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Washington D.C. was the temporary home to more than 400 public radio broadcasters last week for the annual PRPD Content Conference. The main topic discussed was the intriguing line being blurred by public/commercial radio broadcasting vs the podcasting world, or rather, the bridging of the two worlds. Examples of this were evident in the revealing moments showcased in the panel, “Podcast to Radio, Or Vice Versa? Exploring Potentials and Realities” moderated by Nathan Tobey. Specifically, when Molly Wood and Kai Ryssdal, a savvy veteran anchor, teamed up to do the “Make Me Smart” podcast, they found their styles and delivery set the stage for the flow of the podcast.
Podcasts and radio shows differ in the fact that a great podcast will move their listeners to search for it, download it and listen to it. While there is vast audience for radio, podcasts create a more interpersonal community that supports the podcasts they subscribe to and continue to come back to them. As audiences crave a more personal connection to the radio stations they listen to, the stations must adapt their delivery styles to convey a more personal relationship with their listeners. And of course, the majority of people consume their favorite podcasts on their mobile devices, so one way to cut through is to feature your podcasts on your app, or even create an app specifically for your podcast(s).
The Podcast Movement conference in Anaheim, CA wrapped up yesterday and we will provide highlights of the event next week.

Podcast Movement 2017: Broadcasters Meet Podcasters

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.

Every year, our sister company, Jacobs Media, presents Techsurvey, the radio broadcasting industry’s largest online survey. Now, in its thirteenth year and with over 50,000 respondents, it identifies key consumer trends in the mobile, social, and connected car spaces. Techsurvey has helped radio stations better understand their brand and, more importantly, their audiences in a world where technology changes quickly. Podcasting has been central to Techsurvey the past several years. We asked respondents about their preferred podcast listening device. The responses say a lot about which piece of technology is (literally) closest to their hearts:

• 51% of respondents prefer to listen to podcasts on their smartphone.
• 30% reported that they listen to podcasts on their desktop/laptop.
• 11% enjoy listening on their tablet.
• 6% prefer listing on their in-car audio system.
• 3% prefer to listen on their in-home audio system.

The number of active podcasts and their audiences continues to grow. Effectively reaching these listeners allows radio stations to grow their audience and spread the word about their station.
We will be attending the Podcast Movement in Anaheim, CA from August 23-25 and provide highlights of the event next week.  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

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.
 

Over the weekend, an illness took the life of someone who means a lot to our company. Tim Davis, jācapps’ and Jacobs Media’s “digital guy” for numerous years, passed away at the age of 49. Even though he parted ways with us 2+ years ago, the impact he left on both companies will last forever.

Bob Kernen, our COO, had this to say about Tim:

“I only met Tim Davis twice, but he is a big part of the reason I work for jācapps today. As you see if you read Fred Jacobs’ blog post about him today, jācapps was Tim’s idea. He was one of those guys who when people asked ‘Why?’ Tim’s response was usually, ‘Why not?’ I’ve always had a special place in my heart for those ‘Why not’ guys. So, all of us at jācapps want to thank Tim for saying to Paul and Fred, ‘Why not?’ I think what we’ve done since then have proven him right, and I think he’d like that.”

In his blog today, Fred Jacobs sums up how integral Tim was to both Jacobs Media and jācapps.

In his honor, his wife Kathy will be forming an education trust for their two children, Xander and Alyssa, and we’ll get that information to you as soon as it becomes available.

There are many great people to thank for the creation of jācapps and one of those people is definitely Tim Davis.

Thank you Tim, you will be missed.

