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An amazing story played out recently on CBS-TV and the network has done something virtually unprecedented – it brought back a show it cancelled. In this case, it’s "Jericho."  Apparently, one of the problems with the show’s ratings came from too many viewers watching it on TiVos and DVRs – and not in real time […]

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As Dylan said, "You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."  And it’s looking more and more like PPM will indeed be a fast-moving reality.  I can tell you that the past several months in Philadelphia have been an education, and it’s still the top of the first inning. When I […]

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Tomorrow, an interesting protest will be taking place, and terrestrial radio could and should be a part of it.  Led by Kurt Hanson’s SaveNetRadio, the idea is to create a "Day of Silence" for stations’ web streams to protest the Copyright Royalty Board’s rate increases. At the same time, the goal is to support the […]

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Remember that now-famous campaign that helped launch "Desperate Housewives" where ABC printed up dry cleaning bags and distributed them in key markets around the country?  It was a clever way to use another "medium" (dry cleaners?) to get their message across.  And in the process, the campaign itself generated media buzz because everyone was talking […]

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I’m not going to tell you where I was when I picked up a copy of the May edition of Fortune Small Business. The cover story caught my eye:  "Old Dogs, New Tricks: Innovators find fresh ways to profit in out-of-fashion industries." I figured there was a blog in there somewhere, especially when I turned […]

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Leave it to St. Louis’ Point to come up with a cool, listener-oriented feedback campaign, The Soundboard.  Not to be critical of their efforts, however, we’re a bit less-than happy about the way they have positioned it on the air.  It’s one thing to be all about the listener, but their approach may be a […]

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In just a couple of weeks, Apple’s revolutionary new iPhone will finally come to market, and we will see if the reality lives up to the hype.  I was doing a market visit a couple of weeks ago, and someone on the programming staff asked me, "Will the iPhone change everything?" Now THAT’S a heavy […]

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"…but the melody lingers on."  –Irving Berlin These words rang so true last Sunday night as America watched the final episode of "The Sopranos."  There are still raging arguments about that final scene, especially the music choice, "Don’t Stop Believin" by Journey. Was this a cruel joke on the part of creator David Chase?  Is […]

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"…but the melody lingers on."  –Irving Berlin These words rang so true last Sunday night as America watched the final episode of "The Sopranos."  There are still raging arguments about that final scene, especially the music choice, "Don’t Stop Believin" by Journey. Was this a cruel joke on the part of creator David Chase?  Is […]

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In more and more conference rooms, we’re hearing increasing evidence of business moving to digital platforms.  As radio copes with flat to down revenues in many markets, the rush to generate revenue via websites, texting, and other new applications becomes an ever-increasing reality. It’s tough out there, as companies grapple with choosing the right strategies […]

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Samsung has a new mobile phone about to come to market – the Jitterbug.  According to cell phone maven, Arlene Harris, this new offering has been simplified (dumbed down) to appeal to Baby Boomers. It only has three buttons – one that calls 911, another to call an operator, and a third that has a […]

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If you had a choice – if you had to live with just one device or technology – what would it be?  Would you choose the Internet?  Or TV?  Or your iPod?  Or FM Radio? That was the hypothetical question we posed to 25,000+ Rockers in this year’s Technology Poll, and the winner may surprise […]

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It seems that most of the meetings that Paul and I participate in with high-level broadcasters continue to focus on where revenue growth is going to come from.  That’s why the data below – 68,000,000 streamies strong – pretty much speaks for itself.  Look at the volume of streaming, check out the quality of advertisers, […]

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Detroit’s famous State Theatre has changed its name to The Fillmore Detroit.  No, the first artist to play at this newly branded venue will not be the Allman Brothers Band, but instead will be Fergie.  Yet, in Fillmore tradition, there will be a basket of apples in the lobby, and the decor will be vintage […]

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The video revolution is underway, led in large part by YouTube.  While most people focus on its sale to Google for $1.65 billion, consider this:  YouTube didn’t even exist until February 2005.  This reinforces the amazing potential of web-based business concepts, as well as the meteoric rise of streaming video. This year’s version of the […]

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Today marks the debut of our new website design at Jacobsmedia.com. OK, it’s not like the release of a CD or the opening of a Broadway play.  But like anything that’s new, different, and untested, the folks here at Jacobs Media are a little atwitter about the unveiling of our new website design. As a […]

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Today’s the day that every Starbucks on Planet Earth will be playing wall-to-wall Memory Almost Full, the new CD by Paul McCartney. At Jacobs Media, we have long referred to seminal Classic Rockers as "Mt. Rushmore Artists" – the faces that every core Rock fan envisions as synonymous with this great music.  For most people, […]

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If you watch "Entourage," you know the clothes that Vince, Drama, and Turtle walk around in epitomize casual but very cool dress.  This is why they’ve created an entire line of clothing for sale, all based on the "Entourage" sense of fashion.  This is a great idea, of course, but nothing that radio hasn’t been […]

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