HELP BRING BACK SMOOTH JAZZ WJJZ BACK

[Seattleradiodude]

Smooth jazz cant be free?

It Can Be...

Philadelphia, PA
106.1-2 WISX-HD2 FM
Smooth Jazz
(according to hdradio.com)

Buy a HD Radio!

 

[Interstate 78]

i was told WISX HD2 was no longer smooth jazz. they flipped it to tropical when WJJZ 97.5 signed on 2 years ago. No?

 

[orange434]

Smooth jazz cant be free?

It Can Be...

Philadelphia, PA
106.1-2 WISX-HD2 FM
Smooth Jazz
(according to hdradio.com)

Buy a HD Radio!

that is inaccurate as the 106.1 HD2 began airing a simulcast of Rumba 1480 am a few months back. plus, i think it's insulting where people tell fans of a format that just got blown up to listen to it on an hd2 channel. these hd2 channels feature completely automated program, you're lucky if you hear a couple liners every hour, and the music usually is as bad a selection as found on regular radio stations. anyone could do a better job with his or her ipod.

 

[Seattleradiodude]

i was told WISX HD2 was no longer smooth jazz. they flipped it to tropical when WJJZ 97.5 signed on 2 years ago. No?

that is inaccurate as the 106.1 HD2 began airing a simulcast of Rumba 1480 am a few months back.

Well there ya go!
The internet isn’t always accurate! lol
Sorry bout that....

Have a nice day!

 

[Rockin Rob]

I think I hear violins playing in the background or is that the elevator where you can find smooth jazz now in Philadelphia.

Smooth jazz is not elevator music. I have never heard it on an elevator. Wtf is wrong with you people. Whats up with the rude comments? Anyways like i said, If you just give up and "deal with it" then nothing will ever change.

1) It seems you are the only one posting over the demise of Smooth Jazz. I hated Coastal down in South Jersey for dumping DOX. I know it ain't coming back, I know there's no sense in protesting change. It's gonna happen, so yeah, you just need to deal with it.

2) It's been said here before, in fact in a recent post in this thread:

Considering what Greater Media paid for an overpriced stick originally licensed in Trenton (that Nassaw moved city of license to Burlington-Phila. to increase it's value) and what it cost to move the stick to Wyndmoor PA, and engineer an FM footprint so it is directional. The GM can and should do whatever needs to be done with the format to make it profitable. I don't agree with changing to the new format, I don't like it but business is business bottom line is what counts. The listeners have no input sad to say.

Sad to say, but as a business owner, you want the maximum return on an investment. Obviously,they did not get that with Smooth Jazz. Trust me, I am NOT knocking the format. But, the writing has been on the wall for at least three years now. Radio is a business... rinse, lather, repeat as needed.

3) At one time, Smooth Jazz WAS referred to as "the next generation of B/EZ" or "Beautiful Music for Baby Boomers". This came out of the success of Kenny G's first two releases in 1987 and 1989. B/EZ's shelf life was about 20 years, give or take. Again, not ripping the format, but just goes to show that radio is cyclical. Just that, with each cycle, a new format is added to the "bring out your dead" pile (see also: Classical and B/EZ).

4) JJZ was also hampered by a watered-down signal. You cannot hear JJZ in the places where you can get 106.1. Which is why the speculation is a short window for Now to produce ratings and revenue against B101 or this new format will tank as well.

 

[DToTheJ]

"JJZ is done stop crying i miss it too but life moves on"

So if somebody takes my most favorite station away, just dont say anything?......... Right............
Change comes from people speaking out.

And in November, America will speak out and get Obama elected.

(Now this thread will really be thrown for a loop, kids!)

 

[Rockin Rob]

And in November, America will speak out and get Obama elected.

(Now this thread will really be thrown for a loop, kids!)

*we pause for this commercial message*

PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuke!

"I'm John McCain, and I approved this message".

*we now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress*

 

[kms575]

"JJZ is done stop crying i miss it too but life moves on"

So if somebody takes my most favorite station away, just dont say anything?......... Right............
Change comes from people speaking out.

And in November, America will speak out and get Obama elected.

(Now this thread will really be thrown for a loop, kids!)

I was gonna do it, but was afraid to, but you went there!! ;D

 

[radiophiler]

Getting back to the topic of smooth jazz on Philly radio ...

I went to Radio One's Web site. It's only operating one station (in Atlanta) in the Smooth Jazz format. Unfortnately for the person who started this thread, that probably says something about how likely Radio One would be to flip one of its existing Philly stations to SJ.

I'm not a fan of Smooth Jazz, but I think it's sad to see just another cookie cutter Soft Rock station replace a format that was, at least, unique in the Philly market.

Now we have three soft rock stations, two playing classic rock, two playing adult urban, two Top 40, and two urban stations. That's what you get from corporate radio.

Another option for people in Philly looking for smooth jazz: Internet radio for smooth jazz.

 

[oaktree]

Look, kids ... I said it once, I'll say it again, just like the memo I sent regarding "oldies" on 95/PEN 30 years ago ...

"WPEN WJJZ had its fans. Just not enough of them." Yeah, that's it. That's exactly what I said. Please deal with it.

Sincerely,

Julian Breen, deceased,
Programming VP
Greater Media
Heaven

PS - Those new-fangled nasty-to-Smooth Jazz "PPMs" came out for Philly again today. A 1.8 share / 488,000 cume.

Gosh, don't you just hate when that happens?

