This is what happens when you have owners who have no idea how to program a particular format. I can't even get onto WJSE's official webpage now.
Access1 saw fit to rename WJSE as The Ace and position it as the "tougher, edgier" brother station to The Shark upon obtaining ownership. I haven't a clue why they saw fit to add such a heavy amount of Classic Rock acts to the playlist: Aerosmith, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, etc. Yet at the same time, they still played acts like Taking Back Sunday, The Killers and Dashboard Confessional along with heavier acts like Atreyu and Slipknot.
It may still be too early to write an obituary, but I enjoyed The Ace when I could tune it in. While G Rock Radio was playing some foo-foo fluff like Evanescence, Counting Crows or All American Rejects and WRAT were playing the same stale library tracks that they have played for years, I could count on WJSE for something different and aggressive. It was good to have a station that wouldn't make me feel drowsy when I was driving (when it came in, of course). They played more new music and were far more aggressive than any other rock station in NJ, and they had arguably the most diverse library as well.
In the end, the problem is that Access1 are a bunch of stodgy old suits with no passion for the format they're programming - not too different from other stations around here. At least the sales staff over at G Rock and WRAT have passion, and that has played a part in their success, however bland their programming may be. It's a shame that The Ace wasn't blessed in that department - maybe its fate would have been different if that were the case.
The blame for what seems like the demise of this great station has to go to Access1's lack of programming savvy (what's Al Parinello up to these days - couldn't they have kept him on in some capacity?) and what seems like a lack of determination on the part of the sales staff.
Let's make bets on what the next (most likely unnecessary) format is going to be in Atlantic City / Cape May on the 102.7 signal - I'm predicting either AC or CHR, both of which would fail miserably.