When it comes to understanding where the radio industry is actually heading, Fred Jacobs and the team at Jacobs Media are simply the best in the business. I’ve worked with them for years, and their annual Techsurvey isn’t just an industry report — it is a cheat code.
Why? Because it completely removes the boardroom guesswork, where people who haven’t been to a tailgate in a decade try to predict the future, and asks the audience exactly what they want.
I had a chance to connect with Fred, and he shared the Country-specific takeaways. Here is what the listeners are explicitly asking us to do, backed up by the math.
1. “Get Out of the Studio and Come See Us”
In my last article, we talked about the power of showing up to the micro-local events, i.e. – the firehouse breakfasts and the local fairs. Techsurvey 2026 proves this isn’t just a fun anecdote; it is a statistical mandate.
According to the data, Country and Rock fans are the most interested among all formats in seeing their favorite stations out and about. They explicitly agreed with the statement: “I would like to see the station be more visible in my community.” Fred’s insight here has always been spot-on: local visibility is radio’s ultimate moat against pure-play streamers. You can’t algorithm your way into a handshake.
The listeners are begging us to be part of their lives. Stop relying on sweepers to claim you are “local” and put boots on the ground.
And don’t make the mistake of thinking streaming companies will never do local events. They could. That’s why just “showing up” isn’t enough anymore. You have to show up, entertain, and engage.
2. “Give Us Something Good to Talk About”
Techsurvey tracks the Net Promoter Score (NPS) across formats. Simply put, this measures how likely a listener is to recommend your station to a friend. Outside of Christian radio, Country fans are the absolute best recommenders in commercial radio.
This is your most powerful marketing tool, and it costs exactly zero dollars. When you deliver an incredible, engaging local show, the Country P1 will advocate for your brand. They will tell their tailgate, their coworkers, and their family.
Conversely, if your station sounds like a terrestrial jukebox with zero human connection, you are wasting the best word-of-mouth engine in the business. Give them a story worth sharing.
3. “We Are Still in the Car, But We Are Also on Our Phones”
The doom-and-gloom crowd wants you to believe the dashboard is lost. It isn’t. Techsurvey 2026 shows that for Country listeners, AM/FM car radio still dominates in-car listening at 57%, compared to 41% for all other audio combined. We still own the commute.
However, we cannot get lazy, because the digital shift is accelerating fast. The overall P1 listening platform split for the Country format is now 59% broadcast and 39% digital. That digital number is up significantly from last year.
We also know that in many newer dashboards, our broadcast signal is becoming more difficult to find. If you haven’t watched Quu’s 2026 In-Vehicle Visuals Report webinar, it’s a must.
What does this mean for you? It means the AM/FM engine is still pulling the train, but digital is becoming a massive part of the fuel. If your station’s digital stream is an afterthought, or if you run terrible, repetitive filler audio on your app, you are delivering a subpar experience to nearly 40% of your core audience.
Treat your stream with the same respect you give your stick.
4. “Stop Trying to Go Viral on the Wrong App”
We constantly see stations spreading their talent incredibly thin by forcing them to chase shiny objects on new social platforms. The data provides a massive reality check.
When you look at the social media habits of the Country audience, Facebook absolutely dominates at 78% weekly use. Instagram sits at 42%. Meanwhile, TikTok is way down at 23%, and platforms like Threads and X are essentially ghost towns for this format.
Fish where the fish are. Stop making your exhausted morning show record TikTok dances if your core audience is living on Facebook and Instagram. Deploy your limited resources where they will actually make an impact.
The Takeaway
The beauty of Techsurvey is that it eliminates our excuses. We know exactly what the Country audience values: they want visibility, they want human connection, they want a seamless digital experience, and they want us to meet them where they actually hang out.
Fred Jacobs and his team gave us the map. Now we just have to be willing to do the work.
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As the Executive Director of Programming & Operations for Pamal Broadcasting, Kevin Callahan oversees 25 stations across five markets, including the company’s four Country brands. An award-winning brand specialist, Kevin is a passionate advocate for talent development, dedicated to mentoring personalities and restoring our medium to its most vibrant, high-impact form. His career is highlighted by 12 years as Audacy’s West Coast Regional VP of Programming for the Country format, where he managed premier brands across major markets including San Diego, Seattle, Phoenix, Riverside and more. Today, Kevin balances his corporate leadership with his role as President of Sonic Maple Media, serving as a fractional executive advisor to broadcast leadership and fractional programmer and talent coach to broadcasters nationwide. He can be reached at kevin@pamal.com
