Smooth Jazz signs off in Canada

[Dan Sys]

The last remaining true Smooth Jazz station in the country, Durham Radio's CIWV 94.7 Hamilton "The Wave" will vanish on August 1st. It will flip to Country "KX 94.7" tied in with Durham's CJKX 95.9 "KX 96" in Ajax. From what I've been hearing the two Toronto "rimshot" stations will likely have seperate programming for the most part.

Call letters in Hamilton will be CHKX.

http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/ ... o-country/

[Fustercluck]

Some decisions in the broadcast biz in this country really are not all that bad.

[skyvalleyradio]

too bad! Keeping smooth jazz on air in Canada hasn't been helped by the CRTC, who made a mistake upping the CANCON requirement for this and a few other Category #3 genres. The CRTC, in the belief such recorded material exists, changed some of these genres from 12% to 20% including jazz categories. The sad truth is, there just isn't enough fresh jazz to qualify for CANCON, and it's very difficult to program this format and keep it sounding contemporary. Yes, I know it will pull in better 'numbers' and ad revenue as a country station, but Canadians' choice of on-air formats from conventional broadcasters is getting less and less. My own internet jazz/soul/lounge station is actually picking up more listeners, dissatisfied with the lack of jazz-flavoured stations on the FM dial. Good luck to "KX94.7"

[jon]

From the station's web site, wave.fm, it is clear that the station will live on:

A Message from Doug Kirk, President of Durham Radio,

I want to personally thank each of you for your tremendous loyalty to Wave 94.7 over the past 11 years. We have accomplished much to develop the genre of music in Canada and promote dozens of Canadian Artists over this period.

As of August 1st, 94.7 becomes KX 94.7… Number 1 for Hot New Country. Southern Ontario's newest radio station playing a new music format.

However, the Wave will continue. It will be moving to an internet platform at http://www.wave.fm as of August 1st. Follow us at wave.fm to continue enjoying the same smooth groove brought to you by the personalities you've come to love: Bob, Vickie & Gary.

We have committed to continue to run the Wave as a real radio station with announcers, useful information for your lifestyle and commercial inventory. Listening to wave.fm will be little changed from the Wave at 94.7.

We are also looking to future methods of distribution of this unique and enjoyable radio station. So please let us know of your thoughts on your Wave experience. We are always interested in your input.

Write us at doug@wave947.fm

- Doug and Mary Kirk

[hagopian]

Smooth jazz ever really score?

Thoughts?

[jon]

Smooth jazz ever really score?

I'm assuming that what was known as "New Age Music" in 1988 would be called Smooth Jazz today.

If so, then Smooth Jazz scored fairly well back then in Edmonton. It all centred around John Beaudin's Nightline program on CKXM-FM, which ran 100% New Age music every evening. It was a concept that John had pitched in 1986 to CKXM management while John was a swing announcer on sister station CFRN-AM.

The end came quickly towards the end of 1988 when CKXM switched call letters to CJKE and became "The Key" in preparation for going all New Age music. Jerry Lucky was to be hired as Program Director. And every bus bench in the City had been "booked" to advertise the change. But, at the last minute, when approval finally hit his desk, CFRN founder Dr. Rice vetoed the idea. Beaudin's program was allowed to continue into 1989 when John moved to CFUN Vancouver and back to being an AM swing announcer.

During that short period, 1986-89, I knew a lot of people in their 30s who wanted to listen to "relaxing" music, and they found that New Age music fit the bill. Edmonton was a bit of an anomaly in that the station that had introduced Adult Contemporary to the market, and had held the greatest share of AC listeners, CKRA-FM as K-Lite, had been forced by the CRTC to play more CRTC-defined Hits, which gave their music an edge that many listeners did not appreciate. CKXM-FM picked up some of those disaffected listeners, who then discovered New Age if they tuned in in the evening.

[skyvalleyradio]

hagopian - smooth jazz as a format has never been a go here in Canada due to CANCON rules. The format was moderately successful in many major US markets from approx the late 1980's to mid-2000's. One of the early trail-blazers of the format was nearby KWJZ 98.9 (now 98.9 Click FM) in Seattle. The real death-knell of the format came when the "new reality" of PPM ratings revealed however, that smooth jazz formatted stations had less listeners than paper diaries had shown. In a number of European cities, smooth jazz - often coupled with contemporary soul & neo-soul artists - are doing moderately well. This includes dedicated jazz/soul FM stations in London, Paris, Berlin, Zurich, Bern, Canary Islands, Lisbon, Torino, Budapest & others. 'Fringe' formats are hard enough to make money on - as i stated earlier, the CRTC does nothing to help Category #3 music stations make a go of it

[hagopian]

That dratted cancon.

Thanks, Sky. Interesting.