IS THIS THE DEATH OF JONES?

[Bill Harmonic]

According to published reports, Dial Global's (Jones) smooth jazz programming is now BA's smooth jazz network which will impacts DG's 17 smooth jazz affiliates. Alan Kepler stated that BA was pleased to welcome their new affiliates and to pick up the smooth jazz baton from DG. Wonder how fast they will make the switch? That will expand the BA reach to over 40 markets. Along with PPM, if this isn't the death of the format then I don't know what is. Is it getting cold where you're at?

 

[Bill Harmonic]

Another report says that everyone at Jones is out and that the transition will take place over the next two months. DG stated that their future business plan was not to syndicate smooth jazz. DG is also dropping adult hits and standards.

 

[Double D]

I feel sick to my stomach...this is a sad day indeed!!!

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Another report says that everyone at Jones is out and that the transition will take place over the next two months. DG stated that their future business plan was not to syndicate smooth jazz. DG is also dropping adult hits and standards.

Really? We just got a Jones/DG standards affiliate in the Charlotte, NC area (WAVO Rock Hill, SC).

 

[orange434]

wow.

i hope many of those 17 drop the format altogether as a result. of all the smooth jazz flips and changes and morphs over the past year, and lord knows there have been a ton, this is the worst of them all.

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

Wednesday August 6, 2008 11:04am Eastern Time. I didn't read nothing regarding that on (Dial-Global) website
Dial-global.com.

So,
I'm assuming this is just a false rumor? Unless you all can show us that article that you saw this at and proove it to us.


My thought is, Jones Radio Network "Smooth Jazz Station" is the BEST!!!!!!! Laurie Cobb, David Washington, and Loni Taylor are among the BEST!!!!!
BA Smooth Jazz Network is the ones that need to be disregarded.


Jones Radio Network "Smooth Jazz Station" been around much much longer and should continue to be around for many many more, and get many more radio stations.


thank you all

 

[mock3]

Sadly it's not a rumor. It is in Radio and Records. No more Jones Radio Smooth Jazz.

 

[AnotherCat]

When I wrote the "One Station Fits All" piece in Dec '06 even I had no idea how far this meglomania was going to reach. With BA flipping to smooth A/C and also only rarely playing vocalists who are over 40 it could be a sad day for adults who want contemporary music that was created by and for them. Or it could be the chance to open another door.

 

[mock3]

I guess the days of hearing radio stations play Everything But The Girl's "Understanding" and "Driving" or The Rippingtons' "Black Diamond" are over. I'm going to miss it.

I have XM and I think that Watercolors is really good. It's good to know that with satellite and, more importantly, the internet we will always be able to enjoy the music that we love. It would be awesome to see some of the announcers/programmers from Jones end up on Watercolors or an even better option would be for them to launch a new internet smooth jazz station. I know that the jocks were voice-tracked and many from various locations across the country, but it is sad to see the PD and MD out.

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

Sadly it's not a rumor. It is in Radio and Records. No more Jones Radio Smooth Jazz.

sorry everyone, I should of also looked at Radioandrecords.

Also saddly to say, I recently emailed Kirk Stirland a few times regarding their "Bright AC format. For those who are familuare with Dial-Global, you can listen by telephone to their current six 24/7 formats by telephone (for free) by calling an 1-866 number
He emailed me back and told me to keep in touch.
Then when I heard that Dial Global brought out Jones Radio Programming, I emailed him and Spencer Brown telling them how excelent Jones Radio "Smooth Jazz Station" is. They did not respond. I also gave them some ideas to try and play some oldschool smooth r&B like Anita Baker, One Way, and Alexander O'neal. But I got no responce.

They are making a big mistake on that

sorry

 

[Interstate 78]

as i said in my other post in another thread, this is a very very very very sad day indeed. jones was the version of the format that brought me into the sound of how smooth jazz radio should sound. i have so many happy memories of sitting on the beach and listening to WKCD Mystic, CT; WPLM Plymouth, MA; WSAX/WJSX Atlantic City/Cape May, NJ. this is all so sad, but i'm at the point where i don't even really care anymore. BA is the only future left of smooth jazz, love it or hate it. and when it runs out of gas which won't be long the way the product sounds, it'll be time for a new format, but what? i'm not even sure anymore. the funny thing is, i've talked to some artists and they're not really worried. they said they are doing fine selling albums at clubs, concerts, etc. my theory is that the true c-jazz fans have already gone to the internet, or cable, or satellite and these BA stations don't really mean much anymore. if they bring in a new listener or two to smooth jazz music, so be it. but that's about all it means anymore. R.I.P. Jones smooth jazz. this is a very very sad day indeed. i've actually been depressed today much like if a relative died or something. music means that much to me.

