Chris Brunt: Radio's Digital Evolution

Chris Brunt of Jacobs Media joins me to talk about radio’s 30‑year struggle with digital—from those first clunky station websites and primitive email blasts to today’s sophisticated streaming, social, and video ecosystems.

Chris explains how programmatic audio has become a major revenue driver, even for public and non‑commercial stations, by fitting into the broader “digital audio” story agencies are eager to buy. We dig into Facebook and social media, stressing the importance of FTC-compliant monetization and using tools like Ads Manager to serve clients without letting algorithms choke off our own messaging.

And there's my favourite - the need to “be everywhere”: on apps, smart TVs, YouTube, and short‑form video, especially to reach under‑40 listeners who may not even own a radio. We talk about YouTube shorts, influencer-style content from talent, and why hyper‑local, community-focused video and podcasts can win even with modest follower counts. Chris also makes the case for stations building their own apps, embracing simple video setups, and prioritizing authentic, original digital content over perfection.

Did you know that Jacobs Media creates apps for radio stations?

This is another excellent resource if you are looking for some ideas for your station(s). Paul Jacobs and Chris Brunt with 10 Things We Learned Helping Radio Stations Generating Digital Revenue

Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.

Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.

Thank you Megatrax for continuously supporting the show

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.