The Jacobs Media Blog

3 days of music on 5 stages… 125 miles east of Los Angeles in the middle of the desert… 60,000 people per day… And Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing was one of them. Typical of Dave, he offers up some big picture thoughts on a memorable weekend. Rock & Hip-Hop can co-exist.  For many of the […]

One of the most important sections of our new Tech Poll III points to the growing importance of the cell phone.  Every way you look at it, mobile phone technology continues to have an increasing influence on lifestyle and culture – and of course, radio has both opportunities and challenges to consider. Here are a […]

As you know, we have been very vocal about the recent CRB royalty rulings that would most definitely affect the outcome of streaming for terrestrial radio.  Now, things are moving, and a bill was introduced in the House to repeal the ruling – HR 2060.  We encourage you to engage your audience in helping to […]

The news that ABC is not renewing Rosie O’Donnell shouldn’t come as a "shock" to anyone.  As media pundits have pointed out, she has essentially played the role of "shock jock" on "The View."  Not unlike what Howard Stern brought to radio, Rosie’s outrageous comments about religion, politics, and of course her war with Donald […]

That’s the line that Los Angeles TV anchorman Chuck Henry used to describe how their coverage of the Hollywood Hills’ fires was enhanced by "citizen photographers."  It’s all part of the cool CGM movement that more and more stations have integrated into their brands, and it’s a great way to include listeners in many things […]

That’s the line that Los Angeles TV anchorman Chuck Henry used to describe how their coverage of the Hollywood Hills’ fires was enhanced by "citizen photographers."  It’s all part of the cool CGM movement that more and more stations have integrated into their brands, and it’s a great way to include listeners in many things […]

As the NBA Playoffs get underway, one of the truisms of the sport is that coaches tend to play fewer guys when the games really count.  That’s not good news for the guys near the end of the bench, but the reality is that you go with the guys you know who can play when […]

There is considerable industry buzz about the changes occurring at KZPS – their format and their commercial policy.  A few thoughts and initial observations. First, good for them, trying a different way of selling their time.  I recall Pirate Radio trying to do something similar back in their early months.  It felt like it was […]

Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham joins us for another guest posting today: It was five months ago I posted a blog on the increased importance for today’s radio brands to use their speed, flexibility, and localism to cover news and current events.  And this past week brought us more good examples. The Internet, smart cell phones, […]

Ignoring the sage advice to never talk about politics or religion, you’ll be reading about the former in Dave Beasing’s newest edition of "Buzz." Here’s Dave’s "take" on the marketing of a hot presidential candidate: Whether or not you’d ever support Illinois Senator Barack Obama, you have to admit that his candidacy represents a fascinating […]

If you’re looking for the "truths" about what’s happening to youth formats and the radio business, look no further than the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.  It’s a small campus of only 2,200 students, and yet Longhorn Andrew Murphy hits the salient points about what’s happening in radio with clarity.  (read the article […]

Today Jacobs Media’s Paul Jacobs joins us for a guest posting: Why is it that there are hundreds of Alternative, Active Rock, Hip-Hop, and CHR radio stations pleading with advertisers to spend money to connect with "hard to reach 18-34s," while advertisers resort to these kinds of brilliant tactics instead: The 18-34 demographic, and in […]

No, the headline of today’s entry is not a Peyton Manning play.  It’s the way that WXPN/Philadelphia handled the transition from veteran David Dye to new afternoon host Jim McGuinn.  This email is transparent, simple, and introduces the audience to a new personality, while providing a nice bit of closure for an old friend. Too […]

Thanks to Dave Beasing for sharing this imaging campaign for KPIX-TV’s (San Francisco) morning news show.  In an industry of sound-alike, look-alike TV news anchors, Kessler & Kohara break away from the pack because of this different branding approach. Instead of promoting the tried-and-true benefits of TV news programs – breaking news, accurate weather, timely […]

The news that Don Imus was fired by CBS is no more surprising than the upcoming announcement that Alberto Gonzales will no longer be Attorney General.  It’s just a matter of time.  By now we all "get" the news cycles. We can see very clearly where these things are headed.  It just seems like there’s […]

As we roll out data from our Tech Poll III, the theme that radio listeners are doing lots of other things continues.  Last year, we didn’t even include questions about MySpace and other social networking sites.  This year, they provide some major headlines about how technology and personal relationships are meshing.  A significant number of […]

The big news in television is that Nielsen is finally including 18-24 college students who live away from home in their surveys.  Not surprisingly, the ratings results are changing.  The winners?  Networks and programs aimed at this demographic.  It’s everything from "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Ugly Betty" on ABC, to better numbers for youth-oriented programming like […]

In a recent New York Times article, the headline "The Album, a Commodity in Disfavor" blares at you.  Jeff Leeds documents the death of the album/CD, as the world moves to downloadable singles.  Of course, there are exceptions – bands like Tool, and even last year’s Red Hot Chili Peppers audacious double CD, Stadium Arcadium, […]

Today we’ve got a guest entry from Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham: I’m not a big wrestling fan, but below is an awesome video of "Wrestlemania 23" highlights – definitely worth a watch.  It’s only 4 minutes long, but it captures the buzz and excitement that is "Wrestlemania."  (They switch to Saliva’s "Ladies and Gentlemen" about […]

So no one listens to the radio at night?  This couldn’t happen anywhere but local radio.  Enjoy this free promo for 93X on KSTP-TV the other night.  Sure hope the RAB hears about this one.