The Jacobs Media Blog

Does it ever stop?  (Of course, we’d be happier if there was an FM radio in this thing.)

The news of KZLA’s defection from Country in order to sensibly serve a large ethnic audience is being met increduality by the Country music establishment.  Imagine – no Country radio in L.A. – or New York, for the matter.  C’mon, these bizarre major market format holes have been happening for years. Is the KZLA situation […]

The nasty ink about satellite radio is flowing fast, and to make matters worse, it’s emanating from the one sector that once contained its biggest fans – Wall Street.  A recent Wall Street Journal article (subscription required) spelled out one major problem after another for XM and Sirius, leading to more speculation that some sort […]

Today we’ve got another offering from Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham: Yeah, I know… most of you have grown tired of hearing about KROQ success stories, but work me with me on this one. The lineup for KROQ’s Inland Invasion 2006 serves as another reminder that Rock stations can no longer live within a tight, restrictive […]

Today we’ve got another offering from Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham: Yeah, I know… most of you have grown tired of hearing about KROQ success stories, but work me with me on this one. The lineup for KROQ’s Inland Invasion 2006 serves as another reminder that Rock stations can no longer live within a tight, restrictive […]

We just had a great conversation with Jeff Angus, author of "Management By Baseball," a book that illustrates how America’s Game is actually a management primer for any business.  And that’s why we’ve invited him to speak on the topic at Summit 11 (September 19-20) in Dallas. You don’t have to be a baseball fan […]

Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune wrote a piece this week that very likely speaks for a lot of radio listeners.  Commenting on how Chicago morning radio has gone from being an incredible local mecca that spawned entertainers like Steve Dahl, Wally Phillips, and Larry Lujack, Rosenthal notes that the addition of Whoopi Goldberg and […]

Glad to post another guest blog from Jacobs Media’s Tim Davis: The whole interactive, consumer generated, Neo thing has hit a new high:  Jessica Simpson. Yep, even a teen pop princess gets the value of letting your audience have involvement with your product: For $1.99 (via Yahoo!), you not only get a song with no […]

I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of days at the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Annual Leadership Conference and Retreat in the Boyne City area.  (Hold up your left hand – Boyne City is about at the top of your wedding ring finger.) I’ve attended other state broadcast association meetings and seminars, but never […]

Last month, I was fortunate enough to participate in the "Super Session" at The Conclave.  Moderated by Saga’s Steve Goldstein, the panelists included Charlie Cook of Cumulus, Rick Cummings from Emmis, and Tom Bender from Greater Media-Detroit.  I was sitting in for Greg Strassell who was unable to make the session. The session was very […]

Mark Ramsey wrote an interesting marketing email that many of you received yesterday via email (or saw on his blog, Hear 2.0) titled "Radio’s Biggest Mistake."  Among other good points that Mark made, this quote stood out to us: "What they really want is not more niche options and more reasons to switch between them.What […]

Mark Ramsey wrote an interesting marketing email that many of you received yesterday via email (or saw on his blog, Hear 2.0) titled "Radio’s Biggest Mistake."  Among other good points that Mark made, this quote stood out to us: "What they really want is not more niche options and more reasons to switch between them.What […]

The blog you’re reading now is nearly 18 months old, and despite some misgivings I had when it first started, it’s been one of the most interesting things I’ve ever done.  I decided early on that, without fail, we would post at least one entry each weekday.  We have not failed to achieve this goal, […]

A new L.A.Times/Bloomberg poll confirms what we’ve known all along – 12-24s are bored as hell, despite all the media entertainment available to them.  Of course, that’s probably a universal truth that comes with simply being that age.  But, even with more choices than ever, they still can’t find anything good to do. But here’s […]

The big news – sort of – recently involved Metallica finally making its catalogue available on iTunes.  After all that rhetoric about filesharing being the death of music, Active Rock’s former poster boys came to the realization that the digital way is the future… Or the present. But image-wise, the damage has been done.  While […]

As more and more young consumers consider the iPod as the "go anywhere" medium, while radio is perceived to be tethered to cars and nightstands, the Steven Jobs assault continues.  The big news coming out of the auto industry is the announcement that iPod access will become even easier.  Ford, GM, and Mazda have teamed […]

"MTV is challenging the status quo in TV programming and transferring control directly to its audience." That’s a quote from an MTV press release, announcing a new TV channel for their UK and Ireland unit.  According to MTV’s Angel Gambino, viewers will be able to visit a website called Flux, where they can choose videos […]

Happy to share another guest blog from Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing: In case you’ve been living under a rock, Katie Couric starts anchoring the CBS Evening News on September 5.  What with all the media exposure – not just on CBS, but everywhere – everyone knows that, right?  So what has Katie been doing since […]

Hats off to NAB President David Rehr, and his strong letter to U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter regarding Internet radio.  Recognizing the importance of streaming audio to radio’s digital future, Rehr laid out five reforms for consideration. In the letter, Rehr notes, "Broadcasters are concerned with the future and viability of Internet streaming […]