"Jack" Off

[jimwalsh2001]

Some comments from my weblog. Enjoy...


The big story of late in the radio biz is the rise of the so-called "Jack" format.

Several major Oldies station across the fruited plain, most notably WCBS-FM in New York, have made the switch.

What is "Jack"? Well, as far as I can discern, it's supposed to be an "eclectic" mix of music from the 70's through today, formatted to approximate the experience of listening to an I-Pod.

Huh?

Now, hold the weddin' here (as Kinky Friedman might say). The whole point of having an I-Pod is that the individual can program the music to his or her own taste. Listening to a station programmed "I-Pod style" (whatever the hell that means) by some program director or a corporate suit is like...well, like listening to someone else's I-Pod.

And how interesting is that?

We don't have the "Jack" format (yet) in the town where I live but I've seen some playlist samples; it looks to me like what we in the biz used to call "chicken rock," i.e. a directionless mish-mash of styles, incompatible with one another, ultimately unlistenable.

What was once guaranteed to make your station the laughing stock of the market is now touted as the great hope for radio's future. You can't make this stuff up; no one would believe it.

Ah, but the station is structured to sound like it's an I-Pod.

OK...Imagine it's, say, 1975. Now picture some beleagured Top 40 station's program director saying to his bosses, "Hey...people are listening to Eight-Track players in their cars; let's format our station so that halfway through every other song or so, the music pauses while it swiches tracks...just like an Eight-Track player."

Makes about as much sense.

The guys over at XM and Sirius are, I'm sure, positively incontinent with glee over this latest move by the corporate radio suits.

I see where Cousin Bruce Morrow, late of CBS-FM, has made the move to satellite radio.

Hit the road, Jack; I'm going with Brucie...


http://www.jimwalsh2001.blogspot.com/

 

[gr8oldies]

The only sense it makes is to assume that there's a cross-section of people who would put all the same songs into their I-Pod.<P ID="signature">______________
"There ain't no reason to fight over a woman. There's two more down the street!".."Senisble Don", 700 WLW</P>

 

[Michael1973]

I think the point they're trying to drive home is that the average person likes more than one genre of music, and therefore programs several different styles in their IPod. These "Jack" stations compare themselves to IPods because they, too, are playing a wider selection of songs than other formats typically will.

> The only sense it makes is to assume that there's a
> cross-section of people who would put all the same songs
> into their I-Pod.

 

[staticradio]

> I think the point they're trying to drive home is that the
> average person likes more than one genre of music, and
> therefore programs several different styles in their IPod.
> These "Jack" stations compare themselves to IPods because
> they, too, are playing a wider selection of songs than other
> formats typically will.

True, many people like multiple genres of music, but sadly most (if not all) these Jack stations are playing the top hits of said genres. No seminal hits, no B-sides, not much new music - most of these songs wouldn't be found on my IPOD (although, some of the artists would be...just not their hits, tho).

 

[OldiesCat]

Are you in the radio biz?
>
> True, many people like multiple genres of music, but sadly
> most (if not all) these Jack stations are playing the top
> hits of said genres. No seminal hits, no B-sides, not much
> new music - most of these songs wouldn't be found on my IPOD
> (although, some of the artists would be...just not their
> hits, tho).
>

 

[Yeziknoradio]

> Are you in the radio biz?
> >
> > True, many people like multiple genres of music, but sadly
>
> > most (if not all) these Jack stations are playing the top
> > hits of said genres. No seminal hits, no B-sides, not
> much
> > new music - most of these songs wouldn't be found on my
> IPOD
> > (although, some of the artists would be...just not their
> > hits, tho).
> >
>
Radio is a business before it can be anything else. Some markets have the advantage of a company owning so much of a market, that in the best interest of avoiding competition with themselves, I guess they could experiment with a station that digs up more "Song 41" music, but not likely.<P ID="signature">______________
"If you never say NO, How much is your YES worth?"
</P>

 

[staticradio]

> Are you in the radio biz?

No, I'm what you'd call a "customer," and I want my money back.

And that's why some people are tuning out commercial terrestrial radio, because some people look at the invention of radio as mearly a business, and not for the broadcasting of information and ideals.

Jack stations are mearly nostalgia formats for the first part (1961-1970) of the X generation.

I see from other forums that you are a program director. For what format?

