Jack NY has only 3 Days to live what will happen with Chicago's Jack?

[WJMK Fan]

here's an idea Energy 104.3 ;D

Yeah, sure. A return to 1994 radio. WOW!

104.3 Used to be called Energy 104.3? I don't remember that. When did it start and end?

 

[OldiesCat]

here's an idea Energy 104.3 ;D

Yeah, sure. A return to 1994 radio. WOW!

104.3 Used to be called Energy 104.3? I don't remember that. When did it start and end?

It didn't. It's somebody trying to suggest a dance format (which never works anywhere) should replace Jack. Y-A-W-N.

 

[scanman1]

OK, My $.02: I think Jack will stay and should stay since we've already got an oldies station (complete with personalities) and don't need two competing oldies stations. Besides, although initially I wasn't happy with the change from oldies, I do enjoy Jack (and Oldies 94.7)! 8)

 

[WJMK Fan]

OK, My $.02: I think Jack will stay and should stay since we've already got an oldies station (complete with personalities) and don't need two competing oldies stations. Besides, although initially I wasn't happy with the change from oldies, I do enjoy Jack (and Oldies 94.7)! 8)

I do agree with you that Jack isn't the worst thing, but if they keep it, they should at least put Chicago personalities on it. The personalities help make the station more Chicago, not a recording. The same can be said at 94.7 from 10a-3p on weekends, and the whole weekend. They should fill those positions with Chicago personalities, and leave Scott Shannon's recorded messages for the overnights, when not too many people are listening. That's just my 2 cents though.

 

[OldiesCat]

OK, My $.02: I think Jack will stay and should stay since we've already got an oldies station (complete with personalities) and don't need two competing oldies stations. Besides, although initially I wasn't happy with the change from oldies, I do enjoy Jack (and Oldies 94.7)! 8)

I do agree with you that Jack isn't the worst thing, but if they keep it, they should at least put Chicago personalities on it. The personalities help make the station more Chicago, not a recording. The same can be said at 94.7 from 10a-3p on weekends, and the whole weekend. They should fill those positions with Chicago personalities, and leave Scott Shannon's recorded messages for the overnights, when not too many people are listening. That's just my 2 cents though.

Disc jockeys will not take these stations from 25-54 rankings between #15 and #20 into the top ten. Sorry.

 

[br2018]

94.7 has personalities

 

[OldiesCat]

94.7 has personalities

(was mostly referring to Jack)

 

[WJMK Fan]

OK, My $.02: I think Jack will stay and should stay since we've already got an oldies station (complete with personalities) and don't need two competing oldies stations. Besides, although initially I wasn't happy with the change from oldies, I do enjoy Jack (and Oldies 94.7)! 8)

I do agree with you that Jack isn't the worst thing, but if they keep it, they should at least put Chicago personalities on it. The personalities help make the station more Chicago, not a recording. The same can be said at 94.7 from 10a-3p on weekends, and the whole weekend. They should fill those positions with Chicago personalities, and leave Scott Shannon's recorded messages for the overnights, when not too many people are listening. That's just my 2 cents though.

Disc jockeys will not take these stations from 25-54 rankings between #15 and #20 into the top ten. Sorry.

Well, maybe if they did, the ratings would climb higher. I'm not quite sure how it works, but commen sense tells me that that's what would happen.

And you're right, I was mostly talking about Jack-FM, but was also posting what I'd like to see happen with 94.7.

 

[OldiesCat]

OK, My $.02: I think Jack will stay and should stay since we've already got an oldies station (complete with personalities) and don't need two competing oldies stations. Besides, although initially I wasn't happy with the change from oldies, I do enjoy Jack (and Oldies 94.7)! 8)

I do agree with you that Jack isn't the worst thing, but if they keep it, they should at least put Chicago personalities on it. The personalities help make the station more Chicago, not a recording. The same can be said at 94.7 from 10a-3p on weekends, and the whole weekend. They should fill those positions with Chicago personalities, and leave Scott Shannon's recorded messages for the overnights, when not too many people are listening. That's just my 2 cents though.

Disc jockeys will not take these stations from 25-54 rankings between #15 and #20 into the top ten. Sorry.

Well, maybe if they did, the ratings would climb higher. I'm not quite sure how it works, but commen sense tells me that that's what would happen.

Why would you say that? What makes you believe the "ratings would climb higher" if they had personalities on Jack?

