Jacobs Media

What Jacobs Media does

Jacobs Media is a privately-held, Oakland, California-based research and consulting firm focused exclusively on the U.S. radio and broadcast media industry. Founded in 1983, the firm is described as the largest radio consulting firm in the United States and operates with 11 to 50 employees under founder-owner Fred Jacobs and Vice President/General Manager Paul Jacobs. Its advisory work centers on helping radio stations, music executives, and broadcast media organizations navigate structural shifts in listener demographics, over-the-air radio consumption decline, and the migration toward digital platforms and smart devices.

The firm's core product is strategic advisory grounded in proprietary research on radio listenership trends and technology adoption among broadcasters. No software products, APIs, or technology platforms are disclosed in the available data; the offering appears to be research-backed consulting services rather than a packaged product. No pricing models, contract structures, or public pricing information are available, and no customer logos, partnerships, integrations, or distribution channels are documented.

The business model is that of a specialized niche consultancy: revenue is generated through advisory engagements with radio broadcasters and adjacent music-industry clients, with the firm deriving its positioning from 42 years of operating history and category leadership rather than from technology differentiation. The company shows no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no recorded mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring activity, consistent with a bootstrapped, founder-controlled professional services firm.

Name

Jacobs Media

Website

https://jacobsmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jacobs Media is the largest U.S. radio consulting firm, founded in 1983 and based in Oakland, advising radio stations and broadcast media organizations on listener demographics, digital transformation, and smart-device adoption through proprietary research-backed strategic engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Media Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience (BPAHAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emerging Tech (IoT, Blockchain, AR/VR, Edge) Consulting (BPAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Radio consulting
• Broadcast media strategy
• Radio audience research
• Listener trend analysis
• Digital transformation advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Core offering

Jacobs Media is the largest radio consulting firm in the United States, providing strategic advisory services and research to radio stations, broadcasters, and music industry clients. The firm helps clients navigate declining over-the-air radio consumption, shifting listener demographics, and the transition to digital platforms and smart devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Radio Strategic Advisory Services
• Radio Industry Research

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Kagan (S&P Global Market Intelligence): Kagan, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, provides media research, forecasts, and advisory across radio, TV, and digital - a broad incumbent with overlapping client base and broader portfolio.
• McKinsey & Company (Media & Entertainment Practice): McKinsey's Media & Entertainment practice is a broad incumbent serving large broadcasters and media companies with strategic consulting - a much larger generalist consultancy that competes for transformational radio engagements.
• Nielsen (Nielsen Audio): Nielsen, through Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron), is a broad incumbent providing radio ratings and audience measurement - an established larger player in adjacent radio research that competes for similar client budgets.

Others

• Inside Radio: Inside Radio is an industry trade publication covering radio business and technology; it operates in the same radio ecosystem and publishes research cited by station executives, making it an adjacent information provider rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Triton Digital: Triton Digital is an emerging player in digital audio measurement and programmatic ad technology; while product-led rather than consulting, it intersects Jacobs Media's digital-audio transformation mandate for radio clients.

Direct peers

• Edison Research: Edison Research is a direct peer - a research firm specializing in radio listenership, audio consumption, and consumer trends, serving broadcasters and media companies with similar advisory and research services as Jacobs Media.
• BIA Advisory Services: BIA Advisory Services is a direct peer offering valuation, consulting, and advisory services to local broadcasters and radio operators - a comparable specialty advisory firm serving the same buyer profile.
• Borrell & Associates: Borrell & Associates is a direct peer providing consulting, research, and data on local media advertising, with deep radio station client overlap and a comparable advisory business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jacobsmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/jacobsmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacobs-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jacobs Media