The Jacobs Media Blog

There are some very interesting and progressive things beginning to happen in both commercial and public radio when it comes to personalized content consumption. And I’m not talking about music. So often, the topic of playlists and customization centers on Pandora, Spotify, and now iTunes Radio which makes its debut in the next few weeks. […]

About a year ago, an industry friend called to talk a little radio, and in the course of the conversation asked me this question:  “What’s going on with Country in Detroit?” He was referencing WYCD’s ratings, which at the time cracked the 7-share threshold for 25-54 adults.  And I explained that it is not the […]

Jacobs Media’s newest consultant, Mike Stern, is always scouring the industry trades for hot news items.  And recently, he found one that’s close to home. -FJ I’d like to thank Fred for bringing me back to the Alternative format at just the right moment because… We Are Back, Baby! An Inside Radio analysis of Arbitron […]

Here we are, four years later, and another company tradition is coming together.  I’m speaking of our Summer School sessions at the Conclave, an important conference and organization dedicated to the care and training of future broadcasters. We were once again honored to kick off Conclave with an afternoon of sessions, interviews, and presentations designed […]

On Wednesday, Jacobs Media kicked off the 38th annual Conclave with our fourth Summer School presentation.  And by the sound of the feedback, it was a strong series of sessions for Conclave attendees. I had the chance to interview both Jaye Albright, one of this year’s Rockwell Award recipients, as well as the often reclusive […]

Our newest consultant and personality coach, Mike Stern, thinks a lot about what makes a great DJ or morning show.  Recently, he ran across a great web article written by sci-fi author Charlie Jane Anders: “10 Essential Elements of a Great Escapist Hero.” And you know what?  Many of these traits apply to being a breakthrough, […]

The whirlwind speed at which technology is moving puts incredible pressure on the innovative companies in the vanguard of this space.  Not all of them are going to come out of this maelstrom intact.  And that’s the point – even so-called venerable tech brands are being tested every day. We’ve watched the demise of both […]

At the very end of last month, in an effort to bolster sales to “make the quarter,” both Clear Channel and CBS ran major pushes to “hit the numbers.”  One-day sales blitzes, higher commission rates, and other incentives and games were apparently attempted in an effort to squeeze out as many dollars as possible during Q2. […]

One of the quiet trends that may be impacting American business – and radio is right there in the center of it – has to do with morale, employee satisfaction, and keeping staffers upbeat and positive during challenging times. The events of the past few years – the loss of faith in financial institutions, company […]

Our post about apps and talent earlier this week elicited many comments – especially on Twitter where a number of jocks chimed in about their role in differentiating radio from its digital competitors.  The best comment came from researcher and techie, Mike Anthony, and it’s the subject of this morning’s guest post.  Thanks to Mike […]

There’s are a lot of shocked faces in the radio industry over this new Gallup poll revealing that radio comes in dead last as a main source for news and current events.  I’m not sure why. TV takes first place with 55% of the votes, followed by the Internet (21%), print (9%), and finally radio (6%).  […]

If you’re in radio, you might want to send a gift basket (a nice bottle of wine will do) to your friends in Cupertino this month.   They’re celebrating a big birthday. That’s right – we’re talking Apple.  Because first the iPhone, and then the App Store (celebrating its fifth birthday) may go down as the greatest things to […]

In much the same way that Major League Baseball uses the All-Star Game as a natural break point between the first and second half of its long season, all of us in the media business can do the same thing coming off our own July 4th holiday break. And in that spirit, I’ve thought a […]

You’re probably thinking that the holiday isn’t even here yet, and I’m already slacking by turning over the blog to a guest writer – two days in a row.  Actually, we seem to have a New Jersey theme this week, as you’ll read in a moment. Bill Jacobs has been consulting stations for our company for […]

Earlier this year I bumped into Wayne Campbell and Kurt Hahn from Filmhouse at a convention.  If you’ve never heard of Filmhouse, chances are you’re somewhat new to radio.  That’s because it wasn’t that long ago that it was standard operation procedure for many stations to head into the spring and fall books armed with a TV […]