We have a lot of traditions here at Jacobs Media, but one of my favorites is our annual Summit that now is in its 17th year. What started as a conference for Alternative PDs has changed, morphed, and adapted to the times. We’ve had partners from Gavin to R&R to the NAB to Arbitron. But this year, we’re connected with a new name for radio, Nielsen Audio.
This mashup between our company and now Nielsen Audio, has become an end of year tradition for many broadcasters. It’s a great chance to squeeze in some learning as the year closes out, as well as the chance to charge up the batteries, socialize with friends and colleagues, and set a path for an exciting year ahead.
On December 11 and 12 at the lovely Four Seasons in Baltimore, we’re expecting a capacity crowd of broadcasters, eager to learn what’s next in radio and media, as well as the chance to meet and greet some of the new faces at Nielsen.
Speaking of which, while the final tweaks are being made to the agenda, I can tell you that Nielsen’s President of their Global Product Leadership Team, Steve Hasker (pictured) will be talking about some of the exciting new possibilities for audio measurement – a topic that is front and center in the industry.
Additionally, Nielsen’s EVP, Global Automotive – Ian Beavis – will be joining Strategy Analytics’ Roger Lanctot and me for a lunchtime presentation on Thursday we’re calling “Radio & Automotive – A Look Down the Road.”
Other Nielsen execs are also slated to appear Thursday morning just ahead of the Summit. And we’re very excited about our lineup this year. That’s because we selfishly take a very “me attitude” when booking our sessions. That is, if WE think we can learn something from our panels and guests, we figure you will, too.
We’re starting out with a very hot topic – word of mouth. And we’ve got two of the best lined up to air it out: DMR’s Tripp Eldredge and Keller Fay CEO Ed Keller (pictured). You may recall reading a recent story about how heavy radio listeners add considerable clout in the word of mouth arena, making them more attractive to advertisers and stations themselves. These guys have great research and war stories to share.
Up next, we’re doing something a little different in the CEO department – showcasing radio leaders who you don’t always hear from at conferences, but with great stories to tell about what it’s like to compete against “the bigs” and win the wars in smaller and medium markets. We’re featuring NRG’s Mary Quass, South Central’s Craig Jacobus, Connoisseur’s Jeff Warshaw, and Journal’s Steve Wexler. Paul will be moderating this group and we’re expecting a no holds barred look at radio.
Then I’m excited to be on stage with one of our more successful “graduates” – VH1 President Tom Calderone. For some reason, Tom left Jacobs Media to join MTV Networks 15 years ago and hasn’t looked back. As a dyed-in-the-wool radio guy who made the jump to TV, Tom has some great stories about digital competition, second screens, viewer distractions, and serving Millennials. We’re going to tap into his genius and experience to help radio programmers and managers better understand the challenges ahead.
And then we’ll wrap up our Summit with a special guest, Dateline NBC’s Josh Mankiewicz. Chances are good that you’ve seen Josh covering a wide array of news stories for the show – including Hurricane Katrina, presidential campaigns, and airline security. Along the way, he’s profiled Johnny Carson on the one hand, while taking on the issue of how race impacts news story selection on the other. For the Summit, Josh is going to focus on his clever and strategic use of social media to keep connected to his fans. Seldom will you see a national personality who is so adept and instinctive in this space.
That’s the story – and in fact, storytelling is a theme of this year’s Summit as well as the Nielsen Client Conference. In a few days, I’ll highlight some other panels and features, but just to make sure you’ve got this mashup figured out, here’s the schedule:
Hope to see you at the Summit (and Client Conference)!
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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