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REMOVAL OF "J" WORD APPARENT ON KWJZ SEATTLE

C

cklw800

Guest
The evolution to Smooth AC gets physical. Listening to their stream I notice the jocks saying "98.9 KWJZ". No "Smooth Jazz" mention at all from them. Some promos are saying "Smooth 98.9" and "This is smooth..." as well. I haven't heard the word "jazz" in two hours of listening except for possibly dated promos running on the stream. Some parts of the website there is "98.9 KWJZ". I'm sure you'll see it disappearing more and more on the site. We'll see more of this across the board. But these guys are local and so far seem "BA Network"-proof with decent ratings and hopefully good revenue. Great music too! Will the BA Network follow in removing the "j" word? If the local affiliates want to do it, the network may have to or there will be a conflict. But if BA does it they'll rule so all of the affiliates drop the word.
 
I didn't even use the "J" word in my brunch show on a hot A/C back when everyone was using it all over the place. It scared away the listeners I was cultivating! The stuff that "real people" like isn't jazz, its instrumental pop/rock/R&B. "Jazz" used to have a lot of snob baggage attached from the straightahead side - inaccessability, soloing for the sake of soloing, long improv passages and too academic/scholarly. Now it not only has that baggage, it has the baggage from the "smooth jazz" side - elevator music and grandparent music. There aren't that many original instrumentals left in the corporate format but the ones that are played will benefit from removal of the label. In the early 90s when Koz and Dulfer were crossing over and I was playing them on A/C we never called them jazz! We treated them like any other pop song we played, and the listeners latched onto them in that context.

Actually, if it wasn't for the J word being hung on all instrumentals the "fear of jazz" would not have applied to all these fabulous pop instrumental songs and they would not have been phased out of the format to such an extent. Calling them "jazz" made it sound like they were as esoteric as a Wynton Marsalis track and people who didn't know any better reacted accordingly and became afraid they would scare listeners off. Dumping the J word and playing the music might yield surprising results..Seattle plays more original instrumentals than most format stations. BA will dump the J word and dump the music too

So BA gets points for giving the idea enough legitimacy that people who were already thinking along those lines now feel validated and can go ahead and do it. Everybody that still has a job right now is scared to think for themselves, doing so without credible corporate validation could put you on the beach with all your former peers. Only thing is that this is not moving the format closer to it's adult alternative/NAC roots, it's moving it toward ultra-lite A/C. The "you did end up becoming your parents" format. :eek:

I seem to recall WLOQ dropping the J word for some period of time a few years ago but then bringing it back.
 
This has been touched on in other posts and I believe that Seattle is just the tip of the berg. Please don't give BA credit for anything but being able to sense a trend or idea long after it's time has come. They claim to have come up with the term "smooth jazz" through research projects at WNUA even though I remember others using it long before that. They didn't even come up with the format because people like Steve Huntington and others had this going on long before the WAVE came on in LA. This thought process has been active for at least 4-5 years now and it has creedence with the advent of PPM coming to markets. The last 4 years of ARB programmers packages I saw for my station always had the call letters and frequency way above the "smooth jazz" label in recall. It appears the new PPM data is showing the same results. In fact, you can get away with more if you don't label what you are doing. I have the experience that "jazz" either scares the new listener away because they don't want Miles or the jazz nazi doesn't think you're playing any Miles and that crap you have on the air just sucks. It's damn if you do and damn if you don't. BA wants the identifier to go away if they are to make their switch to smooth AC as they call it. They want less instrumentals and more vocals. Listen to Love 94 in Miami. They've been that way for a couple of years now. In BA's mind, they are building the hip EZ listening station for the future. It's a soft vocal based AC that will play 3-4 instrumentals an hour max. I have the memos to prove it! My web demo/site and any specialty show I've ever done has no mention of smooth or jazz. Create your tempo and texture with commerical appeal and variety and you may have a winner. Hopefully when BA makes their changes the format can come back to the programmers who not only care but can make it happen.
 
