The Jacobs Media Blog

In millions of Jewish homes tonight, the celebration of Passover will take place that tells the amazing story of the Children of Israel leaving Egypt and trekking to the Promised Land.  It is a tradition that has occurred for thousands of years, and it reminded me of the power of a great story. One of […]

I have heard comments from a number of people – in person, in email, and on Twitter – that it’s time to stop this discussion about the “connected car” and get back to business. Actually, now that that conversation about the demise of AM/FM in cars is behind us, it’s precisely the time to START talking […]

Where were you on March 4-5? If you weren’t at the “Borrell Local Online Advertising Conference,” I’m afraid to tell you that you missed a good one.  Maybe a great one.  Steve Goldstein summarized some of the sessions in a well-read post here last week. So I’m an unabashed fan.  I’ve read the books.  I […]

Recently, we talked about Yahoo’s new policy to keep employees in the building when they banned telecommuting. But today, I want to potentially anger my friends and clients behind the mic by exhorting you to get out of the studio and put yourself in front of the people you serve and entertain. Why? Because it […]

These days, the more common question that everyone is asking is: “Is Rock Radio Dead?”  But I think that misses the point because any established brand, format or individual station can be successful in today’s environment – but not by mailing it in. For me, this new phase of the debate restarted a few weeks ago […]

You may have heard the story about Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s edict banning her staffers from working out of the house.  The story is developed a number of odd tentacles, but if you focus on Mayer’s main message – that her employees should show up at work – there’s something interesting to talk about. Mayer […]

Thanks to NBC News, photos from the street leading up to St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican give us a picture book lesson about how the mobile age has changed people, events, culture, and the world in just a few short years. Here’s a photo going back to 2005, as people crowded the area watching […]

All the talk this week about radio’s place in the “connected car,” along with the release of Mark Ramsey’s study, reminded me of something: We actually asked a question about car options and features last winter in Techsurvey8 – and again in our new study that’s just out of the field, Techsurvey9. The question was […]

So this morning’s post is a little different.  And while it’s for everyone, I believe that our friends and clients on the public radio side of the street will derive the most benefit from it. It’s about a video that’s been making the rounds in music circles that you may have seen.  Bob Lefsetz included it […]

The buzz this week has been about Convergence, especially that “connected car” session.  But a couple thousand miles away, Gordon Borrell was holding a much larger gathering of media companies.  Saga’s Steve Goldstein (pictured) writes today’s guest post with a look back at the Borrell event with some added perspective about where radio fits into […]

Yesterday was an interesting day for us and for many radio people – lots of blog traffic, comments, phone calls, and off-line emails about Eric Rhoads’ letter and what it might mean to radio and the car industry.  The day ended with Radio Ink publishing a letter from General Motors’ Chief Infotainment Officer (great title, by […]

The fireworks started on Friday as Radio Ink’s Eric Rhoads ran a controversial blog post and emailed it to his database – “A Cold, Harsh Reality For Radio.”  It’s all about the “connected car” and Eric’s “intervention” at last week’s Convergence panel that dealt head-on with this issue.  Below, I’ve linked Eric’s post, and then […]

There goes another one – Michael Smerconish announced this week that he’s taking his radio show and moving to satellite radio. According to the Associated Press, here’s the rationale behind the move: And there goes another one, in the footsteps of a growing exodus of once-broadcast radio stars who have moved onto satellite radio, podcasts, […]

Wow – a two-day breather for me.  Meantime, Paul Jacobs has been very busy and reports in from his recent experience at Convergence.  Paul had a busy schedule, moderating a panel, and then being a fly on the wall, watching and learning.  Here’s his “take” on this year’s conference. – FJ There’s nothing like a […]

This morning, guest blogger and sales aficionado, Paul Jacobs, has a story about demographics, targeting, results – and radio.  He’s on a roll, so enjoy. Question of the day: What do Honda, Kraft, Swiss Miss, Hebrew National Hot Dogs, and Mclaren strollers all have in common? Give up? All these companies, and many others, recently […]

You have to love all those crazy predictions about the future – especially the ones that never happened.  Robots cleaning our homes and flying cars should have been here by now, right? And yet, technology has never been more remarkable.  It seems like almost every day there’s a new announcement about how the intersection of […]

You probably saw the news last week that Groupon CEO and founder Andrew Mason lost his job – and his company – last week. In an amazingly honest and transparent letter to his employees, Mason laid it out – missed quarters, bad calculations, and just lousy performance.  Sad as it is, you have to love […]

On a recent investor call, Radio One CEO Alfred Liggins said something that very likely resonated with other corporate honchos, as well as the rank and file of the industry: “We’ve come through hell, like everybody else in the business.” Or maybe, “The road from hell is paved with tears, hard work, and reinvention.”   Forget […]