SJ out in Louisville, Kentucky

[The RadioFan]

After only two years as a Smooth Jazz station, Clear Channel has pulled the plug on Smooth Jazz 93.1 in Louisville. This is the second time a Smooth Jazz has be pulled from the Louisville market within the last 7 years. Jacor Communications pulled the format from 103.9 in 1998, which also lasted only two years. I doubt that another Smooth Jazz will return in Louisville, unless Radio One decides to place the format on one of it's low-rated stations at 104.3 or 105.1 which are both ranked in the low one percentile.

 

[Nock]

> After only two years as a Smooth Jazz station, Clear Channel
> has pulled the plug on Smooth Jazz 93.1 in Louisville. This
> is the second time a Smooth Jazz has be pulled from the
> Louisville market within the last 7 years. Jacor
> Communications pulled the format from 103.9 in 1998, which
> also lasted only two years. I doubt that another Smooth Jazz
> will return in Louisville, unless Radio One decides to place
> the format on one of it's low-rated stations at 104.3 or
> 105.1 which are both ranked in the low one percentile.
>
Having listened to this station while traveling to Louisville on business, this was a miserable attempt at smooth jazz. The station was painful to listen to. How much Motown can you digest in between a few smooth jazz songs?

Nock

 

[The RadioFan]

> Having listened to this station while traveling to
> Louisville on business, this was a miserable attempt at
> smooth jazz. The station was painful to listen to. How
> much Motown can you digest in between a few smooth jazz
> songs?
>
> Nock
>
Smooth Jazz 93.1 was your typical Clear Channel approach to programming Smooth Jazz. Basically, all Clear Channel stations sound similar. I was aware of that earlier this summer when I compared the Louisville Smooth Jazz station to the Clear Channel Smooth Jazz station in Columbus, Ohio. The two were very very similar. I didn't remember hearing much Motown on the station in Louisville. They did play way way way too much "Careless Whispers" by Wham, "I Just Wanna Stop" by Gino Vanelli, "How Long Has This Been Going On" by Ace and way too much Sade, especially "Sweetest Taboo" and "Paradise." There is definitely a difference between the Clear Channel stations Smooth Jazz stations and the superb sounds found on Smooth Jazz stations like 107.5 the Oasis in Dallas, Smooth Jazz 104.3 KJCD in Denver and the satellite Smooth Jazz station carried on stations throughout the country like WJSJ-FM 105.3 in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

[cklw800]

> > Having listened to this station while traveling to
> > Louisville on business, this was a miserable attempt at
> > smooth jazz. The station was painful to listen to. How
> > much Motown can you digest in between a few smooth jazz
> > songs?
> >
> > Nock
> >
> Smooth Jazz 93.1 was your typical Clear Channel approach to
> programming Smooth Jazz. Basically, all Clear Channel
> stations sound similar. I was aware of that earlier this
> summer when I compared the Louisville Smooth Jazz station to
> the Clear Channel Smooth Jazz station in Columbus, Ohio.
> The two were very very similar. I didn't remember hearing
> much Motown on the station in Louisville. They did play way
> way way too much "Careless Whispers" by Wham, "I Just Wanna
> Stop" by Gino Vanelli, "How Long Has This Been Going On" by
> Ace and way too much Sade, especially "Sweetest Taboo" and
> "Paradise." There is definitely a difference between the
> Clear Channel stations Smooth Jazz stations and the superb
> sounds found on Smooth Jazz stations like 107.5 the Oasis in
> Dallas, Smooth Jazz 104.3 KJCD in Denver and the satellite
> Smooth Jazz station carried on stations throughout the
> country like WJSJ-FM 105.3 in Jacksonville, Florida.

I've heard the different approaches to Smooth Jazz, too. I think most use some kind of consultant...same kind of "Trip-a-Day" contests and music everywhere. Clear Channel doesn't have any Smooth Jazz stations in Columbus. I think the only Smooth Jazz station they have in Ohio is WDSJ in Dayton. From what I can tell, there are two SJ stations you can hear in Columbus on two channels, one from Richwood, Ohio and another one from Lancaster, playing the same stuff. So north Columbus can get one, south Columbus can get the other. But both channels are owned by a small company. Clear Channel only has classic rock, AC, country, news/talk and CHR in Columbus.
>