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All this week, we're talking Pandora.  So permit me to evoke a different medium – film – for a moment.  Maybe you remember Woody Allen’s Zelig back in the ‘80s.  Before there was Photoshop, Woody inserted this character into famous historical scenes.  It was a technical triumph, although not one of his better films.  In […]

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There’s been a considerable amount of talk in the industry over the past year or two about Pandora and exactly how broadcast radio should think of them. We’ve devoted several posts to Pandora in this blog, especially after attending a Meet-Up here in the Detroit area late last year.  At that time, Pandora founder, Tim […]

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If there was any question about whether major DJs or personalities should invest in mobile applications, the judge and jury have spoken: Available on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and even Palm Pre.  (Wonder what kind of phone Oprah uses?) As the press release reads, “With a presence that spans television, print, film and radio, we are […]

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If there was any question about whether major DJs or personalities should invest in mobile applications, the judge and jury have spoken: Available on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and even Palm Pre.  (Wonder what kind of phone Oprah uses?) As the press release reads, “With a presence that spans television, print, film and radio, we are […]

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Forget radio for a moment. I know, it’s hard.  That’s what many of us do 24/7. Surveys like our new Technology Poll are designed to help us better understand how core radio listeners entertain themselves.  But the change that is sweeping our culture – not just our media – transcends any medium, website, or entertainment […]

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Any publicity is good publicity, right?  Wrong. And in this case, the name is easy to spell:  D-J Our post on Monday noted how Facebook is absolutely dominating social media, while MySpace has cratered, BuzzFeed puts out a humorous list you don't want to see your name on: 8 Groups of People Who Still Use MySpace Among […]

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Just between us, there's a difference between smartphones.  Sure, we can argue about features, aesthetics, carriers, and even costs, but there's more to it than that. Some mobile devices simply generate more DLs – or in this case, app downloads – while others are falling further behind because of their lack of a viable app […]

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It's one thing to be a startup – like Foursquare – in the social media space.  It's a whole other thing to be a traditional business – like radio – and try to retrofit your business model to better integrate and serve your changing customer base. There is no better example of this phenomenon than […]

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LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner, has spent nearly a year with that business-oriented social media site, which has amassed 65 million users.  While that pales in comparison to Facebook's 400 million members, LinkedIn has made a mark. Personally, it's a site I don't use very often, but then again, I haven't had to look for a real […]

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LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner, has spent nearly a year with that business-oriented social media site, which has amassed 65 million users.  While that pales in comparison to Facebook's 400 million members, LinkedIn has made a mark. Personally, it's a site I don't use very often, but then again, I haven't had to look for a real […]

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As part of Apple's new initiatives, there's something potentially breakthrough with iAd. This is a new mobile ad platform that is designed to generate revenue sharing between Apple and developers.  But the more insightful part of Jobs' announcement was his very brash comment, "Most of this mobile advertising really sucks, and we thought we might […]

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Usually, CEOs are accused of being overly rosy when it comes to their industry's projected health.  That's why it was interesting to hear the recent comments from the new Chairman/CEO of the company that just bought the bankrupt Chicago Sun Times. James Tyree predicted that "newspapers have got a good strong 10 years.  By then, […]

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A new study by Borrell Associates will look familiar to Jacobs Media and jacAPPS clients.  According to Borrell, local mobile spending will more than triple this year.  The projected trajectory over the next several years is stunning. Coupons, contests, and discounts will power this trend, according to Borrell.  We've talked about couponing extensively in this […]

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Realizing that most of you reading this blog were not in Las Vegas for the NAB and adjacent industry meetings last week, I hope this post provides some value.  I especially enjoyed another RAIN conference, hosted by Kurt Hanson, Jennifer Lane, and Paul Maloney. The beauty of RAIN is that it attracts a diverse group […]

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Realizing that most of you reading this blog were not in Las Vegas for the NAB and adjacent industry meetings last week, I hope this post provides some value.  I especially enjoyed another RAIN conference, hosted by Kurt Hanson, Jennifer Lane, and Paul Maloney. The beauty of RAIN is that it attracts a diverse group […]

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I know what you're probably thinking – how many more iPad posts do you have to read?   Well, on the Monday following the delivery of our iPad, the following email showed up: This is the customer service that companies like Apple, Amazon, and so many other new media companies believe in – and where radio […]

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As many of you know, our company has been fortunate to work with public radio in one capacity or another for more than a decade.  As a bunch of guys raised in rock, it has been a learning experience for us to gain a better understanding of non-commercial radio, and why it continues to work […]

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Venture capitalist and all-round wise person, Guy Kawasaki, has always approached doing business with logic and common sense.  I was fortunate enough to see him speak at last year's Convergence conference – the Radio Ink get-together that brings together lots of tech-savvy thinkers and doers.  In a recent New York Times "Corner Office" piece, Guy […]

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Sometimes the answer is right there in front of us. The economy in the past year and change has redefined the way we think about business, staff, margins, and sales.  Even as the recovery happens in earnest, a "new normal" has set in to radio stations throughout the country, in both small markets and in […]

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Our resident golf fan, Ralph Cipolla, chimes in about Tiger, The Masters, Nike, & marketing strategy.  FORE!! In 1995, Tiger Woods played golf for Stanford and Nike had zero presence in the golf world.  One year later, Nike cut a deal with the 21-year old PGA Rookie, and now the swoosh is the fastest growing […]

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