Jacobs Media: Radio’s Inconvenient Demographic Truth

Fred Jacobs

On a recent blog post, JACOBS MEDIA Pres. FRED JACOBS writes, "Over the decades, a lot has changed in radio. The industry's technology has exploded – 'software' has moved from albums to CDs to hard drives. Music is scheduled by computers, not with index cards. Air personalities routinely connect with listeners via social media sites, not just at remotes. And now, consumers can access radio stations on phones, tablets, and smart speakers. Radio time is now sold programmatically. And, on-demand has become a fact of life, spurring a flurry of podcast activity.

"That's a lot of change over the years, forcing radio veterans to adapt to changing technologies – new content, and distribution outlets.  Yet, there's one aspect of the radio broadcasting industry that hasn't changed one iota: radio's addiction to the 25-54 year-old demographic. The age-old excuse – 'That's what advertisers want' – has become a mantra that virtually every broadcast radio programmer faces." Read the full post here.

« see more Net News