“When’s the last time an alternative station has been number one anywhere?” That’s the question that Chris Huff, Tom Taylor’s ratings guru, asked earlier this week in his “Taylor on Radio-Info” email newsletter after looking at the Salt Lake City July book, and seeing Simmons’ X96 sitting on top of the heap with better than […]
Read MorejacoBLOG
Our founder, Fred Jacobs, discusses the issues facing broadcasters today.
PPM Reality
Much is being made of the Ben Fong-Torres "expose" of a real PPM respondent and her experience carrying the meter, recently printed in the San Francisco Chronicle. I know there are some observers – and Arbitron critics – who view the story as proof of more PPM flaws. I have read the article several times […]
Read MoreBuggy Whip, My Ass!
I’ve heard some tough schoolyard taunts in my day, but the assertion that radio (along with the music business) is a “buggy-whip industry” by none other than the head of the Consumer Electronics Association, Gary Shapiro, is painful. Here’s his quote, published yesterday in Inside Radio: “Rather than adapt to the digital marketplace, NAB and […]
Read MoreStay At Home PDs
A recent article in Radio World jumped out at me for a couple of reasons – it resonated with something I’ve been saying to PDs for years, and it was written by a former colleague and friend, Mark Lapidus. The premise of “Are You Speaking In A Local Voice?” is that programmers need to get […]
Read More20 Minutes
According to Inside Radio, The Media Audit has released revealing new data about how various demographics use radio. They suggest that older Americans – those in the 75+ category – listen to the most radio: a grand total of 2:40 a day. Younger listeners – those in the 18-24 group – clock in at 2:20 […]
Read MoreBehind The Blue Door
The Effie Awards were founded more than 40 years ago by the American Marketing Association’s New York Chapter to recognize the most effective U.S. advertising efforts each year. As you might expect, the competition is always formidable for these awards, as agencies and brands compete very hard to win the right to display these prestigious […]
Read MoreThe Bob Brand
No, this post isn’t about yet another faceless variety station called “Bob.” It’s about a living, breathing personality named Bob – Bob Lester – who can teach us a great deal about how it should be done in 2010. That’s because for all that has changed in broadcast radio over the decades, one thing is […]
Read MoreEvery Company Is Now A Media Company
It seems like the more the world becomes digitized, the smaller and more connected it truly is. Earlier in the week, the phrase was Greg Verdino’s “Everybody in the audience has an audience.” In this post, “Every company is now a media company” comes from Vice co-founder Shane Smith, speaking about how brands like Intel […]
Read MoreA Question Of Balance
As PPM rolls out across the land, programmers and managers often find themselves in an uncomfortable position with heritage talent. On the one hand, a great personality show often becomes part of the station’s brand, generating loyal listening and advertiser support. On the other, some shows have a difficult time adjusting to the faster pace […]
Read MoreEverybody Has An Audience
At a recent client conference, we had the chance to meet Greg Verdino, author of the new book microMarketing. Greg’s an interesting guy who is immersed in the development of smart social media strategy. He also is well grounded in our business, having worked for Arbitron a number of years ago back during the days […]
Read MoreI Am Woman…Watch Me Tweet
Maybe Helen Reddy had it right. Women may lag behind in certain areas. The data indicates that men are more likely to have a smartphone and download apps. But when it comes to social media, women lead the way. In profile sign-ups, time spent on social media sites, and in engagement categories. Yet, how many […]
Read MoreFord Has A Better Idea
President Obama was here in the Detroit area last week, celebrating the comeback of the auto industry. While Chrysler and GM are clawing their way back into respectability, Ford may have had the best strategy all along. By not taking (or apparently needing) the bailout money, Ford separated themselves from the other two in a […]
Read MoreRoman Candles
I have often complained about station debuts that weren’t ready for prime time. Management rushed them to market, and they simply weren’t good enough to compete on Day One. In many ways, launching a new format should be like opening night for a musical on Broadway. Unfortunately, new station kickoffs often lack the necessary rehearsal, […]
Read MoreLocal Pandora
Back in April, one of “the moments” at Kurt Hanson’s RAIN conference was the statement by Pandora’s Doug Sterne that while national ad dollars were the company’s “low hanging fruit,” the big focus would soon be on local advertising revenue. This struck me as a concern because as Pandora tops the 60 million registered listeners […]
Read MoreLinchpin
In his recent book, Seth Godin talks about the importance of employees becoming indispensable to their organizations. He calls them linchpins. This is a frequent theme in many of our presentations to airstaffs because all too often, jocks fail to view a larger role for themselves at their stations. The need to do more than […]
Read MoreRule The Air
As the mobile wars heat up, and AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon beat each other up, while Apple, Google, and RIM engage in hand-to-hand combat for dominance, the marketing they’re using say a lot about where this space is moving. Verizon’s new campaign ought to resonate for radio people because it focuses on our inherent strength […]
Read MoreWhite iPhone
Apple has announced that its highly anticipated white iPhone’s release has been delayed. It is fascinating how this company can create demand in so many different ways. What is so different about the white iPhone besides the obvious? No one knows. And that’s what makes us curious. That’s what makes us want one. White iPhone. […]
Read MoreFace Down
S’plain this one to me: One of the most incredible web success stories of all time. 500 million subscribers. An unbelievable growth trajectory. A social game changer. And one of the most disliked companies on the Internet? According to a new University of Michigan American Customer Satisfaction report conducted with ForeSee Results, Facebook ranks in […]
Read MoreHappy Land
"If you own, manage, or program a Classic Rock, Classic Hits, Alternative, or Active Rock station – and you’re in a PPM market – chances are you’ve taken up residence in 'Happy Land.'” That’s not coming from a guy who’s consulted these formats for 27 years now. It’s a quote from Arbitron’s Senior Vice President […]
Read MoreThe Music Men
If you looked at the airplay pattern for a band called the Disco Biscuits over the past year, you’d have to conclude this band is a total stiff: Yup, 11 spins nationally in the past 52 weeks is hardly a formula for success. But as The New York Times reported recently, this band is more than successful – […]
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