[Bunnyears]

Funny, I just got back from Austin and the Bob radio was one of the little annoyances I encountered. It really was boring programing!

 

[Publius]

Well, Austin also has KLBJ, KOOP, KVRX, and KMFA just off the top of my head. Lots of really really good (and eclectic!) competition.

 

[viator122]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears Jack radio is just another way that corporate America is going to dumb-down culture. Comparing jack radio to thoughtful prepared programming is like comparing Gerber's strained peaches to biting into a ripe, mature fruit.

Bunnyears, you would be right, except you make the assumption that radio hosted by a DJ gives you thoughtfully prepared programs or sets of music. You've been talking mainly about classical music. Now I don't know much about classical (as you know), so for all I know, classical radio may indeed be carefully selected programs. However, for many other stations (Q104.3, for example, which is the one I listen to mainly) the programming really doesn't seem well-prepared. They have a pretty shallow pool of songs that they play and they get very repetitive. In fact, when they do play something a bit more unusual, they're sure to say something like, "From the back wall of the country's largest collection of classic rock, here's Moby Dick!" I agree with you that the idea of JACK radio is not appealing because it sounds like a jarring, disjointed mess, but the influence of the DJ is much smaller now than it was years ago, IMO (with the exception of morning talk shows and such, of course).

 

[RickG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevesurf My best guess is that they'll wind up, like Howard said, on Satellite radio!

Renowned DJ heading to satellite radio

I've got Sirius, so I'll be tuning in...

 

[zoboomofo]

for Welly Wu:
If you want to see how Jack has fared in its 2 years over here, it stomped on all other stations when it debuted. The demographic is huge, but generally it's for 30+ listeners. This is a shame because it draws financial interest away from the now, more niche stations in town.

 

[Aman]

I listened to Q104.3 more anyway - I liked their DJs better and their music sellection better. I also loved how they would do the nightly 20-minute track - that was a special thing to have.

I will not be one defending these guys at WCBS - I think that their choice was simply money-based ... more of a "they had to do it" sort of thing, than a "new innovation" like some have put it. I don't like the new format one bit. When I was in the city on Saturday, a buddy who is a cab driver turned on WCBS with grave dissapointment.

 

[Bunnyears]

Rick,
Well, at least I'll know where to find Cousin Brucie! Way back in the stone ages, 104.3 fm was WNCN FM, and it broadcast an all classical format. It was taken over by a group of investors headed by William Buckley (of all people) and they immediately converted it into a top 40 station. Public outcry was loud, especially about the loss of the tremedous library of classical music that the station had amassed which was sold as an asset in order to recoup the cost of the takeover. After a year they reconverted to classical again (and had to rebuild a library of recordings) which lasted for about nine or ten years but the djs who had made the programming so interesting had gone elsewhere and some very rare recordings were gone, so a lot of good programming was lost.

Today it's WAXQ (Q104) and the only classical on it is classic rock. There are no more oldies stations in New York or Miami anymore. Is it because programming was uninspired? I doubt that, it costs more to operate a station with humans doing work than computers and the bottom line is what drives the market.

Viator,
I doubt the size of the pool of music is going to change very much because the format changes. The only thing that's going to change is who makes up the program and I don't see how a computer is going to make something that is repetitious more interesting. If you really like a song, you won't be able to call in a request or look for a playlist to find out what you were listening to (playlists are "unavailable" on jack or bob radio). At least with a dj you had a human voice to break it up, make a few remarks and link the music with the audience. Now, if there's a human voice it will probably only be for station identification, commercials or news, weather and traffic (if they broadcast that).

Publius,
Yes, Austin as one of the greatest music venues in the country has many other radio stations to compete. I found the classical station excellent there and woke up every morning and went to sleep every night to its broadcasts. In fact, one of their more interesting offerings was a recording of Imogen Vaughn-Williams conducting one of her father's works.

 

[deathBOB]

Hmmm... There is a station in Altanta called Dave FM that seems similar o how Jack is described. I really like it, it has a ton of variety and a lot of music I like. Its the first station in Atlanta that doesnt completely suck...

 

[zoboomofo]

There's also a Bob in Alberta that paved the way to Jack in BC.

 

[Mark from HFR]

I heard a report that said "Jack" and "Bob" and "Dave" are programming formats being devised by one company that is going around selling their new approach to many stations. Each name indicates a slightly different mix of songs.

 

[zoboomofo]

Yeah. That could work with these nostalgia stations. You don't have to keep up with the local music scene so why not control the programming from far away?