“There are growing indications that the all-oldies format is back — and with it, an increase in the gold records from the past now being featured in other ‘current music’ formats.” (1986)
Read MoreClassic Rock: The Format / Slogan / Future
“Many of those who aren’t cannibalizing the format have tried to write it off as a quick-fix solution.” (1986)
Read MoreClassic Rock Thrives in Just 18 Months
“The consensus is that classic rock will have to evolve in order to thrive instead of just survive.” (1986)
Read More’70s Super Groups Blanket the Dial Again in the ’80s
“A casual glance at the charts or a listen to current rock radio could make you think time has stood still for the past 10 or 12 years.” (1987)
Read MoreJacobs on the Edge
“The classic rock format also enraged the major record labels, who nervously cited the dwindling of air time on which to break new acts as an impediment to developing new music.” (1988)
Read MoreRadio’s Rock of Ages
“Listening to rock radio today is like stumbling into an audio time warp.” (1989)
Read MoreRock Turns Respectable
“The baby boomers, rock’s first audience, grew up but didn’t surrender their music as they took the reins of power in American society.” (1989)
Read MoreClassic Rock: Seven Years & Counting
“It was exactly seven years ago that a new format was born — one that would change the face of AOR to come: Classic Rock.” (1990)
Read MoreRock Rolls On and On…
“Rock-and-roll had aged. So had its audience.” (1991)
Read MoreRadio Rabbis
“Fred [Jacobs] is credited as the creator and godfather of ‘Classic Rock,’ the album-oriented oldies format.” (1997)
Read MoreClassic Rock Turns 15
“Classic Rock was the first format that successfully fragmented what was then AOR.” (2000)
Read MoreJacobian Views
“Classic rock stations…have the most targeted vehicle for reaching rabid listeners.” (2002)
Read MoreHindsight is 20/20
“In retrospect, it was simple. But the invention and growth of Classic Rock…was anything but.” (2003)
Read MoreClassic Rock’s 20th Anniversary
“In 1985 no one could have predicted that Classic Rock would become the most successful new radio format in the past two decades.” (2005)
Read MoreSchool of Rock
“Classic rock became an identifiable presence in the industry as stations coast to coast sought out Jacobs Media’s expertise.” (2006)
Read MoreBirth of the Classic Rock Format
“Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs is credited with creating the Classic Rock format in 1985.” (2008)
Read MoreClassic Rock Radio at 30: The Songs Change, So Does the Vibe Remain the Same?
“Other stations had flirted with the “classic rock” phrase and concept before, such as Philadelphia’s WYSP and Chicago’s WMET. But the idea really took off following low-power station WMMQ’s switch to the format thanks to the faith of programming director Jeff Crowe and station owner Bob Ottoway. Within a year, the format had spread to Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, and label executives were openly worrying to Billboard about the format’s effect on sales of new music.” (2015)
Read MoreJacobs Media Marks Classic Rock’s 30-Year Anniversary on FM Radio
“Classic Rock shows no signs of slowing down, either. Not only is the format heard on at least one station in nearly every radio market in America, but according to Nielsen’s radio ratings, its audience has grown significantly over the last 36 months as original fans continue to enjoy the songs they grew up with while entire new generations discover a timeless body of music.” (2015)
Read MoreJacobs Media Celebrates 30 Years of Classic Rock
“It’s been 30 years since the first FM Classic Rock station (WMMQ/Lansing, MI) debuted. Consulted by Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs, who pioneered the format and was instrumental in its spread across the country, WMMQ brought artists like The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin back to the airwaves after they had been all but abandoned by Album Rock Radio in favor of Hot Hits and the newest videos on MTV.”
Read MoreAlways Trust a Format Over 30
“Not only is the format heard on at least one station in nearly every radio market in America, but according to Nielsen’s radio ratings, the Classic Rock audience has grown significantly over the last 36 months as original fans continue to enjoy the songs they grew up with while entire new generations discover this timeless body of music.” (2015)
Read MoreThe New “History of Classic Rock Radio” Site Commemorates 30 Years of the Format’s Development
“Consultant Fred Jacobs can pinpoint that birth to WMMQ Lansing in 1985.” (2015)
Read MoreClassic Rock Fan Base Growing, Not Fading
“What’s more intriguing is that classic rock is no longer just a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane for those who remember the political anthems and songs of social consciousness at Woodstock. The kids who rolled their eyes in the backseat of their parents’ car are now embracing the playlists they once mocked.” (2015)
Read More