4.28.99: Here's an article from last Tuesday's Washington Post about the new Jammin' Oldies station at 99.5 FM:
| There's more behind Washington's newest radio format than just toe-tapping Motown revivalism. When easy-listening WGAY (99.5 FM) converted to Jammin' Oldies last week, the station gambled that a sizable portion of thirty- and forty-something Washington listeners were ready to bathe themselves in the embellished memories of their youth.
The format -- developed by Chancellor Media Corp., which owns 99.5 and several other Washington stations -- has been a ratings and revenue success in every market where it has landed. It varies from city to city. In Los Angeles, where most of the top-rated stations play Latin music, the sound is more dance-oriented. In Washington, which has a large black population, it will likely sound more Motown. But everywhere, one thing is the same: Jammin' Oldies plays music that lots of folks -- white, black and Hispanic -- like to sing along to. The format grew out of Los Angeles's KCMG Hispanic dance sound, migrating to Fresno, Calif., Chicago and New York, shifting ethnic influence. In each market, it has sucked listeners from oldies and black oldies stations (not a problem for Chancellor in Washington, which also owns the oldies station WBIG-FM, 100.3). Unlike most formats, which are tightly aimed at specific sexes, ages or ethnicities, Jammin' Oldies is designed to be a crossover format that traffics in colorblind nostalgia. "This music is the perfect music for someone who went to high school in the '70s to reminisce to," says Robert Unmacht, publisher of M Street Journal, a Nashville radio weekly. Indeed, early last week, while 99.5 was pumping in Jammin' Oldies broadcasts from sister stations in New York and Chicago (99.5 went live locally on Friday), one deejay characterized the station's music as coming from an era when the Schwinn Sting-Ray (banana seat, sissy bar) was the hottest bicycle around. (The Listener can personally attest to several disappointing birthday and Christmas mornings that came and went during the '70s when a Sting-Ray did not appear in the family driveway, but that's a matter for the Listener's shrink.) Jammin' Oldies music is heavy on the '70s, and bookends its sound with music from the '60s and '80s, as opposed to traditional oldies stations, such as WBIG, which focus on the '60s. "Sometime around the time we're 30 to 35 years old, we're ready to reminisce," says Unmacht. "It's far enough away that we've forgotten all the bad times." (Actually, it's probably less nostalgia and more that, by the time we're 30 to 35, we're painfully aware of how dreadful our adult lives are and we yearn for the womb of high school, when we were naive enough to think we had limitless potential. But that's probably an issue for the Listener's shrink, too.) The question about Jammin' Oldies, Unmacht says, is not why it's such a success but why this generation is the first that racially segregates its oldies. "You used to hear Diana Ross and the Big Bopper" on the same radio station, he says, "and Nat King Cole along with Perry Como. So why do I have to get Isaac Hayes on one station and Aerosmith on another?" True enough. Washington's classic rock station WARW (94.7 FM) almost exclusively features white artists, for instance. Unmacht speculates the segregation occurred thanks to misguided radio industry research. In the '80s, when '70s music was being test-marketed (and very few radio execs thought it would fly), it was aimed mainly at males, who liked Lynyrd Skynyrd but not Earth Wind & Fire. Therefore, the two genres were thought of as oil and water. But female audiences, whom the researchers ignored, liked both. It just took the radio industry a decade to figure that out. Which is why, on Jammin' Oldies, you'll hear black and white artists, and the format typically attracts audiences that are 60 percent female. In Washington, the competing station that will likely be most affected by Jammin' Oldies is black oldies WMMJ (102.3). The two stations share, probably, 50 percent of the same music, but WMMJ has a mellower, slightly more adult sound, whereas 99.5 is high-energy all the time. Executives at Radio One, which owns WMMJ, declined to comment while the FCC is reviewing the company's proposed acquisition of new stations. The format change, however, worries