Bill Harmonic said:
This has been touched on in other posts and I believe that Seattle is just the tip of the berg. Please don't give BA credit for anything but being able to sense a trend or idea long after it's time has come. They claim to have come up with the term "smooth jazz" through research projects at WNUA even though I remember others using it long before that. They didn't even come up with the format because people like Steve Huntington and others had this going on long before the WAVE came on in LA. This thought process has been active for at least 4-5 years now and it has creedence with the advent of PPM coming to markets. The last 4 years of ARB programmers packages I saw for my station always had the call letters and frequency way above the "smooth jazz" label in recall. It appears the new PPM data is showing the same results. In fact, you can get away with more if you don't label what you are doing. I have the experience that "jazz" either scares the new listener away because they don't want Miles or the jazz nazi doesn't think you're playing any Miles and that crap you have on the air just sucks. It's damn if you do and damn if you don't. BA wants the identifier to go away if they are to make their switch to smooth AC as they call it. They want less instrumentals and more vocals. Listen to Love 94 in Miami. They've been that way for a couple of years now. In BA's mind, they are building the hip EZ listening station for the future. It's a soft vocal based AC that will play 3-4 instrumentals an hour max. I have the memos to prove it! My web demo/site and any specialty show I've ever done has no mention of smooth or jazz. Create your tempo and texture with commerical appeal and variety and you may have a winner. Hopefully when BA makes their changes the format can come back to the programmers who not only care but can make it happen.
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Love 94 mid 80's is what hooked me. What an unbelievable station it was back then.

Nock
 
Nock...Stations in the early to mid 80's, like Love 94 (Their PD Rich McMillan is a good friend and has forgotten more than anyone in BA knows) and many others, I think were the reason many of us got hooked on this wonderful format. They were great radio stations that went beyond the basics to showcase a new form of music and entertainment. They knew their audience had some brains and they played to that strength. Just like Burkhart/Abrams (the other BA) did to AOR, Broadcast Architechure (our BA) has done to smooth jazz. I am very upset on how far away from the original focus we have gotten and that's because those who moved it did not have the same love and appreciation we do. None of them have the history in perspective or experience and could care less. For them it's all about the bottom line, how to get there and what to cut to make that model work. I believe many of us share the belief that we can once again regain that spirit and programming from that time period that gave us such a great listening experience and create a new sound that will once again excite and entertain.
 
What kills me is somewhere the BA machine is sitting back looking at us maybe even reading this and thinking they know better and they are winning. What they are blind to is they are driving it into the ground. I have tried to listen to BA on line. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! I once spoke to Frank Cody (BA Mafia) when he was pushing the "chill" sound. I was not impressed.

Nock
 
You don't have to be impressed. BA is a group of bean counters and research geeks. The vast majority of their staff don't get it. Never had and never will. What they do get is that they want stations to use their consultant services at "X" (2k per month and up) amount per market and then if you really want their attention, you'll sign on for at least two mix-master music tests at 30k a pop. They would perfer at least three tests a year and if you do all four then they might consider you worthy. They have no interest in the history of the format. In fact they will tell you that's the problem. Everybody before them had it wrong and their research will show you the promised land. No one there will ever admit that they have been fired from more stations than you can imagine. Their research is black and white. There is no gray area and no room for the human element. Research should be a tool to help you make your way down the road.  For BA, it's the divine word from California that they sell. I worked with this organization three times in the last twelve years because they kept coming back to the higher ups and I kept seeing the holes in their thought process. It's like trying to reason with your ex-wife. Logic is the silver bullet but be very careful because they will turn it around (like their research) to match their agenda. Look at BA through the fable of the Emporer's new clothers. He's (GM's and owners) been con into buying the invisible suit and told how good it looks. Everyone else sees that the guy is naked and ugly. BA not only thinks they are winning but are laughing all the way to the wreck. They've painted the format into a corner and their way out is simple. One...create a network with those big names that can't do the job and then sell that idea to those who will not put anything into the format locally but BA says the network will do everything for you. Big names, cut your overhead and a free music list every week that never changes. I'd rather have the set of steak knives please. Your GM or owner will believe it because the experts told them so and they really don't know any better. Great Suit! Is that new? Two...for those not on the network or have someone with an ounce of sense, start to move into a more "vocal" direction because they believe that the vocals are the most important part of the pie. The vocals will flavor your direction but playing more AC music just makes you more AC, so the word jazz has to go and the mix has to change. And if the PD balks then just go to the GM or owner and sell them the new suit. They will tell your management that you are not a team player and not on board. I have said all along that I want them to work their way out of the format as soon as possible. Make the change already! Get out now! What are you waiting for? Then maybe those of us who do care and want to create viable commerical product that will fill a void in a market will get the chance to do so. So many good people, so little time but that new suit is looking sharp!
 
