Late Shift Post

63° - scattered clouds at 10:43am

Late night additions before bed...

Earlier today consultant Dave Lange offered another chapter in his series of posts on "Authenticity - The Key To Reviving Radio". Part 2 is on "over-hyping". Catch up here.

Fred Jacobs today announced the first two names for the "President of Radio" project. Congrats to Jerry Lee, owner of WBEB/Philadelphia - and to Harpo Radio GM John Gerhon. 8 more names to announce and one could be anyone. Details here.

Speaking of: Fred and brother Paul Jacobs wrote a great piece last week in FMQB titled "What is Programming To Win in 2008?". A must read on the present day realities of our industry - and the role of the program director. Here.

More tomorrow.

Wanna Be Elected?

Imagine the thoughts coming from the collective brainpower in this competition:

If YOU were elected "President of Radio," what would you do during the first 100 days of your administration?

(SOUTHFIELD, MI - 8/06/08) That's the question we will be posing to nine industry luminaries (and former radio execs) at a session that will take place at the Jacobs Summit in Austin, TX on September 18th. Co-sponsored with Radio & Records and moderated by Fred Jacobs, the session will allow each panelist to present their initiatives for transforming radio as the industry endures challenging times. Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs comments, "We're looking for big thinkers with constructive solutions, and feel that providing a forum for ideas is what the Summit is all about. These presenters each have a unique perspective on the industry, and bringing them together will generate not only great thoughts and discussion, but also potential solutions."

The tenth slot on the panel will be open to anyone in radio, whether they're a CEO, a traffic director, or a DJ. Aspiring "Presidents" are asked to submit their initiative (500-900 words) to Jacobs Media and Radio & Records via email to presidentofradio@jacobsmedia.com. Details and FAQs are available on a special microsite - www.presidentofradio.com. Jacobs Media will choose the winner, who will be invited to present their thoughts at the Summit.

Erica Farber notes, "We know there are lots of dedicated, passionate radio professionals out there with ideas and solutions. We want to hear from them, and make sure we have a great representation for 'Presidents.'" Radio & Records has also decided to turn the "President" concept into a regular feature in their weekly publication.

This year's Summit agenda promises to be as hard-hitting and relevant as ever. "Our goal is to provide attendees with actionable ideas they can take back to their stations and implement," says Jacobs. Already on the Summit agenda are Leo Laporte, founder of "This Week In Tech," who will share his vision on digital solutions for radio. There will be a compelling panel with the RAB's Jeff Haley and Emmis Interactive's Deb Esayian who will talk about managing the digital transition from an inside radio perspective. And Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx, who will bring his unique perspective on the audience and how to keep a 1980s brand relevant in 2008.

The Summit is open to the radio industry and is free of charge. To RSVP, contact Lisa Riker at Lisa@jacobsmedia.com.

To find out more information about the Summit agenda or inquire about the "Presidents" panel, contact Paul Jacobs at Pauljacobs@jacobsmedia.com.

Jacobs Media Summit 13
http://www.jacobssummit.com/ or http://www.presidentofradio.com/

(248) 353-9030

Wednesday Blogs

90° - cloudy at 1:30pm

Good afternoon from Michigan

From my blogosphere:

David Martin: "What would have to happen....for us to be rated #1?". Dave makes a strong case for asking your staff that question (and a few others). Here.

Congrats to Dave on signing the legendary Tom Kent for representation.

Mark Ramsey writes about the difference between listening and hearing. Some thoughts in the PPM world.

"One of the things radio critics regularly ignore is that radio is only partially designed for "listeners." It's also designed for "hearers." And anyone who cares enough to criticize what they hear on the radio is not a "hearer." A great read here.

Dave Lange. Dave writes about a recent Bridge Ratings study on the "New Influentials" - those in your audience likely to "spread the word".

Dave also offers his suggestions about your marketing plan and the innovation of your product. Read here.

Fred Jacobs. Check out his thoughts on the online video revolution and how that should impact your stations website. Here.

Paul Jacobs: Paul has a great piece this morning on "the keys to building brands." Here.

Serious: XM and Sirius to become one

A merger. Reduced staffing. I can only imagine lots of nervous folks at both companies. We're going to be watching Lee Abram's blog.

Read the release from XM here.

Tuesday Morning update: Observations from Paul Jacobs and Mark Ramsey. Remarks of radio CEOs at Inside Radio.

The Weekend Classic Rock FM

Street sheets: Life before the web. Almost hard to imagine.

Some great writing this past week from some great names:

Fred Jacobs with another great example of how radio can compete with ipods, the internet and cell phones. Read here.

Paul Jacobs says "its over" (and he's right) for many of radio's "bag of tricks". Read Paul's observations here.

Edison Media Research's Sean Ross writes about The Most Intriguing Stations Of 2006.

The Grammy Awards are on CBS Sunday. The reunion of The Police is reason alone to TiVo to grab audio. And this weekend, Milwaukee's WKLH presents "The Shammy Awards" - with rock's greatest embarrassments. More here.

Speaking of TV, how cool would if be if Dennis Hopper did a TV spot for a classic rock station? (I just saw him in a commercial for a financial planning firm...) There's a storyboard floating around in the back of my head.

Love the current Cadillac spot on TV and the music behind it. See the spot here. Listen to the entire song in the spot ("Punk Rocker" - The Teddy Bears w/Iggy Pop) here.

This weekend I'm headed to the shores of Lake Michigan - specifically Pentwater, Michigan to hang with a couple of radio buddies. Should be a fun weekend no matter how cold. Think we'll talk shop? Maybe a just a little. See you Monday.