people at WMMJ, who are well aware of Chancellor's success in other markets and its financial ability to promote the new station. And what of the deejays for the former easy-listening format at 99.5? None will be retained as on-air personalities at Jammin' Oldies, WGAY General Manager Mark O'Brien says. Each jock had to submit a demo tape to station management. But their mellow deliveries didn't fit the new high-energy format, O'Brien says. Some may stay at the station as producers. In the meantime, temporary deejays are being flown in from out of town and Jammin' Oldies jocks in other cities are helming 99.5's broadcasts until local deejays are hired. The new Washington Jammin' Oldies will have new call letters. The former call letters -- WGAY -- have been moved to WWDC (1260 AM), which plays a nostalgia format, which will remain unchanged. Also, the former WGAY's Sunday morning show tunes program will soon find a home on one of Chancellor's Washington stations, O'Brien says. The Jammin' Oldies station is holding a listener contest to name the station. (A station's name is how it's sold on the air. WARW's name is Classic Rock 94.7, for instance.) But don't be surprised if, after sifting through listener entries, a name very close to Jammin' Oldies is picked. When Chancellor converted its New York station to the Jammin' format, it held a contest, too. After 25,000 entries, it decided on: Jammin' 105. "It was an incredible coincidence," laughs David Hinckley, who covers New York radio for the Daily News. |
4.27.99: Here are two blurbs from the Chicago Media Rumormill. The first is about Jammin' Oldies' success in Chicago as well as New York:
| In looking over the Winter Aribitron ratings Chancellor Jimmy deCastro has to be smiling. Chancellor's Jammin' Oldies format is destroying it's competition in virtually every market. In New York Chancellor WTJM-FM Jammin' Oldies is upsetting CBS's oldies station WCBS. And on it's Chancellor website they are proudly touting, "Chancellor Media Heats Up Airwaves by Unveiling New Jammin' Oldies Format: WGAY-FM in Washington, DC, and WOCL-FM in Orlando" Here in Chicago WUBT-FM Jammin' Oldies garnered listeners from other stations and the ratings indicate how deep the defection was. It's obvious that Chancellor picked up on a nostalgic resurgence and caught everyone by surprise. |
Also, more numbers to go with last week's overall ratings: WUBT ranked third in the 25-54 demographic, behind WGCI and WVAZ. (Shares not available.) Also, WUBT was top-rated from 10am-3pm (Coco Cortez) and tied for first in the afternoon drive, 3pm-7pm (Chris Logan; 'GCI's Rick Party shared the honors). I have no clue how they did in the mornings; all I know is that perennial Chicago radio favorite Mancow has dropped from 1st place to 6th.
Which brings me to the next story. This excerpt from a report about rumors pertaining to Mancow:
| Mancow is one of several options WNEW-FM is contemplating, including switching to a "Jammin' Oldies type" format to thwart Chancellor's new "Jammin'" station. A recent article in the New York Post says WNEW-FM management "flatly (deny)" any rumors of a switch from Rock to another format. |
The surprising thing is that I learned this rumor about a New York station from a Chicago based website. That source is excellent. Check it out once in awhile, whether you live in Chicago or not.
4.25.99: As promised, I've gotten a hold of the L.A. winter Arbitron... Here's the deal with Mega 100/KCMG: No loss, but no gain, either: It maintained a 2.8 rating, although it dropped one notch to 13th place overall. Hot AC KYSR-FM bested it, up 5 tenths with a 3.0 to claim 12th place. Spanish KSCA and KLVE remained at first and second place, respectively, with former No. 3 KPWR encountering a tie with KIIS-FM (the Rick Dees station) with a 4.3 each.
Also, I've been hearing the new Jammin' O station in Cleveland, with Super Snake and Linda Energy, both from New York's Jammin' 105, doing guest gigs there. However, I don't trust their webcam: At the time Linda was on the air, I went to their webcam, and I saw some bald guy. Now I'm not sure if these stints were pre-taped, but they were specifically saying "Cleveland's Jammin' Oldies" and "The New 92.3". Weird...
Finally, added another Jammin' O station to the list: WXMG, Magic 98.9, in Columbus, Ohio. Thanks to Rick Lubin for the info.
