JACK FM is now doing full music test transmissions in the Oxfordshire area of England. The music generally sounds pretty good so far though it is VERY different to the JACK FM stations that I've heard in the US and Canada and is more a Classic Hits type station.
Judging from the music played so far the station is definitely more adult contempory rather than rock biased and seems to be softer and aimed at an older audience. I have to be honest I'm missing the classic rock slant that is a big part of the format in North America - I hope they will play more British rock acts when they launch e.g. the less played stuff from Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, Blue Nile etc. The rock that they do play tends to be of the softer type. The music played so far also seems to be pretty safe - they tend to be playing the more obvious songs that come to mind when you think of an artist or band, that many other stations also repeatedly play - I haven't yet heard many songs that don't already get airtime on UK radio. I'm really hoping that they will be more adventurous once they launch as radio in this country is pretty dull and generally bland and unimaginative with most stations playing the same overplayed songs and all aiming for a slice of the same mainstream audience. Hardly any stations are willing to take any risks and those new stations that do start by doing something different tend to panic and immediately switch to more mainstream music if the first audience figures aren't what they'd hoped for. It's still only tests however so JACK FM UK can't be judged in any way yet.
JACK FM will officially launch at 1:06 PM BST here in the UK (08:06 AM EDT) on Thursday 18th October . There are also 3 more digital only stations planned for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (together as one region), Northamptonshire and Cheshire from 2008.
Due to severe restrictions on internet radio imposed by the music copyright agencies here in the UK it is unlikely that you will be able to hear the station outside of the UK unless you go through a proxy server, though a recording of the launch should be made available and hopefully they'll post a few highlights of the station too - so that people outside of the UK can get an idea of the station.
Judging from the music played so far the station is definitely more adult contempory rather than rock biased and seems to be softer and aimed at an older audience. I have to be honest I'm missing the classic rock slant that is a big part of the format in North America - I hope they will play more British rock acts when they launch e.g. the less played stuff from Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, Blue Nile etc. The rock that they do play tends to be of the softer type. The music played so far also seems to be pretty safe - they tend to be playing the more obvious songs that come to mind when you think of an artist or band, that many other stations also repeatedly play - I haven't yet heard many songs that don't already get airtime on UK radio. I'm really hoping that they will be more adventurous once they launch as radio in this country is pretty dull and generally bland and unimaginative with most stations playing the same overplayed songs and all aiming for a slice of the same mainstream audience. Hardly any stations are willing to take any risks and those new stations that do start by doing something different tend to panic and immediately switch to more mainstream music if the first audience figures aren't what they'd hoped for. It's still only tests however so JACK FM UK can't be judged in any way yet.
JACK FM will officially launch at 1:06 PM BST here in the UK (08:06 AM EDT) on Thursday 18th October . There are also 3 more digital only stations planned for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (together as one region), Northamptonshire and Cheshire from 2008.
Due to severe restrictions on internet radio imposed by the music copyright agencies here in the UK it is unlikely that you will be able to hear the station outside of the UK unless you go through a proxy server, though a recording of the launch should be made available and hopefully they'll post a few highlights of the station too - so that people outside of the UK can get an idea of the station.