Earlier this summer, I wrote a post titled "Analog August," predicting an AI pushback and a corresponding rennaissance for the simper - analog - things in life. Less than two months after I wrote it, ...

We know the worlds of entertainment and information media are going through roiling changes. Many of our careers have already been shaped by the turbulence. That's why it can be productive and instruc...

During those slow seasons, radio stations can always benefit from a tactical jumpstart. Enter the nostalgia wave, a force that continues to have strong presence in the world of marketing - especially ...

Ever since the dawn of MTV, the prediction has been that radio will succumb to the powerful visual aspect of TV/video. In 1981, the Buggles kicked off the innovative music TV channel with a "Video Kil...

In an increasingly crowded and competitive media ecosystem, how can radio maintain differentiation that provides a strategic benefit? A new research study from a highly respected source continues to p...

If you won the lotto, would you immediately have a plan in place about how you'd save, spend, and invest those millions? That's not unlike the situation now facing NPR after receiving a $113 million g...

New music discovery, once a radio mainstay, has now been fragmented across thousands of entertainment brands all over the Internet. And now an airline has jumped on the new music bandwagon, begging th...

The saga of a song about chasing an elusive girl, trying to get her phone number, is one of those iconic "stories behind the song." In this case, it's a one-hit wonder released 45 years ago that has b...

Most radio talent do their best to expose their brand to the widest listening audience possible through personal appearances, charity and community work, and creating highly visibl profiles all over s...

This will come as no surprise to many of you—especially you avid JacoBLOG readers—but I've been on a "local kick" lately.

It may not be a favorite topic, but much like death and taxes, politics is becoming unavoidable. The events of the past decade and the last year have crystalized its seismic impact. As radio continues...

You can learn a lot about business trends by studying the smartest players in the investment community. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway made a $300 million play in a certain media company stock. W...

The challenges for programmers and marketers have never been more daunting. New competitors with highly specialized content make it difficult for any consumer brand to hold their own, much less lead. ...

Today's blog post marks the last new entry of 2025. Today's message is a positive, hopeful one for radio broadcasters.

Last week marked another of those odd phenomena where three iconic media/music celebrities made their exits from this world within days of one another. You might say it was a coincidence except these ...

Industrious radio stations in 2025 look for opportunities to connect with fans cost effectively. Thanks to new research data, we have the beginnings of a road map designed to help stations better prom...

2025 is proving to be a difficult year for radio, but for public radio, it's been more of a nightmare. Caught in the crosshairs is NPR, once the gold standard of radio programming and content, but now...

As analysts continue to break down what happened in the 2024 election, the "bro vote" is often attributed to swinging the results in the red direction. And in the world of old and new media, these now...

It may feel like business as usual in radio as Q2 results are being released. But after last month's "claw back" of public radio funds, and the subsequent shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadc...

Over the weekend, the radio community lost another icon. But I can guarantee none of you reading this post ever had the opportunity to work or hang out with her. Loni Anderson, "WKRP in Cincinnati's" ...

More media brands across the spectrum are investing and engaging in what I call "the local opportunity." But in radio, there's a greater likelihood we're still debating the value of "being local" or t...

During this economically unstable period in time, many companies are struggling to figure out what's most important. One variable that often is ignored is employee burnout. And much of it is caused by...

Seemingly every day in the trades we read about research studies trying to prove the value and impact of broadcast radio. In today's post, ironically, it's the research maven with a "real-life story a...

When you consider how media platforms have evolved over the past couple decades, the one that has perhaps moved at the highest rate of speed is dashboard entertainment. As radio's #1 listening locatio...

Father's Day 2025 is now in the books. But in todwy's post, I get a bit personal, talking about my DAD, the guy who had so much influence over me and my brothers, our careers, and our lives. Fathers a...

The growing number of AI platforms in the wild are learning as you read today's JacoBLOG post. And yet, you might be surprised to learn the average IQ scores many AI models actually have. In fact, man...

Today's post picks up where yesterday's left off. It was all about our new air talent study presented at the Christian Music Broadcasters' Momentum 25 conference last week. On-Air Pulse takes a deep dive into the brains of Christian radio talent in the U.S. And in today's post, I'll A/B it with our most recent commercial radio talent survey, AQ6. So, grab a cup of coffee (and you're excused if you want something a little stronger), click READ MORE below, and let's go.

I'm back from Momentum 25, the annual conference put on by the Christian Music Broadcasters. As is the case year after year, 700 attendees made the trek to steamy Orlando to learn, share, commune, wor...

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...

A major focus for broadcassters these past two years has been the long-awaited legislation to lock in AM radios in every U.S. manufactured car. But these days, that story is just the tip of the iceber...

Thinking about your radio station or the ones you've worked for in the past, the truly great, successful ones very likely had a "standard bearer," that one personality who stood out above the pack. In...

Have you heard about the Google Home glitch that prevented most radio streams working - for weeks? Neither had I until consultant James Cridland surfaced the problem in his "Radioland" newsletter over...

In an overloaded competitive media environment, it is especially challenging for any local radio station to stand out and get noticed. And that brings me to perhaps my most rewarding consulting experi...

This spring, Apple's Watch - now the most successful tech wearable in the world - celebrated its 10th anniversary. Like so many digital innovations, Watch has already had several iterations, but none ...

Across the World Wide Web, it has become more and more valuable to focus on core fans rather than a broader group of more casual users. And now a new research study amplifies the value of "superfans,"...

We love to have the generations debate where we argue about which demographic block has the edge, is more innovative, or simply lucked out. Whenver we have this discussion, it seems the one group that...

Spotify fired a massive shot across radio's bow this week with the launch of powerful new tools that make it ridiculously easy for small businesses to run

Are you one of those people who keeps a "bucket list" of all the things you want to do before you die? According to Stanford University's School of Medicine, 90% of us have one. And now, rock n' roll'...

By now, we know the real truth - designing and creating successful digital content is hard, and the fail rate is high. But as our Techsurveys continue to show, there is one digital piece that is simpl...

Don't you love it when new research studies debunk our longstanding conventional wisdom? I just found a study that shows that despite our desire to get out of the house post- COVID, most Americans are...

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...

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 - ...

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 t...

Over the past few weeks, DOGE - which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency - has become a lightning rod for change through systematic downsizing. But for broadcast radio in the States, a...

Thanks to our data-driven world, there's no shortage of numbers in our lives. And so far in 2025, numbers have told important stories about current tendencies and coming trends. I've picked out a hand...

When it comes to social media, radio broadcasters have many tools in their utility belts. But one of the most overlooked is LinkedIn, a site that many are on but few can master. Today's blog post talk...

Are you a "gamer" or are you someone who wonders what all the fuss is about? In either case, the video gaming industry is larger than the film and music businesses - combined. And now, there's an indi...

AI and humanity. If that sounds oxymoronic to you, you're not alone. Many are concerned Artificial Intelligence will leave creativity, empathy, and warmth on the cutting room floor. But, in fact, most...

Want to get a good radio debate going? Just bring up the true value of "local" topic and watch the fun. But when it comes to local WEATHER, there is no debate. That's because most people place great v...

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 - o...