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Smooth 98.7

H

Horns

Guest
I noticed WSJT is now "Smooth 98.7" without the jazz. They seem to be playing more vocals. I haven't listened much in months, but it sounds like they've dropped the horrible smooth jazz national feed for local middays..probably voice tracked. Still doesn't sound anywhere as good as they used to sound, but they do have Alicia (one of the best) on afternoons. I don't know who the morning girl (Monica?) and midday guy are, he sounded like one of the guys from production or the AM sports station.
 
Sounds like a traditional soft ac from the 80's that really was soft and mixed currents and older stuff. Don't know if this will work. CBS did this with The WAVE in LA.
 
Agreed Horns, it sounds like production people running it when Alicia's not on. You'd think it was a Cox station with the way it sounds, but entirely better than that satellite feed with the major gaps between breaks.
 
If it were a Cox station, it would be "The NEW Smooth 98.7" for about eight years... and smooth jazz stations don't even have that long a lease on life these days...
 
The smooth jazz stations that weren't totally blown up for a different format are migrating to this sort of thing nationally. It serves some of the same listeners and is infinitely more familiar than the jazz product.
 
It may be ''smooth 98.7" on the air, but the website is still say's ''smooth jazz'' all over it.

(because they are so concerned, right?)
 
Sounds like they pulled all of the old (and good) "Smooth Jazz WSJT" jingles, leaving them with nothing but the instrumental versions on air. Wierd. I heard the morning DJ do three breaks this morning and she stumbled in each one. Probably don't want her to be live, she isn't "smooth" enough for a major market morning show, even if it is on WSJT.
 
Sounds jockless at night. I think the old satelite feed sounded better
 
Horns said:
Sounds like they pulled all of the old (and good) "Smooth Jazz WSJT" jingles, leaving them with nothing but the instrumental versions on air...
Click to expand...

The beginning of the end of smooth (jazz) in Tampa, I'm telling ya...
 
As an Urban leaning soft AC, they could get the 1150 and 1590 crowd plus add to it with some high profile programs like Tom Joyner (I know he is taken) plus a tighter sound. They could add gospel on Sunday morning. CBS does Urban AC elsewhere I think. Change the calls and make a clean start. I know they play Luther VanDross and that is the type of music they should focus on. This may not be DC or Richmond, but I think there is a market here for this format. I like Urban Soft AC if that matters.
 
Well, the do sound much more "Urban Soft AC"...except the voices don't match the branding. Alicia is great in the afternoon and still sounds great. But, the mornings and middays voices sound bad. If they brought back the great voices of Al Santana and George Nix, then you'd have the smooth/urban/AC sound that might do well.
 
I agree. WSJT sounds a lot like a COX station with maybe one professional DJ, a few college types, and a jukebox all night. I think the feed with strong personalities sounded better.
 
Well, maybe if the suits at CBS would prefer to pay people full-time salaries... the station would sound different.

As for Monica and Josh Knauer, they sound just fine. Just because somebody stumbles once doesn't mean you need to dig their radio grave.

I grow tired of people wanting to rip the new people just because the cheap corporate hacks wanted to slash a salary.
 
Hey Horns, thanks for the kind words!
:-*
As far as changing the calls.I do not believe that can be done without changing the signal. Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't the calls licensed to the frequency?
Our sister station WYUU use to be U-92 Oldies. Now it is Spanish..but still WYUU.
We are mirroring our sister station in LA. The chance has given them a bump on the ratings and we are hoping it will do the same for us here in Tampa.
In the meantime, I am happy to be employed..if they told me we were going Polka 24/7, I would break out the accordion and celebrate that I still have a gig.
 
Aliciavoice said:
As far as changing the calls.I do not believe that can be done without changing the signal. Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't the calls licensed to the frequency?
Click to expand...

Calls can be changed without changing frequency. Licensee must apply, FCC must approve.
 
Oh, ok, thanks..chances are however, they will not bother making a change of call letters based on the past.
 
Only Josh would know how to spell his last name correctly. I would have thought it started with an "N."

With that said.....

Regardless of what CBS pays, Tampa Bay is a major market and there are plenty of unemployed personalities out there who would work for less just to get back on the air. In order to be successful, WSJT must have jocks (1) who connect with the urban AC audience; (2) who know Tampa Bay; and (3) who have a major-market sound. I think that CBS's first move should be to put Alicia in morning drive. Then, bring back Al Santana to do middays and then hire someone like Marti Ryan to do afternoons. Keep nights as is, because the clock really stops at 7 pm anyway. Most people are watching TV after 7.
 
You can VT after 7PM. CBS has a really great sounding guy VT'ing from Detroit on Q105. Why not have someone from LA Vt on WSJT?
 
No, YoungGuns. that wasn't Josh who indeed spelled the named Knauer correctly..it is a former co-worker.
I would expect Josh to come back with something more "colorful"..ha! ;)
 
I forgot to mention, nights used to be our highest rated daypart. We might be watching TV, but there were plenty of people reporting that they were listening!
 
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