Month: June 2017

Techsurvey13: 9 Takeaways Regarding Mobile Technology

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date June 29, 2017

Every year, our sister company, Jacobs Media, fields their Techsurvey, the radio broadcasting industry’s largest online survey. Now, in its thirteenth year and with over 50,000 respondents, it allows them to identify key trends in the mobile, social, and connected car spaces. Techsurvey has been quoted throughout the media world by companies such as CNN, The New York Times, and eMarketer.
Techsurvey helps media companies better understand their audiences, and their brand, in a world where technology changes quickly. One of the insights this survey provides is the evolving role of mobile technology.

We’d like to share with you some of the key takeaways about how consumers use mobile technology:

87% of respondents own a smartphone. This number has increased by 25% since Techsurvey9.
97% of Millennials own a smartphone. Moreover, 92% of both GenX-ers and GenZ-ers own a smartphone.
41% said they are addicted to their mobile phone, with Millennials topping out at 63%.
27% of radio listeners said mobile apps were the main reason for listening to less radio. GenZ-ers topped the list at 57%.
Among cell phone, smartphone, or tablet owners, 44% wake up using their phone/tablet – a 4% increase since Techsurvey11.
26% of smartphone/tablet owners reported to have downloaded their home station’s mobile app. 23% are aware that their home station has a mobile app, but have not downloaded it.
Among smartphone/tablet owners who have downloaded their home station’s mobile app
- 57% use the app for streaming either frequently or occasionally.
- 45% rate the mobile app as being good and 29% rate the mobile app as being excellent.
64% of respondents connect their mobile phone/mp3 in the vehicle driven or ridden in most often.

The popularity and addictive quality of mobile devices is something every brand should tap into in their own unique way. You should be thinking about what unique content or service you can deliver to your listeners. Over the past decade, we have experienced first-hand the joy apps deliver to our clients. Having your brand appear on the screen of your audience’s most precious possession is a rush, and maybe the most important part of future-proofing your radio station.
Click here to reach out to us today to talk about your mobile strategy. You can also call us at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com.

Techsurvey Voice Commands

Techsurvey13: 6 Takeaways Regarding Voice Command Technology

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date June 22, 2017

Every year, our sister company, Jacobs Media, fields Techsurvey, the radio broadcasting industry’s largest online survey. Now, in its thirteenth year and with over 50,000 respondents, it identifies key trends in the mobile, social, and connected car spaces. Techsurvey has been quoted throughout the media world by companies such as CNN, The New York Times, and eMarketer.
Techsurvey helps companies better understand their audiences in a world where technology changes quickly and how their brand is represented in that world. One of the insights this survey provides is the emerging role of voice command technology.

Here are some of the key takeaways about how consumers use voice command technology:

88% of respondents reported to have a radio where they live – down 1% from the previous year. But only 76% of Millennials have a radio where they live.
11% of survey-takers own a smart speaker such as Amazon Echo (“Alexa”) or Google Home.
Overall, 20% said they use the voice command features on devices they own on a frequent basis. That includes connected car systems, smartphones, etc. Furthermore, about 1 out of every 4 GenX-ers use these features frequently.
25% said they use voice commands occasionally.
Among those who own smart speakers, 47% use the built-in voice command feature frequently.
38% of smartwatch owners use the built-in voice command feature on a frequent basis as well.

At jācapps, we understand the power of voice and how it has the potential to change the way people listen to radio, podcasts, etc. in their homes and their cars. That’s why we debuted SonicAi, a joint venture with Amplifi Media that develops “skills” for voice-command devices, or smart speakers, like Amazon Echo and Google Home.
Click here to reach out to us and set up a conversation about how voice command technology will impact your brand. You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email us at sales@jacapps.com.

Podcasting Radio Techsurvey

Techsurvey13: 7 Takeaways Regarding Podcast Listening

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date June 15, 2017

podcasting — white headphones on top of computer tablet.

Every year, our sister company, Jacobs Media, hosts their Techsurvey, the radio broadcasting industry’s largest online survey. Now, in its thirteenth year and with over 50,000 respondents, it allows them to identify key trends in the mobile, social, and connected car spaces. Techsurvey has been quoted throughout the media world by companies such as CNN, The New York Times, and eMarketer.
Techsurvey helps radio stations better understand their brand and, more importantly, their audiences in a world where technology changes quickly. One of the insights this survey provides is what role podcasting plays for radio stations.

