The Jacobs Media Blog

There's been a lot of talk about Joe Scarborough's F-word miscue last week on his MSNBC, "Morning Joe."  Oddly enough, I was watching in real time (while reading email, of course), and just about fell off my chair.  Yet, the lack of reaction afterwards from just about every corner, is even more shocking. First, Scarborough […]

The sands are shifting very quickly in the world, in our country, and in our business.  It is noteworthy that some companies are "getting it," and responding to the changing emotion of the American consumer, while others are missing it entirely.   In the midst of their new Yankee Stadium project, many luxury suites are going […]

Wanna hear the new Springsteen song, "Workin' on a Dream?" Don't turn on MTV.  Or iTunes or Sirius or even the new Guitar Hero. And don't listen to it on your favorite Classic Rock station because it won't be there either. You'll hear it at halftime on Sunday night's NFL game between the Cowboys and […]

Today's guest blog is from our own Paul Jacobs, who stresses to radio that their sales models must change for them to be successful in the future. I was at a family function a few months ago talking to a relative who owns a small fence-building business.  He knew I'm in media, and had a […]

More and more, it is becoming painfully obvious to programmers, managers, researchers, and yes, consultants, that the simple business model that has guided radio since Marconi is broken.  It used to be that your ratings simply translated into sales.  The higher your rank, the higher your rate. For many stations, the basic transactional basis of […]

While you're trying to determine what the hot got-to-have toy/gadget will be this holiday season, I'm thinking that the '09 award will go hands-down to the Beatles' new game, which MTV and Harmonix (who makes Rock Band) announced last week.  It's not just that the Beatles have finally committed to a video game (and you […]

Say what you will about Michael Bloomberg's plan to run for New York Mayor for another term; the guy is proactive, and knows when to take the bull by the horns.  Realizing the impact on his city that all these media layoffs are having, Bloomberg is launching a multi-level plan designed to help the media […]

It is interesting that as media outlets proliferate, actual reporting deteriorates.  Many of you are well aware that because of the growth of online and cable media, staffs are stretched, and there is even more pressure to come up with news to fill all that space.  Now that the election is finally over, there's an […]

OK, I'm getting a little political with this post, but it's a great illustration about the power of using personality and warmth to connect through newer digitally communiqués, such as emails and text messages.  Marshall McLuhan taught us all about the importance of "hot" and "cool" media and messaging, and the Obama campaign has figured […]

No, not Archie Bell and the Drells (from Houston, Texas), but what's happening in radio (and every industry these days) as the economic pressures and falling stock prices force every company to rethink everything. Some of you may remember playing Pick-Up Sticks as a kid.  It was a mental and physical challenge to carefully remove […]

Our blog last month about the difficult terrain the industry is facing in the sales arena motivated a variety of responses, posted on the site and off-line.  Clearly one of radio's biggest challenges is figuring out how to monetize its digital offerings.  One of the more interesting came from digital consultant, Mel Taylor, who spends […]

In a shot heard 'round every newsroom in America, the venerable Christian Science Monitor announced last week that it will no longer print its daily edition, ending a 100 year tradition.  Instead, the bulk of the publication's material will only be available online.  This is an event that newspaper veterans have seen coming for years, but now […]

I've been waiting 8 months to write this blog, but seeing that we could be just a few days away before someone starts playing Christmas music (could all stations agree to at least wait until after the election?), here's my pitch: Our Tech Poll taken last February was an eye-opener to me on the topic […]

When it was announced last March that the marketing folks behind Dr. Pepper would give away one free sample of the soft drink if Chinese Democracy was released before the close of the year, it seemed like one of those impossible marketing promises. But more and more, it appears that the always-delayed album will finally […]

When it was announced last March that the marketing folks behind Dr. Pepper would give away one free sample of the soft drink if Chinese Democracy was released before the close of the year, it seemed like one of those impossible marketing promises. But more and more, it appears that the always-delayed album will finally […]

By now, it seems like just about everyone has seen one of Tina Fey's take-offs on Sarah Palin.  But more people have now checked them out at their convenience on the Internet than by watching SNL in real time.  Between DVRs or watching them on streaming video sites, two-thirds of the "views" of these bits […]

Today's guest blog is from our own Keith Cunningham who provides great tips on how to promote and grow your morning show. Once again, we can learn something from David Letterman, CNN, Katie Couric, and even Saturday Night Live.  Jacobs Media clients might recognize these goal-oriented phrases I’ve used in past advisories:  1.  “Every Show […]

No, I'm not referring to the housing debacle, the credit crunch, or the stock market bloodbath. I'm talking about the sorry state of radio sales.  As we know only too well, radio was having a lousy year before the economy tanked a few weeks ago.  Now that it's a global crisis, and advertising dollars have […]

Last week, I conducted some Listener Advisory Board groups, and of course, I couldn't resist talking a little about the economy.  What started out as a planned five minute discussion turned into something much longer, richer, and insightful.  Listeners – or shall I say, consumers – are very nervous about the vagaries of the economy, […]