NEW Smooth Jazz station in Northwest Ohio

[Donald_WBWH]

Hello All,

My name is Donald Isaac - The Station/Operations Manager at WBWH-LP in Bluffton, Ohio at Bluffton University. I am proud to announce that as of this September we will be moving to an all Smooth Jazz format. The tentative name of the station will be "Smooth Jazz and Alternative 99.3 FM WBWH" (The other playlist is an Alternative one which features a mix of Triple-A and Alternative Rock - this playlist will be heard Mon.-Thurs. Nights and is a favorite of the students). During the Smooth Jazz lineup we will feature a variety of Smooth & Contemporary Jazz sprinkled with unique Smooth Vocals from a wide variety of genres and Chill music tracks. We also will make it a point to keep Smooth Jazz as the basis of the station which why we will be incorporating "The Smooth Jazz Promise" which states: (from our Wikipedia Article) "As WBWH goes through its exciting transition to The New "Smooth Jazz & Alternative 99.3 FM WBWH," it strives to keep the sounds of Smooth Jazz as the noticeable basis when the format is on the air. This means that in an hour of 14 songs for example, around 10-11 will be Smooth Jazz songs, and the other 3-4 songs will be Smooth Vocals and/or Chill music songs. WBWH does not strive to play Adult Contemporary and Urban Adult Contemporary songs as its basis as some former Smooth Jazz stations are currently doing... WBWH is looking forward to serving as Northwest Ohio's only Smooth Jazz station."

A Sample playlist during the Smooth Jazz format in a 14 song set:

"Private Party" - Pamela Williams (Smooth Jazz)
"Walk In The Night" - Kaori Kobayashi (Smooth Jazz)
"Let Me Show You" - Bob Baldwin (Smooth Jazz)
"Bluebird" - Sara Bareilles (Smooth Vocals)
"Glamourgirl" - Alex Cortiz (Chill)
"Shine" - Chieli Minucci (Smooth Jazz)
"Look Again" - Nelson Rangell (Smooth Jazz)
"By The Fireplace" - Brian Bromberg (Smooth Jazz)
"Ladyland" - Michael Lington (Smooth Jazz)
"Visions" - Marcus Miller (Smooth Jazz)
"On A Magic Carpet Ride" - Gabriella Cilmi (Smooth Vocals)
"Just As You Are" - Everette Harp (Smooth Jazz)
"One More Chance" - Art Porter/Lalah Hathaway (Smooth Jazz+Vocals)
"Mainstream" - Soulstance (Chill)

-We are looking into streaming possibilities - it is a big goal of ours to get an online stream up very soon. Please contact me directly at [email protected] for any questions you might have about the station. Thank you and please spread the word about our new station.

-Coverage Area: Radio Locator does a pretty good job on this map but the signal can be heard past Findlay, OH toward the NE and past Lima, OH toward the SE in good conditions and with either a high end home radio or car radio.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WBWH&service=FL&status=L&hours=U

Donald Isaac Jr.
Smooth Jazz & Alternative 99.3 FM WBWH Operations Manager at Bluffton University
Host of "The Chillout Sessions" - Northwest Ohio's first home for Smooth Jazz, Smooth Vocals, and Chill Music

WBWH Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBWH
"Chillout Sessions" Info: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-C...nald-Isaac-Radio-Show/162209370464049?sk=info

 

[Limp73]

I have been listening whenever I'm in that area...since about a year or so ago. I'm impressed with your signal on I-75 reaching eastward past Findlay towards Vanlue where the signal is gone. (I on occasions drive to Carey and listen) Wasn't sure what your format really was since I have heard everything from big band in the morning to new rock in the afternoons when heading back towards Lima. Hope the EtCetera Shop has your station on...I stop there on occasions to pick up anything I need that is electronic.

Now you have a definate format (and when you start streaming) you WILL pick up a following. I strongly recommend listening to KJAZZ (KKJZ) out of Long Beach,California for some inspiration and pick up on some of the stuff they do...a great jazz and blues station.

http://www.jazzandblues.org

 

[Donald_WBWH]

Thanks for listening! Yes, the format has been Big Band/Adult Standards/Classic Mainstream Jazz in the mornings and afternoons and Alternative in the evenings/nighttime. This was before I took over as station manager. I also wanted to let you know about my show, called "The Chillout Sessions" where I play Smooth Jazz with a few Smooth Vocals and Chill music tracks. Check out the Facebook page below about the show for more info. We will try to get as many local businesses on board as possible to play our station, I'll keep you posted. There will be an effort to spread the word about the new format.

I can send you a copy of our predicted schedule for this year and an archived edition of my show, if you give me your e-mail.

As for KJazz 88.1 out of Southern California - I have listened to them before, they do have a great station. They seem to be a little less of a pure Smooth Jazz station and more of a Mainstream/Pure/Contemporary Station. But rest assured, that artists like Chick Corea, Brian Bromberg, The Crusaders, Jason Miles and other artists that are not typically played on commercial Smooth Jazz stations WILL indeed be mixed in during the Smooth Jazz lineup on WBWH.

