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David Spade has a cool-sounding new show on Comedy Central, "The Showbiz Show With David  Spade" where he skewers celebrities.  Interestingly, the Comedy Central folks wanted Spade to do the show on a nightly basis.  Spade’s reaction?  "There was no way I could make it funny every night.  Once a week is hard enough." It […]

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I’ve got another guest blog from Jacobs Media’s Tim Davis: Over the last few weeks, I’ve devoted a large chunk of time to checking out various podcasts – from the informational to the esoteric.  One thing is certain, there IS a podcast for every taste and interest. That said, most of them are not very […]

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I’ve got another guest blog from Jacobs Media’s Tim Davis: Over the last few weeks, I’ve devoted a large chunk of time to checking out various podcasts – from the informational to the esoteric.  One thing is certain, there IS a podcast for every taste and interest. That said, most of them are not very […]

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In yet another sign that commercial radio is getting pelted by all sides, check out what NPR is broadcasting tonight – a live web stream of the White Stripes concert from Columbia, Maryland.  In recent weeks, I’ve heard strong story coverage about The Rolling Stones’ new album on NPR news magazines, as well as other […]

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In yet another sign that commercial radio is getting pelted by all sides, check out what NPR is broadcasting tonight – a live web stream of the White Stripes concert from Columbia, Maryland.  In recent weeks, I’ve heard strong story coverage about The Rolling Stones’ new album on NPR news magazines, as well as other […]

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We’ve talked about mash-ups in this space where consumers take a couple of songs, blend them together, and create something altogether different and often interesting. Along those lines, there’s an incredibly powerful video set to Green Day’s "Wake Me Up When September Ends" including footage of Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath.  It was obviously put […]

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A great guest blog today from Paul Jacobs: The constant drumbeat of negativism in the press about radio is apparently beginning to seep through to advertisers.  Despite the fact that radio’s total share of listening (though down a tick) is way ahead of viewing levels on network television and newspaper readership, GMs and GSMs are […]

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Jacobs Media clients recently received an advance, uncorrected proof, of a cool new book called "The Big Moo," edited by Seth Godin.  It’s the product of 33 marketing gurus who volunteered their work for three charities.  Notably, none of the articles is attributed, so you can read them without the bias of knowing precisely who […]

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Jacobs Media clients recently received an advance, uncorrected proof, of a cool new book called "The Big Moo," edited by Seth Godin.  It’s the product of 33 marketing gurus who volunteered their work for three charities.  Notably, none of the articles is attributed, so you can read them without the bias of knowing precisely who […]

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Troubled NBA franchise, The New Jersey Nets, has a new campaign underway that has all the elements that we frequently talk about in this space:  using the power of celebrity and dealing the customer (in this case, season ticket holder) into the game.  Its new "Influencer" program started by new CEO Brett Yormark, brings the […]

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When Google bought Blogger, there was much anticipation over how the search pioneers would use its new acquisition.  Now Google has launched Blog Search (blogsearch.google.com) – a handy way to search the blogosphere. Type in "Arbitron," and it takes you to all 1,348 (as of right now…) blog entries that have been written about the […]

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It’s that time of year again, where budgets are being sliced and diced, and the negotiations are occurring between PDs, GMs, and corporate staffers.  How much marketing money will we have?  Do we have enough for boards?  What about direct mail?  And shouldn’t we be thinking about free gas? Yet, it’s not always a matter […]

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Talk to any station manager or sales manager, and they’ll tell you their biggest headache is finding and hiring great salespeople.  For those of us who have been in radio for at least a couple of decades, this phenomenon is a real departure from the past.  Even for sales, there were always scores of applicants, […]

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You have to hand it to Steve Jobs.  While many execs would simply milk the Purple Cow that is the iPod, Jobs gets the joke that you have to keep innovating or you fall behind.  Even the purple-est cows turn brown over time. Witness the recent roll out of the new iPod Nano, which effectively […]

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Give some credit to the new owner of the Minnesota Vikings for immediately connecting with his fans.  Zygi Wilf, real estate magnate from New Jersey, is already pushing hard for a new open-air stadium for the Vikes.  In a very smart, fan-oriented move, Wilf paid $100,000 over the summer so that fans wouldn’t have to […]

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Since writing our original "Stop Voicetracking" last month, the evidence rolls in suggesting that TV is way ahead of radio when it comes to using late night hours for experimentation.  This article in the LA Times reinforces how cable TV has used these less critical hours to beta test new concepts and talent. Now, this […]

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No, we’re not trying to beat you over the head with gas promotions, but a recently released Pew Research study shows the high prices at the pump rank right up there as one of the most closely followed news stories – ever.  By just a bit, it actually eclipses Hurricane Katrina. Anecdotally, LAB groups that […]

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No, we’re not trying to beat you over the head with gas promotions, but a recently released Pew Research study shows the high prices at the pump rank right up there as one of the most closely followed news stories – ever.  By just a bit, it actually eclipses Hurricane Katrina. Anecdotally, LAB groups that […]

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In a recent Op-Ed piece in The New York Times, contributor Mikal Gilmore attempts yet another explanation for how the Beatles have maintained their amazing staying power.  While the Stones continue their amazing tour while essentially in their 60’s, the Beatles continue to maintain their popularity on the radio, and in catalogue sales. Gilmore offers […]

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Sometimes it happens so fast, that even the most tuned-in observers don’t see it.  And as we saw in our Technology Web Poll earlier in 2005, speed and critical mass have come together in many ways. Take the iPod, for example.  Mp3 players had been around for some time, but Steve Jobs’ vision (and marketing […]

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