Jack-FM: The beginning of the end?

[davideduardo]

Todays program Directors no longer have the innate talent for Programming or directing the content of the station that employs them. They turn to researcher who are reccomending the same thing to every client, and radio is turning into a scientifically blended formula that all stations in a market buy.

Researcers do not suggest formats; listeners, when polled, indicate what they like. Researchers do not dictate songs; listeners, via AMT's do. Researchers do not "recommend" formats at all; in aperceptual project the discover things ranging from defects or dislikes about specific, local stations to needs that are not being satisfied.

The talent comes into play when the PD sets out to design a station that satisfies a listener need. No market researches the same as any other, because the ethnic makeup and the competitive array and many other things determine what is needed in each place.

A programmer should have in his belly, and idea, a concept, in which he wants his station to go, and have the talent to bring it to the airwaves so that the public he wants to reach will be drawn to it because it is a work of art. Radio is an art, not a researched formula.

But if you don't find out what the listener group you want to attract wants, the result will be that all that creative effort is lost because the PD is satisfying himself or herself, not the audience.

There are no formulas in research.

If the Format of a Program Director fails to meat reasonable goals, he should be gone, not kept on to tweak his art form with outside advice, or manage the next researched Format the station wants to try.

You know that the original Top 40 station, in 1952, was researched? And every one since has been?

Programmers with talent seem to be scoffed at because they do what "feels right for the art form" rather than what research tells them to do.

Nobody is scoffing at Kevin Weatherly of K-Rock and Jack in LA... he is very creative, but uses tons of research.

As far as 101.1 is concerned, Jack isn't working. You can tweak it all you want... CBS is going to stick with it untill they either sell the station or simply can't take it anymore, rather than make the admission that they mad a mistake with this format.

Please look at 25-54.

If they ran the Oldies format like they are running Jack, with minimal expensive "Legacy Jocks", they'd be very successfull with an Oldies format Playing 1958 thru todays music, just like the CBS-FM of old did.

If you play songs from the 50's, your youngest listener will be way over 55. Out of the sales demos, and useless for financial success. That is the exact reason they switched formats... CBS-FM was mostly out-of-demo listeners.

 

[adma]

But in tandem to that, one might also claim that the younger demo is no longer just about *radio*. And *that*, in itself, is a very '60's' concept, which has passed with the last century.

Yet if you look at the PPM data for Houston (test report is or was available online) you see that the number one position filps between a couple of stations, one of them being 18-34 driven KTBZ, an alternative station. 18-34 has hardly abandoned radio.

Note that I said, "*just* about". My point was directed less at the quantity than at the quality of radio listening (and listenership, for that matter). Even if 18-34 hasn't precisely abandoned radio, it certainly isn't consuming it in that mythic 60s-esque cultural-fulcrum-of-our-generation way. Meanwhile, those who helped create that mythos back then were the sorts who, transposed into now, would probably have the *least* use for radio, at least of the commercial sort.

Besides, given the way culture's become, it could well be a hidden *over*-34 crowd that's generating these #1 ratings for supposedly youth-oriented pop and alt-rock stations. You know the buzzwords: "kidult", "adultescent", "rejuvenile". Maybe the dilemma for Jack-FM or anybody trying to map out the future of the oldies is that for all too many aging post-boomers, *Z100* serves that old WCBS role?

 

[ImagingDude119]

The attitude that New Yorkers demand in their radio..

Why not revert FM's back to the way they last were most effective?

K-Rock - Major, solid morning show, midday chick, Solid afternoon show, eccentric programming.
CBS-FM - Modern Oldies (through the 80's)
and yeah...
Talk 102.7 WNEW - Need I say more?

Find new talent!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes, I realize this is asking a lot of CBS........

