In the wake of Jonathan Miller’s departure as the CEO of AOL comes news that Jason Calacanis – head of AOL’s Netscape Division, CEO of Weblogs, Inc., and Jacobs Media Summit 11 speaker – has turned in his ID badge.
If you think 2006 has been a rough and tumble year for terrestrial radio, think about what’s been transpiring at AOL. In the middle of the year, they shuttered their biggest business – Internet access – and began to give away this service. This reinvention of AOL was part of what Jason referred to at Summit 11 as the "surrender" process – realizing that the current business model was no longer working, and moving on to build a new platform that would hopefully reap success.
As he pointed out at that time, these types of decisions require planning, strategy, and of course, cojones. And obviously, Time Warner thought it was wise to change courses at the top by replacing Miller with Randy Falco, President of NBC’s Universal Television Group. For Calacanis, the prospect of breaking in a new guy was unappealing, and he hit the door.
For those of you know Jason or who have seen him speak to our group, it’s not hard to see the vision and the courage, but also the propensity to be entrepreneurial rather than part of a large corporate organization. (I know other people like that – intimately.)
But this change at AOL also signifies that radio isn’t the only business that is enduring turbulence, chaos, rethinking, and an occasional ready-fire-aim decision or two. We wish Jason well, while we keep a close watch on what happens to AOL from here.
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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