By: Vince Kattoula

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Digital Marketing Boot Camp hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The event took place at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in the A. Alfred F. Taubman Center for Design Education. It was a crowded room filled with much energy and inspiration. Here are some key takeaways.
Sola Obayan, Founder and former President of the Social Media Association of Michigan, had this to say about running a successful marketing campaign: “Start with WHY, then HOW, then WHAT.” Currently, she leads 360+ strategic marketing programs as the Principal Consultant at BTO Solutions. Throughout her presentation, she stressed that one thing to focus on in 2017 is your brand’s website, as well as optimizing messaging. Before she left the stage, Sola challenged each one of us to find out our purpose, cause, or belief that inspires us to do what we do. Do you know your WHY?
Sarah Grajewski, Director of Search at MLive Media Group, says “If a business doesn’t show up on the first page of Google, they don’t exist.” Search advertising is the low-hanging fruit of digital marketing. We all know how important it is for our brand to show up in organic search results. Michael Taylor II, Partner and Creative Director at SS Digital Media, reiterated this point at DMBC 17. Improving your website’s search engine ranking help customers find you. In fact, it drives more traffic to sites than paid searches, social media outreach, email marketing, and referrals combined.
What stood out to me the most was Marcus Burrell and Eric Thomas’ presentation about taking a human approach to social media. Both Marcus and Eric are Senior Partners at Saga MKTG and their goal is to help organizations tell their story to bridge gaps and inspire people to action. They mentioned that instead of talking to their audience only when they need to, brands should be talking to their audience on a regular basis – just as you would with your friends and family. Thomas went on to say, “People don’t care about your brand. They care about humans. Humanize your brand and people will care about it.”
I left CCS feeling engaged and inspired. It’s safe to say that I’m looking forward to the next digital marketing event hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber.
Special thanks to Brenda Meller from Walsh College for the invite!

A busy day in Detroit last week dedicated to technology, entertainment, and design inspired our team at jacapps. Here are some of our favorite parts:

Vince: What I enjoyed most about TEDxDetroit was getting to play along with Rick Robinson, aka Mr. CutTime, and his orchestra with my very own instrument. What was the instrument I played? A banana. That’s right, a banana. Well, this wasn’t just any banana. This was a musical shaker banana, and I must say that I totally killed it.

Alex: My favorite part of TEDxDetroit was a powerful performance by Kisma Jordan.  Her amazing voice along with her talented band brought down the house. It seemed that everyone in the audience was stunned by her talent. Can’t wait to see her perform again.

Beth: My favorite part of TEDx, by far, was listening to Aaron Draplin speak about how he got to where he is now, both personally and professionally. He was passionate, comical, and emotionally engaging with the audience, leaving the room feeling empowered by his message. Definitely an event I’ll attend again next year!

Melissa: It’s practically impossible for me to narrow TEDxDetroit down to “my favorite part.” There were so many gifted speakers and performers with so many amazing messages! Kisma Jordan and Zaria Ware both reached my heart with their powerful performances, and Aaron Draplin, of Draplin Design Co., was a hoot (and very well spoken)! While all of these, and many more, caught and kept my attention, I think the chance to be present and witness so many lessons and personal stories from such a variety of cultures is the thing that will stick with me for the longest. The only thing I would’ve liked better is if there were more “techy” talks!

Who you gonna call?!?

I think it’s safe to say that we all can’t wait for next year’s TEDx event in Detroit. Definitely looking forward to it!

One of the oldest streaming radio service providers has informed its current broadcasters that it is shutting down at the end of the month.  Whether it was for hobby or for business, Live365 was home to just about anyone who wanted to start their own internet radio station. Changing royalty rules, especially the expiration of the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009, and the loss of long-time investors were the reasons for the shutdown.

A quote currently circulating from the email reads: “We are sad that we are closing our doors at the end of this month.  There are always possibilities that we can come back in one form or another, but at this point in time, January 31, 2016 is the last day that Live365’s streaming servers and website will be maintained and supported.”

With the shutdown of Live365 comes the realization for a wide range of online programming, which Live365 supported, that they will have to find a new place to call home or be dealt the same fate as Live365.  The new royalty rates seem so out of reach that many of these small broadcasters may have to call it quits altogether.  However, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

jācapps is working with StreamGuys, to help former Live365 clients reach their audience.  StreamGuys has the experience, tools, and resources to successfully deliver streaming media for large and small businesses and jācapps can provide the mobile app crucial for reaching the audience where they live — on their smartphones.

To learn more about our mobile solutions, make sure to visit our Products page.

While we are hard at work making the best mobile apps out there – we do like to take time to appreciate our furball friends.

1. That time Santa Paws came to visit

2. Charlie becoming our spokesdog (he loves car rides)

3. Sheena trying to take over official spokesdog duties (without, you know… dog doo)

4. The smallest/youngest dog visitor we've had, Chloe easily won us over

5. Yoshi and Scooby coming to the Halloween party (half credit for Batman)