While
our core jobs are essentially the same, the changes in
the industry have motivated us to constantly innovate. I’m
as driven as ever. The internal mantra of the company is
to re-invent as much as we can every year. This includes
content delivery via our Web site and other
technologies, the crafting of promotions that fit the
needs and budgets of stations in this tough environment,
and simply staying on top of the shifting dynamics of
our industry. As the people on my staff will tell you,
we push hard to keep it all moving.
Paul: It’s no secret that consolidation has put
tremendous pressure on the companies that provide
services to radio stations. With budgets tightened, only
"suppliers" (we hate that word) that are at
the top of their category have done well. As a result,
we’ve focused on excellence and service more than ever
– and it’s paid off. We’ve thrived under the
pressure.
Despite the harsh economy, your client base keeps
growing. What is it that you feel Jacobs Media does
best?
Fred: Our goal is to redefine the boundaries of
programming consulting. Eleven years ago, I brought Paul
in, and we became the first firm of our kind to provide
services so clients can generate revenue from the
ratings we helped deliver. So, when Alternative
exploded, we had someone who was able to monetize the
format, which probably saved some of those stations from
going out of business. And in the past couple of years
as the economy turned sour, Paul has been as valuable as
any of our programming guys, because the focus of our
clients turned to revenue and we were in a position to
help. He has really made a difference at stations all
over the country, especially as sales staffs have turned
over.
The same is true in many other areas. Not that long
ago, there was little emphasis placed on smaller markets
by major broadcasting companies. But we felt that Bill
[Jacobs] had the knowledge and skills to consult
clients in smaller and medium markets. We hosted a
"Small Market Summit" to allow these stations
to come together to discuss and solve many of the issues
they were facing. When major broadcasters began to see
the value of these radio stations, once again, we were
in the right position.
When Alternative was accelerating, I knew that as the
Classic Rock guy, I’d need someone with credibility
and skills to carry the ball. Tom Calderone was
the perfect choice. When he left for MTV, we had Dave
Beasing on staff, who has done a tremendous job
taking the format into "middle age." And Dave’s
professionalism and exposure to other formats made him
incredibly valuable as Alternative stations became more
common in larger broadcasting company portfolios.
Paul: One of our biggest moves was hiring Tim
Davis to be our Internet Strategist. While many
consultants shied away from the Internet for fear of its
lack of profitability, we saw its potential on many
fronts. From our company’s perspective, our Web site
has enabled us to re-define how we deliver information
to our clients. Additionally, we have created and
implemented several Web Polls in cooperation with our
clients. This was especially important in the days
following 9/11 when programmers everywhere struggled
with a myriad of operational issues.
We’ve also been at the leading edge of database
marketing, and have developed ways to integrate station
Web sites into on-air programming. We understand that
stations won’t make much money from their Web sites,
but we’ve been able to take the strengths of the
Internet and help turn them into assets for our clients.
The Internet is a wonderful brand extension for radio,
whether it’s communicating with listeners, identifying
core P1s, or simply facilitating contesting activity.
Fred: We’ve also redefined how we do market
visits. We’ve taken an entirely different approach
that we feel is so much more effective. We’re using
the technology much better, designing great
presentations for airstaffs and sales staffs alike, and
getting a lot more done. So, if we do this interview
again in three years and I don’t have entirely new
answers for you to this question, we haven’t done our
job.