 

[Guy_Incognito]

> > Are you in the radio biz?
>
> No, I'm what you'd call a "customer," and I want my money
> back.

The advertiser is the customer -- the listeners are the crop. That line of thinking SHOULD be good for the listener. It SHOULD put a focus on the long-term care and growth of the audience because a good, steady crop of listeners is necessary to fulfill the relationship with the marketplace of advertisers. Unfortunately, too many take a short-sighted view of things and forsake the quality and maintenance of the crop for the quick buck.

Whether you are "in the biz" or not, the nature of you being here is evidence that you listen to radio differently than the average person. To be on a radio discussion board, even as a radio enthusiast, means you put a lot more thought into than does Joe Punchclock. That can be a good thing. I'll consider new ideas from anywhere -- that doesn't mean I'll take any of them, but I'm willing to listen to someone with a different perspective. So, please, don't think that I'm attempting to minimize your opinion at all.

Average Listener doesn't remember or want seminal hits or B-sides; Average Listener goes deep on about three or four artists [and each person has a different three or four artists] and just wants songs s/he knows the rest of the way. Ask one of my Average Listeners -- not P-1's or radio enthusiasts -- to name their six favorite songs right now and you'll get -- almost without exception -- 2 Power Currents, 2 Recurrents and 2 Power Golds. They want to tap their feet, sing along and forget about whatever is stressing them out, even for just a few minutes.

Too many people, both on and off this board, end up over-thinking. Is the Variety Hits explosion the reason for the reported decline in listenership? No...in fact, it's an effect of it. Forecasts of radio's doom were already coming, mostly based on cries of a heartless, formulaic homogenization of every station on the dial. Jack and Jill and Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice [oh wait, she was already here] are actually a reaction that proves radio IS paying attention. "OK, what are we doing wrong?...not enough variety...people switching to other media...no personality or attitude...but we have to do more with fewer resources...hmmm...how about this?"

Is it the right move? Will it work? Will Variety Hits suffer the same fate as 80's and Jammin' Oldies? I don't know...and it's too soon for anyone to have a definitive answer. Personally, I hope that it's only the first step and that, sooner rather than later, we'll begin to inject more live, genuine, human personality back into the mix. It is, at least, the effort that so many claim radio has been overdue in making. It would be disingenuous for people to complain that radio has been doing nothing and then complain when it DOES do something.

 

[staticradio]

> The advertiser is the customer -- the listeners are the
> crop. That line of thinking SHOULD be good for the
> listener. It SHOULD put a focus on the long-term care and
> growth of the audience because a good, steady crop of
> listeners is necessary to fulfill the relationship with the
> marketplace of advertisers. Unfortunately, too many take a
> short-sighted view of things and forsake the quality and
> maintenance of the crop for the quick buck.
>
> Whether you are "in the biz" or not, the nature of you being
> here is evidence that you listen to radio differently than
> the average person. To be on a radio discussion board,
> even as a radio enthusiast, means you put a lot more thought
> into than does Joe Punchclock. That can be a good thing.
> I'll consider new ideas from anywhere -- that doesn't mean
> I'll take any of them, but I'm willing to listen to someone
> with a different perspective. So, please, don't think that
> I'm attempting to minimize your opinion at all.
>
> Average Listener doesn't remember or want seminal hits or
> B-sides; Average Listener goes deep on about three or four
> artists [and each person has a different three or four
> artists] and just wants songs s/he knows the rest of the
> way. Ask one of my Average Listeners -- not P-1's or radio
> enthusiasts -- to name their six favorite songs right now
> and you'll get -- almost without exception -- 2 Power
> Currents, 2 Recurrents and 2 Power Golds. They want to tap
> their feet, sing along and forget about whatever is
> stressing them out, even for just a few minutes.
>
> Too many people, both on and off this board, end up
> over-thinking. Is the Variety Hits explosion the reason
> for the reported decline in listenership? No...in fact,
> it's an effect of it. Forecasts of radio's doom were
> already coming, mostly based on cries of a heartless,
> formulaic homogenization of every station on the dial.
> Jack and Jill and Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice [oh wait,
> she was already here] are actually a reaction that proves
> radio IS paying attention. "OK, what are we doing
> wrong?...not enough variety...people switching to other
> media...no personality or attitude...but we have to do more
> with fewer resources...hmmm...how about this?"
>
> Is it the right move? Will it work? Will Variety Hits
> suffer the same fate as 80's and Jammin' Oldies? I don't
> know...and it's too soon for anyone to have a definitive
> answer. Personally, I hope that it's only the first step
> and that, sooner rather than later, we'll begin to inject
> more live, genuine, human personality back into the mix.
> It is, at least, the effort that so many claim radio has
> been overdue in making. It would be disingenuous for
> people to complain that radio has been doing nothing and
> then complain when it DOES do something.

