The Jacobs Media Blog

Paul Jacobs chimes in with some thoughts on the future of radio in a New Media world "Online Ad Revenue To Surpass Radio In 2008" No, I haven’t lost my mind.  While this item could be construed as depressing if you’re in terrestrial radio, maybe we should look at it differently.  What other medium is […]

One of the more interesting findings from the Arbitron/Jacobs "Bedroom Study" was the realization that video gamers aren’t just kids sitting in their basements by themselves.  Like TV viewing, gaming is becoming a social activity.  A recent Advertising Age article points out that marketers are beginning to figure this out. Whether it’s Wii parties or […]

Many of you probably saw the story recently about how a new MediaVest report no longer groups "radio" as a discrete medium.  Instead, it’s now a part of a larger category known as "audio."  Included under this new umbrella label are satellite radio, online radio, mobile content, iPods, mp3 players, and even television. The good […]

With apologies to Doug Podell, it is gratifying to see that Brian May will finally be awarded his doctorate in astrophysics – 30 years after he formed Queen.  We’ve all heard the cliché about radio or Rock N’ Roll, "It’s not rocket science."  Seeing that May’s thesis is entitled, "Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust […]

Paul Jacobs offers a follow up to his piece earlier this month about marketing mistakes: A while back I wrote a posting about how Diet Coke’s market share has fallen and pointed out several lessons that broadcasters could learn from their experience.  Here’s another example from outside of our business that points out the cost […]

This must be "Bite The Hand That Feeds You Month."  Recently, the musicFirst coalition used that inane "study" by a university professor in Texas to make the claim that radio airplay hurts record sales.  Then, Cox’s Bob Neil was attacked for claiming that many Oldies artists’ careers were made by radio airplay.  And if that […]

Jacobs Media’s Tim Davis points to some great resources for doing "write" by your Web audience: Now that everyone’s firmly focused on Internet revenue, and specifically, station websites, I wanted to give you some of my perspective.  As we know, radio station Web sites are often a work in progress, and redesigns are ongoing. We […]

Jacobs Media’s Tim Davis points to some great resources for doing "write" by your Web audience: Now that everyone’s firmly focused on Internet revenue, and specifically, station websites, I wanted to give you some of my perspective.  As we know, radio station Web sites are often a work in progress, and redesigns are ongoing. We […]

Investors Business Daily recently set up a comparative analysis between satellite and HD radio in a recent web article.  While subjective, it sheds light on the dilemmas that each of these new technologies faces moving forward. Satellite received big points for its content, but the reviewers noted that in and around the New York metro […]

In one of those recent marketing/media posts, there was an interesting essay imploring tech professionals to stop calling people "users" (which has been the official/unofficial jargon for many years) and start thinking about them as "consumers."  Even though the latter is a rather generic term, the idea of "users" seems to connote a special, narrow […]

Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing chimes in on GOP candidates missing a huge opportunity to campaign like it’s the 21st Century. According to the Washington Post, the Republican version of The CNN-YouTube Debates may have to be postponed from the original September 17th date until sometime later.  There are plenty of home video questions being submitted, […]

The answer to today’s blog headline is "great, compelling, buzz-worthy shows."  It is indeed amazing how in this sea of new technology, the TV and cable networks keep coming up with programming that is the nexus for social interaction and discourse – even among young viewers.  A research company called Youth Trends found that amidst […]

The answer to today’s blog headline is "great, compelling, buzz-worthy shows."  It is indeed amazing how in this sea of new technology, the TV and cable networks keep coming up with programming that is the nexus for social interaction and discourse – even among young viewers.  A research company called Youth Trends found that amidst […]

Jacobs Media’s Paul Jacobs joins us today with some good news for radio from the Gen Y front: There’s been this unbelievable noise coming from my teenage daughter’s bedroom this week.  Defying all press reports and conventional wisdom, she’s actually listening to the radio.  And amazingly, she’s listening to AM radio.  No, she hasn’t gone […]

Remember sitting around the conference table, listening to the rationale for not targeting teens?  The conventional wisdom was, "They’ll find radio when they’re in their 20’s.  We just can’t afford to target them because we can’t sell them." That was then.  This is now. Speaking at a cable television convention, Alan Wurtzel, NBC Universal’s President […]

Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham weighs in what makes ESPN a leader and the power of owning the big stories: Consistent readers of this blog have heard me talking about the importance of speed, mindset, topicality, relevancy, preparation, compellingness, and a host of other items as they relate to morning shows or stations.  Well, consider me […]

I remember being at client dinners where the GM would ask the waiter or waitress, "What’s your favorite station?"  There’s just something about a focus group of one that seems meaningless, and frankly, I was embarrassed by having to sit through this little exercise. But every once in a while, this "research" technique would yield […]

Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing joins us with thoughts about breakfast & radio: 75% of McDonald’s restaurants open by 5 AM daily.  The other 25% were urged to fire up the griddle earlier at a recent franchisee meeting in Las Vegas.  Why?  Not unlike in the radio business, morning drive is proving lucrative, with McDonald’s able […]

A new study by ShopLocal.com among pre-teens underscores the importance of looks and utility in electronics and gadgets.  Not surprisingly, the boys are all about entertainment, while the girls are focused on fashion in their toys. That’s about the way it shaped up among their older counterparts in "The Bedroom Study," the ethnographic study we […]

A new study by ShopLocal.com among pre-teens underscores the importance of looks and utility in electronics and gadgets.  Not surprisingly, the boys are all about entertainment, while the girls are focused on fashion in their toys. That’s about the way it shaped up among their older counterparts in "The Bedroom Study," the ethnographic study we […]