4.24.99: Just a qucik notice that Cleveland's Jammin' Oldies at 92.3 is now broadcasting on the Internet. Click here to hear it. (RealPlayer required.) You can also check out the Jammin' 92.3 webcam, or watch the DJ's live in the studio. Take it from here.
4.23.99: Ratings, ratings, ratings... Jammin' Oldies ratings...
Well, as you might have guessed from checking out the Accutracks on Wednesday, it certainly was a sweet book for Jammin' 105/WTJM. And here's the weird thing: While the station was tied with semi-rival Kiss-FM in the Accutracks, it was tied for ninth place overall with their biggest competitor, oldies WCBS-FM. Jammin' had a 3.5, just more than doubling what they logged last fall as WBIX (1.7). On the other hand, CBS-FM had a 3.5, down from a 4.7. Other noticeable numbers: they were fourth in 25-54 demographic (5.0) behind WLTW (7.0), and WXRK (K-Rock) and Spanish WSKQ (both tied at 5.6), while in the 18-34 category, they ranked tenth with a 3.5, which is far behind hip-hop WQHT (11.3), but at least they were awarded the 25-54 share they predicted. They also shot to sixth in afternoon drive (hosted by Super Snake) with a 3.9 ('QHT leads that category as well, 6.6), but ehy ranked only 15th in the morning, manned by Al Bandiero and Patty Steele, logging a 2.5, which is down slightly from what the station had logged last fall, when Danny Bonaduce hosted mornings on WBIX. K-Rock's Howard Stern, of course, won bar none in mornings, with an 8.8, up three tenths.
Here's an article from today's New York Daily News that puts things in perspective:
| Jammin' zoomin in quarterly radio ratings Lite-FM, Howard Stern and K-Rock all looked sharp in Arbitron's winter radio ratings released yesterday, but the biggest splash came from Jammin' 105, whose uptempo, '70s-centered oldies became the first music in years to take a bite out of traditional-oldies WCBS-FM.
WTJM (105.1 FM), which switched to rhythm oldies late last year, jumped more than 100% in its first full ratings quarter, from a 1.7 to a 3.5 share (percentage of listeners in an average quarter-hour). It tied for ninth place with WCBS-FM, which tumbled from fourth and a 4.7 share.
These are the lowest numbers for WCBS-FM in years, and Jammin' also pushed it from third to seventh in the advertiser-coveted 25-to-54-year-old age group.
"This is just what we hoped would happen, but faster and on a larger scale," said WTJM program director Joel Salkowitz. "People respond to our music. WCBS-FM had no competition before."
"We're disappointed and we're certainly going to take a look at what happened," said WCBS-FM program director Joe McCoy. "But we have no indication we need to make fundamental changes. It takes some time to tell where a new station is going to settle. We've been successful a long time and will continue to be."
Meanwhile, WLTW (Lite-FM) tightened its grip on No. 1 overall, with a 6.1, and Howard Stern of WXRK easily won the morning race with an 8.8.
WXRK's whole lineup ran well, vaulting into a tie for fourth place with Z-100 at 4.4. "It's everything coming together," said WXRK program director Steve Kingston.
WINS, perhaps taking advantage of changes at rival WCBS-AM, rose from 10th place to sixth overall.
In the afternoon, Sean Hannity of WABC leapt ahead of WOR rival Bob Grant. Hannity rose from 3.0 to 4.0, while Grant slipped from 3.5 to 2.7.
WPLJ, which had a music and deejay overhaul, crept up a notch and so did WAXQ. WNEW went down a tick, though afternoon hosts Opie and Anthony were up from 1.8 to 2.1. WABC's new morning man Rocky Allen dropped 2.6 to 2.2, which is not uncommon.
