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Smooth Jazz returning to Philadelphia

I'm curious about Michael Tozzi's hand in this. How much of his Ijazzglobal sound will it be if any? Or is it more of the same old crap? Looks like the pattern now for terrestrial radio is to get the music on an AM and then either on an HD frequency or have a strong internet source. IMO HD is dead and the internet is where it's all going. But if you don't have the content then it doesn't matter how you're being heard. Let's see if the emperor has a new suit or is he still naked?
 
I didn't listen to Tozzi's online station so I don't know how much the new station sounds like it, but some good news for all concerned - it is NOT the Smooth Jazz Network. I'm streaming it right now and it sounds quite good. No tired AC vocals or oldies every three songs like on SJN. No personalities either, though, just canned liners from Tozzi himself. Still good news for SJ fans in Philly even if it is an AM station.
 
You're right. From what I've been told, the new 'JJZ is using the iHeartRadio smooth jazz feed as their feed. Not Kepler's network. It actually sounds pretty damn good, so I'd encourage the naysayers to give it a chance. It's nothing fantastic, but for Clear Channel, it's respectable. I listened for 3 hours last night and didn't really hear one song I thought was inappropriate. Of course, my views may change after listening for multiple days. Not sure how repetitive the playlist is yet, but for now, this isn't bad at all.
 
The i-Heart Smooth Jazz format is good, although I really don't think it's that much different from BA. But then, I'm fine with BA. But is WDAS running i-Heart's Smooth Jazz format or has Michael Tozzi recorded his own format for this station? Or does i-Heart run some times and Tozzi's format runs others? Does that make any sense?

It's interesting to note that Clear Channel has several Smooth Jazz stations now. 94.5 KMYT Temecula-Sun City CA, is in a desert community about halfway between LA and San Diego. Then there's 102.1 WLOQ Orlando. That's a translator and an HD channel on the more powerful 107.7 WMGF signal. It gets decent ratings and they recently hired a local DJ to do mornings on the station, unique for a translator station. And Clear Channel also has Smooth Jazz at night on a Phoenix AM station, 1230 KOY. (They run America's Best Adult Standards by day.)

But I'm a bit dubious about putting it on a 5000 watt day/1000 watt night Philadelphia AM station. Hey, I love Smooth Jazz. But WDAS was doing OK with R&B Oldies. I'm sure older African-American listeners who live in the center of Philadelphia heard those Supremes and Aretha songs originally on 1480 WDAS before FM became popular. WDAS-FM is Urban AC but they don't play many R&B Oldies anymore. So does it make sense to put a primarily FM music format on an AM station?

In many cities, they're putting FM formats on AM stations so they can feed an FM translator, where they figure most of the listening will be. But that's not the case here. You will have to listen to WDAS Smooth Jazz on AM 1480 or on an HD signal of Clear Channel's 106.1 WISX (the same place where WJJZ was when 106.1 was Smooth Jazz years ago). If you don't have an HD FM radio or you don't want to put up with AM's fidelity or you live too far from Center City Philadelphia, you're out of luck.

I hope it works.
 
Bill Harmonic said:
I'm curious about Michael Tozzi's hand in this. How much of his Ijazzglobal sound will it be if any? Or is it more of the same old crap? Looks like the pattern now for terrestrial radio is to get the music on an AM and then either on an HD frequency or have a strong internet source. IMO HD is dead and the internet is where it's all going. But if you don't have the content then it doesn't matter how you're being heard. Let's see if the emperor has a new suit or is he still naked?
Click to expand...

Well said, my friend. Time will tell, I guess.
 
Bill Harmonic said:
I'm curious about Michael Tozzi's hand in this. How much of his Ijazzglobal sound will it be if any? Or is it more of the same old crap? Looks like the pattern now for terrestrial radio is to get the music on an AM and then either on an HD frequency or have a strong internet source. IMO HD is dead and the internet is where it's all going. But if you don't have the content then it doesn't matter how you're being heard. Let's see if the emperor has a new suit or is he still naked?
Click to expand...