 

[lalumia]

no, they won't be listening at twenty, or thirty, as most teens get into the radio habit in the first place via top 40, and top 40 has throughly researched it's way into an unlistenable corner, the buzz is gone;even Z100 in NY, of which I'm a fan, is not doing the 'reflection' job they're supposed to do
they're not playing "Rehab" by amy Winehouse, even though it's the buzz track of the moment, top ten cd, she was featured this week on MTV's Movie Awards'
they missed the boat entirely on "Dreamgirls" by playing nothing from that when it was #1 CD and ALL that people were talking about;
Christina Aguliera's "CandyMan" was dropped minutes after it was added, in spite of being top ten download, top ten AOL video chart, and a much needed burst of fresh air at CHR;
the station is good, but not great, and it's winning by default, as it's the only Top 40 in NY, unlike when the old WABC took on WINS,WMCA,WWDJ,XLO(99X), etc.
Research and pie charts have ensured the continuous downward spiral of radio, especially in the hit areas, and especially in the face of new technology,, radio should get just a bit more aggressive, but instead, becomes more hemmaroidal...

AND now, a week later, they've added "Rehab" on Z 100, heard it last night, sounds fab on the Z! glad to see someone reads this thing...

 

[neo11]

The attitude that New Yorkers demand in their radio..

Why not revert FM's back to the way they last were most effective?

K-Rock - Major, solid morning show, midday chick, Solid afternoon show, eccentric programming.
CBS-FM - Modern Oldies (through the 80's)
and yeah...
Talk 102.7 WNEW - Need I say more?

Find new talent!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes, I realize this is asking a lot of CBS........

Oh yeah, Talk was real effective on 102.7. The station wasn't even breaking a 2 share.

 

[Jimme]

These could all draw more ratings than Jack:
1.) Using the frequency as they do in college - "It's the new Limbaugh 101 - conservative talk for a liberal city".
2.) or Bloomburg buys the station, plays his business shows, on "Econ 101"
3.) or maybe 102.7 just didn't give the disco (what was the title before Fresh - how soon I forget) - playing only the early days of disco here on "Disco 101" - none of that Donna Summer or Ethel Merman stuff here

 

[LA_Guy]

Jack is not going away...period.

Jack is giving CBS decent 25-54 numbers and costs virtually nothing to run.

Jack is a cash cow for CBS and that's all they care about.

End of story.

 

[cadillacjack]

Kids, LA_Guy is right. As of Monday's trend, JACK-FM in NYC has a 3.0 share 25-54 (#10 in the market), FRESH is #8 with a 3.8. Take the circle jerk somewhere else.

CJ

 

[LinoNYC]

DavidEduardo wrote:


Researcers do not suggest formats; listeners, when polled, indicate what they like. Researchers do not dictate songs; listeners, via AMT's do. Researchers do not "recommend" formats at all; in aperceptual project the discover things ranging from defects or dislikes about specific, local stations to needs that are not being satisfied.


..Then..


If you play songs from the 50's, your youngest listener will be way over 55. Out of the sales demos, and useless for financial success. That is the exact reason they switched formats... CBS-FM was mostly out-of-demo listeners.

You do see the inherent contradiction here? Its manifest here in NY where commercial radio kills formats, not so much for lack of audience, but for advertiser preference.

Madison Ave has boxed-in commercial radio to the point that the only supported, non-ethnic formats appeal to:

Children, or child-minded adults:hot 97 Z-100 Power 105).

Blue collar white males: Q-104 and K-Rock

Young-to-middleage matrons in training: WLTW, WWFS, and for the more adventurous of this bunch, WPLJ.

Everything else hangs on by a thread.

All of the research you have been kind enough to explain is not really for the listener, it's to satiate advertiser demands. We are just the commodity.

Lino

 

[Danfm]

"Monday's trend, JACK-FM in NYC has a 3.0 share 25-54 (#10 in the market),"

That was mostly before K Rock came back on the air some of those listeners have allready defected back. To be 10 25-54 demo is not a great Most of New Yorks other FM stations are raked 1-9 ahead Jack in that demo with KRock back jack will soon be out of the top 10 . Hopefull Dan Mason will fix WCBS FM by duming Jack and flipping to Classic Hits like KFRC in San Fransisco re hiring a few of the DJ's from the oldies format.

 

[DToTheJ]

maybe 102.7 just didn't give the disco (what was the title before Fresh - how soon I forget)

I believe it was "Blink". :-X

 

[mikesingh]

maybe 102.7 just didn't give the disco (what was the title before Fresh - how soon I forget)

I believe it was "Blink". :-X

Close... it was Blink, then Mix... and now... Fresh.