 

[WJMK Fan]

OK, My $.02: I think Jack will stay and should stay since we've already got an oldies station (complete with personalities) and don't need two competing oldies stations. Besides, although initially I wasn't happy with the change from oldies, I do enjoy Jack (and Oldies 94.7)! 8)

I do agree with you that Jack isn't the worst thing, but if they keep it, they should at least put Chicago personalities on it. The personalities help make the station more Chicago, not a recording. The same can be said at 94.7 from 10a-3p on weekends, and the whole weekend. They should fill those positions with Chicago personalities, and leave Scott Shannon's recorded messages for the overnights, when not too many people are listening. That's just my 2 cents though.

Disc jockeys will not take these stations from 25-54 rankings between #15 and #20 into the top ten. Sorry.

Well, maybe if they did, the ratings would climb higher. I'm not quite sure how it works, but commen sense tells me that that's what would happen.

Why would you say that? What makes you believe the "ratings would climb higher" if they had personalities on Jack?

Its just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I say that because I enjoy listening to stations with personalities, and I don't hate stations without them (I listened to 94.7 for almost a year before they added Chicago personalities), I just prefer the personalities on stations. Plus Chicago has had a long history (good) with its personalities (hence the Big 89 Rewind on Memorial Day), and I thought that adding live personalities would help create a personalble fan base with that station. People not only relate to the music, but also the personalities. Once again, that's just my opinion, and I'm sorry I didn't post that in my previous post!

 

[OldiesCat]

Its just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I say that because I enjoy listening to stations with personalities, and I don't hate stations without them (I listened to 94.7 for almost a year before they added Chicago personalities), I just prefer the personalities on stations. Plus Chicago has had a long history (good) with its personalities (hence the Big 89 Rewind on Memorial Day), and I thought that adding live personalities would help create a personalble fan base with that station. People not only relate to the music, but also the personalities. Once again, that's just my opinion, and I'm sorry I didn't post that in my previous post!

Well, the challege is this: for a station like "Jack", whose signature IS their unusual music mix, does hiring big-name talent minimize their music position? Does hiring lesser talent just plain get in the way of the music? My answer would be 'yes', based on all the research I've seen on these Variety Hits stations around the country. The general idea is "let's create a radio station similar to how a listener might load their iPod". You might laugh at that but please remember just yesterday Apple announced it had sold it's 3 billionth iTune- that's BILLION with a 'b'. OK, now, do you know anybody who loads their MP3 player and records some voices between the songs? Of course not.

What I find amusing about all of this is there's this radio contingent always bellowing about their disdain for cookie-cutter radio, tight playlists, etc. THEN, somebody tries something very different and the first thing they do is holler, "but that's not how it's supposed to be done. Listen to all those train-wreck segueways on those stations!". Can't have it both ways, I'm afraid.

 

[KevinFodor]

Interesting you mention train wreck segues.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the reason one tries to avoid them, but I can't help but remember when I was programming the 80's station in Columbus, I had a radio-type call me up. In a very indignant voice he told me..."You can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna!!!"

I said.."didn't we do that in the 80's"?

Odd sounding, I agree. But the Jack approach is intended to include some songs back to back that you wouldn't expect to hear that way.

 

[OldiesCat]

Interesting you mention train wreck segues.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the reason one tries to avoid them, but I can't help but remember when I was programming the 80's station in Columbus, I had a radio-type call me up. In a very indignant voice he told me..."You can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna!!!"

I said.."didn't we do that in the 80's"?

Odd sounding, I agree. But the Jack approach is intended to include some songs back to back that you wouldn't expect to hear that way.

Most of the charm and perceived unpredictability of Variety Hits is playing a set, back-to-back, that is:
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
IT'S A HEARTACHE
3AM
WHEEL IN THE SKY
BROWN-EYED GIRL
MY FAVORITE MISTAKE
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER
BRICK HOUSE
TAKE IT ON THE RUN
ANGEL(Sarah McLaughlan)

Or something similar. "Train wrecks" is a phrase coined by pre-fabbed PDs who are too afraid to Program their stations one inch outside of "the box". Listeners have no concept of "train wrecks"- all they know is, "hey, I like that song" (or, "gawd, I hate that song"). Listeners don't listen like radio people and they don't think like radio people.

