New Radio Format Mixes Music Variety, Snarky Comments

(From Newsday -- By Rafer Guzman)

NEW YORKERS like to think of themselves as a unique breed living in a unique region. But the newest sound in NEW YORK RADIO doesn't come from New York at all.

It's called JACK, an unusual radio format franchised out of a NASHVILLE office that's converting stations around the country.

New York recently got its first taste of JACK when WCBS-FM (101.1), the much-loved but demographically undesirable oldies station, made the switch.

Without warning on June 3rd, the station began playing a curious mix of, well, nearly everything, from ELTON JOHN to No DOUBT to THE BEASTIE BOYS -- designed to appeal to younger listeners.

In a flash, the 33-year run of the New York area's pre-eminent oldies station was over.

The station now features no disc jockeys, weather or traffic reports. The music is interrupted only by commercials or by snarky comments from a pre-recorded, anonymous male voice.

"The research has shown us that people are looking for a radio station in their market with less repetition and more variety," says LES HOLLANDER, senior vice president for INFINITY BROADCASTING, which owns WCBS. "Whether it's radio, television, IPODS or listening to music on your computer, people are beginning to use media a little bit differently. In programming a radio station, you have to take that into account."

The odd playlist, plus the firing of beloved hosts such as COUSIN BRUCIE, hasn't gone over well with all listeners.

THE NEW YORK RADIO MESSAGE BOARD -- an influential Internet site for local radio news and gossip -- has seen the most posts on one subject in its history. Nearly all have been critical of the change, with many posters calling for a boycott of sponsors.

THE JACK FORMAT is sweeping the country at a time when radio stations are competing against new music technologies such as satellite radio, Internet radio and portable MP3 players. Indeed, the seemingly random JACK FORMAT is often described as an "IPOD on shuffle."

The format has boosted ratings dramatically for stations in Dallas and Los Angeles, but critics say its lack of on-air personalities and local programming is just another step toward the McDONALDIZATION of radio.