Posts Tagged ‘ Streaming ’

Where’s The Business Model?

February 13, 2013
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Where’s The Business Model?

A year ago, the big media story was that Facebook couldn’t figure out its mobile revenue strategy.  While it was obvious that hundreds of millions of their users had gravitated to using the platform on their Apple, Android, and BlackBerry devices, Facebook was at a loss about how to monetize all this activity. As they explained in their IPO filing, they were clueless about how to generate revenue from mobile.  Not surprisingly, Wall Street took it out on their stock price. Since then, Mark Zuckerberg has done what he...

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Those Damn Smartphones

October 26, 2012
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Those Damn Smartphones

I have been amused by some of the analyses I’m reading in the trades lately about how radio’s TSL is slipping and the culprit is….(drum roll)…mobile phones!  The most recent was Inside Radio’s big headline “Mobile cuts into radio’s TSL.” Maybe we should ask the NAB to see what they can do to convince the consumer electronics industry to slow down the sales of iPhones and Galaxy S IIIs this Christmas.  Or maybe we should just urge radio broadcasters to simply stay away from those nasty smartphones because of their alleged...

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Apple Radio?

September 10, 2012
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Apple Radio?

So the big buzz in radio late last week was this rumor that Apple is moving to get into the streaming radio business.  Whether this happens with the release of the iPhone 5, it occurs later in the year, or never at all, shouldn’t change the game for traditional radio broadcasters. Here’s why… Pandora has clearly done something very special in the pure-play universe, vaulting ahead of its competition, going public, and aggressively hiring radio reps who can monetize its service. And along the way, new competition has popped up –...

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Take That, McGruff

August 21, 2012
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Take That, McGruff

Finally, a broadcaster has stepped up and done what radio people have been talking about for a decade. In case you missed it, Saga Communication has dispatched their ad insertion streaming apparatus and is now simulcasting its terrestrial programming on its digital streams. Broadcasters have wrung their hands about this for years – for all kinds of good reasons – but the gnarly issue of talent fees forced broadcasters to insert different commercial content in their streams. Saga’s Warren Lada, according to Inside Radio, did the research and came...

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Video Boot Camp

June 26, 2012
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Video Boot Camp

I started with this question as I opened “Must See Video,” a panel I moderated at the 2012 Morning Show Boot Camp: “Why are we talking video at a radio conference?” And of course the truth is that video is the radio star.  For Boot Camp attendees who grew up with the mantra, “theatre of the mind,” we had a great crowd on hand to learn all about how video can be applied to radio shows. After a review of Techsurvey8 – especially the big finding that nearly six...

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The 1%

March 26, 2012
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The 1%

There’s been a lot of talk about our divided nation.  In an effort to showcase a very different 1%, New York Times writers Peter Funt and Martin Venezky put together a clever infographic that appears below. It’s fun, fascinating at times, and a clever way to talk about true minorities in this country – from dancers to gang members.  But if you read all the way down to the bottom, you’ll see I put a red box around something that is very significant about this infographic: One percent of...

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Pandora Postscript

January 25, 2012
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Pandora Postscript

On Monday, we addressed the way the radio broadcast industry often reacts to the competitive threat posed by Pandora.  Today, we’ll take a deeper dive into some alternative ways to think about Pandora and its impact on both traditional radio programming and sales.  But first, the question that many in radio are (for some reason) asking: Is Pandora radio? Well, you can parse any definition you like, but to get an expert opinion, ask the experts.  In this case, consumers, and let’s think about television. Viewers – especially those under 40 – don’t...

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Best Of jacoBLOG – No Sale 2

December 30, 2011
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Best Of jacoBLOG – No Sale 2

As we have done the past couple years, our final posts to wrap-up 2011 are our version of a “Best of.”  But this year, we’re not making these calls based on OUR opinion of what resonated with you – instead, we’ve turned to the metrics.  The blogs that wrap-up the year generated the most traffic and comments. Pandora has been a big story throughout 2011, and I’m proud that our company has been in a leadership role when it comes to providing research and perspective on the challenges –...

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Take Your CUE

December 16, 2011
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Dieter Zetsche_Chairman of Daimler AG

We’ve talked a great deal this year about the changing “desktops” increasingly offered by the automakers – systems with icons that offer a myriad of 4-wheel entertainment.  To learn more about what’s new, we’re slated to be back at CES next month, and once again, the autos will be there in force. In past years, Ford’s Alan Mulally has keynoted.  Already set for the 2012 show is Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG, the people who make Mercedes Benz vehicles.  It’s shaping up to be another momentous year as the auto...

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No Sale 2

August 2, 2011
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No Sale 2

In yesterday’s post, we talked about the growing pains that Pandora is enduring as they successfully build audience and platforms, while lagging behind in selling mobile advertising. While they may be growing listeners, they’re now measured by Wall Street, and those of us in radio know all about those pressures. Generating streaming income is challenging, period, even with the aura of newness and coolness Pandora exudes.  Many in broadcast radio feel that pain, too.  Most radio companies have also been hard-pressed to crank streaming revenue, often just selling dirt...

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