The "Jack Syndrome"

[StangBuddy]

I'm tired of "Jack"! It's not a new formatic approach people. This concept is really nothing more than a re-worked version of about three or four AC-type schemes featuring big songs that are well researched to fit within certain parameters. With the exception of liberal talk on the AM dial courtesy of Air America, there hasn't been a completely new formatic breakthrough since the pre-consolidation era brought us sports radio, triple-A and various forms of alternative.

It's been so long since these corporate weasels got creative and now they come up with some concept called "Jack"! And everyone all over the radio universe is holding there breath to see whether this "Jack" thing enters there market..and can break a 2 share.

If you're a talent waiting for the next big thing well "Jack" ain't it. No morning show, shifts, weather, news or even traffic reports (at least in most markets). It's the same thing that you and I can create at home with a laptop, I-Pod or whatever...

Basically "Jack" says I can pick the songs better than your "shuffle" can! That's it. And the only reason why it ain't in Albany on some class A right now is because some corporate programming types are basically too lazy, or wimpy, to flip it. It's just another AC that stands a very good chance of being even more boring than Y-95.5.

Once again radio will discover that lame, jockless, outlets and thoughtless concepts will find there way, eventually, twords the trash bin. With Infinity in NYC for instance they have not one but two FM signals (101.1 and 102.7) that are in transition till the next drone floats a memo with another braindead scheme. It took guts to take out CBS-FM but to think that this is anything other than some stopgap measure designed to pump up sales through 2005-2007 is a pipedream.

"Jack" is a symptom not a creation. Fire away.

 

[Mediabrat]

I find it interesting that you're bashing the Jack format while also trashing Albany programmers for not picking it up. "The format sucks... but Albany sucks worse for not jumping on the bandwagon!"

The only thing is, I don't see anyone here flipping to Jack anytime soon. Of all the likely candidates, there's reasons why each of them would want to stay where they are. The only station I can think of that might do it anytime soon is The River, and that's only because they're due for a shakeup and they've been pretty much a Jack since they started, albeit female-focused and without the requisite Jack attitude.

Some here will likely laugh, but I'd keep an eye on The Edge starting next year. Something tells me the loss of Howard will set 103.5/103.9 adrift.

Also, does anyone know for sure what WNYQ will do once the move is complete? It's looking more and more like Froggy's staying where it is, so in my mind, 105.7 is ripe for a flip to Jack.

 

[Barbaloot]

Finally

Someone is making sense. I thought I was the only one who was scratching my head about the, "If we throw it all against the wall, some of it will stick" approach to radio. Jack is basically an admission that you have failed at relating to your audience. It is the marketing of it that concerns me. If they "Jack" everyone to death, it will be memorable when the diaries roll out. If "Jack" is top of mind, it does not matter how much they suck. Sad when you think about it. In the end, I would rather do good radio and relate to listeners, but then again, radio has never been about money for me.

> I'm tired of "Jack"! It's not a new formatic approach
> people. This concept is really nothing more than a re-worked
> version of about three or four AC-type schemes featuring big
> songs that are well researched to fit within certain
> parameters. With the exception of liberal talk on the AM
> dial courtesy of Air America, there hasn't been a completely
> new formatic breakthrough since the pre-consolidation era
> brought us sports radio, triple-A and various forms of
> alternative.
>
> It's been so long since these corporate weasels got creative
> and now they come up with some concept called "Jack"! And
> everyone all over the radio universe is holding there breath
> to see whether this "Jack" thing enters there market..and
> can break a 2 share.
>
> If you're a talent waiting for the next big thing well
> "Jack" ain't it. No morning show, shifts, weather, news or
> even traffic reports (at least in most markets). It's the
> same thing that you and I can create at home with a laptop,
> I-Pod or whatever...
>
> Basically "Jack" says I can pick the songs better than your
> "shuffle" can! That's it. And the only reason why it ain't
> in Albany on some class A right now is because some
> corporate programming types are basically too lazy, or
> wimpy, to flip it. It's just another AC that stands a very
> good chance of being even more boring than Y-95.5.
>
> Once again radio will discover that lame, jockless, outlets
> and thoughtless concepts will find there way, eventually,
> twords the trash bin. With Infinity in NYC for instance they
> have not one but two FM signals (101.1 and 102.7) that are
> in transition till the next drone floats a memo with another
> braindead scheme. It took guts to take out CBS-FM but to
> think that this is anything other than some stopgap measure
> designed to pump up sales through 2005-2007 is a pipedream.
>
> "Jack" is a symptom not a creation. Fire away.
>

 

[Andrew_MacKenzie]

PLEASE save us from the Jack attack.