 

[Double D]

as i said in my other post in another thread, this is a very very very very sad day indeed. jones was the version of the format that brought me into the sound of how smooth jazz radio should sound. i have so many happy memories of sitting on the beach and listening to WKCD Mystic, CT; WPLM Plymouth, MA; WSAX/WJSX Atlantic City/Cape May, NJ. this is all so sad, but i'm at the point where i don't even really care anymore. BA is the only future left of smooth jazz, love it or hate it. and when it runs out of gas which won't be long the way the product sounds, it'll be time for a new format, but what? i'm not even sure anymore. the funny thing is, i've talked to some artists and they're not really worried. they said they are doing fine selling albums at clubs, concerts, etc. my theory is that the true c-jazz fans have already gone to the internet, or cable, or satellite and these BA stations don't really mean much anymore. if they bring in a new listener or two to smooth jazz music, so be it. but that's about all it means anymore. R.I.P. Jones smooth jazz. this is a very very sad day indeed. i've actually been depressed today much like if a relative died or something. music means that much to me.

Well stated I78.

I too have been saddened deeply by the announced end of JSJ. I have been one of their most outspoken supporters on this forum, and I too have very fond memories of JSJ having been first introduced to JSJ on WASJ 105.1 FM Panama City Beach FL back in '99.

http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,47318.0.html

I will forever remember enjoying myself immensely in the fall of '99, '00, and '03 while vacationing on The Emerald Coast @ PCB, and winters since '02 @ Destin, having JSJ - WASJ as my listening partner almost constantly as I rode my bike, jogged the beaches, or enjoyed a evening cocktail and cigar on the condo patio overlooking the white sand beaches of PCB.

I still vividly remember listening to Steve Michaels on a Saturday evening in September '03, playing some incredibly beautiful SJ music which I had never heard before, much less played on my local SJ FM station here in Milwaukee. I asked myself why I had never heard these beautiful songs before, and why other commercial SJ programmers didn't have the creativity and imagination to sound more like JSJ?

This makes the departure of JSJ a very bitter pill to swallow, especially when they have been taken over by a cartel whose product is so vastly inferior that it makes listening virtually impossible. JSJ was and is the absolute best syndicated SJ product...they make Kepler's now SJ monopoly product sound like an amateurish joke.

My best wishes go out to the JSJ crew....Steve Michaels, John Evans, Laurie Cobb, Keith Riker, Loni Taylor, David Washington, Kenny Cortes and support staff...you and your station will be deeply missed, but never forgotten!

DD©

 

[AnotherCat]

It's doubtful that any of the stations who switch to the BA format on 9/30 will see any share or TSL increase. I am sure they have been sold this whole line that their ratings will shoot through the roof when the BA format hits the air. I remember when the Jacksonville station dropped Jones for BA and there was all this hype about the immediate audience increases their quality programming would bring and the increased revenue that would follow. Ratings dropped consistently following the switch and only began a little upward blip when the station went local in PM drive and started actually playing some smooth jazz instrumentals.

As several of my industry friends said..this makes one feel heartsick..

 

[Kent]

I have to agree that Jones was head and shoulders above BA. Steve Hibbard is an excellent programmer and a super nice guy. It's sad to see him losing his job when he did so well programming the service.

I also find it odd that Dial Global is getting rid of some of the unique programming it was offering while it has plenty of duplicated programming in other areas. For example, it will still have two variety hits formats along with various offerings of country, AC and even oldies.

 

[AnotherCat]

It would be awesome to see some of the announcers/programmers from Jones end up on Watercolors or an even better option would be for them to launch a new internet smooth jazz station.

