The Jacobs Media Blog

One major truth that jumps out at you when you peruse the results of our Tech Poll IV is the screaming speed at which technology and gadgetry are permeating the lives of Rock radio listeners.  That’s the purpose of these polls that we’ve been doing for four years now – to track the media and […]

Inspired perhaps by Bob Rivers and the famous Orioles "stay on the air until they win" stunt in ’88, Kevin Matthews (WLAV/Grand Rapids) spoke for all Michiganders this week when he personally took the Detroit Tigers’ 0-7 start on his shoulders.  If you know baseball, the Tigers have been picked by many experts to get […]

The RIAA continues to keep its war with broadcast radio at a high-pitched level.  Recently the CEO of the RIAA, Mitch Bainwol, applauded the XM/Sirius merger as "a powerful validation that competitors should play by the same set of rules.  On the heels of this decision, the logic for a performance right for terrestrial radio […]

Here is part 2 of the guest post from Paul Jacobs who offers his insight on how radio needs to invest in solutions to reach younger consumers: Assume for a minute that radio’s revenue growth via the traditional commercial platform is going to continue to be challenging.  And if your station specializes in lower demand […]

We are big fans of using blogs to interact with the audience, and to dialogue about programming.  A great example is K-Rock/New York (WXRK), where "Pete In Promotions" is doing a great job of bringing the thrill of victory and agony of defeat to "Bracket Brawl." (SEE BELOW) A strong writer with something to say […]

Take heart, radio programmers and general managers.  Major American industry may be following you, for a change.  The new Chrysler has just announced a new initiative that will allow their customers to advise their corporate types.  In a new program called an online Customer Advisory Board (or CAB), about 2,000 Chrysler owners will have the […]

One of the dumbest and smartest things I’ve ever heard a public radio station do occurred this past Tuesday – April Fool’s Day.  It was the brainchild of WQED/Pittsburgh’s Executive Director, Susan Johnson.  Proving that public radio stations can smile, too, Susan’s version of radio punk’d was to announce to her audience that WQED‘s Classical […]

Jacobs Media’s Tech Poll IV highlights are now available on our website.  While we asked our usual techie questions in this fourth annual poll about everything from text messaging to iPods to satellite radio, we also included a section about the upcoming Presidential election. While we have no trending data from past elections, we were […]

A recent article in Ad Age, "GM Roars Forward Into Digital Ad Channels," is a game-changer.  GM is the third largest advertiser in the U.S., so the news that they will split half of their $3 billion ad budget over to digital on one-to-one marketing ought to grab our attention. And they’re not talking about […]

If you visited Google last Saturday, you were greeted by an all-black home page: Talk about impact – this was Google’s way to draw attention to a conservation effort called Earth Hour.  The idea was for everyone to turn out their lights for an hour to raise awareness for environmental efficiency.  And of course, it […]

"We somehow evolved from a culture of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation to a culture of, in a way, mediocrity and bureaucracy." No, it’s not a radio CEO, but it sure could be.  It’s Howard Schultz, the on-again-off-again CEO/creator of Starbucks.  Returning to the helm of a suddenly struggling company in a more competitive, recession-scared world, […]

Comcast isn’t just talking about the young guy media usage problem – they’re attacking it head-on.  In order to ensure their G4 Network is on-target and appealing, they have initiated a full-year research program to get at Male 18-34 tastes and habits. Taking no prisoners, the program is called "Hunting with Lightsabers," and it’s a […]

On the heels of the release of our Tech Poll IV findings comes a new study from BIGresearch that confirms what we’ve been seeing and saying all along – the political candidates ought to be using Rock radio as a primary tool.  In our Tech Poll, 84% of the entire sample indicate they plan on […]

After more than a year, the DOJ has spoken, and the dreaded XM/Sirius merger is finally off to the FCC, where it will undoubtedly be approved – in some form.  For traditional broadcasters, this has been one of those gut-wrenching issues that has inspired much debate in boardrooms across the country. But that’s been the […]

If you are ever frustrated by inaccuracies in or simply have disagreements with Wikipedia entries, or you experience the feeling of confusion when you do a traditional web search for everything from cars to travel to restaurants, you’re not alone.  A recent Newsweek article – "Revenge of the Expert" – talks about how the CGM […]

Every time I post a blog about HD Radio, I just sit back and wait for the predictable deluge of negative comments – typically from the same people.  There’s no doubt that many in our industry have become understandably disenchanted with HD Radio, seeing whatever potential and promise it once had now being jettisoned to […]

Today, it’s a guest blog from radio vet, Jay Philpott.  It’s a great example of how the consumer willingly plays a role in product marketing and promotion. I recently received a cute little video from some friends, who had used a service available through Jib-Jab to superimpose their kids’ faces on some breakdancers’ bodies. Funny […]

As oil prices skyrocket, the possibility of $4/gallon gas prices seem more than likely as we head into the summer.  But not if you’re the President. Perhaps you caught his recent press conference, when he was asked about this.  Looking surprised by the question, President Bush responded, "That’s interesting.  I hadn’t heard that."  It was […]