The Jacobs Media Blog

You know how in radio, you often run across people who are fun-loving, interesting, and personable?  And then there are a lot of folks who are just plain good at the business with a keen sense for how to succeed and make things work.  Trip Savery is one of those rare guys who combines both […]

There’s been a lot written and said about Pandora, especially in broadcast radio circles over the years – some of it true, some of it wishful thinking, and lots of it just emotional. Last week at CES, I had the opportunity to interview Pandora’s Chief Revenue Officer, John Trimble (pictured).  I asked him a wide array […]

The quaint scene pictured below symbolizes a technology and platform that has served radio so well since its very beginnings.  You were granted a license and then went about building the infrastructure that would guarantee coverage and reach.  Acquiring a plot of land, erecting a tower, buying and installing a transmitter – all the costs of doing […]

OK, it wasn’t the greatest film of 2002, but Minority Report was a movie that had an indelible effect on me as a marketer and programmer.  The setting is America in 2054, and Tom Cruise plays a troubled anti-crime cop.  The screenplay is based on a book by the late writer and visionary, Philip K. […]

Radio Ink recently posted an interview with Seth Godin centered on his new book, The Icarus Deception. Greater Media’s Buzz Knight happily took on the interviewing chores, and I encourage you to spend a few minutes and hear it for yourself.  Seth talks candidly about radio’s future, and a myriad of topics that focus on […]

Now that I’m back from CES 2013 and regaining perspective, it strikes me that the deluge of content, platforms, and gadgets can make the average consumer feel a bit lost in all the options and choice.  I sure felt that way while wandering around an over-crowded Las Vegas Convention Center. While just about everyone talks […]

If you’ve never been to CES before, it is difficult for me to describe the magnitude of it all.  I know you’ve heard it all before – 35 football fields of gadgets has become a cliché.  But the daunting size and dense crowds are what make CES amazing and challenging at the same time. Over the last […]

I know this post will come off as callous or even blasphemous to many hardcore radio people, but I’ve been thinking a lot about point of view over the holidays. In fact, I’ve changed my Facebook Timeline picture to show a view (in Michigan) out the windshield – rather than looking back through the rear-view […]

Starting today, the connected car has been “unchained” thanks to the vision of Ford.  And we’re excited to tell you that our mobile apps development company, jacAPPS, will play a co-starring role.  We think it’s a big win for radio. Since 2008 when we launched jacAPPS, we’ve been fortunate to have been selected by great broadcasters like […]

By now, most of us mature types have long admitted how “native” users of technology discover technology long before it shows up on our radar screens. Aside from the obvious benefits, one of the greatest things about having had children back in the ‘90s and early ‘00s was watching them adopt and master new gadgets and platforms. If […]

I love political quotations, and one of my favorites from the last few years came from none other than Sarah Palin, commenting on the first year of the Obama administration: “How’s that hopey-changey stuff workin’ out for ya?” Well, for those of us who have been at this awhile, we know all too well that hope […]

So now we know that the world did not end last month.  And unlike Y2K, companies did not spend any money or human resources preparing for this predicted gloom and doom.  And somehow we made it to another new year, fiscal cliff and all. But if you were Newsweek, it was the end of the […]

What would a new year be without someone whispering in your ear, reminding you to think about how you can improve your game in 2013? And that’s what the first new jacoBLOG post of the new year is all about.  For the past couple of weeks, I’d been thinking about what the best action steps […]

We’ve been spending our holidays perusing some of the most-read posts of 2012.  And the one you’re about to read has the distinction of being #1.  And as you’ll see, it managed to stir things up all over the radio industry.  Hopefully, it’s as entertaining as today’s bowl games.  And fear not – JacoBLOG will be […]

As we close out 2012, we’re featuring the Best of JacoBLOG – the most-read posts of 2012.  And if this one has a ring of familiarity, it’s probably because it ran just a couple of weeks back.  It started out with me reading about coverage of Radio Ink‘s big conference in NYC, and it went […]

Oh boy – this post stirred things up big time when it ran last summer.  We’re doing Best of JacoBLOG as we wrap up 2012, and this one was one of the most-read and talked-about posts.  The good news is that the authors of The Beloit List actually changed their original comments about radio, and […]

We continue our Best of JacoBLOG series – the most-read posts of 2012 – with some observations that go back nearly 11 months, covering our second annual sojourn to the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.  This one stirred things up – there’s something about HD Radio that does that.  At CES, we talked to a […]

We continue our series of Best of JacoBLOG with a post that resonated in radio circles – public and commercial.  It’s a lesson in consistency, persistence, and quality.  And our 6-pack of lessons was very well-read.  See what you think. – FJ PPM has taught us a lot about how people actually listen to the […]