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There aren’t a whole lot of physical knobs and buttons on most of the “digital dashboards” rolling off the assembly lines these days.  But as the automakers grapple with finding ways to improve the user interface in their infotainment systems, we may see and hear more and more old school radio terms and gadgetry. But […]

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You have to hand it Bob Lefsetz.  His “Lefsetz Letter,” frequently devoted to stories and topics about music, never fails to stimulate.  Bob always puts his emotional view of the industry front and center, inviting you to think and engage with his opinions. The other day, JacoBLOG reader Mike Anthony brought one of Bob’s recent […]

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We can throw the 93% number around all we like, but the bottom line is that radio listening levels vary depending on the group you’re looking at. In a recent series of posts, we’ve talked about the concerning radio problem centering on lost youth – specifically, the notion that the medium has lost a generation of listeners over the […]

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The news that “Mayhem In The Morning” was given the ax by Lincoln Financial’s 790 The Zone/Atlanta wasn’t really news.  And the story really isn’t about whether they should have been suspended, fired, or disciplined. What makes this disaster “news” is that it keeps happening.  Again and again. In case you missed it, this morning […]

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Radio stations throughout the land have all been fighting a war of attrition these past few years: shrinking marketing budgets. Now if we were a bunch of Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises, we’d be in trouble.  But because we’re radio stations – brands that consumers still are passionate about – we have alternatives, and pretty good […]

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These are the times that truly test some of the core tenets of the media business, and radio is at the epicenter of the debate. Specifically, the issue of control. Who controls the music you hear?  Who selects it?  Who filters it?  And how can the music experience get better at a time when it’s […]

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It seems like every week, we’re treated to more and more news that our once-predictable, stable, media world is changing yet again.  And fast. Consider that this past week there were more “breaking news” stories coming out of the radio industry trades than on CNN.  (And it appears that the radio coverage was more accurate, […]

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Don’t think for a moment that talk and chatter don’t lead to perceptions. In radio, the talk for the past few weeks (few years?) has been about layoffs in highly visible radio companies. And while cutbacks are still only rumored, smaller employee counts have become the norm in radio.  And it continues to be a part […]

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The long-awaited announcement that Apple is now officially playing radio – called iTunes Radio (italics mine) – simply reinforces what has long been happening in the pure-play space: Everyone’s trying to recast, redefine, and reinvent radio – except most radio broadcasters. Pandora’s response to Apple’s new baby sounded a lot like Mad’s goofy poster boy, Alfred […]

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Last week in a suburb of Detroit – Novi, to be exact – Telematics Update held their annual conference, bringing together a growing group of automotive and media professionals to discuss the ongoing hot topic – “the connected car.” Nearly 2,000 professionals made the trip to Metro Detroit.  For Paul and me, it was a […]

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So you think radio is a competitive business? Apple is in a war with Samsung, and it’s a bloody one.  Sure, it’s about volume (in radio parlance, ratings), but it’s even more about the cool factor.  And in that dimension, Apple has a challenge on its hands with the Galaxy S4 handsets. This is a […]

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On the heels of Paul’s excellent post yesterday about mobile revenue – specifically from the local angle – comes today’s entry about media ad spending.  Last week, Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers’ killer analyst, Mary Meeker, presented her always amazing Internet Trends 2013 report. It’s 117 of the most remarkable slides you’ll see that synopsizes what’s […]

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We’ve all been there. You wake up one day – or 5 o’clock rolls around – and it turns out that one of your competitors has changed formats. And now they’re coming right at you. They’re playing your music, with your value proposition, and your liners.  And they’re commercial-free so even  your core fans will […]

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Users have probably felt it for some time.  Now it’s been confirmed:  Pandora has been sneaking in more commercial units. This will sound familiar because it’s been a broadcast radio tactic since Marconi…or Mel Karmazin.  Station sales staffs have consistently worked at the margins to squeeze in as many spots in as possible, flirting with […]

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Clear Channel’s new study about digital media habits, published by a number of radio trades, caught my eye this week.  As an industry friend confided to me, there is simply too much research and data coming out for the average radio manager to absorb. He’s right.  I realize that Jacobs Media may be part of that […]

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As our work at Jacobs Media takes us closer to connected cars via our app business, our partnership with Ford, and information gathering at conferences and conventions like CES and the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit, it is abundantly clear that radio’s relationship with autos is taking on a whole new meaning – and […]

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In an insightful interview by the Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg with Bob Bowman, MLB’s head of Advance Media, there are great lessons about how traditional entertainment businesses are navigating the digital space – especially mobile. First, there’s an experimental aspect to what MLB has accomplished, led by the vision of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig […]

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As we present our format “deep dive” webinars for Techsurvey9, and prepare for our free Conclave webinar on June 5, I continue to marvel at the “trackability” of this massive study. Of course, having more than 78,000 responses contributes to TS9’s stability, but I often hear questions that go to the heart of this survey’s source – email […]

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Hard to believe that it was about a month ago that we were all glued to our TVs, watching the developments in the Boston Marathon bombing. Aside from the tragedy itself, one of the most interesting aspects of the ensuing investigation revolved around how video and pictures broke the case open.  In fact, law enforcement agencies […]

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