I like 106.3 The Seabreeze WSBZ out of Ft. Walton Beach, FL - they have a nice Smooth Jazz lineup (www.seabreeze.fm) and also WBGO out of Newark, NJ/New York City Area (www.wbgo.org) for a more mainstream feel.

We are trying to get streaming online very soon, I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for listening!

Donald Isaac Jr.
Smooth Jazz & Alternative 99.3 FM WBWH Operations Manager at Bluffton University
Host of "The Chillout Sessions" - Northwest Ohio's first home for Smooth Jazz, Smooth Vocals, and Chill Music

WBWH Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBWH
"Chillout Sessions" Info: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-C...nald-Isaac-Radio-Show/162209370464049?sk=info

 

[Limp73]

Great! I'll be here waiting to hear from you. Also I hope you can have your own domain for the station without having to search it out when on www.bluffton.edu

How does "993wbwh.org" sound? (unless it's been taken already)

Or at least "bluffton.edu/wbwh"

Limp73
a diehard fan of Buddy Rich,Jean Luc Ponty and Diana Krall

 

[WRPO]

Best of luck with smooth jazz..we tried it for about a year and fell flat. Gone to oldies now and doing great.

 

[wilson1000]

i would re-image the "oldies" phrase and use classic hits! i did love when WRPO was smooth jazz.

 

[Donald_WBWH]

Limp 73 - When we get streaming up it will be on our blufftonconnection.com website which brings together all of the media resources of our university.

WRPO - The smooth jazz sound should work seeing as we will be the only station in NW Ohio playing it, our sound will be unlike any other station in the region.

 

[wilson1000]

jazz = real music

 

[WRPO]

It should work for a while..didn't work for us. Best of luck !

 

[KFodor]

i would re-image the "oldies" phrase and use classic hits! i did love when WRPO was smooth jazz.

No need to. The public up there calls it an "oldies" station. It's 50's to 80's. And it's widely accepted. Been growing steadily in local popularity and underwriting now for 2 years, despite its limited signal. (Underwriting has come from places like Wapakoneta and Lima...and several Bellefontaine businesses have come on board.) In fact, one letter writer to the station said WRPO "compares favorably to the stations in Dayton and Cincinnati".

Unfortunately, the Smooth Jazz format did not work well for the station. (I'll back WRPO on that!) But, the format's niche appeal on a higher powered non-com could get it a decent following, so I wish the folks up in Toledo well...

 

[KFodor]

One quick modification to my last post:

I was thinking the station up north was a higher powered non-comm, not an LP. My bad.

But still, it all depends on what research Donald has done into his listening area. If, in fact, he can locate a good pocket of Jazz fans in that area, he may find the listening and support he needs.

WRPO did some of what I would call "poor man's research" prior to going oldies. But, it was still very valid research based on the way it was done. It clearly indicated an oldies format was what was preferred by residents of that listening area. If Donald has done something like that or something similar, the smooth jazz station or hybrid could work.

I would caution, though...that researching your format idea to some extent is a good idea. Just because "no one's doing it", doesn't automatically mean it will work. Smooth Jazz is an acquired taste, a "niche" format. An LP-FM is a restricted signal. You've got to have enough jazz fans in a 7 to 12 mile radius of your transmitter for your format to work. Radio, unfortunately, is not necessarily a business that succeeds using the theory, "if we build it, they will come".

Donald: There's lots of ways to do this research...if you're interested, e-mail me through the boards here, and I'll be glad to tell you some ways to do it.

 

[stereolane]

I listened the other night on I-75. Liked the music until I heard some sort of trainwreck segue from Smooth Jazz into something that certainly was NOT smooth jazz... After that, the corn-pone announcer who wouldn't shut up after that caused me to stop listening altogether.

I worked with the Smooth Jazz format, and had the misfortune of watching Broadcast Architecture screw the entire format.

A few tips:

*What we know as "Smooth Jazz" should not, under any circumstances, be blended with big band or classical music.

*Smooth Jazz blends well with "blued eyed soul" artists, R&B, New Age (remember the Narada label from Milwaukee? or Windham Hill?) and "chill music" (the UK band "Zero 7" is a good example of chill)

*Funny guys yukking it up will only infuriate your already lean audience, who are there to escape that sort of thing in the first place.

I wish you well with your new station, and will listen again.

