C
chrisr
Guest
Jack-FM programming is ALL OVER THE PLACE. You can't please ALL the people ALL the time. Some of those titles just creep people out. The hard core disco tracks (the format that single handedly killed CHR in the late 70's) will never ever mix well on the same station playing "The Cure" (not a mainstream artist that JACKS just seem to love) into "Zepplin". Jack represents to many era's and seems to have picked out some of the worst titles from those era's. The same man or woman listening to some of the early 70's tracks they play had either outgrown CHR or moved to oldies radio all together and more then likely may not be familiar with some or all of the 80's and 90's titles.
The other problem with JACK-FM's is they play too many "radio pd's favorite songs" that the average listener doesn't know or doesn't like. I'm sorry, but Rock Lobster by the B-52's was never a charting hit. You only hear that song mostly on low rated 80's stations (look it up and match the station, then go to allaccess and look at the ratings). I thought we all learned early in our careers that if PD's want to hear their favorite songs, go home and put in the cd. Those songs (unless well tested and/or big hit) have NO business on a serious radio station trying to get ratings/revenue.
If JACK is to survive long-term, they must get serious and take all the bubblegum titles and unfamiliar songs off and focus on a particular listener. JACKS will (and in some cases already have) developed an identity crisis. Early research already shows it coming apart at the seems. Huge cume/low time spent listening. People are curious as to what they will play next, but when they hear "what's the frequency kenneth by rem into-walking on sunshine by katrina and the waves into-maybelene by chuck berry into-turning japanese by the vapors into-phsycodelic furs-pretty in pink into shakin by eddie money into nothing compares to you by sinead o'conner into live and let die by paul mccartney into i've been thinking about you-londonbeat into anticipation by carly simon into harder to breathe-maroon 5 into dreams by van halen into i'm alright by kenny loggings into the glamorous life by sheila e, they come to the conclusion that this station is not something they can leave on all the time and call their favorite radio station. With all those nasty titles, the station just becomes plain boring and developes it's current low time spent listening problem.
If Infinety had put this format on in New York on 102.7, that frequency would have continued in the 1's. They knew that. They put it on CBS-FM to get response. I hate to tell them, but they will probably not get the response they were hoping for. Yes CBS-FM needed to move slightly younger, but not like this. Whomever made the decision to blow up a VERY successful station and throw 33 million in billing out the door better hopes this works.
My wife had the best analogy yet of these unfocused JACK stations. These stations say their like your ipod on shuffle. She said "it certainetly isn't my ipod on shuffle, it's sounds like some ipod found on the side of the road on shuffle."
The other problem with JACK-FM's is they play too many "radio pd's favorite songs" that the average listener doesn't know or doesn't like. I'm sorry, but Rock Lobster by the B-52's was never a charting hit. You only hear that song mostly on low rated 80's stations (look it up and match the station, then go to allaccess and look at the ratings). I thought we all learned early in our careers that if PD's want to hear their favorite songs, go home and put in the cd. Those songs (unless well tested and/or big hit) have NO business on a serious radio station trying to get ratings/revenue.
If JACK is to survive long-term, they must get serious and take all the bubblegum titles and unfamiliar songs off and focus on a particular listener. JACKS will (and in some cases already have) developed an identity crisis. Early research already shows it coming apart at the seems. Huge cume/low time spent listening. People are curious as to what they will play next, but when they hear "what's the frequency kenneth by rem into-walking on sunshine by katrina and the waves into-maybelene by chuck berry into-turning japanese by the vapors into-phsycodelic furs-pretty in pink into shakin by eddie money into nothing compares to you by sinead o'conner into live and let die by paul mccartney into i've been thinking about you-londonbeat into anticipation by carly simon into harder to breathe-maroon 5 into dreams by van halen into i'm alright by kenny loggings into the glamorous life by sheila e, they come to the conclusion that this station is not something they can leave on all the time and call their favorite radio station. With all those nasty titles, the station just becomes plain boring and developes it's current low time spent listening problem.
If Infinety had put this format on in New York on 102.7, that frequency would have continued in the 1's. They knew that. They put it on CBS-FM to get response. I hate to tell them, but they will probably not get the response they were hoping for. Yes CBS-FM needed to move slightly younger, but not like this. Whomever made the decision to blow up a VERY successful station and throw 33 million in billing out the door better hopes this works.
My wife had the best analogy yet of these unfocused JACK stations. These stations say their like your ipod on shuffle. She said "it certainetly isn't my ipod on shuffle, it's sounds like some ipod found on the side of the road on shuffle."
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