The Jacobs Media Blog

Users have probably felt it for some time.  Now it’s been confirmed:  Pandora has been sneaking in more commercial units. This will sound familiar because it’s been a broadcast radio tactic since Marconi…or Mel Karmazin.  Station sales staffs have consistently worked at the margins to squeeze in as many spots in as possible, flirting with […]

Clear Channel’s new study about digital media habits, published by a number of radio trades, caught my eye this week.  As an industry friend confided to me, there is simply too much research and data coming out for the average radio manager to absorb. He’s right.  I realize that Jacobs Media may be part of that […]

As our work at Jacobs Media takes us closer to connected cars via our app business, our partnership with Ford, and information gathering at conferences and conventions like CES and the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit, it is abundantly clear that radio’s relationship with autos is taking on a whole new meaning – and […]

In an insightful interview by the Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg with Bob Bowman, MLB’s head of Advance Media, there are great lessons about how traditional entertainment businesses are navigating the digital space – especially mobile. First, there’s an experimental aspect to what MLB has accomplished, led by the vision of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig […]

As we present our format “deep dive” webinars for Techsurvey9, and prepare for our free Conclave webinar on June 5, I continue to marvel at the “trackability” of this massive study. Of course, having more than 78,000 responses contributes to TS9’s stability, but I often hear questions that go to the heart of this survey’s source – email […]

We knew we had a winner in Lori Lewis when she told us how she’d spent a weekend evening reading the Department of Defense’s social media guidelines a couple years back.  Since that time, Lori has become a go-to person for social media in radio.  And the U.S. military continues to set a great example of how to become […]

Hard to believe that it was about a month ago that we were all glued to our TVs, watching the developments in the Boston Marathon bombing. Aside from the tragedy itself, one of the most interesting aspects of the ensuing investigation revolved around how video and pictures broke the case open.  In fact, law enforcement agencies […]

For me, the journey of music discovery took a wonderful and unpredictable turn last weekend at a packed Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit featuring a local star that you may have never heard of.  Sixto Rodriguez, who described himself on stage as an “ordinary legend,” finally captured his deserved super star status – at the age of […]

The news that Yahoo is paying a reported $1.1 billion for Tumblr says a great deal about the differences in how broadcast and digital media executives view teens – otherwise known as Generation Z. For Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, there’s a realization that in web circles, her brand is graying – rapidly.  While Yahoo was a hot, […]

Last month, we showcased the Greater Media Philadelphia cluster which was named as one of the best workplaces in town by the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philly.com for the second consecutive year. Not to be outdone, I heard from a reader across the pond who told me about UKRD Group Ltd., named by The Sunday Times […]

On last week’s investor call, Saga CEO Ed Christian gave a (as always) transparent view (as much as possible) of the state of radio – and his company.  Ed is famous for substantive analyses of the industry and where it’s headed.  He takes the issues head-on, and uses these calls to sound off about what’s […]

Yesterday, we took a look at the importance of responding to consumers who visit radio’s social pages.  Far too often,  a cavalier attitude about listeners (“contest pigs”) has led to aloof, ambivalent, or even negligent policies in markets big and small. For all those request line calls that blinked away and went unanswered, for those letters and […]

So now we know. One of the beauties of our Techsurveys is that they allow you to ask questions you just don’t have time for during the course of researching and managing your brand. That’s where Techsurvey9 comes into play – especially when it comes to critical areas from mobile to social – where getting […]

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs Another Steve – Steve Case former head of AOL – sees the world of business as either attackers or defenders.  In his mind, it is essential for companies – especially smaller entrepreneurial businesses – to think proactively and innovatively: “…I realized the world of […]

We see so much research these days that it’s easy to ignore those “so what?” headlines – like this one: “Americans Fed Up With Bad Ads” That’s the hook from a recent “Research Brief” from the Center for Media Research.  The study, conducted by InsightsOne with Harris Interactive, finds that 87% of Americans 18+are fed […]

You’ve probably read Lori Lewis’ great weekly column in All Access called “Merge.”  She provides great insights into what’s happening with social and digital media in ways in which everyone in radio can learn something every week. A couple weeks back, her topic was A.J. Clemente, that infamous North Dakota TV anchorman who unwittingly dropped a […]

Finally, warm weather throughout the Midwest and the East – and that could only mean one thing: We’re not far away from Conclave 2013 which is set to go on July 17-19 in Minneapolis. Our company has been involved with this Learning Conference for many years now, as our industry has gone through some seismic […]

Since our Techsurveys expanded last year, our ability to explore formats has become one of the most popular dimensions of these studies, designed to help radio see around corners.  Our expressed goal since we started this research initiative nine years ago was to help the industry understand what listeners do when they’re not tuned into […]

A recent article on CNBC’s website highlighted the coffee wars between Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and McDonald’s and gave us a glimpse into some “corner office wisdom” each company’s corporate leadership. But what struck me in the story was Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz’s take on the competitive landscape, in addition to how he considers Starbucks a […]