We’d like to share with you some of the key takeaways about how radio listeners consume podcasts:

21% of respondents listen to podcasts on a weekly basis or more. Furthermore, weekly or more podcast listening is the highest with Millennials at 33%.
18% said they listen to 3-5 podcasts per week and 12% listen to 6 or more.
45% hang around the house when they’re listening to podcasts and 37% said they are driving when listening. Additionally, 36% of those who were surveyed listen to podcasts while at work.
51% of podcast listeners prefer to listen on their smartphone while 30% prefer their desktop/laptop.
45% of respondents prefer music as their main podcast category, followed by radio shows that aired at 39%.
38% of those surveyed use a web browser to listen to podcasts and 37% use the iTunes/Apple podcast app.
16% of radio listeners said they’re listening to less radio due to podcasts with Millennials totaling 24%.

So, what’s the best way of delivering podcasts and other on-demand content to your audience? Clearly, it’s with a mobile app. With Apple and Google getting involved in the connected car ecosystem, and more than a third of respondents driving while listening, the car is an important place for your brand to deliver its content.
If you’re currently involved with podcasting, or looking to get involved, make sure to check out the largest gathering of podcasters in the world at Podcast Movement. This year, it takes place in Anaheim, CA from August 23-25. And, if you work in/around radio and would like $100 off your Podcast Movement registration, our sister company, Jacobs Media, was nice enough to provide a discount code. Use JACOBS100 for the $100 discount when you register here.

Podcast Movement 2017: Broadcasters Meet Podcasters

As always, you can reach out to us by clicking here. Or, you can give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com.

Connected Car Radio Techsurvey

Techsurvey13: 6 Takeaways Regarding the Connected Car

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date June 8, 2017

We’d like to share with you some of the key takeaways about consumers and their connected cars:

64% of respondents can connect their mobile phone/mp3 in the car they drive or ride in most often.
In-car media system ownership rose to 22%. Last year, 20% of respondents owned an in-car media system and the year before, only 18%.
66% said they either like or love their in-car media system.
The percentage of time spent in a car with AM/FM totaled 64%. Listeners’ personal music totaled 11%, while streaming audio and podcasts came in at 4% each.
AM/FM radio remained the most important feature among those planning on buying/leasing a new vehicle in 2017. Bluetooth comes in at number two, with a 5% percent increase from last year. Not surprisingly, the need for a CD player in the car dropped 18%.
Listeners’ attitude towards autonomous cars remained steady with 22% of respondents saying they like the idea. At 32%, millennials are the most enthusiastic about autonomous cars and males seem to like the idea more than females.

The connected car is radio’s biggest challenge, but it’s also radio’s biggest opportunity. One thing is for sure – the car isn’t what it used to be. We can help you maintain your place there as this crucial ecosystem evolves.
The key to staying connected starts with us! Click here to reach out to us today. You can also give us a call at 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com to learn how your station can stay connected.

App Everywhere Mobile Apps

4 Essentials Needed to Build You a Great Mobile App

Post author By Vince Kattoula
Post date June 1, 2017

The appeal of having a mobile app for your business is obvious. Just ask any smartphone user what some of their favorite apps are and I’m sure the list will go on and on. Now ask them what their favorite mobile website is and you’ll probably hear crickets chirping. It’s no secret why having an app can help grow your business. But we thought you should know of some essentials needed before we can start.

Here are 4 things you need before we can build your brand the next great app.

Apple Developer Account

One of the first things you’ll need to secure is a developer account from Apple. This account costs $99 USD per year and there is also an enterprise version which costs $299 USD annually. Users can post questions and share their thoughts with fellow developers and Apple engineers, submit bug reports and request enhancements, as well as receive personalized help by contacting Apple directly.
To set one up, and for more information, visit developer.apple.com.

UDIDs (iPhone only)

A Unique Device Identifier, or UDID, is a sequence of 40 numbers and letters specific to each device. To find out what your UDID is, visit whatsmyudid.com (using Safari on your iPhone) then follow the prompts.
Here’s an example of what a UDID looks like: 2b6f0cc904d137be2e1730235f5664094b831186

Images and artwork

To get started, we’ll need images and artwork specific to both iOS and Android devices, along with ones that can be used for both. For iOS, we’ll need one for the App Store listing along with one for an icon image (what appears on the user’s screen next to their other apps). For Android, we ask for a store listing image as well as a feature graphic. A header image is required for both iOS and Android. Sizes and examples can be viewed in the image below.

Feed and Stream Links

Your news and social media feeds are not only essential to keeping your audience engaged. They’re necessary for us to get started as well. This includes your RSS and/or XML feed(s). If you’re unsure how to provide us with these feeds, we are more than happy to help guide you through the process to get exactly what we are looking for.
OPTIONAL: Google Developer Account
Upon registration, there is a one-time fee of $25 USD. With this account, users can access development tools, manage their store presence, track app performance from their Android device, and receive help with publishing, security, and much more. Additional information can be found here.
Note: If you choose not to set up your own Google Developer Account we will build the app in our own account.
To sign up, visit Google Play then follow the prompts.
Click here to contact us today. You can also call 248-353-9030 or email sales@jacapps.com to set up some time to talk.