Neither WRKS nor WKTU seemed to take much of a hit from Jammin' Oldies. WRKS was down a bit in the 25-54 age group, but it pulled ahead of WBLS. Country WYNY and its morning man Jim Kerr cracked the top 25 for the first time, and afternoon host Jay Diamond of WEVD more than tripled his ratings — to 0.7.
|
And now, to Chicago, where 103.1 The Beat/WUBT did well, too. This from Chicago Media Rumormill:
| Chancellor wins! In the latest Arbitron ratings Chancellor has a lot to be happy about. Almost half of the top ten radio stations were Chancellor stations. CBS had only two, ABC had one. The big success story is WUBT-FM Chancellor's Jammin' Oldies station which took first place in every daypart except mornings which is piped in from out of town. |
And the ratings tell the story: 'UBT was tanked 8th overall in the Windy City, with a 3.6 rating. This would make it the fourth in five Chancellor stations in the Top 10. Perennial leader WGCI held No. 1 with a 6.7, while "smooth jazz" WNUA and urban AC WVAZ tied for fifth with a 4.1. WLIT, "Lite-FM", was ninth with a 3.4, tied with Emmis' alternative WKQX, whose Mancow morning show continued to suffer big ratings losses. Regular oldies WJMK (Infinity), ranked just outside the Top 10, with a 2.9 rating to finish in 11th place.
With luck, I'll have the L.A. ratings in time for next week.
4.21.99: The New York winter ratings book is in... but before I get official word from the Arbitrons, here's Accutrack's verdict so far: WTJM (Jammin' 105) has skyrocketed to No. 7 with a bullet in the 25-54 demographic, and also ranked eighth in the 18-34 demos.
According to Accutrack, 'TJM not only doubled, but nearly tripled its share - from a 1.4 in Fall '98, to a 4.9 in Winter '99, tied with WHTZ (Z-100), another Chancellor-owned station. Of the top-10 stations in the 25-54 demo, it had the greatest gain. (It should be noted that last fall, the station, then WBIX, was still a Hot AC station up until December.) Echoing general manager Kathy Stinehour's vow in a story posted here last month, she said, "We've very optimistic and hope to be in the top six in 25-54 [in the winter ratings book]." Also, from the same story, PD Joel Salkowitz predicted: "It won't be long before we're a 4 or 5-share station in 25-54." Well, it certainly didn't take long, did it? Way to go, everybody. (The full story (dated March 4) can be read here.)
Meanwhile, it wasn't only the older audience Jammin' 105 appealed to: WTJM debuted in the 18-34 demographics with a 3.2 share, up from a 1.9 last fall. Perhaps factors of the station's appeal to younger audiences can be the "disco nostalgia" that many listeners are pining for, and also to Jammin' 105's hip airstaff. Again, 'TJM had the greatest gain of the top 10 stations in that category. By comparison, Kiss-FM (WRKS) was down to a 2.6 share from a 3.5 last fall - making for the biggest loss of the top 10 stations in that category. And in the 25-54 demos, Kiss doesn't even surface.
Overall WTJM tied as the 11th popular New York station, with a 3.2 rating, a full 2-point gain from last fall's 1.2 as WBIX. And they happen to be tied with - how's this for strange bedfellows? - Kiss-FM! The difference is, while Jammin' 105's rating is going up, Kiss-FM's rating is going down...
Expect the numbers for WUBT in Chicago, and possibly KCMG in L.A., from their respective winter logs later this week.
I'd also like to report that Milwaukee has caught Jammin' Oldies fever. The station, WPNT 106.9 FM, is not owned by Chancellor (Saga Communications), doesn't use the Jammin' O moniker, but they are doing a Chancellor-like contest: a "name-the-station" contest with the grand prize being $10,000. Speaking of such contests, still waiting on WOCL's (Orlando) new name.
Also, a couple of stations have been removed from the reference list of stations. First, KISF in Las Vegas, which was recently on the list, is not anymore. Apparently it now plays Spanish music, albeit the only FM-er to do so in Vegas. Read on... My apologies if it was released a month ago, but better late than never...
Also, WKXB in Wilmington, NC, which, according to some homebody, told me they have switched to Jammin' O, happens to be very fluent in country music. In fact, most of the hits that come up in searches for WKXB are country-oriented. Also, the station touted on their website that they will play "today's hot country" in "the year of '99... Kix-99". I'm not sure if a format change is still in the process, but in the interim, this one's off the list.
