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It certainly won't shock you if you have children – especially pre-teens – but research continues to point to the power and influence they possess over the entire family when it comes to technology adoption and usage.   We know this anecdotally, especially from focus groups we conduct in the Classic Rock demo.  More and more […]

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I was recently stuck on a long drive by myself through a less-than-scenic part of the country.  For a time, I plugged my iPhone into the AUX jack on my Dodge Caliber, enjoying some of the radio apps we've created for stations as diverse as The Coast in Mendocino, as well as WWOZ, the great […]

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Forget about having a tight board, good pipes, and 3rd class FCC license. According to USA Today, MTV is in the process of redefining the VJ, and of course, social media is at the center of this initiative.  Now known as a Twitter Jockey or TJ, the search is on for someone who “gets” social […]

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For the past 15 years or so, radio stations have been smart about aggregating email addresses for loyalty databases.  Our Technology Surveys show a consistent trend: listeners feel that being in these clubs creates a stronger bond with stations.  Given all the new media competition, this is clearly a good thing. But now, thanks to […]

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There's nothing more challenging than being a huge global brand, and yet still finding a way to earn a strong reputation with consumers.  According to Forbes, a recent survey from the Reputation Institute set out to identify companies that have figured it out. They used a multi-tiered research model that marries revenue performance and consumer […]

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As the industry continues to recover and the revenue picture has begun to improve, the pace certainly hasn’t slowed down.  If anything, broadcasters find themselves moving at even a faster pace, trying to keep up with the demands. The last couple of years of budget cuts have taken their toll on many departments of most […]

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The news that Eminem is back with a new album is music to Motor City ears, as well as his long time legions of fans around the globe. The hype machine is already gearing up by pre-releasing photos of the album's cover.  And that news might surprise you right there. There's actually artwork.  And it's […]

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There’s an old saying that you often hear in corporate meetings, sales get-togethers, and around the cubicles: Pigs get fat – hogs get slaughtered. When it comes to greed and simply taking advantage of a good thing, that’s been the Starbucks philosophy for many years when it comes to Internet access.   I love the place, […]

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This is already becoming an amazing baseball season – some great rookies, perfect games, the "imperfect game," and now phenom Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals who is the must-see player of the year – and he's only pitched two games. But fans know something special when they see it – and so do smart […]

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The problems besetting the nation's newspapers are well-known.  Between iconic daily newspapers going out of business, moving to Chapter 11 status, or just becoming less viable as purveyors of local journalism, this industry is in a world of hurt. During the past two Jacobs Tech Surveys, we have trended regular newspaper readership (3-4 days per […]

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A new piece at Forbes.com provides a nice follow-up to a recent blog post here – “A Hobby Or A Business” – that took on the question of whether traditional broadcasters pursuing digital initiatives might be wasting their time and money. This new article refers to many of the print casualties, along with the problems that […]

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I knew that headline would get your attention, but it accurately describes a recent presentation that we made at the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists conference in Pittsburgh.   AASECT, founded by Pat Schiller in 1967, has been putting together these conferences for 42 years.  This year’s theme – "Bridging Educational, Medical, and Clinical […]

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While we've been enjoying the Spring, Ford and a team of engineering and design students from the University of Michigan were putting the finishing touches on an exciting automotive and digital journey across the U.S.  Called "American Journey 2.0," these two groups put together a cross-country tour of two digitally tricked-out 2011 Ford Fiestas to […]

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While we've been enjoying the Spring, Ford and a team of engineering and design students from the University of Michigan were putting the finishing touches on an exciting automotive and digital journey across the U.S.  Called "American Journey 2.0," these two groups put together a cross-country tour of two digitally tricked-out 2011 Ford Fiestas to […]

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What's the worst chief executive job this side of AIG?   It would have to be the guy in charge of Freddie Mac.  As you may recall, they took tons of federal aid and were roundly blamed for facilitating the housing crisis, not to mention losing $26 billion last year. So how does Charles Haldeman Jr. […]

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What's the worst chief executive job this side of AIG?   It would have to be the guy in charge of Freddie Mac.  As you may recall, they took tons of federal aid and were roundly blamed for facilitating the housing crisis, not to mention losing $26 billion last year. So how does Charles Haldeman Jr. […]

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I was honored to speak at the Non-COMM music industry conference last week, an interesting collection of Triple A stations from both the public and commercial radio sectors.  Produced by WXPN under the able guidance of Bruce Warren and Roger LaMay, this conference is a mashup of PDs, Indie bands, label people, and promo folks who come together […]

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Last week, AT&T announced new data plans structured to get more money from heavy data users on devices like iPhones. While only 2% of iPhone owners fall into this group, this multi-tiered pricing model is focused on them.  As a result, there's been some speculation that higher prices could curtail data usage, including streaming radio stations […]

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This past weekend, the world of sports lost perhaps one of its most legendary icons – John Wooden – who passed away at the ripe old age of 99.  Last fall to commemorate that birthday, we posted the following blog, reposted this morning in his memory: Earlier this week, former UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, […]

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I know there are more important things than baseball – the oil spill, any number of foreign crises, the economy – but I simply cannot get Detroit Tiger Armando Galarraga's perfect game – that wasn't – out of my mind.  As a baseball fan for many decades, I have never been more disappointed by the […]

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