The Jacobs Media Blog

We’re off to CES in Las Vegas. For a preview, the Consumer Technology Association’s CEO, Gary Shapiro, gave me and Buzz Knight a look of coming attractions for the planet’s biggest technology show. We’ll be heading up three tours at CES of radio broadcast execs, and we’re excited to see the future Here’s Gary’s “take” on innovation, partnerships, the radio business, and his crown jewel, CES.

It has not been a particularly good period for members of Congress.  Distrust, dislike, and even disdain for legislators of all stripes seems like it’s at an all-time high.  Americans may not agree about very much, but when it comes to the legislative branch, most are on the same page. The list of bad decision-making, […]

As Alexa and other voice assistants become more prominent in content discovery, great radio stations have a secret weapon to ensure audiences remember them – “sound signatures.” From the Intel chimes to the familiar sound of the Zippo lighter, a memorable “soundmark” is the ultimate branding tool. Today’s blog explores how and why they work.

Yesterday, we talked about the power of nostaglia in today’s pop culture, from Netflix to hit movies. Today, we turn to a wize-beyond-his-years Millennial to explain why so many members of his generation are enraptured by music that’s often decades older than they are – and why radio should be cheering and celebrating its revival.

At a time when consumers are deluged with content from TV, films, podcasts, streams, and of course, radio, the power of nostalgia has never been greater. Netflix just learned this the hard – and expensive – way as they recently faced a $100 million decision to renew a TV series that was popular long before there were iPhones or Facebook. Today’s blog post looks at the reasons why nostalgia was an even greater force in 2018.

Yesterday, we took a look at Nielsen’s new TV metrics that measure social interaction and engagement with personalities. In today’s post, we’ve got research that shows the gap between social media and the ability of radio talent to effectively harness it. And it’s an eye-opener.

Nielsen’s social content ratings provide engagement data for TV shows and sporting events, based on Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms. Now, a new chart reveals how talent stimulates social interaction on television. For a passion medium like radio, these metrics could provide much-needed data that would make the case for radio advertising and attribution.

Great radio stations – they’re like great rock bands. And in today’s post, we channel serial entrepreneur – Jeff Pulver – who knows a great band and a great business startup when he sees one. We’ve put together a punch list of 10 questions to ask – from “Who’s your lead singer?” to “Are you a great live band?” – to help brand managers achieve greatness.