The Jacobs Media Blog

"We will strive to ensure that radio is on new, emerging technologies. It’s our job to make sure broadcast signals are available on every gadget, everywhere."       —David Rehr, NAB President/CEO That statement was part of the "Radio 2020" initiative introduced at the NAB Convention, last month in Charlotte.  It’s timely for a number […]

Mark Ramsey talked with me about the inside scoop behind "The Bedroom Project," available as a podcast he’s streaming on his blog – Hear 2.0. It’s a nice synopsis of the study, and talks about some of the implications this Arbitron-sponsored ethnographic study has on our business.  It weighs in at just 15 minutes, and […]

Mark Ramsey talked with me about the inside scoop behind "The Bedroom Project," available as a podcast he’s streaming on his blog – Hear 2.0. It’s a nice synopsis of the study, and talks about some of the implications this Arbitron-sponsored ethnographic study has on our business.  It weighs in at just 15 minutes, and […]

Everyone knows Mark Cuban, right?  He’s the media maven who sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo! and forever became a media/entertainment icon.  Cuban is also the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and is the most recent phenomenon on ABC-TV’s hit show, "Dancing With The Stars." But those are just items on his resume, because Mark Cuban […]

When the Beatles’ Love CD came out, we highly recommended it to Classic Rock radio as another "current classic" milestone that could liven up a tired playlist.  This past weekend, I finally saw the Cirque du Soleil show, Love, in person at the Mirage in Las Vegas. I cannot tell you how totally incredible this […]

When the Beatles’ Love CD came out, we highly recommended it to Classic Rock radio as another "current classic" milestone that could liven up a tired playlist.  This past weekend, I finally saw the Cirque du Soleil show, Love, in person at the Mirage in Las Vegas. I cannot tell you how totally incredible this […]

Jacobs’ staffer, Eric Holmes, asked this question a few weeks ago:  "Could Rock use some rivalries?" He ran across an article about the Hip Hop war that’s been brewing between Kanye West and 50 Cent since the simultaneous release of their new albums.  With each rapper essentially challenging the other, both are coming out on […]

Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing weighs in on the value of saying "thanks!" “Welcome!” “You’ve just signed up for our database.  You’ll be getting more stuff from us.  Thanks!”  Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of most first subscription emails.  The Email Experience Council and Direct Marketing Association says 72% of 118 top online retailers send “Welcome” […]

Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing weighs in on the value of saying "thanks!" “Welcome!” “You’ve just signed up for our database.  You’ll be getting more stuff from us.  Thanks!”  Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of most first subscription emails.  The Email Experience Council and Direct Marketing Association says 72% of 118 top online retailers send “Welcome” […]

One of the key themes that emerged from the recent NAB and R&R Conventions – and the Jacobs Summit – was Arbitron’s emerging PPM ratings service.  There was considerable interest in PPM among thousands of broadcasters, and the various panels were all well-attended. The Jacobs Summit panel was especially directed toward PPM and Rock, and […]

At a time when the radio business sorely needs strong leadership, it is ironic that a major source is coming from a small single-station broadcaster, Philadelphia’s Jerry Lee.  If you don’t know about Jerry, you should.  He was recently honored by the NAB, and has owned B101 in Philly forever.  He would not remember this, […]

We used the graphic to the right for our "Bedroom Project" presentations in Charlotte – the perfect way to depict what mobile phones have become.  Consumers do quite a bit more than just talk to others on their phones – from texting to photo taking/sharing to the alarm clock to streaming.  And now, Nokia is […]

In an otherwise nondescript time for music (and hey, Christmas music is just days away) comes "Jena," a song/video from John Mellencamp that speaks out on the racial strife around that small Louisiana town.  Produced by T-Bone Burnett, "Jena" is powerful and makes a statement that music still has the power to make. It’s hard […]

In a new eMarketer article, this question is posed:  "Could Boomers Save The Music Industry?"  That’s because more than seven in ten Baby Boomers bought music last year.  When you consider that population tops out in the 76,000,000 range, that’s a lot of CDs and downloads.  In fact, more than two-thirds of Boomers buy only […]

In a very Public Radio way, Radiohead is going to sell its new album, In Rainbows, by letting consumers set the price they’re comfortable paying.  They can set their own price – or pay nothing – in order to access the music. And of course, that has similarities to the Public Radio model.  Listeners can […]

Consumers continue to rule.  There was even a contest to help decide what to do with Barry Bonds’ record-setting homerun ball.  And GMC Trucks introduced a new consumer-generated contest where NFL fans will have a say in selecting the "Player of the Week."  This is just another example of a huge sponsor putting together a […]

Consumers continue to rule.  There was even a contest to help decide what to do with Barry Bonds’ record-setting homerun ball.  And GMC Trucks introduced a new consumer-generated contest where NFL fans will have a say in selecting the "Player of the Week."  This is just another example of a huge sponsor putting together a […]

Something very important is happening in the digital content world – right now – and it has repercussions for all companies that are attempting to monetize their Internet efforts.  First, The New York Times announced that for all intents and purposes, it will no longer be charging fees for its online content.  Their new concept?  […]

We continue to see it in Web poll after web poll, and focus group after focus group.  "Older" radio listeners – that is Boomers/Classic Rockers – are becoming more and more comfortable with new technology.  They may not be as mobile and fickle as their kids, but that’s the beauty of it.  When they find […]

We’ve put the finishing touches on Summit 12 – something we’re sure that many readers of this blog will be thankful for.  But the NAB/R&R Conventions – and the Summit – were a great experience for us this year.  And I wanted to thank a number of people, and give those of you couldn’t make […]