The Jacobs Media Blog

It’s just a game, right?  No, Guitar Hero and Rock Band are more than just games.  They capture the fantasy aspect of Rock music that we all have inside us.  From the very first dude who ever played the "air guitar," Rock music lovers have always pretended to be Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy […]

Today’s posting title is a quote from Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore, and it cleverly sums up how the Internet now exceeds television during the daytime hours.  In fact, a recent New York Times article actually asked the question, "What is primetime?"  That’s because 6,000,000 May sweeps viewers have disappeared since last year. The culprit?  […]

What will kids do this summer when the schools let out next month?  According to Toys ‘R’ Us, a big trend is "Backyard Bands," spurred on by the success of brilliantly marketed concepts like Disney’s Jonas Brothers. The idea is kids yearn to be Rock stars (thank Reality TV for that), and toy manufacturers are […]

The JacoBlog will return tomorrow.  Have a great day!

Jacobs Media’s Eric Holmes weighs in on Metallica’s new website: I’d like you to meet the newest Jacobs Media client, our first band – Metallica!  Well… OK, so we’re not consulting Metallica, but it definitely looks like they got the W.T.D.A. memo.  (Or maybe they could have written it!) Their new website is called Mission: […]

If you haven’t checked out Hulu.com, take some time over a weekend or a slow evening.  But you’d better prepare to spend a couple of hours watching some interesting television – or perhaps, better referred to as video.  A product of NBC Universal and News Corporation, Hulu is the next wave of video streaming, and […]

Today’s Arbitron PPM webinar produced another helpful update about how the new service is tracking, along with a strong contribution from CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason, talking about PPM, accreditation, and posting. The slide that jumped out at me covers new markets coming online – and soon.  If you’re programming, managing, or jocking in one […]

When the Cell Phone Only controversy took shape a few years ago when our first Tech Poll was released in ’05, Arbitron’s Ed Cohen told me that the nation’s landline statistics were tracked by the National Center for Health Statistics.  I’ve never figured out why they’re the ones that research this data, but nonetheless, their […]

In a recent post to "Online Spin," Seana Mulcahy wrote a great piece about the quest for brands to build communities, and the struggles that many face.  We’re going through a similar dialogue in radio.  The good news, of course, is that many radio listeners have profiles on MySpace and Facebook.  The challenge for stations, […]

You tune in sports talk radio, and you’re bound to hear that cliché debate about whether professional athletes are overpaid.  When a team is winning – like the Celtics – it’s rarely much of an argument.  But when we’re talking about the cellar-dwelling Miami Heat, it’s a different conversation.  Consider the 2007-08 salaries of these […]

XM’s first quarter numbers are out, and what do you know?  Its losses widened to nearly 6 percent, even though revenue is up.  For the quarter, XM hemorrhaged $129 million, and their customer acquisition costs rose to $73 a subscriber (up from $65 last year). And this is a business that deserves to be rescued […]

The new Arbitron/Edison study tells us that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  It reports that online listening at-work continues to grow. Correspondingly, listening on-the-job on a standard terrestrial radio has slipped. Of course, Jacobs Media has been proponents of streaming from the beginning – in spite of the corporate excuses […]

You think it’s tough out there in radio?  Imagine the vibe at the recent leadership conference held by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (or the Four A’s).  From a fun convention that used to include golf and tennis tournaments to the no-nonsense "reality bites" theme that this year’s get-together featured, the tone was serious […]

If you’re looking for great examples of social networking and consumer-generated content, look no further than Boston’s upcoming album and tour.  When lead singer Brad Delp died last year, the band was hard-pressed to find a replacement with his vocal range and intimate knowledge of Boston songs. Enter Charlotte, North Carolina‘s Tommy DeCarlo.  You haven’t […]

Since the release of our W.T.D.A. initiative last month, we’ve had some great comment responses to the concept from clients, pundits, and even a broadcaster in India.  Recently, we heard from Bob Bellin, a guy who has managed radio stations and also been involved in digital ventures. Here’s Bob’s "take" on W.T.D.A. and how radio […]

  This week, I was honored that R&R named our creation of the Classic Rock format one of the 35 pivotal radio events in their long history.  It is moments like this where I feel a great sense of thanks to my old partner, Tom Bender, and the many programmers, managers, and owners that supported […]

In radio meetings, we’re often talking about how we’re going to have to reinvent events, features, and personality shows that have been around for years or even decades.  The last thing you can do is rest on those laurels in a rapidly changing environment. But what about having to reinvent a hot product that’s only […]

Long before I read the famous Ries & Trout Positioning book, another little book from the ’70s helped guide how I’ve approached messaging and marketing throughout my career.  Written by an ad guy named Tony Schwartz, The Responsive Chord is one of those neat guides that helps clarify the power of how a message or […]