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Strange song choices format-wise?

tall_guy1

tall_guy1

Star Participant
For example, my local "Jack" station once played "Streetcorner Symphony" by Rob Thomas and "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. Any other examples you have that are a little "off" for the format usually?
 
tall_guy1 said:
For example, my local "Jack" station once played "Streetcorner Symphony" by Rob Thomas and "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. Any other examples you have that are a little "off" for the format usually?
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I don't see either of those as odd for a "Jack" type station. One positive of a "Jack format is that you can adjust it well to fit a certain market's needs. Jack-types can act as the defacto Classic Rock station, Classic Hits station, and even AC/Hot AC (or at least throw in those types of songs) if the market allows it. Those two songs aren't really outside the realm.
 
KWJZ in Seattle (now KNUC 'Country 98.9'), when they were smooth jazz, aired 'In the Air Tonight' by Phil Collins and 'Never Alone' by Jeff Beck - both did NOT fit the format whatsoever.
 
crainbebo said:
KWJZ in Seattle (now KNUC 'Country 98.9'), when they were smooth jazz, aired 'In the Air Tonight' by Phil Collins and 'Never Alone' by Jeff Beck - both did NOT fit the format whatsoever.
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Considering that the station was among the more successful Smooth Jazz stations (#3 in 25-54 around 2003 before the format started aging out...), whatever they did sure worked.

Remember, there is no such thing, technically, as "smooth jazz". The term came out of a focus group equivalent in Chicago, and was listener-originated. The station, WNUA, did not want to license the "Wave" brand so they adopted the Smooth Jazz name as a positioning statement and sold it to listeners.
 
atthestars said:
I don't see either of those as odd for a "Jack" type station. One positive of a "Jack format is that you can adjust it well to fit a certain market's needs. Jack-types can act as the defacto Classic Rock station, Classic Hits station, and even AC/Hot AC (or at least throw in those types of songs) if the market allows it. Those two songs aren't really outside the realm.
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Good points. And that is why in the larger markets, the licensed "Jack" format is customized to each market and its competitive situation.
 
crainbebo said:
KWJZ in Seattle (now KNUC 'Country 98.9'), when they were smooth jazz, aired 'In the Air Tonight' by Phil Collins and 'Never Alone' by Jeff Beck - both did NOT fit the format whatsoever.
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They also used to air "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck, which is a fantastic track--but the only straight jazz track they played (with the two minute drum solo no less).
While we're in the Seattle market, it always seemed odd to hear mainstream rock KISW play Cake's "The Distance"--not even remotely a hard rock track or artist.
 
All time weirdest: A Seattle Spanish station (forget the name) played Adele's "Someone Like You". And no, that's not some Spanish language version--the same English version we all know. In the entire hour, that was the only English I heard on the station.
 
tall_guy1 said:
I have never heard a "Jack" station play songs like that before, though.
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In the Top 50 markets, each Jack is different and adjusted to the local market conditions. There can be wide differences between any two stations.
 
installLSC said:
All time weirdest: A Seattle Spanish station (forget the name) played Adele's "Someone Like You". And no, that's not some Spanish language version--the same English version we all know. In the entire hour, that was the only English I heard on the station.
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It's not uncommon for Spanish language pop stations to play English language songs.

And in Latin America, the CHR and Hot AC stations may play as much as 80% English language hits.
 
JACK-FM here in Nashville occasionally plays "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. Not the original 1968 version, but the 2006 version that you can hear on the LOVE CD. It is about four minutes long.
 
What does everyone think of "Bang Your Head" by Quiet Riot and "Summer Nights" by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta?

Not just on the same station. Together.

Also, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World".

98.7 Simon. We play everything.
 
Kind of off-format, but I remember WTCM (dominant #1 country station in Traverse City, MI) playing the Nelly remix of Florida-Georgia Line's hit "Cruise" at least once in the summer of 2013. I am willing to guess it got many more spins down the hall at top 40 WJZQ.
 
ftballfan said:
Kind of off-format, but I remember WTCM (dominant #1 country station in Traverse City, MI) playing the Nelly remix of Florida-Georgia Line's hit "Cruise" at least once in the summer of 2013. I am willing to guess it got many more spins down the hall at top 40 WJZQ.
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I saw FGL and Nelly do that song in concert last year in an otherwise country concert. The audience went wild for it.
 
vchimpanzee said:
What does everyone think of "Bang Your Head" by Quiet Riot and "Summer Nights" by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta?

Not just on the same station. Together.

Also, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World".

98.7 Simon. We play everything.
Click to expand...

92.7 WKVT (Bratt-FM), Brattleboro, Vt. -- Emotions, "Best of My Love," U2, "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Lee Greenwood, "God Bless the USA." Same station, together.
 
Classic country WOWZ/WICO plays "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd almost daily. Somehow that just doesn't work for me.
 
CTListener said:
92.7 WKVT (Bratt-FM), Brattleboro, Vt. -- Emotions, "Best of My Love," U2, "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Lee Greenwood, "God Bless the USA." Same station, together.
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Greenwood's song seems a little strange unless it's being played today, but the first two don't seem unusual at all. While I can't say they've been played together, WEZV Myrtle Beach SC plays them both.
 
I once heard oldies format Majic 105.7 (WMJI in Cleveland) play "Life's a Dance" by John Michael Montgomery.
 
I mentioned our JACK here earlier, but our JACK occasionally plays Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places." It is the only decidedly "country" song that I can think of that they play.
 
vchimpanzee said:
Greenwood's song seems a little strange unless it's being played today, but the first two don't seem unusual at all. While I can't say they've been played together, WEZV Myrtle Beach SC plays them both.
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The Greenwood song was played early last month. That's why it stuck in my mind. When I was up in that area again this past weekend, the format seemed a bit more focused -- mainly '70s and '80s uptempo pop and rock-oriented hits, a few '90s tunes mixed in, no R&B, no disco, no MOR.
 
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