 

[Donald_WBWH]

stereolane - Hello and thanks for listening, we have not switched over to the smooth jazz format just yet. The time you listened, you probably heard our loop, this contains old overplayed songs (our old format, before I took over as operations manager was Big Band/Classic Jazz/Adult Standards) and too many interruptions as you noted which is why we are switching it very soon. We are actually in the midst of getting a new system worked out. It won't be at least for another 2-4 weeks until we switch over to the smooth jazz format. During the Smooth Jazz playlist we'll have Smooth Jazz as the basis, sprinkled with Smooth Vocals from a wide variety of artists (including blue-eyed soul artists) and also Chill music. If you can give me your e-mail, I will certainly keep you updated on our progress. Thanks again and remember - major changes are coming!
Also: you can catch Smooth Jazz, Smooth Vocals and Chill music on my show every Sunday Night at 7 on my show: The Chillout Sessions, here is a link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chillout-Sessions-with-Donald-Isaac-Radio-Show/162209370464049

 

[Donald_WBWH]

Hello everyone, I wanted to update our process here at WBWH on switching to the Smooth Jazz format. We are currently in the process of building our Smooth Jazz library and also installing a new scheduling system (MusicGen). I have gotten a tremendous response from SJ artists and their labels on help with building the library. I am optimistic that we can air the new format within 2-4 weeks from now. There is still a lot of work to do including possibly streaming online as well. The base playlist that I first listed on here is still going to be how our Smooth Jazz station will sound. We will also make it a point to get artists on our station that normally don't get much if any airplay on commercial stations (examples that have already been on my show include: (J. White, Michael J Thomas and John Hopkins Jr.). If anyone has any suggestions or questions, please e-mail me and I will be glad to get back with you.

I also wanted to let everyone know that my show "The Chillout Sessions with Donald Isaac" will premiere on trumpeter David Well's Chocolate Jazz Radio Website either this weekend or next. I will let everyone know the times as soon as I know. Of course, if you are in the area, you can still listen on WBWH Sundays at 7pm. For now please visit my show's Facebook Page for playlist info and updates: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chillout-Sessions-with-Donald-Isaac-Radio-Show/162209370464049
and here is a link to Chocolate Jazz Online Radio: http://chocolatejazzradio.com/. Now anyone will able to hear the show nationally and worldwide.

Also, we will be picking up David's "Chocolate Jazz with David Wells & Friends" Radio Show here on WBWH as part of our Sunday night lineup, it will air after my show at 9:00 pm.

P.S. - Jason, I would like to get in contact with you but I could not get your e-mail address. My e-mail is [email protected]
Cell: (937)-750-1147.

 

[radiogrrl77]

--Snip--

I like 106.3 The Seabreeze WSBZ out of Ft. Walton Beach, FL - they have a nice Smooth Jazz lineup (www.seabreeze.fm) ....

--Snip--

Seem to remember that WSBZ was running the Syndicated "Smooth Jazz Network" just as was WQJZ in Ocean City, MD and others... But I love it. Another to listen to is WGRV in Melbourne, FL. They stream online at http://www.thegroove.org They are really great.

 

[Donald_WBWH]

RadioGrrl - Yes! I also listen to WGRV, they do a great job - might be the only station in the US that really is a PURE Smooth Jazz station.

 

[Limp73]

Donald:

Started listening online this past weekend.

Best wishes.

 

[steve82655]

We could use a smooth Jazz station in Toledo.

 

[Donald_WBWH]

We could use a smooth Jazz station in Toledo.

I wish we were able to reach all the way up there, but our signal is VERY small (about 66 watts). I don't know if you know about the options around NW Ohio for Smooth Jazz but WDFM/Mix 98.1 out of Defiance (I don't know if you can get this in Toledo, but we can here in Bluffton) runs The Dave Koz Radio Show on Sundays at 10/am. Of course, since you are from Toledo, I'm sure you know about 101.5 The River's Jazz Brunch on Sunday Morning (which is more modern mainstream Jazz instead of Smooth Jazz). There is also a Smooth Jazz show done on weekdays out of Toledo - "The Mike Scott Jazz Show" on 1230 WCWA AM from 6-10/am. That's all I know of up here in NW Ohio, other than our station.

 

[steve82655]

We could use a smooth Jazz station in Toledo.

I wish we were able to reach all the way up there, but our signal is VERY small (about 66 watts). I don't know if you know about the options around NW Ohio for Smooth Jazz but WDFM/Mix 98.1 out of Defiance (I don't know if you can get this in Toledo, but we can here in Bluffton) runs The Dave Koz Radio Show on Sundays at 10/am. Of course, since you are from Toledo, I'm sure you know about 101.5 The River's Jazz Brunch on Sunday Morning (which is more modern mainstream Jazz instead of Smooth Jazz). There is also a Smooth Jazz show done on weekdays out of Toledo - "The Mike Scott Jazz Show" on 1230 WCWA AM from 6-10/am. That's all I know of up here in NW Ohio, other than our station.

Yeah I wish you could reach up here to. Smooth Jazz would be a nice change of music in this stale market ! I work in maumee on sunday morning's untill 10 am. I can get 98.1 in maumee great to I 475 to Toledo,oh still decent untill airport & angola road then start's to break up. When I get to airport and south by my house it's pretty much gone. 98.1 die's quickly as you'r driving into the heart of Toledo. Yes love the Dave Koz radio show very very nice radio program! Well put together! He is a pro! 101.5 The River's Jazz Brunch its not bad im more smooth jazz. Mike scott i keep forgetting about the show.