I hope NO stations in Albany pick it up. If you want to listen to a poorly programmed station, then do it on your home computer or iPod and spare the rest of us!

But if I were to speculate who'd pick it up, I wouldn't guess The River only because that's one of the bigger billers in the area already and Jack wouldn't do anything to increase that. Plus, I dont know if this is true everywhere but I don't see too many (if any) CC stations around the country picking up the format. I could see a dumbass move like killing off WTRY's heritage format in the same fashion that the jackballs at Infinity did with CBS-FM.

The Edge? They'll undoubtedly flip to something after Stern goes since their other dayparts are in the toilet, but I don't think they'll gamble on Jack either. FM Talk perhaps... again we can only speculate.

We were talking about the Pamal situation today at lunch and I threw out the possibilty of Jack on 105.7. If that comes to fruition, it'll be a terrible waste of a decent signal. But, Froggy on 105.7 could finally deliver an unduckable punch to GNA. Since they already have the Froggy branding and Pamal is looking to unload the GF cluster soon, they may want to keep the property for themselves and 105.7 is the only place they could realisticly put it. I'm really at a loss to know what's going on inside the walls at 6 Johnson Rd.
Then again, when I hear Mike Morgan tracking on WENU, thats pretty much a sign that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are saddling up and setting to ride so anything seems possible at Pamal these days.

Levine has enough smarts to know the Jack won't work on either of his signals so that counts out Galaxy right there, and we all know AMG wont flip their FM for anything so count out The Star.

Who's left to take Jack outside of Pamal? Again, I hope nobody...

 

[Oldiesmike101]

Andrew, I agree with you about Jack Format, i don't want it either in Albany. I can't see CC killing wtry like Infinity did with WCBS-FM i don't think i can take another oldies station loss since i was a long time loyal listener to CBSFM even after i moved from nyc to shenectady since they were aol. If anything CC should bring in Dave Logan former PD Of CBSFM to run WTRY and pay him the money. He would probably do a great job with it too. I always liked his idea for playing 60s and 70s and 80s 1 60s song, then 1 70s song, then 1 60s then one 70s or 80s, Dave knew how to program an oldies format. If someone like Infinity or another company wanted to put that Jack Format here for god knows why, i would say let them do it to WDCD 96.7FM since its some kind of religious format and harldy anyone probably listen to that, plus there will be no decent format that generates money killed off for something stupid like Jack.

> PLEASE save us from the Jack attack.
>
> I hope NO stations in Albany pick it up. If you want to
> listen to a poorly programmed station, then do it on your
> home computer or iPod and spare the rest of us!
>
> But if I were to speculate who'd pick it up, I wouldn't
> guess The River only because that's one of the bigger
> billers in the area already and Jack wouldn't do anything to
> increase that. Plus, I dont know if this is true everywhere
> but I don't see too many (if any) CC stations around the
> country picking up the format. I could see a dumbass move
> like killing off WTRY's heritage format in the same fashion
> that the jackballs at Infinity did with CBS-FM.
>
> The Edge? They'll undoubtedly flip to something after Stern
> goes since their other dayparts are in the toilet, but I
> don't think they'll gamble on Jack either. FM Talk
> perhaps... again we can only speculate.
>
> We were talking about the Pamal situation today at lunch and
> I threw out the possibilty of Jack on 105.7. If that comes
> to fruition, it'll be a terrible waste of a decent signal.
> But, Froggy on 105.7 could finally deliver an unduckable
> punch to GNA. Since they already have the Froggy branding
> and Pamal is looking to unload the GF cluster soon, they may
> want to keep the property for themselves and 105.7 is the
> only place they could realisticly put it. I'm really at a
> loss to know what's going on inside the walls at 6 Johnson
> Rd.
> Then again, when I hear Mike Morgan tracking on WENU, thats
> pretty much a sign that the four horsemen of the apocalypse
> are saddling up and setting to ride so anything seems
> possible at Pamal these days.
>
> Levine has enough smarts to know the Jack won't work on
> either of his signals so that counts out Galaxy right there,
> and we all know AMG wont flip their FM for anything so count
> out The Star.
>
> Who's left to take Jack outside of Pamal? Again, I hope
> nobody...
>

 

[FMAM]

Re: The \\\"Jack Syndrome\\\"

The

> only station I can think of that might do it anytime soon is

> The River, and that\\\'s only because they\\\'re due for a shakeup

> and they\\\'ve been pretty much a Jack since they started,

> albeit female-focused and without the requisite Jack

> attitude.



