How Long Can Jones Smooth Jazz Last?

[Interstate 78]

reading the topic below regarding jones smooth jazz, i most certainly agree. they are amazingly superior to any BA programmed smooth jazz station. i don't know if i'd agree with the one post that they are better than xm's watercolors in that watercolors would never be caught dead playing Kool and the Gang and Phil Collins (which unfortunately jones still does), however they really are darn good. So my question is, how long can jones smooth jazz last? i'm honestly concerned jones may just someday soon jump ship on the format. how many affiliates are even left? maybe 15 or 20, down double from a decade ago when there were upwards of 50. and with the BA network now out there and marketing their product so heavily, will jones someday just dump their smooth jazz network? that would be very sad indeed. your thoughts?

 

[cklw800]

Jones is pretty good but I think the people who are passionately saying so are just people in radio. And when people in radio praise a niche format---something's terribly wrong. With competition from BA they just might be as we speak rounding up a Gerald Albright, Paul Brown, Jeff Lorber or others for their network. I can guarantee you it won't be the same as now in the near future. Smooth Jazz may actually turn out to be a syndicated only format in the very near future if the stations with live and local jocks tank in the ratings. The only way to tell is to be able to see the ratings performance of the local jocks. If they tank, they will be---and can easily be replaced. So borderline jocks in this format, consider yourself on notice. Turn a buck or it's over. It will be a Jones or BA talent. It won't be you. Waaay to easy to flip a switch the day after you're gone. No want ads, no T&Rs to review, no $$ negotiations. It will be particularly interesting to watch local mid-day hosts who are sandwiched between Ramsey and Koz. They'll either benefit from being between them but if Koz or Ramsey tank, they can save bucks getting rid of the local mid-day host and pipe in Miranda. So for local jocks in Smooth Jazz it's a no-win situation unless the station is extremely successful and making money.

 

[AnotherCat]

BA is extremely slick and adept at the hard sell, they are all well trained professional sales people, they know how to manipulate potential clients into closing the deal. They are also very good at re-imaging their competitors as "jazz fanatics" who "aren't aware of the realities of the business of radio." Reading between the lines in the article in RnR when the format was announced it was pretty obvious that they were going to try to convert the Jones client stations.

I remember 2 years ago when the ownership and management of the Jacksonville station would rant against BA at the drop of a hat, now they can't drink that kool-aid fast enough, that is the true sign of a hard-sell in action. Although it's doubtful that the average listener will notice anything different..a few more pop songs but Jones was playing pop songs too.

Does anyone other than the most intense P1 listener care that the person talking between the songs has made some albums? We are talking about a format that doesn't even play enough music by these artists to build a strong identity for them. Is having them read a liner card 4 times an hour going to really make more people listen? If you are trying to build listenership as opposed to just keeping a large group of P1s who are familiar with every artist in the genre, how much of a draw is having musicians who are fairly obscure to the general public talking between the songs. People listen for the songs, not the talk between them, and some of these guys are really weak. I love Norman Brown as a musician, especially live, but he is as good as an air personality as I am as a guitarist.

If I were Jones what I would do is come up with a fresher, younger skewing version of the format that was based on song rather than mood and eschewed most of the current cliches, especially the Beautiful Music holdovers (MOR type delivery, mood over melody, background music orientation, ) and up the entertainment and fun factor. By trying to be "sophisticated" SJ radio has become quite stodgy. Don't know if Jones is up for that task though as most of their programming staff are nearing 60 and have B-EZ/MOR background. But the field is ripe for an alternative and the music is there! (and no, I'm not talking music junkie freeform..I'm talkin melody, hook and play the hits instead of these songs that sound like an intro that goes on for 4 minutes and never turns into a song!)