Re: WSJZ Smooth Jazz

["Bump Martin" <LJNF40C@prodigy.com>]

What a crock of crap....


BM



- -----Original Message-----
From: Movie Man <movieman@shore.net>
To: boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
<boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Date: Monday, September 06, 1999 4:41 PM
Subject: WSJZ Smooth Jazz


>
>Save Boston Radio's Only Smooth Jazz Outlet
>
>For immediate release
>
>Boston's only radio outlet for Smooth Jazz, WSJZ Smooth Jazz 96.9 FM, is
>being taken off the air effective September 6, 1999.  The locally produced
>music shows are to be replaced with a talk format that will be largely
>supplied from outside the Boston market via satellite.  This is an
>unwelcome move being made by the station's owners, Greater Boston Radio
>Group, a division of Greater Media, Inc., and fueled by Senior Vice
>President and Regional Director, Peter Smythe, and his subordinate
>Operations Manager Don Kelley.  The outpouring of support for the station
>has been overwhelming.
>
>About two months ago, Greater Media signed an agreement with Westwood One,
>a syndicator of satellite based programming to over 5000 radio stations, to
>reformat one of its radio stations to all talk.  This contract included the
>signing of talk show host Don Imus, whose contract was recently dropped by
>Boston's WEEI radio for declining ratings. The rumors within the radio
>group were that WBOS 92.9, long the lowest rated station in the group, was
>the logical target for the change of format.  It was spared, owing to a
>statistical anomaly in the ratings for the month of July that bumped it up
>several ratings points.  Despite the fact that it was unable to maintain
>the ratings for the month of August, its fate as a rock station remained
>secure while WSJZ was to be sacrificed.  WSJZ, by contrast, has had fairly
>consistent ratings in its prime demographic of 25-54 year olds.
>
>Sources within the station say that they are stunned by the outpouring of
>support for the Smooth Jazz format and the air personalities that presented
>it and the expression of anger at management for taking away a radio
>station that many found to be soothing and relaxing.  The station's
>switchboard was overwhelmed the first day that they "teased" the new format
>by replacing the regular morning show of Chuck Munroe and Debbi Enblom with
>reruns of Don Imus.  A special voicemail box had to be set up to handle the
>angry callers who wanted to express their opinions to manangement.  They
>have since received hundreds of faxes and e-mails from listeners upset with
>the pending changes.  These calls, faxes and messages still continue but
>fall upon deaf ears.
>
>WSJZ has been a firm supporter of the community in and around the Boston
>area.  Most notable were fundraising for causes such as the AIDS Action
>Committee.  They have also made cultural contributions including free
>summer concerts at Copley Square and Newbury St., sponsorship of the Smooth
>Jazz Boston Harbor cruises and the Newport Jazz Festival for the past three
>years. The station also supports the many affluent and well-known jazz
>clubs and schools in the area including Sculler's, Wally's, and the Berklee
>College of Music.  Smooth Jazz is a station that supports the efforts of up
>and coming musicians and their efforts by giving them a forum to showcase
>their talents.
>
>WSJZ and Smooth Jazz has had an uphill battle in Boston.  It began its
>Smooth Jazz incarnation as WOAZ, owned by Granum Broadcasting where it
>enjoyed moderate success in this niche format.  Granum was aquired by
>Infinity Broadcasting (CBS' Radio Division) as a part of a larger
>acquisition.  Infinity, already an owner of a number of Boston stations,
>had to divest itself of several Boston properties to stay within FCC
>rules.  WBOS and WSJZ were sold to Greater Media's Greater Boston Radio
>Group, owners of the very successful WMJX Adult Contemporary outlet.  This
>presented a conflict in the eyes of Peter Smythe and Don Kelley who feared
>that a successful Smooth Jazz station would hurt the ratings of the station
>that was the reason for their career's success, Magic 106.7.  As a result
>of this, WSJZ has had extremely limited support in the form of promotional
>and advertising dollars from its parent company while its sister stations
>have had extensive TV, print and billboard campaigns.  It should be noted
>that during the one period that the station was advertising on TV, its
>ratings were the highest in its history.
>
>It should also be noted that in addition to being the Operations Manager
>for the Boston Group, Mr. Kelley is also the Program Director of WMJX.  His
>compensation is directly tied to that station and he has used his position
>as Operations Manager to keep down the ratings of the others in the group.
>Mr. Kelley, according to sources around the station, has been quoted as
>saying that Smooth Jazz is "a format that has no more than 10 listeners at
>a time" and the station as being "death by sax".  He has made a habit of
>placing trade and press articles critical of the Smooth Jazz format in the
>mailboxes of the WSJZ air and management staff as a form of psychological
>warfare against the station.
>
>Statements made to the public about WSJZ's financial unviability are
>blatantly untrue.  One only has to listen to the station to hear that it
>has a healthy roster of commercial advertisers.  The station lists Jaguar,
>Turner Fisheries, Hotel Meridien and Jordan's Furniture among its clients,
>all advertisers who know that their advertising dollar is being well
>spent.  It is a fact that during a recent contest between the various
>stations sales departments within the group, WSJZ's sales department
>outsold WMJX's!
>
>Radio broadcast licenses are issued "in the public trust".  It is our
>contention that Greater Media's move to switch this station's format
>violates that trust.  Boston's talk radio market is already served by two
>stations in the daytime (WEEI and WRKO) and a third at night (WBZ).  Boston
>will be left without a station that provides relaxation music for
>discriminating adults.
>
>Greater Media's move to flip the format of WSJZ makes no financial
>sense.  Talk radio ratings have, on the average, been declining
>nationwide.   Locally WRKO and WEEI have had substantial drops in their
>market share over the past several years.  Adding another talk outlet will
>only reshuffle the existing talk audience and cause all of the station's
>numbers to drop.
>
>The Smooth Jazz format has been popular for the past several
>years.  Stations exists in all major and most secondary markets and
>generally do well.  In markets where the ownership has aggressively
>promoted the station, they have rated in the top 5.  As an
>illustration,  WNUA-FM in Chicago is 5th in the country's 3rd largest
>market and WJJZ in Philadelphia is currently 3rd in the country's 5th
>largest radio market.  Boston will be the only major market station without
>a Smooth Jazz outlet.
>
>It has become apparent that Greater Boston Radio Group's management is
>intent on making this format change regardless of public outcry or
>financial peril. The only hope for a change of position on this is to
>appeal to the parent corporation, Greater Media and also to the station's
>advertisers, many of whom also advertise on other Greater Boston
>properties.  Appeals to Greater Media should be addressed to:
>
>Frank Kabela, President
>Greater Media
>2 Kennedy Blvd
>East Brunswick, NJ 08816-1248
>(732) 247-6161
>FAX: (732) 247-0215
>
>Copies of all letters, faxes and emails should be addressed to Greater
>Boston Radio at the address listed below with a note of instruction stating
>that they are to be placed in the station's FCC Public file.
>
>Smooth Jazz WSJZ 96.9 FM
>55 Morrissey Blvd.
>Boston, MA 02125-3315
>617-822-9600
>Studio Fax 617-822-6859
>
>
>
>For additional information, contact Kim Stiles at kim.stiles@att.net
>

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