Meanwhile, got new websites (as well as logos) for WGFX in Nashville and KFMK in Austin.
You know, with Chancellor switching the formats of three of its stations (Cleveland, Orlando, Washington) to Jammin' O, many are starting to be concerned about whether or not it's the right decision, depending on what the outcome will be in the long run. Now, I, for one, am not giving up hope on this format, but just to be a little fair, I invite you to look at this post I read at the Coast to Coast, Country to Country TV and Radio Board.
4.20.99: Cleveland is the latest city to be Jammin'. I learned about WZJM 92.3 FM today just by listening to Jammin' 105 - a few DJ's mentioned that their signal was simulcasting to 'ZJM. My guess is that other Chancellor Jammin' O stations will be beamed during the week and their own playlist will be under way by Friday. Also, their website, while there's not much there right now, is: www.jammin.com.
Moving on to another station, KNRX - "The Rhythm and Soul of Kansas City" - now has their own website, which can be accessed by clicking here or on their logo below. Mike from KNRX tells me their new URL is going to be http://www.k107.fm . When they have it, we'll have it. Thanks to Mike for the info.
Finally, this blurb from the Chicago Media Rumormill:
| Arbitron ExitPoll research indicates that the new Jammin' Oldies format is the hottest format all over the country attracting listeners from different formats such as: Adult Contemporary, Rock and Urban formats. As the new millennium arrives listeners are looking back and one of the big winners is Chancellor who has successfully transformed many of its stations around the nation to the new Jammin' Oldies format. |
The same source mentioned that the winter Arbitrons should be available this week. I'll get you up-to-date on how WUBT, the Jammin' O station in the Windy City, has done.
4.17.99: And the Jammin' Oldies stations just keep on coming... Next lucky city: Hartford, Connecticut, where WDRC, Big 'D' 103 has switched their format from regular oldies to the new Jammin' O format, a similar move made last week by Orlando's Chancellor-owned WOCL. Both stations' websites are in the revamping process to accommodate the new format.
Plus, found another Jammin' O station, WENN, Birmingham, AL (not to be confused with the fictitious radio station in the AMC show Remember WENN), and found another station that plays a format similar to Jammin' O: WQJQ, Jackson, MI.
4.16.99: Yet another Jammin' O station has sprouted, this time in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. WGAY 99.5, D.C.'s Jammin' Oldies Station signed on yesterday. Apparently, they switched over from a "Lite-FM" format, but there is another station that plays a similar format, WASH 97.1, so no problems there. Thanks to Carol Ford for the news!
4.14.99: I promised them, and sure enough, I found them: the ratings for KCMG (Mega 100) in L.A. In the summer of '98, they had a 3.2, then dipped to a 2.8 that fall. For the period of November 1998 to January 1999, it dipped a bit more to a 2.6, but in the next three-month swing (12/98-2/99), it notches back up to a 2.7. Mexican music station KSCA-FM led all periods with a 6 rating or more, followed (in all periods) by: KLVE-FM, Spanish AC; KPWR-FM, contemporary HR; and KIIS-FM, also CHR. KCMS is ranked 12th for the recent three-month period. (Source: Arbitron.)
4.11.99: Today, I present an editorial, based on a comment on this very site recently. It's about Q102, the Jammin' O station in Mobile, Alabama. Now, on Friday, while I was doing some heavy updating here and there, I learned some news that was groundbreaking, so I posted it here, like this:
| I've recently checked out Q102 in Mobile, Alabama. They report that they've added "Southern-style blues" to their playlist to integrate with the original Jammin' Oldies playlist. Now I'm not one to say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", but if they like their classic blues down South, then I'm sure it won't have a negative impact on their behalf. |
Now, aside from that, I had sent an e-mail to somebody at the station just so I can ask for the name of the company who owns it (added, see below). I also happened to add along the URL of this site.
