Mayor of the Sunset Strip
© James C. Hess
As I write this the greater Denver metropolitian area finds itself in the throes of a shock wave of sorts: About a month ago, almost without warning, a brand new radio station on the FM dial took form: 105.5. Known as 'Jack-FM', the station, at least for the present, is a rather modest, low-key effort that promotes its playlist by saying the playlist is whatever the DJs like to play, not what they have to play. As if to emphasize this the station also points out it is locally owned and operated, unlike most of the stations on the dial, which are held in the clutches of Clear Channel Communications.
What makes this station even more exciting and interesting is that the management and programming staff previously came from 96.5 FM, 'The Peak', which, in its original days, was owned by a successful businessman who knows the best way for his employees to be happy and successful is to let them do their jobs instead of telling them how to do their jobs. Before 96.5, this group ran the highly successful 97.3 FM, KBCO.
Antipode.
Critics of 105.5 are already circling, trying to find fault with this particular upstart, saying it can't last because the successes 96.5 and 97.3 had were flukes, at best. Perhaps. But a number of stations on the dial, all of them owned by the aforementioned Clear Channel, have experienced massive listener loss in the past month, and these losses show no signs of slowing any time soon.
What makes 105.5 even interesting are the DJs. That is, the lack of Disc Jockeys. Presently 105.5, Jack-FM, has no DJs. All the music is programmed into a massive 24/7 system, and is run by one, perhaps two, people. So the personalities who would otherwise drive the station are no more.
It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs that go make up much of the radio landscape, but at the same time it is a certain reality: As radio stations are faced with greater and greater expenses they have to find ways to cut costs, and the biggest cost they can cut is the salary otherwise paid to on-air talent.
Which, within the context of Jack-FM, is no more.
If Jack-FM proves successful it is likely other stations will follow their lead, and do away with the personalities that supposedly draw in listeners. Should this become a wide-spread practice all one will hear on a given radio station is music and commercials.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to James C. Hess's Film & TV Reviews topic, please visit the Discussions page.