 

[orange434]

the problem with 97.5 wjjz was that it was doomed from the start. greater media should have realized that if they wanted a format that would give them instant returns on their investment, smooth jazz wasn't it. wjjz at 97.5 had a good thing going within their first year, a good playlist of smooth jazz, a 2:1 instrumental to vocal ratio, and they actually had a live person on in the morning, cherish the thought. if they would have stuck with the original formula and shown patience, i think the audience would have continued to build. but last fall greater media panicked and brought in the geniuses from broadcast architecture to consult the station to try to boost the ratings, and that was the end. in came the old school r&b vocals, an even ratio of vocals and instrumentals, cutting the station's playlist in half, and eliminating the morning guy for the canned 70-year old jazz musician from chicago of which jjz didn't even play any of his music, LOL. JJZ became totally unlistenable, as a result the ratings were awful and obviously it had to be flipped. but it was greater media's poor decision making that set the wheels in motion IMO.

 

[juse33]

Well i didnt notice anything so bad about wjjz's play list. They always played my favorite songs. Everynight i used to turn to smooth jazz and chill to the music while i went to sleep.

 

[imhomerjay]

Perhaps you didn't notice anything so bad about it. For that matter, there were probably a good number of people who didn't find anything wrong with it--and for what I listened to the station for, neither did I. That, however is not the point. The point is there weren't enough people who did find something they liked in the playlist--or the station as a whole, whatever the case may be--to make it financially viable. And unless you want to pony up the $$ to buy a station and program it to your heart's content--profitability and shareholders' expectations be damned--then perhaps you would care to explain why someone would want to put the format back on the air after its revival failed.

The run on 106 was really quite good--13 years is a nice tenure for many stations now, and it had its time atop the ratings. But things change, tastes change, options and technologies change. It just didn't work a second time around.

 

[softmachine]

I think I hear violins playing in the background or is that the elevator where you can find smooth jazz now in Philadelphia.

Smooth jazz is not elevator music. I have never heard it on an elevator. Wtf is wrong with you people. Whats up with the rude comments? Anyways like i said, If you just give up and "deal with it" then nothing will ever change.

Do you think this is an appropriate 'issue' to fix on to change?

I don't care. Many readers of this board don't care. Go to other means of listening and stop wasting your time.

It's dentist office music.

 

[juse33]

If you dont care then dont comment. Dont you put me down for liking my music and insult me by calling it dentist music or elevator music like it something bad. If you dont like then you have no reason to comment then. I was lookin for supporters not negative stupid comments that do nothing to help this thread. I know some of the readers here like smooth jazz. What do yall think (the people who like smooth jazz)?

 

[qtpieislit]

Well i didnt notice anything so bad about wjjz's play list. They always played my favorite songs. Everynight i used to turn to smooth jazz and chill to the music while i went to sleep.

The sounds for a snooze. If ya snooze ya loose. Smooth Jazz, Smooth Snooze.

 

[pbf1]

juze...

It's not going to happen. All the radio-info.com posts in the world won't change that.

Even in other markets where the ratings have BEEN better, the revenue hasn't been there.

Your passion is admirable, albeit self-blinding.

 

[orange434]

Well i didnt notice anything so bad about wjjz's play list. They always played my favorite songs. Everynight i used to turn to smooth jazz and chill to the music while i went to sleep.

well then you were one of the few people who felt that way unfortunately. for many fans of smooth jazz, there wasn't much to like about JJZ in its final year on the air, and that's the problem. the watered down 200 broadcast architecture smooth jazz songs they played chased away their primary smooth jazz listeners, and the mix of r&b and soft acish vocals that made up the other half of their playlist didn't attract listeners away from other stations. that's not a good formula for success.

i still would like to see how a non-broadcast architecture consulted smooth jazz station in philadelphia would do, if given 2 or 3 years to build an audience. unfortunately no radio company would likely have the patience, and broadcast architecture has such a monopoly they probably wouldn't let it happen anyway.

 

[Rockin Rob]

Bottom line is you can't sell #17 in this market unless you do it right or make your programming unique enough. That was with no competition. Conversly, this is why the flip won't work, either. Your main competition has 4x the cume. That's a lot of ground to make up.

Obviously, they couldn't generate enough listenership or revenue to keep Smooth Jazz on 97.5. The next problem is going to be the same ol same ol on 97.5 Now. This time, they're David trying to slay Goliath.

 

[Soon Yi CIV.V]

Well i didnt notice anything so bad about wjjz's play list. They always played my favorite songs. Everynight i used to turn to smooth jazz and chill to the music while i went to sleep.

well then you were one of the few people who felt that way unfortunately. for many fans of smooth jazz, there wasn't much to like about JJZ in its final year on the air, and that's the problem. the watered down 200 broadcast architecture smooth jazz songs they played chased away their primary smooth jazz listeners, and the mix of r&b and soft acish vocals that made up the other half of their playlist didn't attract listeners away from other stations. that's not a good formula for success.

i still would like to see how a non-broadcast architecture consulted smooth jazz station in philadelphia would do, if given 2 or 3 years to build an audience. unfortunately no radio company would likely have the patience, and broadcast architecture has such a monopoly they probably wouldn't let it happen anyway.

Broadcast Architecture really amazes me. People keep turning to them even though they apparently bastardize and ruin the format. How many BA-consulted stations have gone down the crapper now? I mean, seriously. What's the count? How many have seen ratings go up vs. down? Why do stations continue to turn to them? The format itself needed help, no doubt about it. But BA obviously ain't the way to go. What is it that they advocate, like 1 vocal to 1 instrumental? That's nuts. 2 vocals per hour might be cool. And why would anyone elect to use BA in a city like Philly, where jazz is in the lifeblood? IMO, a Philly-wise PD could have done wonders with the station and made it the gold standard to which other Smooth AC's all over the nation could have aspired. A passive listening format like this--one that seriously (if sadly) doesn't require a live airstaff--should be one of the easiest things to get away with, especially in a city like Philadelphia. It truly is sad that it no one has the brains to make it work here. (Yes, obviously I've been drinking wine tonight too. LOL.)