Today, I got a response from a fellow named John, the promotions director of Q102, as well as the webmaster of their website. He gladly provided me the information I requested, and then after spotting my blurb about the blues, he had this to say:
| ... the blues are an integral part of the music scene here
in Mobile. We're less than 2 hours from New Orleans, and minutes from the
Mississippi delta. It was always our intention to add the blues to our music
mix, to go after our more adult audience. This format is still in it's
infancy, and there is a lot of room to maneuver and still be considered
Jammin' Oldies. You will notice, that what is considered Jammin' Oldies in
certain areas is nothing more than a 70's and 80's gold based "Hot AC"
station. (Come on, seriously, Falco, Nena and Kenny Loggins?)
Each city has it's own flavor, especially when you start talking about the smaller markets across the US, not NY and LA. Here in the south, the blues has played a part in everyone's life. I can speak personally, as a club DJ, even working at teen clubs (predominately white clubs mind you) Clarence Carter was guaranteed to fill the dance floor. This was in 1994. The blues went through a resurgence about 10 years back, thanks mostly to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who always paid homage to his inspirations. This crossed over many boundaries, from rock to gospel. Rock guitarists for years have claimed influence from BB King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, etc. and they all started here. Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have spawned many blues greats, and we're located right in the middle of it. I think there is a reluctance among many radio programmers to put blues on the air. We saw a chance, and we took it. |
Once again, I am saying right here that I don't think they made the wrong decision by adding Southern blues to the playlist. In fact, if what you want to do is go after the adult audience, particularly, the 25-54 demographic, then you have to try anything you think that will work. I will admit I've listened to some blues music (Stevie Ray and Muddy Waters are among my personal favs in that genre). I am also as aware now as I was on Friday when I first posted the news that the blues are big in the South. That's why I was surprised when I learned that the other radio stations in the Mobile area are "reluctant" to spin blues records on their airwaves. I give credit to Q102 for tweaking their playlist, for filling a void that was yet to be filled. I mean, look at the original Jammin' Oldies concept: that, too, filled a void in most areas, like New York. (By the way, the station that plays Kenny Loggins and Nena is The Jam in Houston.)
The last thing I am going to say, and I'm sure you're all waiting for this: When I receive news items, I will post them in the utmost importance that they deserve to be reported in; i.e., refrain from adding my personal comments to that item. After all, this is a "newsletter", not a "criticism-letter".
My best wishes to Q102, may it thrive in ratings success, and I apologize if my comment on Friday has caused any displeasure whatsoever. I hope all is forgiven.
4.9.99: I just learned from Jammin' 105 DJ Carol Ford - via e-mail - that the newest Jammin' O station has sprouted in Orlando! Here's the news about the launch of the new format on WOCL-FM 105.9, a Chancellor station, from Chancellor's official website:
BURN BABY, BURN!
CHANCELLOR MEDIA HEATS UP ORLANDO'S AIRWAVES BY UNVEILING NEW JAMMIN' OLDIES FORMAT FOR WOCL-FM ON APRIL 8TH
- Orlando's Jammin' Oldies - The New 105.9 Developed
After Conducting Extensive Market Research -
ORLANDO, Florida, April 6, 1999 - After conducting extensive market research of radio listeners throughout the Orlando area, Chancellor Media Corporation (Nasdaq: AMFM) will update WOCL-FM's traditional Oldies format to its trademark Jammin' Oldies sound at a station kick-off party on Thursday, April 8th at the Have a Nice Day Cafe, it was announced today by George Toulas, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations. The Trammps, best known for their smash hit 'Disco Inferno' and a featured artist for Orlando's Jammin' Oldies, will help inaugurate the new station with a performance at the party.
Tested and custom-designed for Orlando audiences, Orlando's Jammin' Oldies - The New 105.9, introduces a fresh adult contemporary sound that will 'turn up the heat' with rhythm hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, hot promotions and listener participation. The New 105.9 targets adults 25-54 with heritage hit music from artists such as Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Barry White, Gloria Gaynor, Kool and the Gang, The Supremes, The Temptations and The Trammps, among others. Listeners can sample a taste of the new sound by tuning in to WOCL between Noon EDT today and 6:00 p.m. EDT Thursday for live simulcasts of this music from other Chancellor Jammin' Oldies stations nationwide.