 

[WJMK Fan]

Interesting you mention train wreck segues.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the reason one tries to avoid them, but I can't help but remember when I was programming the 80's station in Columbus, I had a radio-type call me up. In a very indignant voice he told me..."You can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna!!!"

I said.."didn't we do that in the 80's"?

Odd sounding, I agree. But the Jack approach is intended to include some songs back to back that you wouldn't expect to hear that way.

Most of the charm and perceived unpredictability of Variety Hits is playing a set, back-to-back, that is:
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
IT'S A HEARTACHE
3AM
WHEEL IN THE SKY
BROWN-EYED GIRL
MY FAVORITE MISTAKE
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER
BRICK HOUSE
TAKE IT ON THE RUN
ANGEL(Sarah McLaughlan)

Or something similar. "Train wrecks" is a phrase coined by pre-fabbed PDs who are too afraid to Program their stations one inch outside of "the box". Listeners have no concept of "train wrecks"- all they know is, "hey, I like that song" (or, "gawd, I hate that song"). Listeners don't listen like radio people and they don't think like radio people.

You're exactly right. I feel that way about 94.7 FM a lot.

 

[gr8oldies]

Indianapolis' Jack has pretty much killed the "we play anything" approach, images as "Classic Hits 104.5, Jack FM" and pretty much stays 80s classic rock. Meanwhile, there's a variety country station and a female-skewed variety station on 107.9

 

[Marv-L.A.]

KevinFodor & OldiesCat-----Bravo to both you!!!!

That radio-type who stated that 'you can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna' obviously didn't listen to KIIS, WZPL, WNCI or any other double-digit share CHR/Pop station anytime during the eighties; either that, or he's just plain clueless.

The format was full of 'train wrecks', and enjoyed enormous success which probably had not seen at the format since the mid-sixties, when a twenty share was pretty common.

The JACK-FM format isn't going anywhere; our LA station just fell to third place in the 25-54 demo (behind AC powerhouse KOST and a reinvigorated KIIS-FM) after being #1 in that demo since hitting the airwaves.

It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but so what???

 

[OldiesCat]

KevinFodor & OldiesCat-----Bravo to both you!!!!

That radio-type who stated that 'you can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna' obviously didn't listen to KIIS, WZPL, WNCI or any other double-digit share CHR/Pop station anytime during the eighties; either that, or he's just plain clueless.

The format was full of 'train wrecks', and enjoyed enormous success which probably had not seen at the format since the mid-sixties, when a twenty share was pretty common.

What I find the most rich is that the same radio hacks that bitch & moan that "you can play this next to this or that and that on the same station" are also the ones who complain the loudest that radio is too predictable, too cookie-cutter and too narrow. The bunch of hypcrites, they are indeed.

 

[clone]

KevinFodor & OldiesCat-----Bravo to both you!!!!

That radio-type who stated that 'you can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna' obviously didn't listen to KIIS, WZPL, WNCI or any other double-digit share CHR/Pop station anytime during the eighties; either that, or he's just plain clueless.

The format was full of 'train wrecks', and enjoyed enormous success which probably had not seen at the format since the mid-sixties, when a twenty share was pretty common.

What I find the most rich is that the same radio hacks that bitch & moan that "you can play this next to this or that and that on the same station" are also the ones who complain the loudest that radio is too predictable, too cookie-cutter and too narrow. The bunch of hypcrites, they are indeed.

Indeed. But Jack isn't, in my opinion, executed properly. Of course you can play Madonna next to Def Leppard, but you have to know how to segue it. It could be a jingle, useless DJ chatter, a call-in, weather report, whatever you think will fit.

But Jack doesn't have that. It's close to an 80's, double-digit CHR program, but minus the imaging. And the reason 80's "train wreck" CHRs were posting double-digits was the imaging. They were "everyone's" radio station. The "flame-throwing" jingle packages, competent jocks, weather report after the commercial right into a song, in addition to the playlist is what made those stations what they were. Jack is just a smart-ass who talks about how it's HIS radio station, not yours. Not really mass appeal. IMO, that's why the 80's format on ZZN never worked. It didn't sound like an 80's radio station.

If Jack sounded more like an 80's CHR, it would probably be posting higher numbers. Hell, make it sound EXACTLY like an 80's CHR and see what happens What do you have to lose? If you stop and think about it, that format would be the oldies station of 2007. Just like 'JMK was when it signed on in '84, and it sold well for many years. But the iPod on shuffle doesn't work when everyone owns an iPod, usually on shuffle.

