The Jacobs Media Blog

As invigorating and forward-thinking as Summit XV turned out, I couldn’t help but get the feeling from many of our presenters that radio needs to move faster in order to keep up with the changing way in which consumers are accessing and enjoying media. We’re not alone.  Last week’s story that The New York Times was […]

It’s hard not to have a little glow about Summit XV last week.  While many of the headlines concerned CEA’s Gary Shapiro, one of the most talked-about sessions was WXYZ-TV’s Stephen Clark, telling us all about “The Backchannel.” I first met Stephen at the 140 Characters Conference here in Detroit back in October.  I knew […]

CEA’s CEO Gary Shapiro’s appearance at last week’s Jacobs Summit has hit goal – to stir the pot and bring a different and viable perspective to the conversation.  That’s what the Summit has been about for these past 15 years, from Jason Calacanis to Little Steven to Harry Shearer.  I know some in radio may […]

Here’s a short post for this morning that simply thanks so many people who brought so much to Jacobs Summit XV in Baltimore, partnered this year with the Arbitron Client Conference. Our speakers totally rocked, from CEA’s hard-hitting CEO Gary Shapiro, talent coach of the stars Val Geller, social mediologist guru Jessica Northey, the incomparable […]

This morning’s post is courtesy of 96rock/Raleigh PD Jay Nachlis who is involved in a great promotion with a local retailer.  I thought you’d enjoy this story about how every once in a while, it all lines up and programming, sales, and the client create a win-win-win. You’ve sat in a sales/promotions meeting so many […]

The Internet has taken its toll over the last 15-odd years on all sorts of businesses, saving companies money, but also changing the nature of jobs, industries, and efficiencies. And smartphones are in the process of doing the very same thing.  We saw the beginnings of this in “The Bedroom Project,” and it was amplified […]

If you saw David Pogue at the NAB Radio Show a couple years back, you saw a guy who is not only a smart observer of all things tech, but someone who has the consumer’s back as well. Pogue is celebrating his 10-year anniversary as tech writer and gadget reviewer for The New York Times.  His […]

Maybe it’s the long-term effects of a society that’s been pelted with Reality TV for more than a decade now.  Or maybe it’s just the impact of social media realities coming home to roost. But whatever the case, it is becoming abundantly clear that in the worlds of Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites, just […]

I learned something about the Internet last weekend.  And it wasn’t good. We found ourselves embroiled in a story about Apple reportedly banning single-station iPhone apps in their iTunes Store. Of course, it turned out to be untrue. But that didn’t stop the Internet journalism machine and scores of bloggers from continuing to reprint the […]

These days, that’s a good question.  That’s because more and more broadcasters are realizing that we’re in the media content business and not just “doing radio.”  But the attachment to towers and transmitters is is a hard one to break, as is the long-held notion that “We’re in the radio business.” As analog moves full-scale […]

OK, so this blog post has a lame title, but it really was an ugly,rainy, bone-chilling November night.  And still a couple of hundred people showed up at a suburban Detroit area bar for a tweetup for “The Backchannel.” What’s going on here and what was so big a deal that a local TV anchorman’s […]

OK, so this blog post has a lame title, but it really was an ugly,rainy, bone-chilling November night.  And still a couple of hundred people showed up at a suburban Detroit area bar for a tweetup for “The Backchannel.” What’s going on here and what was so big a deal that a local TV anchorman’s […]

This has been an exciting comeback year for radio.  Counted out by many media pundits, the economic turnaround has signaled recovery for many radio broadcasters, big and small. In radio, change is in the air.  Bob Pittman’s return to radio is perceived by many as a positive step for the medium.  A deal on performance […]

We have spent considerable time and effort in the past few years going to school about social media, and seeking out some of the best and brightest minds to help us navigate these waters. We were fortunate to meet Greg Verdino, social media expert and author of microMarketing last summer – a smart guy with […]

We hope you and your family have a wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving holiday!  JacoBlog will return on Monday, November 29.

You know you’ve made the big time when your best stuff gets parodied – especially by the Sesame Street crew. Have a great holiday weekend. >EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO VIEW SESAME STREET VIDEO<

What’s it like to be a little early on a major trend, only to be ignored and marginalized by the supposedly smart people you work for? That’s the case for one of the characters on Mad Men, Harry Crane.  He’s the head of the television division at the fictitious ad agency on the show set […]

Alternative radio is having one of those best of times/worst of times experiences this year. On the one hand, PPM numbers in many markets are outstanding.  Of course, KROQ rules, but that’s nothing new.  X96 in Salt Lake City and The Buzz in Houston are two wonderful stories about how Alternative radio is dominating two […]

 The Consumer Electronics Association recently released a timely study that predicts the hottest holiday gifts – and no surprise, it points to electronics and gadgets.  Their 17th annual Holiday Purchase Patterns study comprised of 1,000+ adults indicates that one-third of all shoppers will make a consumer electronics purchase during the holiday season, averaging $232. […]

James Brown may have had it right…in 1966. And if you watch any episode of AMC’s Mad Men, there’s no question about who ruled in the world of business in the 60's.  But as has been the case for the last couple of decades (at least), women are the most sought-after demographic by advertisers.  And […]