Posted by Natalie M. on October 03, 2005 at 23:20:07:
In Reply to: The Demise of Jack-Taking a Vote posted by Jeff Scheckner on October 02, 2005 at 17:20:38:
C - 50% - Lack of muscial variety/segues
A - 35% - Lack of human interaction
B - 15% - Devil's Horn
Although I have been a huge CBS 'fanatic" for the last ten years, as a 28 year old member of Infinity's desired "target audience" I have a few observations on why JACK is not taking off among my peers. Personally, I refuse to listen to JACK for obvious reasons. Had it not landed on my favorite station I probably would have totally ignored it as it is not "my style".
My friends all lean towards rock music (commonly towards Q104 or k-rock). Infinity would think that they would like Jack FM, but they are wrong. Most of my friends are 30ish with jobs and financial security. They own their own IPODs and huge quantities of CDs. (I'm too cheap to buy these things.) Several have bought satellite radios in the last few months. Most of them complain that NY radio's tight playlists are boring and they seek these alternative sources for a wider variety of music, from jazz, to classic rock, to showtunes. They can listen to the music they like any time they want to. (I love discovering new "Oldies" on Sirius.")
Furthermore, personalities also play a big roll. Most of the people I know express interest in a particular morning show personality (i.e. Jim Kerr, Howard Stern) and find it interesting to hear what the DJs have to say. Conversations often spring up about things that were discussed on the radio. JACK's snarky voice is a poor substitute.
Although none of my good friends shared my CBS-FM mania, they all respected the music and talent that was on CBS. Most of my acquaintance frequently sampled CBS and agree that the loss of this music was a big mistake. (They knew better than to change the station in my car without permission.) This music has been a part of our lives too!
Finally, the pointless murder of CBS FM also seems to have led people to believe that NY radio has no future. If there is one thing that Infinity has succeed at doing, it's selling more satellite radios. Perhaps the folks at Sirius and XM should write thank you notes?