Many of them were voiceover artists who happened to work for smooth jazz stations rather than passionate smooth jazz fans...Personally, I had a hard time listening to Loni Taylor and Keith Riker because they did seem more fascinated with the way their voices sounded inside their headphones than with what they were saying or the audience they were talking to. They both do a lot of agency voiceover work and will continue to make really good money doing that. Steve Hibbard had a lot of B/EZ background according to his bio. He's probably too entrenched in the old way of doing things to have any impact on the future but then again, some old dogs do learn new tricks so one never knows. I see him resurfacing in an upper demo targeted A/C, something like Dove in Tampa/St. Pete or some type of lite oldies format. Kenny Cortes already has some internet projects going. Lynn Hughes programs the music for Mindi's Chill show and was involved in the Chill station in Arizona..Chill seems to be her thing.

I know some of you don't think this will happen but I just can't see Watercolors survivng the merger, it's gotten a lot more conservative but it's still too "unfamiliar" for Mel Karmazin and crew. I think it will be phased out and assimilated by Jazz Cafe within a year...they aren't going to run two smooth jazz channels.

 

[Nock]

I know some of you don't think this will happen but I just can't see Watercolors survivng the merger, it's gotten a lot more conservative but it's still too "unfamiliar" for Mel Karmazin and crew. I think it will be phased out and assimilated by Jazz Cafe within a year...they aren't going to run two smooth jazz channels.
[/quote]

Or an even worse thought, BA also operates another side channel specifically for HD channels away from the network. Would Sirius / XM cut costs and put their product on their bird? I will then throw my XM receiver out the window.

Nock

 

[Interstate 78]

Double D -

want to help me start a death of Jones smooth jazz support group? LOL some of what you said cracked me up because it sounds just like me ... looking at the ocean while listening to Jones. what an amazing time the late 90s were with all those jones stations along the atlantic coast. Jonathan Cain "Elegance on the Catwalk" and J. Thompson "Tell Me The Truth" to the sound of the ocean. those were the days. those were the days. :'(

there is one remaining jones station on the ocean on the east coast, WQJZ in maryland. wonder if they'll switch to the new BA or change formats. they should just change formats. in fact, every one of those 17 jones stations should change formats as a protest again this BA network. i'm almost tempted to drive to ocean city, maryland to listen live to the final days of jones on an atlantic beach signal. :'(

 

[JakeLongwell]

I must echo these same sentiments. This is a very sad time for fans of contemporary jazz music.

Being an advocate of locally programmed radio, I usually frown on stations who use a satellite service for the bulk of their programming. But, there are exceptions to every rule, and the Jones smooth jazz service was that exception, for me anyway. I always found their playlist to be very diverse, which is more than I can say for most of their other satellite formats.

I hope maybe some of these 17 stations will locally automate the format. But, that costs money, and in this ecomony, radio owners aren't willing to spend any more than they absolutely have to. So, my guess is they'll either switch to BA, or drop the format for something different entirely.

And as to the smooth jazz product on Sirius/XM, I must agree. Watercolors isn't a "mass appeal" format. And considering Sirius is run by a man who spent most of his career programming commercial radio with "mass appeal" formats, you can bet that the format will be dumbed down, or maybe even dropped entirely to make way for yet another Howard Stern channel. Same thing will most likely happen to the "Escape" beautiful music channel that I enjoyed when I had the chance to listen to someone's XM receiver.

I had thought of subscribing to XM. But as soon as I heard about the merger, and now that I have heard that several XM program services will be dropped in favor of their Sirius counterparts, needless to say I won't be cutting them a check anytime soon.

So here's to the handful of locally owned and locally programmed smooth jazz stations still out there. Hang in there, guys. Your efforts are not going unappreciated.

 

[spiritof67]

If the JRN network is something you enjoy, you might want to record as much of the network while it is still on the air.

 

[JoshB]

Wow, I was just browsing the net and reading about one of my favorite TV shows being cancel, and now I'm hearing this??!?!? BA is basically taking over the JRN SJ affliates??? It's like the more these business and companies merge and buy each other out, the worse the quality gets. This is a very sad day indeed. :'(

Although Watercolors is good at the moment, I think it will also lose it's appeal after the merger with Sirius. Thank God for the Internet and mobile devices like the iPhone, which I believe will be the only saving grace left for the industry.