A great wrong was corrected today when WCBS 101.1 FM here in New York reverted back to the classic oldies format they were known for for the last three decades. They returned with a montage of clips from the '60s, '70s and '80s, and at 1:01 PM, the first song played by DJ Bob Shannon was the Beach Boys, "Do It Again."
Back in June 2005, CBS Radio made an incredibly stupid move by converting to the "Jack" format, and getting rid of the oldies. Jack was an "iPod" on the radio, as they played just about any type of song without boundaries. But it simply never caught on, as it came across as rather
souless, with too much wiseass attitude. It had no DJs, and it was simply wrong as a format. Jack worked in many cities, but it was a disaster in New York. The public wanted their old station back, and as of today, they've got it back.
I've always been a fan of Oldies 101.1, as I was really sad to see it leave New York radio. But today it's back. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it seems like they never left.
Rock on guys!! Good to have you back.
It's so funny (and pathetic) when old school formats try to act like they're what's hip and new, as if we can't figure it out. It's like, Hey, we're an ipod! No you're not, you're the radio. If we want an ipod we'll get one. It's kind of a good idea, that Jack format, but to me it just goes against what the radio IS.
ReplyDeleteIt's like when a TV show will have a "loading...." graphic on the screen at the beginning. You're not the f'n internet! And we're not dumb enough to think you are! We're turning on the TV to watch TV!
One note: toward the end of Jack, I did notice they had DJs on there. (They were about as interesting as the robot "voice" of Jack had been...)
Jack-Arse Radio is more like it:
ReplyDeleteSome people talk about cost savings & cost effectiveness;
Souless #s crunchers in Jackboots with no personality(Like New Yankees Fans only rooting for the last 3 days.
And you wonder why so many people have found interesting radio on the 'Net? the fact that many stations have a tightly controlled format where I know what is coming on.
ReplyDeleteThe sprawl of Jack is why I went to XM Radio. I either hear the same song 10 times a day or not at all on most formats.
tho why has country radio never caught on in NYC?
Country has had spurts of success here, but nothing long-lasting.
ReplyDelete