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BA Launches New "Chillout" Format

How they got the power: right time, right place, right allies,and right formula to present to new corporate owners post-telcom because they took over when consolidation began and they had the original Smooth Jazz Network. Got a weak link in the cluster, a station with signal problems or a station that might be pulling listeners off one of your stronger properties? Put in our "turnkey, quick install, low maintenence" format. Got a station where some "music junkie jazzer who doesn't know the realities of commercial broadcasting" is playing instrumental music without buffering it with a good dose of Mariah Carey? We can fix that - get rid of 'em and bring us in! The original network picked up a good group of affiliates (including one in my market) then evolved into a live format with BA in control.

It was a perfect fit for the Wall Street oriented owners who wanted anything that went on the air to be statistically validated and did not want anything innovative or "unfamiliar" on the signals they owned. BA wasowned by Pyramid, then AM/FM, then Clear Channel (when it ate up AM/FM) so they had corporate credentials and as CC picked up more stations BA picked up more clients. CC's corporate culture was to operate the way BA Did..home office control of on air content..so there ya have it. They got big, pushed, shoved and arm twisted all the other players off the field created such an insular culture they believed the could do no wrong. What goes up must come down..so here we are..the people who were labeled "unprofessional" for caring about music and the people who listen to it digging out of the ashes and ready to rise!
 
Jazz_Kat said:
Looks like this is the home site for Chillout Radio ...

http://chilloutradionetwork.com/

Carbon copy of the smooth jazz network site, ain't it. ;D ::)
Click to expand...

Hmmm. The on-airs on the Chillout Network as the same as those on BA's Smooth Jazz Network. Take a look:

http://www.smoothjazznetwork.com/

So does that mean that the whole crew is doing double duty? Or will the Chillout programming be re-purposed through the Smooth Jazz Network?

Whatever the situation, it's a fetid mess.
 
These people are voicetracking scripted talk breaks and there aren't many of them. A lot of them are voiceover pros too so they can zap out both shifts in less than an hour I'm sure, probably less than a half hour. I Imagine stations will segue to the Chillout format and SJ format will be gradually phased out. Big question here is can an A/C that is Lite-er than Lite pull the demographics they say they want to pull?
 
What do you expect from a network that makes Kenny G a radio star? Anybody for putting Pat Metheny there? Love to see this debate every now and again!
 
I was checking the smooth jazz stations sites and notice that KOCD's website in Oklahoma City has dropped the Smooth Jazz off their branding/logo and replaced it with BA's slogan "Music that feels good". It appears this will be the first station to be running the Chillout Radio Format from what I have been listening to via their stream.

http://www.smoothjazzoklahoma.com/
 
Here's a simple economical solution ------ Just plug whatever Cheesecake Factory is using for tunes into a transmitter. Very nice mix of music. Heard the new Steve Oliver to some classic tunes and some very cool vocals. Even Jack White sitting next to us was digging it.

Nock

Don't forget to cast your vote for Alan Kepler jazz broadcaster of the year :)
 
It'd be interesting to compare the "two" networks. Maybe someone here wants to monitor KOCD in Oklahoma, the alleged first CRN affiliate, during the same day/time someone else is monitoring a Smooth Jazz Network affiliate. The comparison would be fascinating.

I'm betting there's no difference whatsoever, except perhaps for the recorded liners which ID the individual station. Oh, and the spots, if there are any.
 
I listened to KOCD the other day for about three hours and the only instrumental I heard in a regular (more in a moment) position was Rise by Herb Alpert. It's just the normal vocal selections they were playing before with a few more added in to expand their variety. So, they (along with KTWV) are trying to fashion a different direction for AC that's a bit more eclectic (for a standard AC) and a bit more hip (than a standard AC). In theory, it should work but I would like to test it on someone who does not have my background and expectations. On KOCD, you got to hear snippets of instrumentals because the network uses them as fill songs for the spot breaks and if the station does not fill the breaks you'll hear a small part of something laid in to cover holes and KOCD had a ton of those play. So, it almost sounded like a real SJ station but with tiny instrumental sections here and there. It was also interesting that some of the fill music would be something really neat that they normally wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Go figure. Not good enough to play full time but good enough to fill three minutes. Also Dave Koz was the jock and he was just doing the absolute minimum. They really would have been better off with just liners and he really sounded out of place. I think this "Bright" idea is simply a work in progress and the start of their journey. Like most BA projects, why do I think this idea was hatched about 3-4 weeks ago and they are sorting it out as they move forward. They have a looooooooooooooong way to go.
 
They have been in the same sandbox for so many years they don't know how to play in a new sandbox. no matter how hard they try or how long they delay the inevitable,the dye has been cast
and the fate of this format is a given at this point
 
I just don't see this format as being more hip than a stadard A/C or very eclectic. It's mostly older songs that have been overplayed in other formats and on SJ stations..kind of an EZ version of "Jack". Standard A/C right now is where Hot A/C was 10 years ago so to me this fits into the gap for a mellower gold driven A/C for people who don't want to hear the CHR crossovers and Hot A/C leaning stuff that mainstream A/C plays now but aren't ready for a station like The Dove in Tampa/St.Pete with the Diamond-Streisand-Bread-Air Supply mix.
 
I thought I would add this here, instead of starting a new thread.

To read entire article: http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/a...adds-tom-sleeker-to-affiliate-rela?ref=search

UNITED STATIONS RADIO NETWORKS has added TOM SLEEKER to its staff as Affiliate Relations Manager. SLEEKER’s appointment is effective immediately and his focus is the expansion of BROADCAST ARCHITECTURE's SMOOTH AC NETWORKS. The announcement came from USRN’s VP/Affiliate Relations DAN BRASSEM at the company’s NEW YORK headquarters.
Click to expand...

Expansion? (Bright Network) How about first getting one station to carry this junk?
 
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