Well look at it this way, if Smooth Jazz gets on an AM station there is a good chance it will be on an FM translator. So it's kind of a back door way to get the format on FM. And never say die with HD Radio. It seems the FCC is obsessed with saving AM and the push right now is to sunset analog and go digital only, particularly now that HD Radio is making deeper inroads on the dashboard.

Yes, HD-AM sounds like garbage, especially with music, but it may sound better with a full bandwidth.
 
Carmine5 said:
Bill Harmonic said:
I'm curious about Michael Tozzi's hand in this. How much of his Ijazzglobal sound will it be if any? Or is it more of the same old crap? Looks like the pattern now for terrestrial radio is to get the music on an AM and then either on an HD frequency or have a strong internet source. IMO HD is dead and the internet is where it's all going. But if you don't have the content then it doesn't matter how you're being heard. Let's see if the emperor has a new suit or is he still naked?
Click to expand...

Well look at it this way, if Smooth Jazz gets on an AM station there is a good chance it will be on an FM translator. So it's kind of a back door way to get the format on FM. And never say die with HD Radio. It seems the FCC is obsessed with saving AM and the push right now is to sunset analog and go digital only, particularly now that HD Radio is making deeper inroads on the dashboard.

Yes, HD-AM sounds like garbage, especially with music, but it may sound better with a full bandwidth.
Click to expand...

Your point about a backdoor to FM is a valid one, Carmine. And heaven knows this format can use all the help it can get. But I do agree with Bill in the sense that ultimately content will separate the players from the pretenders.
 
I think AM band HD only will be the death of the AM band. I hear the AM HD is only reliable for a 5 mile radius on most stations. (I am not talking about 50kw stations) So the US Govt wants us to throw out more electronics and buy all new electronics again. This is getting away from the main topic.
 
Hello everyone, after getting our internet back on, I made a stop by here to catch up on what's going on and started to listen to this station. It's good, I still like the wav, KOAZ, and others, but I can listen to this station every once and in a while. :)
 
Gregg said:
But I'm a bit dubious about putting it on a 5000 watt day/1000 watt night Philadelphia AM station. You will have to listen to WDAS Smooth Jazz on AM 1480 or on an HD signal of Clear Channel's 106.1 WISX (the same place where WJJZ was when 106.1 was Smooth Jazz years ago). If you don't have an HD FM radio or you don't want to put up with AM's fidelity or you live too far from Center City Philadelphia, you're out of luck.

I hope it works.
Click to expand...

Yeah. They've got to be the worst signaled 5000 watt radio station ever. I could not pick it up in King of Prussia, which isn't that far from Center City Philadelphia. I think it's 15 miles or so. The station comes in decently at 30th Street Station. Maybe Clear Channel can lease (or sell) the station to AMTRAK. ;D
 
AS a Philly Engineer , and smooth jazz Touring Engineer… , and longtime Friend of Mike Tozzi's I have to say I enjoy listening to WDAS .. even though Im Doing the same thing on 2 NY AM stations WRKL , and WLIM are Both playing Smooth Jazz… I would not have it any other way.. Now back to AM HD.. I was Running HD on one of my stations Turned it Off,, I determined that I was averaging about 1 mile Coverage Per 1000 watts… and Im at 10kw.. was not worth my Time. I had C-Quam on this station for a while. and one night I was able to Hear the station while driving all the way out to Columbus, OH in Full Stereo,, I could not Believe it myself. Bring C-Quam back. If I can Find where I put the dang stereo Card. It will Go back to Full Stereo. BTW The Engineer at WPHT is a good Friend of Mine, I just wish his bosses would Turn of the dang Hash generator. got to admit his talk format sounds OK on my HD receiver when it actually captures and Locks Same with WOR I cannot hear 690 anymore. No Need for HD on AM Talk radio
 
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