Crain’s Detroit Business has named broadcast pioneer Fred Jacobs as one of Michigan’s “50 Names To Know In Information Technology.” Jacobs is known to many in the industry as the father of the Classic Rock format; and Jacobs Media has launched innovative research projects, like Techsurveys, and made its presence in the car known via the DASH Conference. Jacobs is also the creator of jacapps, a mobile application developer for radio.
In honoring Jacobs, Crain’s Detroit noted, “Jacobs Media is an example of an old-school marketing company adapting to the post-iPhone world.” Founded 100 days after the opening of Apple’s iTunes App Store in 2008, jacapps has developed more than 1,000 apps worldwide for the radio industry, as well as for numerous non-radio clients.
“Back in 2008, our Techsurveys began showing how radio listeners were altering their media consumption,” said Jacobs. “We saw the iPhone was hot, and had a strong feeling radio’s future was to participate in the smartphone revolution. Eight years later, it’s about ensuring radio apps are adapted to the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ecosystems, retaining radio’s front-and-center position in car dashboards.”
