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COLUMBUS GOES BA Network looks like so far

C

cklw800

Guest
It was just a matter of time. I wondered with those low ratings and paying a live morning show and a staff of voicetrackers 24/7, how much longer could they resist going on the cheap in this format. Smooth Jazz 103.5 and 104.3 in Columbus, Ohio has the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show on right now, and I suspect Miranda, Dave, Annie and Billy to follow on the air today. It's a Saga station, and Saga's looking to buy some stations in Ohio I hear, so spending less money on this going-down-the-hill format was inevitable. Ironically it was programmed by someone who knew the music, so the music was actually quite good. Many titles unseen on other SJ formats. That aspect alone spelled trouble I suppose. If the music's too good, it can't stay on the radio. Well all those titles will soon be out the door. Let's face it, Smooth Jazz is a network format and will probably only have live jocks in the biggest markets where there is enough listener pie to pay the talent. Their Web page says the personality pages are to be updated, so that tells me the staff may have been all blown out.
 
Listening online, just heard their morning host, Trisha Moore doing mid-day, so looks like they might keep that shift live. She gave time and temp. No doubt Koz will have afternoons. Waiting to see what happens 7P-12MID. Seems like it would be easier to plug in the satellite feed, which is what I thought they were doing. More work to load in VTs. Maybe some of the more ecletic pieces will stay if they load in the BA VTs manually. I think BA is looking for full-time satellite affiliates. So time for the hardsell on Columbus Smooth Jazz. Will Moore survive the switch from mornings to mid-day? If they keep her live she'll make a salary at least, but if the mantra is to save bucks, they could VT her or if she splits, they'll just plug Miranda in. Nice position for a station to be in. Staff member quits, no want ads, etc or any kind of employee record keeping. Just plug in the network. And if Moore doesn't perform, never fear. Miranda is here (and near).
 
I know Miranda has a high profile career in a major market so she obviously is good at what she does but when she does that little chuckle at the end of her sentences it makes me cringe.
 
I've called WJZA this week and found Trisha working behind the scenes in the mornings, as well as Mike workin afternoons. Then I wondered, how tough would it be to listen to someone do your old shift?
 
From listening earlier this week, it looks like it's a mix of BA and local jocks, either live or voicetracked. As for how hard it is to listen to someone else do your shift, I've had to do it before, and I didn't put up with it for very long. It's a big blow to your ego, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It really made me feel like my career was going down the porcelain jacuzzi!
 
Ahh gee. How depressing. I drove through Central Ohio twice back about 7 years ago and what a quality station 'JZA/'JZK was. And it appears they kept that quality playlist right up until this recent change to the network. A shame.

Gosh I remember when Columbus actually had TWO smooth jazz stations. Does anyone else remember a short-lived Jones satellite smooth jazz affiliate in London, Ohio (a rimshot western suburb station) at 106.3? I remember promos saying things like "we're better than that 'other' Columbus station." But actually 'JZA/'JZK was just about as good as Jones at that time.

Hard to believe a mid-size city like that had two competing smooth jazz stations. Memories. :'(
 
I know what you mean. Indianapolis had two competing smooth jazz stations when I lived there in '99. There was WSYW-FM "Silk 107" and WYJZ 100.9. Of course, WSYW aired quite-a-bit of brokered Spanish-language programming; 7 PM to midnight was brokered as was Sunday. So, I guess the writing was on the wall that changes would happen there. It flipped to rock shortly after I left and went to Spanish programming a year or two later.
 
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