With support and great respect, we must report that Fred Jacobs, Co-Founder of media and research consulting company Jacobs Media, has announced his resignation. He will step aside from the CEO position of the company he founded in 1983. He will assume the role of Chairman, remaining connected in what he describes as “a much more limited basis.”
Alongside the shifting role, Fred details a medical condition which plays into his decision: It is Parkinson’s, for which he has been treated since a 2023 diagnosis.
Fred will also continue to help produce Techsurvey, the highly regarded annual research canvas of radio listeners which tracks media technology and its adoption.
For many, Fred Jacobs is most visible as writer of the Jacobs Media blog, the platform which carried today’s announcement. He has written the blog for 21 years, and Fred promises to contribute a blog post once a week. We at RAIN News are among his most dedicated followers.
He has also maintained Techsurvey, the highly regarded annual research survey of radio listeners which tracks media technology and its adoption. Jacobs also started the DASH Conference which gathered broadcasters, advertisers, and car makers to discuss listening metrics and habits of in-car radio use.
Fred Jacobs is credited with starting Classic Rock radio programming, serving an age group underserved by mainstream radio. The first Classic Rock station launched in 1985 and proliferated quickly, becoming one of the most successful radio programming formats in radio history.
“Looking back on my career, I made some pretty good decisions along the way,” he reflects.
We send warmest wishes to Fred and look forward to his weekly posts.