The other part I don't get is the legalized payola they have running with Rendezvous Records? Do you see those artists struggling to get played? I have mentioned before that I have a good friend known in the cjazz world about to release a great project and he can't figure out how to break the BA mold. He is not the only one to ask me that question.

Truely Sad that they have to fight that instead of catching someones ear and getting spun.

I guess you are correct, Let them run it into the ground and we can come behind with this "new" format :) Much rather follow the losing football coach than have to follow Bill Belichek when he leaves.

Nock
 
Hey Nock! Good point. And Bill/Phil...point on! I had mentioned in another thread a while back that the BA artist-hosts are the new payola. I had mentioned that their projects will never suck. They will make the BA Network head's countdown show and will be promoted via the network, the individual stations and of course R&R. Maybe we can go with this for a new thread to see other opinions vs. taking the chance of it being hidden within this thread about the "J" word. Maybe we can call the new thread The "P" Word. But for many musicians even not in the format this would and should be a concern.
 
Well here you have it. Just received the advance on the new Kenny G.

Promo piece with it says " Impacting Smooth AC 1/28/08"

Nock
 
What they do get is that they want stations to use their consultant services at "X" (2k per month and up) amount per market and then if you really want their attention, you'll sign on for at least two mix-master music tests at 30k a pop.
Click to expand...

And that is one reason stations can't afford to pay live air talent...sigh... Most decent sized markets already have a heritage A/C, a heritage Urban A/C or in some cases both. When the playlists overlap by 75% or so these stations may lose their core listeners who came for SJ and not be able to pull new ones because the local A/Cs are better at what they do and usually have skilled local talent at least in drive time.

Bill H. just summed it up incredibly a few posts above. I never worked with BA's smooth jazz consultancy but they did some research and consulting for an A/C station I worked for during a time when we were owned by the same company. They were very condescending and treated us like we were stupid roobs, presumably because we were from the south, not LA or some east coast private school grads, and our station was a recent acquisition. Upon implementing their suggestions and music we lost 50% of our listeners in 2 books. In another situation I had a brunch show that cumed more in 4 hours than their station did 6a-12m so they labeled me a "jazz purist" because I played Rippingtons/AA/Chaquico and such ??? The actual local jazz police were cringing on that one! Last year I wrote a column on Brunch Shows for an online A/C radio site. One of the BA honchos zipped off a nastygram to the editor suggesting that if they were going to write about SJ they use someone who "knows what they are doing" like Alan Kepler or P. Goldstein. What I'm getting at here, which affirms what Bill H said, is that they took over the playing field and closed it down, leaving a very small group of players - and they did/do this by discrediting or supressing any free exchange of ideas or any success stories that are not related to them. If you don't parrot their party line you are simply an idiot who doesn't know what they are talking about. Since corporate radio operates from a fear of losing rather than a drive to win, these guys are extremely successful at feeding those fears..including the fear of contemporary instrumental music (which has the J word hung on it). In an ideal world you wouldn't have to resort to tactics like these to be successful, your work and your success stories would speak for themselves. But we don't live in an ideal world.

