That memo to the troops from Bob Pittman last week was a fascinating window into the mind of the guy who is changing radio broadcasting. (You can read it here, thanks to Radio Ink.) And along with thousands of Clear Channel employees, you were meant to read it, too. Chances are you did. I believe […]
Read MoreDear Pandora…Dear Radio
As regular readers of this blog know, Pandora has been a hot topic for the past few years. In our new Techsurvey8, we included several Pandora questions that attempted to get to the heart of the real issues for broadcasters and pure plays alike – and what it all means to the people who count […]
Read MoreMeet The New Blog
Hi There! Welcome to the newest incarnation of the jacoBLOG. We’ve spent a good amount of time taking your feedback, watching usage patterns and simply observing the trends we report on here, and have given the blog a major facelift. We think this new platform will make it easier to continue our dialogue as well […]
Read MoreA Happy Headline For Radio
Amidst all the gloom and doom PR about radio comes a piece from CNNMoney.com/Fortune’s “Small Business.” The headline? “Radio Is the Hot Tech Frontier.” Now, that has to make you feel good… At least for a moment. It’s an interesting twist on the Consumer Electronics Show that’s happening this week in Vegas. Author Jonathan Blum […]
Read MoreSelling Out
Stuart Wilde, a self-help author and lecturer, quips: “You’ve got to know what you’re selling.” It’s so obvious, but also so universally ignored in many businesses – including Radio. Right now, Radio is going through a truly transformational process, as we try to morph our business from the single platform (:30 and :60 spots) to […]
Read MoreGranularity
One of the many promises that Arbitron has made about PPM is its ability to drill down into specific programming components to determine their true ratings value – or lack thereof. They call it “granularity” – which translates to being able to hyper-focus on specials, features, stunts, sporting events, and everything else we programmers cook […]
Read More"It Ain’t The Meat…
…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 […]
Read MoreLessons From The HD2 Highway
Note from Fred: Today’s posting is a guest entry from RIFF2 Program Director Mark Pennington. It’s a veritable “6-pack” (Hey, we’re in Detroit) of ideas about how radio can better approach the programming and strategic planning that ought to be a part of HD Radio. We have been critical of the lack of content and […]
Read MoreThe Water Cooler
Here is a guest blog from Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham, morning show & talent development specialist, with thoughts on generating buzz: What did the home pages for the Drudge Report, CNN, Fox News, Google, AOL, The Huffington Post and virtually every other news source have in common yesterday? If you guessed the Iowa Caucus, you’d […]
Read MoreThe Nerve
We certainly touched a nerve with our blog entry on 12/20 about the new HD Radio campaign. Along with Dave Martin, we expressed the opinion that the new agency spots may not be congruent with what broadcasters expect from the Alliance. In our view, the campaign throws AM/FM Radio under the bus in order to […]
Read MoreMichael Jordan Still Lighting ‘Em Up
Jacobs Media’s Bill Jacobs provides insight on how Nike plans on reaching young male consumers: Even though Michael Jordan hasn’t scored a point in an NBA game since April 16, 2003, he, along with Nike, is still scoring bigtime. As a result of the phenomenal success of Air Jordans starting way back in the mid-’90s, […]
Read MoreHappy New Year!
Happy New Year! The JacoBLOG will return with an update on January 2nd.
Read MoreRest In Peace Paul Yeskel: 7/30/51-12/23/07
Rock music promoter Paul Yeskel passed away a few days ago. I did not know Paul very well, but all of the programmers we work with always spoke highly of him. Long-time Rock programmer Ted Edwards provides us with some nice words about Paul. I got the news about Paul on Sunday like all of […]
Read More233 Million People
Arbitron’s preliminary release from RADAR 95 will make you think. All told, 233 million Americans listen to radio weekly. And 95% of Adults 18-49 with a college degree and a yearly household income of $50,000+ still tune in. So how can a medium with this kind of reach be struggling so mightily? Just asking.
Read MoreOn The Radio
The Onion does it again. You’ve no doubt seen their satires and parodies of everything from politics to sports. Now it’s radio. Check out their recent send-up of a typical DJ break, and then contrast it with our Keith Cunningham’s recent piece in R&R about how jocks will need to modify their approaches in a […]
Read MorePretty Krafty
What do you do when you’re a venerable old brand, being bombarded with stiff competition from just about every front? That’s what Kraft Foods is faced with as they continually have to remind consumers about their legendary Maxwell House brand, in the face of Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and McDonald’s, all trying to out-coffee the market? […]
Read MoreMerry Christmas!
The JacoBLOG will return with an update on December 26th. Merry Christmas!
Read MoreRockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
Today’s blog was guest written by L.A. consultant and fashion guru Dave Beasing. It’s often said that new trends start on the coasts and move inland. If so, you’ll be interested to know that holiday shopping here in LA has taken on a decidedly Rock ‘N’ Roll feel. New stores in my mainstream, middle class […]
Read MoreClassic Rock & The NFL
Buffalo’s John Hager talks about how Led Zeppelin was essentially the “bumper music” for Monday night’s great NFL game between the undefeated Patriots and the upstart Ravens. It’s a testament to the timeliness of the upcoming Zep show and the power of Classic Rock. And if that wasn’t enough, the NFL announced that Tom Petty […]
Read MoreFirst, voice tracking. Now this.
If voice tracking didn’t finish off overnight DJs, the hours themselves may kill you. It sounds like a bad morning show bit, but there’s research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer that indicates working the graveyard shift may increase the possibility of contracting cancer. It apparently has to do with the light-dark schedule. […]
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