Re: Smooth Jazz-NAC

[Mike Thomas <nostatic@earthlink.net>]

Playing soft AC tracks is standard procedure for nearly all smooth jazz
stations.  The format targets the same demographics, for the most part,
as AC stations.  Playing familiar tracks along with the standard smooth
jazz fare helps attract people to smooth jazz, and keeps them from
wandering away.  Most of the time these stations try to play "jazzy"
leaning titles like Sade, Herb Alpert, Al Jarreau, and George Benson,
but I have heard Mariah Carey and other "big female voice" type artists
on smooth jazz stations. Smooth Jazz "purists" (if there is such a term)
don't care for this practice, but this seems to be the way most of these
outlets maintain cume and TSL.  As a result, you don't normally see
co-owned smooth jazz and AC stations in a market because the two formats
tend to share a lot of audience.

Mike Thomas



Matthew Osborne wrote:

> The past few days I've been listening to CD 101.9
> (WQCD New York) quite a bit, and I've noticed a few
> things about their programming.  First off, they seem
> to play a LOT of soft AC tracks, much more than I
> actually expected a smooth jazz station to play.  Now,
> I will admit that I've never really listened to
> Jazz/NAC stations very much (not one of my personal
> favorites), but is this practice commonplace in other
> markets outside NYC as well?  Or is this just a "NYC"
> thing because thats the "spin" of the format that
> sells best there...
>
>                            Matt Osborne
>                            Hyde Park, NY
>
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