The River does extremely well, already...why fxxk with it???



> Some here will likely laugh, but I\\\'d keep an eye on The Edge

> starting next year. Something tells me the loss of Howard

> will set 103.5/103.9 adrift.



Seems unlikely, WQBK has been a full time rock station, for 30 years, since 1975. First as the \\\"Progressive 104\\\", later on as Q-104, and as \\\"The Edge\\\" for the past 10 years.



> Also, does anyone know for sure what WNYQ will do once the

> move is complete? It\\\'s looking more and more like Froggy\\\'s

> staying where it is, so in my mind, 105.7 is ripe for a flip

> to Jack.



That would be sad. The \\\"Classic Hits\\\" format, has been a really nice addition, to the airwaves, for the past six months....

 

[TenForty]

Re: Finally

Whe you stop and think about it, "Jack" has already been and gone from the Albany market. It was called "Rock 99" (bing bing bing WGFMMMMMMMM).


> Someone is making sense. I thought I was the only one who
> was scratching my head about the, "If we throw it all
> against the wall, some of it will stick" approach to radio.
> Jack is basically an admission that you have failed at
> relating to your audience. It is the marketing of it that
> concerns me. If they "Jack" everyone to death, it will be
> memorable when the diaries roll out. If "Jack" is top of
> mind, it does not matter how much they suck. Sad when you
> think about it. In the end, I would rather do good radio
> and relate to listeners, but then again, radio has never
> been about money for me.
>
> > I'm tired of "Jack"! It's not a new formatic approach
> > people. This concept is really nothing more than a
> re-worked
> > version of about three or four AC-type schemes featuring
> big
> > songs that are well researched to fit within certain
> > parameters. With the exception of liberal talk on the AM
> > dial courtesy of Air America, there hasn't been a
> completely
> > new formatic breakthrough since the pre-consolidation era
> > brought us sports radio, triple-A and various forms of
> > alternative.
> >
> > It's been so long since these corporate weasels got
> creative
> > and now they come up with some concept called "Jack"! And
> > everyone all over the radio universe is holding there
> breath
> > to see whether this "Jack" thing enters there market..and
> > can break a 2 share.
> >
> > If you're a talent waiting for the next big thing well
> > "Jack" ain't it. No morning show, shifts, weather, news or
>
> > even traffic reports (at least in most markets). It's the
> > same thing that you and I can create at home with a
> laptop,
> > I-Pod or whatever...
> >
> > Basically "Jack" says I can pick the songs better than
> your
> > "shuffle" can! That's it. And the only reason why it ain't
>
> > in Albany on some class A right now is because some
> > corporate programming types are basically too lazy, or
> > wimpy, to flip it. It's just another AC that stands a very
>
> > good chance of being even more boring than Y-95.5.
> >
> > Once again radio will discover that lame, jockless,
> outlets
> > and thoughtless concepts will find there way, eventually,
> > twords the trash bin. With Infinity in NYC for instance
> they
> > have not one but two FM signals (101.1 and 102.7) that are
>
> > in transition till the next drone floats a memo with
> another
> > braindead scheme. It took guts to take out CBS-FM but to
> > think that this is anything other than some stopgap
> measure
> > designed to pump up sales through 2005-2007 is a
> pipedream.
> >
> > "Jack" is a symptom not a creation. Fire away.
> >
>

 

[Mediabrat]

FMAM wrote:

> The River does extremely well, already...why fxxk with it???

And Andy said:

> But if I were to speculate who'd pick it up, I wouldn't guess
> The River only because that's one of the bigger billers in the
> area already and Jack wouldn't do anything to increase that.

Seems Infinity had no problem pulling the rug out from under a high-billing station. Who's to say CC won't do the same thing?

And to be honest, the fact that I offered up WRVE at all just goes to show you how unlikely it is that we'll see an Albany Jack anytime soon.