Approaching The Summit is a series of special interviews created in partnership with Point to Point Marketing featuring speakers at the upcoming 2025 BSM Summit in Chicago, IL. Follow along with this series as prominent names surrounding the event coming up on May 8-9 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) inside the Edlis Neeson Theater and share their insights and expectations for what’s to come in the Windy City.
Fred Jacobs is the founder of Jacobs Media and one of the most trusted voices in the radio industry. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, he is known as the creator of the classic rock format, and successfully programed WRIF in Detroit before forming Jacobs Media. He is a frequent guest and speaker at previous the Barrett Sports Media Summit since his first appearance in 2020.
Jacobs sat down with Barrett Media from his offices in Michigan.
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
BSM Staff: Looking ahead to the Summit in Chicago, what are you looking forward to the most?
Fred Jacobs: This is an exciting opportunity because so much of my work over the years has been in variations of rock radio. Being able to hang out with people who are pros in my favorite format to listen to recreationally is what makes this a really cool event for me.
I love sports radio as a consumer, so it’s really cool to be with all you guys and kind of plug into what’s important for you.
BSM Staff: I know you’ve attended and presented at the Summit before in 2020. For you, what value do you feel this particular event provides to those who attend?
Fred Jacobs: There’s no substitute for being together in the same room and sharing ideas. The pandemic showed us the power of virtual meetings and there’s no question that platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have been really useful and cost saving.
I don’t think there’s any substitute for actually being able to hang out together. Not just the sessions, but also the social time to be able to sit down with people who work you admire, or you wonder about. Now you actually have an opportunity to share ideas with them.
Plus, you guys do a really great job of booking this thing. I think everybody who is anybody in sports radio goes to this event. They’re all there you just have to show up and take advantage of it.
BSM Staff: As an attendee of nearly every one of the Summits, I’ve always looked forward to your presentations. What do you hope that a person sitting in a chair in Chicago takes away from your session?
Fred Jacobs: My focus is going to be on this year’s TechSurvey, which I just presented to the ‘radio industry.’ What I’m going to do for the Summit is do a sports pull out, and do a deep dive on what sports radio fans are thinking.
I think a big part of this is that idea of meeting the audience where they are, and sports radio fans are just so voracious for everything. Whether it’s information about the NFL Draft, rumors, betting, fantasy. Sports radio fans just you know want a deluge of information, and they’re willing to use a variety of different platforms to get it.
You see that in TechSurvey, so I think it’s important for a programmer in Detroit where I live to know what platforms are important versus maybe a programmer in Denver or Tampa. It does vary by market depending on the audience and the teams. I’m hoping to connect a few of those important dots when we get together in Chicago.
BSM Staff: Based on your past attendance, how have you seen the Summit evolve?
Fred Jacobs: The first one I went to was the one in New York City right before the pandemic. So that was really weird because I think most people in the room had an idea there was something coming, but we couldn’t figure out what.
I think now that it’s safe to actually hang out at mass events like this, I just think it’s so important to exchange ideas at an event like this. To me this is just a really great opportunity and as we know there are fewer and fewer conferences just in general for radio and certainly for radio programmers.
This is one of the few events left that still gives you the opportunity to be able to hang out with your peers and actually learn something.
BSM Staff: You’ve been covering the radio industry for quite a while. What are the biggest opportunities or challenges regarding the industry that you hope are discussed at the Summit this time around?
Fred Jacobs: The challenges are obvious. There is sports information and resources on just so many different platforms, everybody is going this. I think a local sports radio station has to really zero in on the things that differentiate you from what everybody else is doing. That’s going to vary quite a bit by the brand.
For some stations it’s going to be personalities, another it’s going to be holding up the mirror to the local community and kind of reflecting that vibe back. I think it really does vary depending on the radio station, but broadcast radio has to figure out a way of carving out those unique differences, so people feel compelled to keep tuning in every day.
Whatever it is we’re doing is just so important that they can’t get it anywhere else. That’s why it’s a great opportunity but it’s also a heavy lift.
BSM Staff: What’s one thing that Fred Jacobs is looking to walk away from this Summit with?
Fred Jacobs: I would love to come away with some different angles about thinking about how to entertain the audience. I’m especially interested in experiential marketing. Stations being able to either throw their own events, or even on a smaller scale. Give the audience an opportunity to be able to do something that they couldn’t do on their own.
Maybe that’s even something as simple as going to a game with your favorite sports radio host, your know that type of thing. I think more and more we’re looking at bucket lists, and people being able to do unique things that maybe they can’t afford to buy or even if they had the money, they just can’t make that happen.
I think radio has the opportunity, and the ability to be able to do that if they just have a better sense. I’m going to talk about that in my session, but I’m hoping to actually walk away with some ideas that maybe I can translate to what I do.
Purchase your tickets to the 2025 BSM Summit here, and for more information BSMSummit.com
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