A couple weeks back, we showcased Nike CEO Mark Parker. His unique claim to fame? Parker came out of design and is now the guy making all the big calls for one of America’s biggest and best brands.
At the time, we suggested the logic of content people running media companies, and in fact, radio has been gravitating to that position in recent years. CBS Radio’s Dan Mason is a former programmer who has retained a strong sense for the product – and what goes into creating it.
And Bob Pittman – another “content guy” – has been a PD on the receiving end of Arbitron and Nielsen ratings.
Over the years, I have heard traditional radio CEOs – the ones that came out of the sales cubicles – say that programmers don’t “get” how to make money in this business; that PDs are craftsmen or artisans who aren’t in touch with revenue generation.
But today, it’s no accident that CBS and Clear Channel – two companies run by former programmers – see the future. They are focused on digital technology from Last.fm to iHeartRadio respectively. While they each value their core AM/FM radio properties, their sights are set on digital and on a realization that the media world as we know it is changing. It’s no accident that the suits at Bain along with Les Moonves have each looked at the content side of the spectrum for its leadership.
Last week that trend continued, but in an even more profound way. NPR announced that its new chief content office will be its former head of digital media, Kinsey Wilson (pictured below). It should also be noted that Wilson formerly served as executive editor of USA Today, and early in his career was a beat reporter for Chicago’s City News Bureau. So like Pittman and Mason, Wilson’s experience is much like that of a former DJ who rises through the ranks to run the organization. We’re talking trenches.
The most telling commentary about why a digital guy could ascend to this top job at NPR comes from its new CEO, Gary Knell. In making the announcement, Knell noted that while NPR’s average radio listener is 49 years-old, those who use their brand’s iPad app (41) and iPhone app (37) are considerably younger. Citing the oft-quoted Wayne Gretzky, Knell noted that NPR has “got to skate to where the audience is going.”
Early next month, we are presenting a new research initiative funded by iMA, public broadcasting’s Integrated Media Association: “A Study of Mobile Strategies Across the Public Media System.” Its impetus was to assess the readiness of public media outlets for the mobile future.
That’s where the puck is going.
Game on.
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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