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Networks

P

programmer2626

I'm a small market programmer thinking of fliping a station to smooth jazz/smooth AC. I have a few questions

1. What networks are there? Can someone give me a list with links please?
2. What is better, Smooth Jazz or Smooth AC, is there any networks that have some of both?

Thank you
 
programmer2626 said:
I'm a small market programmer thinking of fliping a station to smooth jazz/smooth AC. I have a few questions

1. What networks are there? Can someone give me a list with links please?
2. What is better, Smooth Jazz or Smooth AC, is there any networks that have some of both?

Thank you
Click to expand...

AVOID ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH BROADCAST ARCHITECTURE.
 
programmer2626 said:
Do you have any suggestions of networks to use?
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Not sure if any exist that are worthwhile, especially after Jones left. I know WZTK in NC still uses an unanchored SJ service during weekends provided by Dial Global, and the playlists still look like Jones' programming.

http://www.fmtalk1011.com/listings13588.asp

IMO just simulcast the .wav.
 
majaman78 said:
IMO just simulcast the .wav.
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You read my mind. That's what I was going to say. ;D
 
Programmer, In this day and age of smooth jazz stations going off-the-air left and right but there still being an audience for the format (just that it doesn't appeal to the PPM ratings anymore), I think it's great you're considering changing to this format. But like the prior posters said, the only "network" left is a horrible, commercialized, watered down form of the format that has no appeal to any "true" smooth jazz fans and plays more soft pop than anything else. Would it be too hard to simply load up a bunch of quality tunes in a simple automation system? I'm familiar with a tiny college radio station that does smooth jazz as their "filler" format for the past 6 years, and the guy running it has a couple thousand songs he dumped in the computer himself, he purchased a simple automation program for a hundred bucks, and bam, they've been doing quality smooth jazz for six years. May I ask what part of the country this station will be in? I guess what you do partly has to do with the area you're serving. In some areas, the BA network COULD (and I say that VERY cautiously) COULD work. But I recommend STRONGLY against it.
 
Our station is in a very small market on the West Coast, we certainly won't be getting PPM anytime soon. So this .wav network, does it have any jocks or commercials? Or is it just music? I'd kind of like something with a Smooth Jazz/Smooth AC combo, do you guys think that would work?
 
programmer2626 said:
Our station is in a very small market on the West Coast, we certainly won't be getting PPM anytime soon. So this .wav network, does it have any jocks or commercials? Or is it just music? I'd kind of like something with a Smooth Jazz/Smooth AC combo, do you guys think that would work?
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Many thanks to my friends on the board who believe I have a product worthy of being simulcasted. I am continually humbled by your kind words and unwaivering support for what I do at wavjazz.net.

Programmer2626, I will be happy to talk to you offline about my station. You can PM here or shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]

Peace,

Chris
 
Interstate 78 said:
Programmer, In this day and age of smooth jazz stations going off-the-air left and right but there still being an audience for the format (just that it doesn't appeal to the PPM ratings anymore), I think it's great you're considering changing to this format. But like the prior posters said, the only "network" left is a horrible, commercialized, watered down form of the format that has no appeal to any "true" smooth jazz fans and plays more soft pop than anything else. Would it be too hard to simply load up a bunch of quality tunes in a simple automation system? I'm familiar with a tiny college radio station that does smooth jazz as their "filler" format for the past 6 years, and the guy running it has a couple thousand songs he dumped in the computer himself, he purchased a simple automation program for a hundred bucks, and bam, they've been doing quality smooth jazz for six years. May I ask what part of the country this station will be in? I guess what you do partly has to do with the area you're serving. In some areas, the BA network COULD (and I say that VERY cautiously) COULD work. But I recommend STRONGLY against it.
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I agree. BA has ruined everything for smooth jazz radio!
 
One thing we have to avoid during our reinvention is syndication of full time formats and networks because it inevitably leads to one person/company having too much control and local people who know the music and know their markets being shut out.
I'm not talking about syndicated shows..there are excellent ones out there and they add flavor and a different perspective to a station's sound but when one person wants to go into another market and clone their concept..well..we all know what happens next. Skilled programmers are shut out and shut up and the idea pool that is necessary for growth adn evolution dries up.

There are already some people out there who want to move into other markets and put their programming on. What we need to do instead is that those who have resources should be helping people in other markets get something going, as a vehicle for a quality, locally programmed station not as a potential outlet for what they are doing. We all need to be helping each other any way we can right now and pushing people out of the way so an individual can get more power is the last thing we need. ..

Budgets are tight..it can be a small scale operation with a few people doing everything and voicetracking most shifts..but a few LOCAL people..theres a big difference between that and canned formats and voices
 
As someone who has worked with network programming for most of his career, I agree with parts of what AnotherCat says. If a station runs a network for several hours a day, it is very tempting for the local programmer to follow the network programming strategy. A lot of programmers (like myself) are afraid of jarring listeners away with a sound that is significantly different from the network hours.

On the other hand, if the network is used 24/7, there's no point in even hiring a local program director. And the network's program director has complete power. This is the ideal situation for an unrated market whose owner might rather spend money on newsroom staff than a PD and announcers.

A poster on this board recently suggested that the smooth jazz format would be most likely to survive in small and medium markets. Well, most stations in small markets employ some kind of network during the night. The problem with BA is more that they have no competition in the SJ network area, so if they screw up, all SJ affiliates have problems.

My ideal world would not have any network hours, but it is so convenient to dial in a network that I don't see a goal of eliminating the network concept standing up.
 
The problem with BA is more that they have no competition in the SJ network area, so if they screw up, all SJ affiliates have problems.
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so true..that's the problem with too much power in too few hands and in this case an organization that made sure that all the other players were knocked off the field by any means necessary.

with technology getting less costly and less complicated a very small group of people, even 2 or 3, could put a station on the air and keep it running by voicetracking most of the day ( or all if necessary) and just letting the automation run the music/voicetracks. There is undoubtedly someone in the market with format experience who has a decent music library so that would just have to be uploaded...
 
One person control is fine provided he/she has an ear for this music and recognizes that it never was designed to be a format for the masses (and that he/she is not so egotistical to think his/her way is the only way). This format is tailor made for Internet delivery to small to medium-sized market sticks with low operating budgets, and IMO, affluent and/or older demos. Profitibility is attainable with low cost delivery of the product and low overhead. Combine this with realistic revenue/ratings projections, creative and aggressive marketing, and QUALITY and IMAGINATIVE PROGRAMMING, and you have a formula for success. The problem is, as many have noted, the wrong person has been in control. And if anyone else is going to wrestle the reigns from him, it is going to take one or a few small market station owners/operators to take a leap of faith and take a chance with someone outside of the chosen one. And if tangible results can be demonstrated, then the 800-pound gorilla and his minions are yesterday's news. If you truly have a passion for this music and its future, this is what has to happen if we are ever going to see it flourish on radio anywhere again.
 
To me, what A.C. says is so logical, it's sad with 12,000 radio stations there aren't 50 or 100 of them wise enough to figure it out....so that this wonderful music can be on radio all over the country.

I've been in radio since the late 60's....both in on-air/programming, sales, and sales management. And, I've never heard a time where there's this much boring, lifeless, unimaginative programming.

Nobody's saying commercial radio has to play 3,000 tracks or have air personalities who ramble into infinity saying nothing of any relevance to any listener. This is commercial radio...not free-form. But, do we have to have the blah, cookie-cutter, cardboard tasting radio we have in 2011?
 
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