D
D. R. Tucker
Guest
I have nothing against WTKK's current talk-radio format, but I'll never forget how disappointed I was when the station abandoned smooth-jazz in 1999.
I know it wasn't everyone's taste--and it certainly wasn't profitable enough for the station to stick with the format--but I couldn't get enough of 96.9's smooth-jazz programming in the early-1990s (if I remember correctly, they ran country music on the station for a time in the mid-1990s, before revering to the smooth jazz format in the two years prior to the switch to talk). As someone who despised the general musical tastes of the early-1990s (I never understood what the deal was with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Naughty by Nature, etc.), I embraced 96.9 and regarded it as the last bastion of quality music on the radio.
I can't recall ever hearing the station play anything mediocre, or even subpar--it was one great song after another. Sade, Acoustic Alchemy, Michael Franks, Bobby Caldwell--the music was relaxing, intellectually stimulating, and absolutely flawless. Not the noise of loud guitars, or the repetition of profanity. Just music.
I was disappointed when the station switched to country, and elated when the station returned to smooth jazz. The sound quality seemed to have improved from the early-'90s: Steely Dan's songs, in particular, were enhanced by whatever modifications the station made.
96.9 played a huge role in the development of my musical tastes, and when the station switched to talk, I couldn't help feeling that I'd been ripped off somehow. As much as I like listening to the station's talkers--yes, even Michael Graham--I occasionally think about what was lost, and wish the old format had been successful enough to justify keeping it on.
I know Jay Severin used to joke about the previous format being nothing but "Kenny G-Spot," but some of us liked that music--and miss the days when it would grace the airwaves.
I know it wasn't everyone's taste--and it certainly wasn't profitable enough for the station to stick with the format--but I couldn't get enough of 96.9's smooth-jazz programming in the early-1990s (if I remember correctly, they ran country music on the station for a time in the mid-1990s, before revering to the smooth jazz format in the two years prior to the switch to talk). As someone who despised the general musical tastes of the early-1990s (I never understood what the deal was with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Naughty by Nature, etc.), I embraced 96.9 and regarded it as the last bastion of quality music on the radio.
I can't recall ever hearing the station play anything mediocre, or even subpar--it was one great song after another. Sade, Acoustic Alchemy, Michael Franks, Bobby Caldwell--the music was relaxing, intellectually stimulating, and absolutely flawless. Not the noise of loud guitars, or the repetition of profanity. Just music.
I was disappointed when the station switched to country, and elated when the station returned to smooth jazz. The sound quality seemed to have improved from the early-'90s: Steely Dan's songs, in particular, were enhanced by whatever modifications the station made.
96.9 played a huge role in the development of my musical tastes, and when the station switched to talk, I couldn't help feeling that I'd been ripped off somehow. As much as I like listening to the station's talkers--yes, even Michael Graham--I occasionally think about what was lost, and wish the old format had been successful enough to justify keeping it on.
I know Jay Severin used to joke about the previous format being nothing but "Kenny G-Spot," but some of us liked that music--and miss the days when it would grace the airwaves.