There is some incredible and extremely accessible music being created by the artists who used to get airplay in this format. It's being phased out here but it will pop up somewhere else because people do really love it when they hear it in the right context (not presented ponderously or put on the jazz pedestal, but with a sense of fun and excitement. I don't know if it will be on the radio though, partly because of the fear of music ethos at the corporate level and partly because nobody is listening anymore. They have it playing in the background but rarely are they listening. Why should they, it's just another computer.
 
Always remember as we go through this down cycle with smooth jazz music that another will start back up in the future. It's up to everyone to see the big picture and that is that radio is not the only place to present this type of music. The future is all about content and choice, which is another whole post on why terrestrial radio is in such deep doo doo. The delivery systems are becoming more convenient and they are starting to merge together. If you believe that this music is a keeper, then get your show or stream or program or whatever together and start to sell it, air it or whatever. Sounds like we have enough passion and skill to make it work in one form or another and in a couple of weeks, I will ask you to listen and give me your opinion on what I'm trying to get off the ground (this probably qualifies me as totally crazy or completely off my meds). BA has done just about everything they can to ruin the good thing and they will be moving on to bigger and better projects in the near future. If that so called "new music" show featuring Al Kempler, along with him doing an airshift, isn't the caboose on the 800 pound train, then I don't know what is. I believe I can safely say that the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer that train. Even if it is, then it's time to stand up and stand out because there's room for all of us. I can remember back to listening in the late 70's to this new group on the scene called Spyro Gyra and wondering why there wasn't more of this and if there was, where can I hear it! Smooth jazz has gone "underground" for the most part. Artists are back on small labels or doing it themselves. Good programmers and players are on speciality shows or the internet or where ever. But it's still here no matter how hard BA or the bozos like them have messed with it. It's now up to those of us who talk the talk to now walk this baby into the near future. I can't look at BA for what they've done, but only for the chance and opportunity to do it better. We know the music is still out there. We know there are plenty of people who can put it together. I'm looking forward to hearing new things and new ways to present them. We are so blessed to be in the position to make this work once again.
 
re: the above...YES!!!! BH so nailed it again!
I see a lot of discouragement, especially among downsized industry people and musicians who have not passed through the BA filter, which is most of them. It mostly comes from not seeing beyond the "old paradigm". For musicians that was get signed-release a CD-let the label get you airplay and get you on the charts-then people will go to the record store and buy your music and you can tour. For radio and label folk it is omigod I don't have a company logo on my business card so I have nothing to offer. Old rules that no longer apply.-There are so many things that people can do with the skills that they learned while they were in radio, worked for labels, writing for trades that folded, and so on. Radio is a small player in the new fragmented world. The idea that there is only one approach that will work is also as archaic as shoulder pads and leg warmers. The music is thriving underground and artists are beginning to see that they will not be getting airplay anyway so they might as well go ahead and play for their audiences. As I said above, there is some awesome music out there and it is up to all of us to use the talents and resources that we have to get it out there.

It doesn't matter if you have an arms long list of credentials, an impressively padded resume, or anything else that was conisidered a "credential" in the Old World. Passion matters a whole lot more than "professionalism" and being interesting matters a lot more than being polished. Welcome to the new game...come in and play!
 
Bill is so right about the fact that we need to be going to the web, or whatever venue we can, and start doing it ourselves and start creating the next wave of programming based on contemporary instrumentals and smart, non generic vocals. The bad news is SoundExchange and the RIAA are doing their best to make it financially prohibitive. I had to pull my internet station off because of the threat of looming royalty payments, the money just isn't there and as someone who was doing it as a sideline - a way to share music and demo another approach, I was not going to start selling ads, generating revenue and having to deal with the paperwork/IRS etc..plus then you are "commercial" and have to pay the higher royalty rates. Now because of these royalties starting up even on a shared server is getting costly. This is of course a big other can of worms and sooner or later the old guys at the labels are going to have to give in to the digital revolution but it is hurting our artists because it is the only exposure they are going to get.
 
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