The Jacobs Media Blog

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 […]

Welcome to the Best of JacoBLOG where we’ve gone back into our 2012 archives to dig out the most-read posts of the year.  We try to provide a balance of content from the serious to the thoughtful to the whimsical.  And this post is definitely the latter.  But for some reason, it resonated with a […]

Welcome to the Best of JacoBLOG for 2012.  We went back to the more than 200 posts we wrote this year and dug out the ones that were the most read – and shared.  This one ran way back in March, and became the centerpiece of much of the work we’ve done on the social […]

The “December Surprise” – Nielsen purchasing Arbitron – is undoubtedly a game-changer for the media business.  And many in radio are hopeful that the sale means good things for the industry. While the devil is always in the details, this move would seem to be a big crossroads moment for radio, media, and measurement – […]

Yesterday, we took a look at how Costco has separated itself from Sam’s Club.  Today, let’s head out to the deli – in this case, Zingerman’s right here in Michigan. There’s more to Zingerman’s than great corned beef on rye.  You may have heard about this deli (and so much more).  Located in Ann Arbor, […]

It’s no secret – I’m not a great shopper.  At most stores, I’m looking for a chair so I can check sports scores or email.  Or better yet, a reason not to go in altogether. But then there’s Costco.  I always look forward to a visit.  The employees are attentive, friendly, helpful, and present.  The […]

Another day and another very cool Silicon Alley Insider chart.  The one below shows the insane growth of the iPad, especially compared to Apple’s previous devices – the iPod and iPhone – both game changers in their own ways.  As you look at each gadget’s trajectory after the 10 quarters following their respective releases, iPad’s meteoric […]

Whenever I hear the catch phrase, “Radio was the original social media,” I shake my head.  I don’t really understand what that means because radio wasn’t really ever social, save for the people who always called the control room asking for a song.  And the social part assumed that someone took the time to answer […]

You just can’t make this stuff up. MyPlan.com has quantified it. Nearly 14,000 respondents weighed in about job satisfaction with their current occupations.  Of 300 different occupations, “program director” (radio or TV) comes in at… …299! I hate to leave you with this news going into a weekend, but c’mon! Only mail clerks and mail […]

What do you do when you really need to ring those cash registers? Who do you call at crunch time? When it really counts, who do you want on stage to entertain and enchant? The Mt. Rushmore of Classic Rock. As has been the case at most of the bigger benefits over the past several […]

The title of today’s post says it all. Its source?  The famous singer/song writer Lyle Lovett in a recent New York Times article about the changing state of WMVY, a Martha’s Vineyard progressive station trying to reinvent itself on the web. That admission is an honest assessment of the changing, roiling waters that are the […]