Maybe I should warn you upfront – this is a longer post than usual today. That's becasuse I have a lot of wonderful content to tell you about.
It is hard to believe we have put the final touches on our 15th Summit. Since 1995, when they were originally billed as “Alternative Summits,” Jacobs Media has been producing these events, first at Gavin, then for many great years with R&R, last year with the NAB, and next month with Arbitron in conjunction with their Client Conference.
We appreciate our partnership with Arbitron, and by working together, we have each put together killer agendas. They have their Urban PD sessions on December 7, followed by a full day of great sessions that include WFAN’s Boomer & Carton, Jon Coleman, Emmis Interactive’s Deb Esayian, Larry Rosin, Cox’s Jay O’Connor, RCS’ Phillippe Generali, and Matt Fisher of curiosity360 (a social media firm).
I’m especially excited to hear new Arbitron CEO and former head of Meredith Corporation, a top media and marketing company. And we will also be entertaining the lunch crowd on December 8 with a special edition of “Goin’ Mobile” with never-before-seen segments that I promise will amaze and educate. We have put together new video stories that are very revealing for radio and mobile efforts, and I’m excited to show them to you.
But then there’s the morning of December 9 – the Summit. I believe we have the best lineup ever.
Our premise is simple. Radio – and the rest of the media world – is going through a cataclysmic change that will determine the industry’s place in the new media hierarchy. Will radio be a major player, will it hold its own, or will it erode in importance?
To get at these answers, the Summit sessions are shorter this year, allowing us to incorporate more content, panelists, and speakers. They are divided into two broad categories:
The Big Picture – What are the macro factors that are impacting radio and how do outsiders view the industry’s prospects, challenges, and opportunities?
Get The Picture – What can local stations and clusters do to maximize these opportunities, face the challenges, seize the moment, and make the best of the new digital tools that are available?
To that end, here is our Summit schedule for the morning of December 9:
8:00 Continental breakfast & opening remarks by Fred Jacobs
8:30-9:00 – IT’S THE MESSAGE THAT MATTERS: World-renowned talent coach and author, Val Geller, will set the tone for the day. Whether you’re creating content and entertainment for transmitters and towers or podcasts, social media pages, and Twitter communities, what are the key factors and best practices for creating powerful audio?
9:00-9:40 – A 'BUGGY WHIP' INDUSTRY?: Consumer Electronics Association’s President & CEO, Gary Shapiro, will be weighing in at The Summit. Gary is well-known for his hard-hitting views on radio, and his perspective as head of the CEA will be invaluable for Summit attendees looking to get a glimpse of the future.
9:45-10:15 – USING THE BACKCHANNEL: Everyone in radio is working hard to strategically integrate social media into our programming. Stephen Clark is an anchorman at Channel 7 in Detroit. But if you think you know how TV news is being gathered these days, think again. Stephen has initiated a novel audience interactive program – The Backchannel – using Twitter to communicate with his audience as he's putting together stories. The Backchannel is an innovative feedback loop that might just change television news and it has applications for News/Talk radio stations, as well as for personalities and teams who are bold enough to interact with their audiences.
10:20-11:00 - IS THIS RADIO?: A number of major radio brands have dropped the “R-word” because their content now goes well beyond terrestrial broadcasting. This will be an amazing discussion because of our panelists and the issues they will talk about. Panelists and topics are as follows:
- WTOP in Washington, D.C. is one of the most successful radio stations in the U.S., and Bonneville’s Senior Regional VP, Joel Oxley, will be on our panel to discuss extending radio’s footprint.
- NPR is no longer called “National Public Radio.” To discuss their changing brand philosophy, Michael Yoch, Senior Director of Product Development, will join the panel.
- Jeff Haley, President/CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau, will round out this group for a lively discussion about whether we are still marketing radio and the future for cross-platform revenue generation
11:00-11:30 - ARE YOU BEING FOLLOWED?: Renowned social mediologist and owner of Finger Candy Media, Jessica Northey, will bring her unique – and successful secrets about how to ramp up a social media effort. She practices what she preaches – Jessica currently has over 94,000 followers on Twitter and her dog has 4,500. Jessica IS social media – she translates the confusing points into an easy-to-understand platform based on her 15+ years of experience in all media, including radio.
11:30-12:00N – TURNING THE QUEEN MARY: Former Tribune Chief Innovation Officer and radio pioneer, Lee Abrams, will make a return appearance at the Jacobs Summit. Lee’s challenge to bring fresh thinking to a legacy media business has been well-publicized. In this last session of Summit 15, he will share his vision on what “old media” industries must do in order to be vibrant and competitive moving forward.
I think you can appreciate my excitement, and I hope that many of you can make the trip to Baltimore to invest in your company, your station, and yourselves. I don’t believe there are plans to archive these sessions, so as Buffalo Wild Wings likes to say “You have to be here.”
Registration info is available here.
And as we’ve said for many years now, “See you at the Summit.”
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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