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Early Addition
WCBS is offing Jack FM, the station format it abrubtly switched to two years ago, and turning back the clock to its former oldies format. The 2005 switch upset a lot of listeners, who were outraged both at the loss of a long-beloved source of classics and the abruptness of the change, which occurred with only an hour's notice. It also led to the immediate dismissal of well-liked on air personalities like Cousin Brucie, Don Ingram, Bob Shannon, and Harry Harrison, who were replaced with a pre-recorded voiceover that nattered slogans and one-liners.
The New York Times describes Jack FM's format as an attempt to emulate the shuffle feature of an iPod, with random jumps between musical styles, e.g. Bon Jovi to Whitney Houston. These have traditionally been referred to as "train wrecks" in the industry, but the format was experiencing sucess in other parts of the U.S. It was not a success in NYC. WCBS's stable position around the bottom of the Top 10 market stations deteriorated quickly and fell as low as 22.
The New York Post is reporting that the oldies format could be back as soon as Monday. It's unclear how many of the on-air talent will return. Bruce Morrow was hired by Sirius Radio after his dismissal from WCBS.
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Exchanging one banal oldies format for another, older, oldies format is not good news. One reason the record industry is tanking is because radio stations won't play new music. There's plenty of good new music out there. You would think a radio station with an informed music director and DJs in tune with current popular music could be profitable.
hey, don't infect your hipster thinking on us.
WCBS had an audience, you want your hipster college radio, be my guest. We get it, you're hipper than us oldies.
WCBS will beat that other rock station and krock. krock plays krap. we don't want to hear the foo fighers and metallica over and over again with RHCP.
"but the format was experiencing success in other parts of the U.S."
Now, that's about the lamest excuse I've heard in a long time. As if New Yorkers like exactly what the folks in Paducah like.
JACK FM was anything but college radio. NYC does not have an Alternative station (though nowadays that would encompass the likes of Nickelback and Smashmouth) the way other cities do. Anyway, we all have CD players and iPods so we can listen to whatever we want.
Internet radio has some great stations like that play Indie Rock and stations that play just Metal, World Music, etc.
WFMU is the only decent radio station we get in this area, IMO.
No one was saying jack was college radio. Satelite radio is even better than internet radio. yes, we can listen to whatever we want. and doctor's offices will be back tuned on to 101.1 and truckers/cabbies will be back on 101.1 and back offices will be back on 101.1. Mr. G will be back with the weather on 101.1
they already have a built in audience.
In general, New York has the worst radio of all major cities in the nation.
Satellite radio is surprisingly not very good, either. The *only* reason to get it is for Stern. Think about it... they can play *anything* and somehow they still play the same 35 songs over and over again. WFUV is the only station that plays different, interesting things, but even they sometimes play the same things over and over again.
How much satellite radio have you listened to Joclyn? Not much, is my guess. I've had XM for 3 years and it has a lot of great stations. They actually play a lot of stuff BEFORE it gets popular. It's the only place i've heard the new Wilco album played regularly, for example.
Also, for real alternative, only one station counts. KEXP Seattle. It streams at www.kexp.org.
Yes, I've heard the new Wilco album again and again and again on Sirius. It's burned into the rotation. My point, exactly. Just a different playlist, but still just as repetitious as anything else available.
Um, it's Dan Ingram, not Don.