The Jacobs Media Blog

One of the most difficult things about programming a radio station is knowing exactly what works – and what doesn't.  PDs try a countdown stunt one weekend, and come back with artist blocks the next.  But when the Arbitrend comes out weeks later, it's tough to know which one – if any – moved the […]

One of the most difficult things about programming a radio station is knowing exactly what works – and what doesn't.  PDs try a countdown stunt one weekend, and come back with artist blocks the next.  But when the Arbitrend comes out weeks later, it's tough to know which one – if any – moved the […]

The Internet continues to totally change our realities.  Products that used to be staples in the home or at work – like your travel agent, the fax machine, and the pager – are all rapidly being replaced by better, faster, and more efficient digital innovations. There is a new item to add to the endangered […]

Earlier this week, former UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, celebrated his 99th birthday.  Now for some of you too young to remember Coach Wooden's accomplishments, let me remind you that his Bruins teams won 10 NCAA championships (making those office bracket pools pretty predictable), and seven of those national titles in a row.   But Wooden's […]

In radio's ongoing quest to determine precisely who is the competition in 2009, the conversation – post NAB – continues.  While I enjoy listening to the marketing and digital gurus as much as anyone, there is a great deal to be learned from simply talking to consumers – your friends, relatives, and neighbors – about […]

With all the tumult going on in 2009 between the economy, health care, and of course, Michael Jackson and David Letterman, one of the big stories may get lost in all the noise. The growth of social networking – especially among adults – is beyond a phenomenon.  Consider what has happened with Facebook in a […]

Our recent “Superheroes” blogs apparently touched a nerve, especially with the scores of radio pros who have found themselves on the beach in the past year or so.  (“On the beach” is a quaint term that is an injustice to those who are out of work with no prospects in sight.”) <CLICK HERE FOR "SUPERHEROES […]

Remember the days when you were about to sign on a station and you thought the coolest thing you could do would be to somehow buy commercials on your competitor?  It would have been amazing to somehow promote your station on the big station across the street and alert your their audience that you've got something better happening down the […]

Since the Summit at the NAB, we've heard from many of you about how much Mark Hughes' "Buzzmarketing" session went over.  Mark has a great grasp on buzz, and how smart marketers can utilize their assets and strengths to generate word of mouth – even without marketing budgets. Then Steve Goldstein turned me onto this […]

Saddened by the ousting of his beloved Tigers from the baseball playoffs, our own Paul Jacobs draws some sports analogies to the ebb and flow of business. On the morning after the Tigers' awful, exciting, and depressing defeat in their playoff game of the ages against the Minnesota Twins (who deserved to win, by the way), I […]

As we discussed in yesterday's blog, the HD radio initiative has had its share of ups and downs.  Speaking of the former, the new Zune with HD radio caught our eye, and we ordered one early on from Amazon. In the short video below, I'll show you just a couple of things about the device […]

I have used this space to criticize some of the HD radio hardware that has been released over the past few years.  For reasons that many of you know, there have been all sorts of issues and problems with many of these products, which have led to consumer frustration, as well as discouraging broadcasters who […]

The metrics from the Apple App Store continue to be spectacular, and another reminder that other devices and mobile companies are going to need to move even faster in order to keep pace.  The new data reveals that apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch have broken the 85,000 barrier, generating more than 2 billion […]

I admit it – I have always loved Dire Straits, and I've seen Mark Knopfler perform many times as a solo artist.  I even walked down the marital isle to one of his songs, much to the chagrin of my in-laws.  So when I received the email below from Ticketmaster, announcing that Knopfler is coming to […]

A couple of months ago, this blog drew your attention to a great full-page ad run by Target, asking for consumer feedback.  The headline was "Tell us what more we can do for you."  At the time, we applauded this effort, but also qualified our praise with the hope that Target would follow-up the ad […]

I received a couple of emails in response to our blog post that compared the austerity program launched by NBC's new Jay Leno prime time show to inexpensive Jack-FM stations.  I was taken to task based on the notion that I don't know Jack, and that the format's personality-less appeal has somehow eluded me.  I […]

Last week at the NAB Radio Show, it was yet another look at an industry in transition, attempting to come to grips with all the economic bad news, while trying to imagine the future, once the recovery takes hold.  As usual, the CEOs, the group PDs, and the digital gurus came together to discuss the […]

In radio, we have relied on the contest model for many years to bribe listeners, extend time spent listening, and to generate buzz and excitement.  Over the years, radio stations have given away some incredible prizes – scores of Harleys, a new home, and tons of cash, broken down in many different configurations. It's always […]

Perhaps with all the Beatles hoopla on 9-9-09 you missed the big story about a brand new Zogby Interactive poll.  Fortunately, Curtiss Johnson forwarded it to me, and I'm excited to tell you the suspenseful results. This Zogby survey, conducted among nearly 5,000 Americans, conclusively shows that Paul is the most popular Beatle by far, […]

While on my way to researching something else online (one of the great aspects about search), I happened across a series of articles about what's known as "diagonal slice meetings." These are meetings that include members of different teams and various levels in companies who come together on a periodic basis to discuss "how's it […]