To me, this seems worse then the homogenization of radio: calling all these stations by informal birth names, taking no requests, thinking it will work in the long run. Some state they appreciate that interaction with the host/DJ, even if their request will be played or not. I understand song suggestion vs. song request, because requesting the same song heard a half hour ago seems tedious. Yes, requests come from 3 percent of the listening audience now, but was that number higher in earlier years?

We have an AAA here in the Twin Cities that has gone almost full circle (KTCZ), and has been around for 21 years. One of their competitors is an MPR station that launched just 6 months ago (KCMP). Whether or not a commercial station will be affected by a non-commercial station has yet to be seen.

I, for one, like stations that try to push the envelope, and not smack me around with the same tired product in a new package. Cities 97 was once a great commercial station in the mid 80's to mid 90's, but with owners thinking only of the bottom line, their free-form format went the way of the dodo.

I like the fact that commercial terrestrial radio is reacting, but are they doing any good with this? Will we see Clear Channel do the satellite way of radio: take a strong station of said genre from New York, LA, Minneapolis, et al. - and simulcast on weaker stations with the same genre across the nation?

Give me a decent AAA (KCMP, XM's The Loft), or true jazz station (KBEM, XM's True Jazz) any day. But then, as you said, I'm not radio's regular listener.

And I could probably name four artists that some average listener today might go deep with: U2, Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam (iffy), and The Police/Sting.

 

[OldiesCat]

Jack premise

JACK is not meant to be a b-sides or deep cuts format. It's been described as "a mile wide and an inch deep". It's been designed to play big hits from a wide era.

They know it's not for everybody (no station is, of course).

>
> True, many people like multiple genres of music, but sadly
> most (if not all) these Jack stations are playing the top
> hits of said genres. No seminal hits, no B-sides, not much
> new music - most of these songs wouldn't be found on my IPOD
> (although, some of the artists would be...just not their
> hits, tho).
>

 

[OldiesCat]

off Jack?

Here's the great news: you don't like the JACK format and you have plenty of other choices. They (along with every radio station everywhere) cannot be for everyone.

It's a bit maddening hearing all the JACK critics saying "they shouldn't do this" and "they should be more like WXXX", etc. If you don't like JACK, don't give him your listening. If a lot of other people feel like you, they'll go elsewhere, too, and JACK will be the Jammin' Oldies of the new millenium.

>
> To me, this seems worse then the homogenization of radio:
> calling all these stations by informal birth names, taking
> no requests, thinking it will work in the long run. Some
> state they appreciate that interaction with the host/DJ,
> even if their request will be played or not. I understand
> song suggestion vs. song request, because requesting the
> same song heard a half hour ago seems tedious. Yes,
> requests come from 3 percent of the listening audience now,
> but was that number higher in earlier years?
>
> We have an AAA here in the Twin Cities that has gone almost
> full circle (KTCZ), and has been around for 21 years. One
> of their competitors is an MPR station that launched just 6
> months ago (KCMP). Whether or not a commercial station will
> be affected by a non-commercial station has yet to be seen.
>
> I, for one, like stations that try to push the envelope, and
> not smack me around with the same tired product in a new
> package. Cities 97 was once a great commercial station in
> the mid 80's to mid 90's, but with owners thinking only of
> the bottom line, their free-form format went the way of the
> dodo.
>
> I like the fact that commercial terrestrial radio is
> reacting, but are they doing any good with this? Will we
> see Clear Channel do the satellite way of radio: take a
> strong station of said genre from New York, LA, Minneapolis,
> et al. - and simulcast on weaker stations with the same
> genre across the nation?
>
> Give me a decent AAA (KCMP, XM's The Loft), or true jazz
> station (KBEM, XM's True Jazz) any day. But then, as you
> said, I'm not radio's regular listener.
>
> And I could probably name four artists that some average
> listener today might go deep with: U2, Rolling Stones,
> Pearl Jam (iffy), and The Police/Sting.
>