Orlando listeners will determine what the new station will be called. At the launch, and over the following weeks, listeners can vote early and vote often in a contest to select a new name for Orlando's Jammin' Oldies, offering fans an unprecedented opportunity to put their unique stamp on Orlando's radio airwaves. A $25,000 grand prize will be awarded to the listener who comes up with the most appropriate moniker for the new station.
George Toulas commented, "We at Chancellor Media always welcome new opportunities to better serve our listeners and advertisers. Our strength has always been developing new and innovative programming to capitalize on untapped demand for great music, and Steve Rivers has again succeeded in crafting a sound that fills a gap not served by existing formats.
"Although our Orlando cluster is a revenue leader, we want to further build our platform in this growing and youthful market. Consolidation has given us the flexibility to serve listeners, and at the same time provide our advertisers a platform to reach an ever-changing listener base."
In reformatting WOCL, Chancellor Media brought to bear its extensive management and programming experience, conducting exhaustive market research to determine listener preferences. Dan Wachs, currently general manager of WOCL, will continue in that role at Orlando's Jammin' Oldies. An entirely new slate of on-air personalities will join the station at a later date.
Steve Rivers stated, "Jammin' Oldies represents a natural evolution of the traditional Oldies format, updated to reflect the beat of 70s soul, disco and Motown. The sound we've created for Orlando is truly mass-appeal, and will appeal to a wide variety of ages and demographic groups."
Dan Wachs added, "In reformatting WOCL, we are giving Orlando listeners what they've demanded: a fun, rhythmic alternative to existing radio formats. Orlando is a city on the move, and we're determined to stay ahead of the curve by changing with Orlando's ever-evolving listener audience."
In addition to Orlando's Jammin' Oldies - The New 105.9, Chancellor Media also owns WOMX-FM 'Mix 105.1', WXXL-FM 'XL106.7', and WJHM-FM '102 Jamz'.
Just a couple of footnotes here, not so much as to interrupt this article: In case you might have past right by it above, WOCL's recent format was regular oldies (i.e. Beatles, Beach Boys and all the rest). They also have a website, though it hasn't been edited to reflect the new Jammin' O format.
Also, this first promotional stunt with The New 105.9 in Orlando is similar to the first one at the launch of Jammin' 105 in New York last December; only that contest was worth $50,000 to the winner, which inevitably was some guy on Long Island. As always, we'll keep you posted on 105.9's new tagline.
Couple more things: If you notice, there is a new layout and legend for the reference list of all Jammin' O stations in the U.S. of A.
Speaking of websites, I've recently checked out Q102 in Mobile, Alabama. They report that they've added "Southern-style blues" to their playlist to integrate with the original Jammin' Oldies playlist. Now I'm not one to say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", but if they like their classic blues down South, then I'm sure it won't have a negative impact on their behalf.
Over at KNAX in Fresno, their website is currently down, yet you can now hear them live on Broadcast.com (link below). Weird, huh?
By the way, I know I was nice enough to bring you the N.Y. and Chicago ratings for the Jammin' O stations there, but I'm still searching for the recent ratings of the one in L.A. All I can get from RadioDigest.com are the last two periods (KCMG, Mega 100, was a 2.8 in Fall '98, down from a 3.2 the period before). I need winter ratings. Anyone with the info e-mail me with it, thanx.
4.1.99: First off, check out the new logo for Tucson's KIXD (Mega 106.3), it's with the station listings. The logo was sent in to me by Allen Sherrill.
Next, a sad item to report: The father of legendary DJ Al Bandiero, Joseph, passed away recently at 87. Bandiero does the morning-drive show on New York's Jammin' 105/WTJM.
Last but not least, the big news: Jammin' Oldies is going to add Starland Vocal Band to the playlist! APRIL FOOL! But here's real big news: A news archive has finally been created! It's where you'll find all the older news items from this site. It's also the reason why you think this page took amazingly less loading time. Click here to access the news archive.