KOAI-FM

[TheLaffer]

For Smooth Jazz fans, thought you'd be interested in knowing that the Summer Book in San Diego (released today) shows the #1 station 12+ is Smooth Jazz KIFM.  I don't know what the "yonger" demo #s are, we know they can't be #1 with just 55+.  David any explanation as to why Smooth Jazz works in LA and San Diego but not DFW?  

Because they don't play the same crap the Oasis did. The Oasis sounded great when owned by Gannet. Even CBS had it sounding good until the current management/programming came to power several years ago.

[OldGringo]

For Smooth Jazz fans, thought you'd be interested in knowing that the Summer Book in San Diego (released today) shows the #1 station 12+ is Smooth Jazz KIFM.  I don't know what the "yonger" demo #s are, we know they can't be #1 with just 55+.  David any explanation as to why Smooth Jazz works in LA and San Diego but not DFW?  

Because they don't play the same crap the Oasis did. The Oasis sounded great when owned by Gannet. Even CBS had it sounding good until the current management/programming came to power several years ago.

Actually, KIFM had even higher a percentage of 55+ than KOAI... nearly 80% of its listeners are over 50, and it has the same younger demo desert as KOAI had.

[JayDavis]

So the format works, it is just that the program director at The Oasis stunk ?

It was a better station when Gannett owned it, more original jazz music being played.  I truly don't consider Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" or anything by Phil Collins to be "Smooth Jazz" !!

And I actually like Phil, BTW.  Well, that is before he "wussed" out and sold his soul and manhood to Disney!!

[OldGringo]

So the format works, it is just that the program director at The Oasis stunk ?

No, it is not that the format works. The San Diego station is #1 12+, but 12+ is not a table or demo that advertisers look at.

Arbitron gives away the 12+ numbers because they are useless except to create a list... sort of like Letterman. 12+ is more for entertainment value and bragging than for selling and programming.

Increasingly, they are looking at 18-49 while historically nearly all buys were either 18-34 or 25-54 or some subset of them.

The San Diego station was not even top 10 in 18-49, and nearly 80% of its listeners are over 50, and 51% are over 55. Their billing is off by 40% since the year 2000.

They are likely still nicely profitable, as this is generally not a high cost operation because there are no $1 million morning shows and they need only limited promotion due to format exclusivity (many competitive stations spend far more on promotion than on the airstaff...). I would not want to predict that the format will be on the station 24 to 48 months from now.

[klifhanger]

I see the "Master of Grand Illusion" has cut and pasted figures from San Diego,re-worded them,changed it around to give it an appearance he himself is the author. BTW He changed it around to make it appear he  was right in the debate. "When will they ever learn"? -Bob Dylan.

[OldGringo]

I see the "Master of Grand Illusion" has cut and pasted figures from San Diego,re-worded them,changed it around to give it an appearance he himself is the author. BTW He changed it around to make it appear he  was right in the debate. "When will they ever learn"? -Bob Dylan.

Who else would have written the post? The data is right out of the Spring, 2006 Arbitron Audience Composition from Maximiser and the billing data is BIA and Miller Kaplan data.

All Smooth Jazz stations have the same ageing problem. Emmis in NY at WQCD tried injecting chill, which did not achieve any measurable improvement in sales demos... so they reverted to the core format sound.

[jd]

All Smooth Jazz stations have the same ageing problem. Emmis in NY at WQCD tried injecting chill, which did not achieve any measurable improvement in sales demos... so they reverted to the core format sound.

Okay, here's some "free association" about the aging of Smooth Jazz...

There was a lot of talk when Emmis debuted the "Red @ 104.1" format in St. Louis back in '03.  I enjoyed it, but I had plenty of doubts about its viability.  Sure enough it didn't last, and now it's owned by Radio One, who renamed it WHHL ("Where Hip Hop Lives").  In its brief existence "Red" had its admirers but was largely perceived as an odd pairing of smooth jazz artists with some of the old standards and torch singers (old and new, like Sinatra, Bennett, Krall and Connick), ostensibly aimed at the younger demographics. But wasn't it designed to be a natural evolution? 

From a ratings and billing standpoint, was "Red" a miserable failure in all aspects, or could existing smooth jazz stations learn from it?  And with that being said, could a variation on the theme (dropping the old "standards," for one) find a home in a market like D/FW?

[klifhanger]

Yes it could. Regretably the corp owners only listen to board rooms and advertisng agencies who don't want to advertise to that demo. Who 0f course sits on the ad agencies ? Persons 40 and below, who have no idea of the 35 - 55 group who may actually like a station as you suggested. They want people who look and think like them and thus miss several key portraits in a gallery. Someone who has a concrete plan with patience and persistence could do very well going against the ignorant grain of the ad agencies and board rooms . Master of Grand Illusion will disagree being a member of that group.

[OldGringo]

Yes it could. Regretably the corp owners only listen to board rooms and advertisng agencies who don't want to advertise to that demo. Who 0f course sits on the ad agencies ? Persons 40 and below, who have no idea of the 35 - 55 group who may actually like a station as you suggested. They want people who look and think like them and thus miss several key portraits in a gallery. Someone who has a concrete plan with patience and persistence could do very well going against the ignorant grain of the ad agencies and board rooms . Master of Grand Illusion will disagree being a member of that group.

Ad agencies don't set demos. The client, based on its marketing research, product design, advertising ROI, etc., tells the agency what ages to buy. In fact, in the last couple of years, the trend is to 18-49 rather than 25-54.

Neither radio nor the agencies can change client dictates. Radio does not see the clients, and agecies do not fight with clients, especially when they have spent millions in product design and marketing studies with a specific consumer group in mind.

[JayDavis]

Well I just wish some Board (bored !!) Rooms would listen to what we have to say...................

I miss The Oasis and I know a ton of other people do as well.

To HECK with "MOViN" !!