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Is there something new emerging from the formula that has dominated television since the early days of Survivor and American Idol?  And does it have implications for radio and the ways in which brands utilize the social space? Since Lori Lewis joined our company a year ago, she has urged all of us at Jacobs Media […]

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We’ve all been there.  You’ve been living in an apartment for a while, you paint the place, make some improvements, you start to get comfortable with your surroundings, and the place feels like it’s… yours. And then you hear from the landlord about some kind of policy change that’s going into effect on Monday.  Maybe […]

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We continue to talk about the strange paradox that often exists as radio struggles to use Facebook.  In her Monday post this week, Lori Lewis talked about the various misuses of Facebook by radio. Even though “everyone’s on Facebook,” it is perplexing why so many stations, DJs, and shows just keep treating its relationships like […]

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My email box is always full with all sorts of exciting stories about new gadgets and technologies.  Here’s yet another mock-up of the alleged iPhone5: Is it real?  Who knows?  Who cares?  I want one. Same with the iPad 3.  What features will it contain?  Will original buyers of iPad decide that now’s the time to […]

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Some of you have good memories.  Early in January, I raved about an odd new film called The Artist, and the blog below – “The Public Is Never Wrong” – was inspired by it.  Now you know “the rest of the story.”  The film was the big hit at Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony, sweeping […]

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A couple weeks back, we showcased Nike CEO Mark Parker.  His unique claim to fame?  Parker came out of design and is now the guy making all the big calls for one of America’s biggest and best brands. At the time, we suggested the logic of content people running media companies, and in fact, radio […]

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OK, when things slow down a bit at the next party or business meeting you attend, you now have a factoid that will amaze and impress. When you see ads for the iPhone in print or TV, the time is almost always set to 9:42. Why? Former Apple employee Bob Borcher recently revealed that 9:42 […]

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Monty Hall knew what he was doing – the deal business for radio is worthy of your time and thought.  Yesterday, we broke down overall interest in deals around the world, how businesses that have tried deals value them, and the need for radio to not walk away from this space. As we discussed, radio has an […]

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The rise of deal sites in our online world has been nothing short of amazing.  As of late last year, there were nearly 1,800 deal sites in North America. Yet, to hear many broadcasters and other analysts talk about the deals vertical, you’d think that the whole thing was one big fad or even an […]

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A recent story about changes at The Washington Post (that ran in The New York Times!) takes on the tough topic of legacy media’s struggles to adapt to the new media realities. There are obvious connection points here for radio, and a lot to be learned from The Post’s struggle to make the transition with less staff and […]

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In case you’ve somehow missed it, there’s an incredible story sweeping the NBA – and it’s not LeBron or Kobe or bizillion dollar paychecks. The new sensation is the unlikely Jeremy Lin.  Now lighting it up for the Knicks (and setting NBA records), no one expected Lin to be a pro, much less a star. […]

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Maybe you’ve heard about a new game that only daring smartphone owners have the nerve to play.  Called by some “The Phone Stacking Game,” the idea is that when you’re out to dinner with friends, everyone takes out their phones, turns them upside down, and stacks them. Throughout your meal, you’ll hear ringing, beeps, tones, […]

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Every programmer who has suffered through the challenges and heartache associated with being judged by Arbitron, Nielsen, or the services that have come and gone over the years knows all about the realities of the ratings roller coaster. I once worked with a PD who told me how excited he was about the upcoming book.  The station […]

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You can thank the politicians for this one. Katz Media Group maven Bob McCurdy wrote a recent piece for MediaPost that illustrates how negative political advertising takes its toll on the “mother ship.” On the premise that nearly two-thirds of all political advertising on TV is inherently negative (not to mention untrue, sensational, and heinous), […]

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As Lori Lewis will tell you, radio often struggles with social media.  It is fascinating that while everyone in the business recognizes that its essence is communication, the gap between how it’s done on the air and on social sites is often vast. While most stations understand how to talk to listeners on the radio, […]

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I believe we are moving into a different phase of content creation.  And a large part of the credit goes to innovators like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.  We know enough about both of these guys to understand their respective penchants for getting the product right before it goes to market. This philosophy where design […]

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Earlier in the week, Lori Lewis broke down some of the key points from Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to investors.  I have read it over and shared it with our clients and staff this week, and I must tell you that it’s remarkable.  No matter what you think of Facebook as a personal or business connection […]

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We’ve been talking about Facebook all week.  And why not?  Its IPO filing is the buzz of the Internet, not to mention over coffee, dinner, and work breaks. A new chart released by the Silicon Alley Insider shows the gradually changing nature of Facebook’s revenue model.  What was once nearly 100% advertising is now morphing […]

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With all this talk about Facebook’s IPO, there’s been an incredible amount of attention in both the digital and financial worlds about this amazing company.  So I won’t bore you with any financial predictions or even attempt to advise you about the wisdom of “getting in on the ground floor” of Facebook. But the open […]

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