 

[WJMK Fan]

KevinFodor & OldiesCat-----Bravo to both you!!!!

That radio-type who stated that 'you can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna' obviously didn't listen to KIIS, WZPL, WNCI or any other double-digit share CHR/Pop station anytime during the eighties; either that, or he's just plain clueless.

The format was full of 'train wrecks', and enjoyed enormous success which probably had not seen at the format since the mid-sixties, when a twenty share was pretty common.

What I find the most rich is that the same radio hacks that bitch & moan that "you can play this next to this or that and that on the same station" are also the ones who complain the loudest that radio is too predictable, too cookie-cutter and too narrow. The bunch of hypcrites, they are indeed.

Indeed. But Jack isn't, in my opinion, executed properly. Of course you can play Madonna next to Def Leppard, but you have to know how to segue it. It could be a jingle, useless DJ chatter, a call-in, weather report, whatever you think will fit.

But Jack doesn't have that. It's close to an 80's, double-digit CHR program, but minus the imaging. And the reason 80's "train wreck" CHRs were posting double-digits was the imaging. They were "everyone's" radio station. The "flame-throwing" jingle packages, competent jocks, weather report after the commercial right into a song, in addition to the playlist is what made those stations what they were. Jack is just a smart-ass who talks about how it's HIS radio station, not yours. Not really mass appeal. IMO, that's why the 80's format on ZZN never worked. It didn't sound like an 80's radio station.

If Jack sounded more like an 80's CHR, it would probably be posting higher numbers. Hell, make it sound EXACTLY like an 80's CHR and see what happens What do you have to lose? If you stop and think about it, that format would be the oldies station of 2007. Just like 'JMK was when it signed on in '84, and it sold well for many years. But the iPod on shuffle doesn't work when everyone owns an iPod, usually on shuffle.

What you said about radio stations is what make them radio stations, no matter what music they play. That's why WJMK sold well before it switched.

Jack-FM is like me taking my iPod, finding a radio frequency, making some cheap jingles, and airing it. It just isn't radio. Who really wants to listen to an "iPod sounding" station when they already own them? It just doesn't make sense.

The age group that Jack-FM is trying to target grew up on quality radio like WLS and WCFL. They want the jingles with the weather reports and commercials. They want the dj's, not some computer operated station. The New York City flip last month proves my point. But by some miracle, Jack-FM is doing pretty good here in Chicago. But what gets at me most is that everyone loved it on Memorial Day when WLS did its rewind with the dj's, music, and jingles, but come the next day, everyone is content with listening to Jack-FM! How does Jack compare to classic radio?

 

[OldiesCat]

KevinFodor & OldiesCat-----Bravo to both you!!!!

That radio-type who stated that 'you can't play Def Leppard next to Madonna' obviously didn't listen to KIIS, WZPL, WNCI or any other double-digit share CHR/Pop station anytime during the eighties; either that, or he's just plain clueless.

The format was full of 'train wrecks', and enjoyed enormous success which probably had not seen at the format since the mid-sixties, when a twenty share was pretty common.

What I find the most rich is that the same radio hacks that bitch & moan that "you can play this next to this or that and that on the same station" are also the ones who complain the loudest that radio is too predictable, too cookie-cutter and too narrow. The bunch of hypcrites, they are indeed.

Indeed. But Jack isn't, in my opinion, executed properly. Of course you can play Madonna next to Def Leppard, but you have to know how to segue it. It could be a jingle, useless DJ chatter, a call-in, weather report, whatever you think will fit.

Jack's problem isn't the perfection of segues or weather reports. It's the fact that the whole presentation is so superficial sounding. When these stations began showing up, I said they'll need to add some personality component. The initial sign-on was all cute and everything but it hasn't evolved very well.
Supposedly, the original premise was Jack basically saying to the listeners, "it's you and me against the world"; that message wears thin after 6-9 months and sure as hell is old & tired by now. It can't be all about Jack anymore-it's got to be all about the listeners and, sadly, they're not recognized that.

(and, I hope you were kidding Jack would be better if it added "useless DJ chatter"- that kind of thinking is what has listeners tired of babbling jocks on traditional stations-this format is supposed to break all those rules).