The Jacobs Media Blog

In a recent post about voicetracking – good, bad, or ugly – a number of comments rolled in on all sides of the issue. And prominently, Larry Rosin (right) has essentially come out against program “nationalization” as well as rampant voicetracking – which he refers to as “a disaster for the radio industry.” On the […]

And with that, new boss Jimmy de Castro announced to the Chicago Sun Times that WGN is going to be satisfied with serving its natural target audience – no matter what anybody inside or outside the station says about it. Here’s the actual quote – which is actually more provocative than this post’s headline: “I don’t want […]

There’s a lot of industry talk these days about what it means to be “live & local,” is it desirable, and does it matter.  Too many stations in radio don’t do it, can’t do it, or think that by reading the local weather and mentioning a city or landmark, they are doing it.  In the rough and […]

And here they are – in order: 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 The chart below tells you all you need to know about the financial relationship between radio and automotive: There’s are many reasons why the “connected car” impacts every department at broadcast radio stations.  You’re looking at five big ones.  Even though other categories are […]

Last week, one of the more interesting announcements about new TV programs flew under the radar.  (Maybe the Oscars had a little something to do with that.) Vh1 announced a new reality show, “This Is Hot97.”  You read it right – a show that takes place inside a radio station.  We’ve come a long way […]

A few days ago, “The Wizard of Ads” – Roy Williams – wrote a thought-provoking piece for Radio Ink that connected with me.  In “My Apology To Programmers,” he talks about the drip-drip-drip erosion of programming resources, and how the audience eventually picks up on it.  And his big takeaway? “Radio no longer values that […]

And with those five little words, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made an amazing admission.  Sometimes during timeouts – a brief respite usually used to re-center a team and plan the next set of moves – Popovich will turn to his team, lets them know he really doesn’t have any answers, and lets them […]

Last week, someone sent me a blurb about the hottest new iPhone app concept.  Amazingly, it comes from the team at Oscar Mayer.  It’s an alarm clock app that awakens you to the smell of bacon.  That’s right – an iPhone attachment that you have to apply for (yes, there’s the rub) produces the aromas of bacon. While this […]

It’s true year in and year out that we’re always more interested in the big feature films – especially the ten nominated for best picture – when Oscar time rolls around.  And in fact, interest in films as diverse as “American Hustle” and “12 Years A Slave” drove Twitter numbers to record heights a week ago Sunday. […]

While all of us Rock programmers and consultants have been busy designing our “March Bandness” brackets and putting together new “Rock Girls” promotions, something devious has been happening in Nashville – and it’s got to stop. It popped up on my radar screen last year while I was speaking at the Country Radio Seminar.  As someone […]

As we approach March Madness and the blessed start of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, many Sports Radio stations and they DJs may actually have something to talk about after a long winter. And like many fans of sports and radio, I always enjoy studying what happens on the courts, fields, and diamonds to […]

I’ve held off on writing about Apple’s CarPlay for one key reason.  Whenever there’s a technical breakthrough – especially when it comes from Cupertino – there’s a rush to be first, to analyze it, to philosophize about it, and to pronounce it as “a game-changer.” Apple’s CarPlay may, in fact, change the way that consumers […]

While most of us were watching the Oscars to see if a favorite movie, actor, or actress walked away with a coveted gold statue, Lori Lewis had her eyes glued to all her electronic gadgets and devices, hoping to capture and better understand the confluence of a big TV real-time event, social media, and a […]

When you think of Intel, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of that ubiquitous four-tone signature they always used in their ads or the stickers on your PCs reminding you they’re “inside.”  I think of their former CEO Andy Grove who had that amazing run with the company during the late ‘80s through most […]

Mike Stern loves his data but could not be classified as a “quant.”  He’s programmed myriad radio stations, but also spent several years consulting Arbitron about how to best communicate ratings to PDs.  In this guest post, he takes a look at the role that data plays in the building of content and brands – […]