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Here's a guest blog from Paul Jacobs about a timely issue for radio: Imagine going into work today and finding out that you'll be paid for that work sometime this June.  You go to your boss to protest and he tells you, "Tough rocks – if you want to keep your job, those are the […]

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During a terrible time in radio where it seems that everything we read about is stations laying off even more employees, here's a story that reverses that trend.  In Ann Arbor, Michigan, morning host Martin Bandyke was fired by Cumulus' Ann Arbor's 107.1 earlier this month.  Stated reason?  Budget cuts, of course.  But the story didn't […]

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Two Paul McCartney blogs in one week? Check out "The Colbert Report's" interview with Sir Paul, a truly funny piece of video that is enjoyable for any Beatles fan to watch.  That's an interesting observation since I've personally seen and heard countless interviews with McCartney over the past 40 years. The Colbert ReportMon – Thurs […]

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Two Paul McCartney blogs in one week? Check out "The Colbert Report's" interview with Sir Paul, a truly funny piece of video that is enjoyable for any Beatles fan to watch.  That's an interesting observation since I've personally seen and heard countless interviews with McCartney over the past 40 years. The Colbert ReportMon – Thurs […]

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What does it say about the state of Alternative and Indie Rock when Coachella announces that Paul McCartney will be headlining this year's festival? Roger Waters appeared at last year's festival, so there's a precedent for a legacy entertainer appearing at this event.  Obviously, McCartney makes Coachella a destination for older rockers, while opening up […]

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What does it say about the state of Alternative and Indie Rock when Coachella announces that Paul McCartney will be headlining this year's festival? Roger Waters appeared at last year's festival, so there's a precedent for a legacy entertainer appearing at this event.  Obviously, McCartney makes Coachella a destination for older rockers, while opening up […]

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While Sirius XM was being bailed out by Liberty Media yesterday, another key announcement was overshadowed by the news.  The NAB's negotiation with SoundExchange for more than reasonable royalties on radio's Internet streams is an open invitation to broadcasters.  Consumers aren't about paying for satellite radio.  But they want to simply receive audio entertainment on […]

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Jay sums up what we've been hearing in focus group after focus group for nearly ten years…

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In one of the more interesting stories to break this year, Google has pulled out of its radio foray, and analysts are left to wonder what happened.  And whether this is good or bad for radio. Well, it may be all of those things, and none of those things.  But it sure isn't surprising.  Supposedly […]

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A recent MediaPost commentary by Per Lofgren, director for EuroContactPool, asked the question, "Is email marketing next for extinction?" The issue is based on Lofgren's realization that youth have moved away from email, preferring instead to communicate with one another via text, social networking sites, and web messaging.  In fact, Lofgren notes that while the […]

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Today's blog is a treat, especially for the legions of Apple fans out there.  We're all used to seeing Steve Jobs get on the stage at MacWorld with his signature black sweater and jeans, extolling the virtues of whatever's cutting edge this year at Apple.  Sadly, his health prevented this year's appearance, but YouTube is […]

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I'm at Radio Ink's Convergence 2009 this week, preparing for a panel called "Radio On Demand."  First, major kudos to Eric Rhoads and company for putting together an incredibly well-attended conference.  In this year of crisis for our industry and America, it is truly amazing how many people are here. It all got going with […]

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This graphic by Ji Lee literally jumped at me from this past Sunday's New York Times.  It asks an important question as many Americans grapple with lowered expectations, a smaller nest egg, and ratcheted down dreams.  It made me wonder how many formerly happy radio people are now asking themselves this question, whether it's been […]

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This graphic by Ji Lee literally jumped at me from this past Sunday's New York Times.  It asks an important question as many Americans grapple with lowered expectations, a smaller nest egg, and ratcheted down dreams.  It made me wonder how many formerly happy radio people are now asking themselves this question, whether it's been […]

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One of the nice things about writing a blog is reading other blogs, and looking at the different ways the people express themselves and their observations in this space.  Eric Holmes in our office turned me on to “Marketing Nirvana.”  It’s a blog written by Mario Sundar, an unabashed Apple fan and the chief blogger […]

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As the radio sales environment gets more precarious, and advertisers take pot shots at just about every format and station, I continue to marvel at how Classic Rock is often overlooked and underrated.   Classic Rock is America's music.  It's mainstream, center-lane stuff, enjoyed and appreciated by several generations. But don't take my word for it.  […]

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The beauty of America's biggest sporting event each year is the post-analysis that always occurs – not for the game, but for the advertising and marketing.  But when you get beyond the fact that the Doritos spot with the snow globes was the most popular in much of the viewer voting, the big winner may […]

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In the midst of all the layoffs in radio, there's a group of people who have been almost totally ignored – those that didn't get fired. While our sympathies go out to the unemployed, many of whom are struggling to find a place in a rapidly changing radio industry, let's take a moment to consider […]

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Amidst all the other angst, anxiety, and hand-wringing going on in radio at this time, many Rock and Classic Rock stations, in particular, are looking at their fall numbers and wondering what happened? For long-time Jacobs Media clients, it's no mystery.  We've tackled this issue before, in great detail.  Six years ago, Ralph Cipolla and […]

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Amidst all the other angst, anxiety, and hand-wringing going on in radio at this time, many Rock and Classic Rock stations, in particular, are looking at their fall numbers and wondering what happened? For long-time Jacobs Media clients, it's no mystery.  We've tackled this issue before, in great detail.  Six years ago, Ralph Cipolla and […]

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