The Jacobs Media Blog

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 […]

This is one of my favorite times of the year.  Spring training is going strong, with the promise of Opening Day just around the corner.  After a winter like the one we’ve endured here in the Midwest, March is the transition month where good things lie ahead. But it’s also the time when a number […]

Today, it’s a guest blog/article from Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates, Inc.  Gordon delivered a great presentation at Summit 11 in Dallas, and we continue to find his observations about the Internet opportunity spot-on. My jaw dropped the other day when I read in Inside Radio a discussion of how radio operators should approach […]

We have been critical of radio station websites in past blogs for not being up-to-date.  Too often, radio simply hasn’t put enough time, effort, or resources into keeping sites fresh, current, and in-step with what’s happening on the air. But as I wrote this blog – Monday, March 17th at 7 a.m. – the state […]

Jim Cramer’s done it again.  This time around, it’s a frantic, wild-eyed rave against radio companies and radio stocks.  In a borderline hysterical rant, Cramer pillories broadcast radio as being the worst of investments. And the numbers don’t lie.  As he points out, radio’s Wall Street performance has been horrendous.  But that’s also because the […]

Now the world of consumer generated media hits the political arena in a huge way.  MoveOn has launched a contest that will pay $20,000 in video equipment – as well as untold media exposure – for the best :30 ad for Barack Obama.  And the judges aren’t a bunch of DJs – they include Matt […]

Seth Godin’s great new primer on integrating interactive with traditional media – Meatball Sundae – couldn’t have come out at a better time for radio.  Seth warns that merely piling on texting, social networking, and other Internet wizardry onto old-line businesses is a train wreck waiting to happen. That’s why it’s of interest to note […]

I recently attended a broadcast seminar where an interesting discussion broke out about the power of being local.  A respected researcher made the assertion that local radio is essentially a myth, propagated by traditionalists.  He posited that the value of local has eroded during the past decade, as the media/entertainment world has gone global.  Brands […]

A newly released analysis of newspapers website audiences by Scarborough Research shows that the Fourth Estate is finally making some progress in terms of growing online "circulation."  While it’s not offsetting print readership, newspaper websites are having impact, and some of the gains are occurring among 18-34 year-olds, a demographic that wouldn’t know a newsstand […]

Amidst all the entertainment news about celebrity breakups and marriages was the big story of a media breakup – and marriage. XM Radio and AOL broke up their relationship to stream XM’s streaming radio stations.  Instead, AOL will partner up with CBS Radio, thus providing the broadcaster with an entire new exposure/revenue base.  It’s a […]

A recent New York Times article, "Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip," discusses the aesthetics of mobile phone design.  Companies like LG Electronics (Chocolate & Voyager), Motorola, and Nokia are in an ongoing competition to design the coolest-looking phones.  It’s a form + function game, where designers need to understand the marriage of a phone’s […]

With compliments to Wiley, creator of Non Sequitur, here’s a bit of comic relief to usher in the weekend.

A recent article in The New York Times caught my attention because of its obvious parallels to what’s going on in radio.  In this case, it’s about video game giant, Electronic Arts, an industry leader that is finding the going tough because of innovative new games like Guitar Hero (created by Activision).  It seems that […]

Paul Jacobs shares an example of when "making the sale" isn’t necessarily a good thing: The good news:  Saturn has placed a radio buy The bad news: Listen to the spot Saturn Radio Spot MP3 File What does this say about our reputation when an advertiser places creative on stations, and then questions/mocks the medium’s […]

In the midst of a conference call about Sirius’ prospects, CEO Mel Karmazin got off one of his signature great lines: "Great content costs money." A no-brainer, perhaps, but given the economic pressures that all of radio is now facing, it’s a quote that should go above desks and cubicles throughout our industry, whether in […]

Lately, I have been spending more time in sales meetings.  That’s a pretty amazing admission for a programming consultant, but it is emblematic of what’s happening in radio in 2008.  In some ways, it’s a sign that broadcasters are realizing that strategy meetings that don’t include programming, sales, and web managers aren’t accomplishing a whole […]

Today we have a guest post from Paul Jacobs who offers his insight on how radio needs to invest in solutions to reach younger consumers: A recent article in The Detroit News about how the automotive industry is rapidly moving away from traditional media toward digital solutions to reach younger consumers, who they place a […]

As we learn more about streaming video, an interesting demographic schism is forming.  18-34 year-old women have a stronger tendency to watch video on network TV sites.  Clearly, this is strongly connected to their attachment to popular network offerings, such as Grey’s Anatomy.  Younger men, on the other hand, are more likely to stream video […]