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“If it’s the Psychic Network why do they need a phone number?” – Robin Williams Arbitron is probably asking the same question, as it is becoming more and more difficult to track Americans on their phones in a rapidly changing telecommunications environment. Consider the following headlines and news stories: "Cell Phone Spending Surpasses Land Lines" […]

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Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham talks about the biggest entertainment trends of 2007, and what they might mean for ’08. In a televised special last year, Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels said, “If you’re not about what people are thinking about that week, then I think you don’t have any relevance.”  Our friends at Nielsen recently […]

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The Media Monitors results in Michigan are out, and despite a hot Republican primary in Michigan, Radio earned a small part of political ad spending.  We have used this space to implore Radio and the RAB to get aggressive about garnering more radio dollars from aspiring politicians.  But the winds are blowing the other way, […]

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What was the "net worth" of the biggest artists in the music world in 2007?  The LA Times just did an interesting analysis, combining the total revenues that artists accumulated, based on all sources: concert box office, album sales, and even digital tracks sold through iTunes and other web sources.  Depending on the artist, of […]

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Item:  Garth Brooks will do a Q&A – and sing a duet with a Radio person – at this year’s CRS. Item:  The Detroit Tigers hold a sold out "TigerFest" where the big stars come out to sign autographs & thousands of fans wait their turn in the cold weather. Item: Celebrity Dennis Miller does […]

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We try to tell it like it is in this blog, even when it ruffles some important feathers.  Likewise, the last thing we want to be is self-serving.  On the surface, today’s blog may appear to be just that, but we sincerely disagree. Here’s the premise: Radio is at an important turning point, adapting to […]

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Dave Beasing shares a recent article from Seth Godin.  Here is part two (find part one here): As part of the team that invaded the homes of young people during last year’s Arbitron/Jacobs "Bedroom Project," I can tell you that we met a lot of young people who consider themselves to be huge music fans.  […]

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Dave Beasing shares a recent article from Seth Godin.  We’ve split it into two parts, with part two appearing here tomorrow: Author Seth Godin helps people "see the forest for the trees."  No industry has ever been so in need of an objective perspective as the music business.  To this day, many of our friends […]

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…It’s The Motion."  OK, maybe I’m one of the few who remembers that song from Maria Maldaur from the early ’70s.  But as the CES is the big story of the week, those lyrics ring true.  Of course, the CES is all about the newest gadgets…or is it? The more you talk to key players […]

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I would love to see HD Radio work.  I really would. But in order to “break” a new medium/gadget in this new millennium, it’s going to take clever tactics, brilliant strategy, and on-target execution.  These are qualities that have been in short supply since the Alliance was formed.  Another Christmas comes and goes, and the […]

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One of the key philosophies here at Jacobs is encouraging clients to use their databases to better understand and serve their audiences – whether it’s listeners or advertisers.  As we’ve learned in the past decade, web polling is a great tool for doing just that, and part of the basic idea behind the NeoRadio concept […]

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In Tom Taylor’s great daily emails (Taylor on Radio-Info), he makes the point that all of radio may end up paying for "the perceived sins of Clear Channel."  All of that negative press about voicetracking, pay for play, corporate playlists, and macho corporate behavior have probably led to this new FCC proposal that will force […]

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We saw it loud and clear in this year’s Jacobs Media Tech Poll III.  Most listeners simply haven’t actually heard HD Radio and/or don’t know anyone who owns one.  Unlike XM and Sirius, available through car rental companies, it is actually difficult to sample HD Radio without going into an electronics store.  And consumers don’t […]

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Two headlines on a slow pre-holiday Tuesday: 1. FCC Passes Controversial Cross Ownership Rules 2. Oasis Dries Up, KOSS Now KIIS Simulcast So, on the one hand, the FCC passes the measure allowing media companies to own both a newspaper and a radio or television station in the same market.  And on the other, Clear […]

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In a recent CNNMoney article, Electronic Arts CEO, John Riccitello, outlined some of the lessons he’s learned during the past ten years since he took over that mega-gaming empire.  If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was talking about radio. 1. Embrace change even if it costs a lot.  Riccitello talks about how the […]

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Madonna and the Dave Clark Five are among the 2008 inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Do you think perhaps the concept is getting somewhat watered down?  In another year or so, I may finally get over the fact they’re located in Cleveland and not here in the real rock capital, Detroit. […]

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