to analyze whether the word “radio” should give way to more expansive terms like “audio” or even “media,” we might want to pay attention to a growing phenomenon: more and more “amateurs” are creating their own radio stations in their workplaces, often accompanied by much joy, enthusiasm, and passion. What does this say about how consumers value the romance of “radio” but also how they feel about us broadcasters?
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