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Jazz On The Radio

The 2008 Re-Launch of Jazz FM (From What's New August 2008)

The word is that the UK digital radio station Jazz FM is to return in the late Autumn. As we reported in our Jazz On The Radio features, the original station gradually reduced its jazz playlist and increasingly played 'smooth' music so that eventually it became 'Smooth FM'. Now, The Local Radio Company has confirmed that it will be selling six loss-making FM stations and 'Their disposal enables us to significantly reduce central costs which will place the Company in a stronger position to take advantage of the opportunities that arise'. As one of those opportunities, Executive Chairman Richard Wheatly who was part of the original Jazz FM launch team, has revealed that TLRC has struck a three-year licensing agreement with the Guardian Media Group to resurrect the Jazz FM brand on digital platforms. GMG has said: 'GMG Radio believes Jazz FM is a niche listen and with the demise of theJazz, this is an opportunity to provide listeners with their own jazz station 24 hours a day'. The presenter lineup and full programme schedule is due to be announced soon. For more information, click here, and here.

Reef Radio (July 2008)

Here in the UK we have been mourning the loss of Jazz FM and then theJazz. Not quite so in New Zealand. Roger Strong wrote to tell us about his friend Eric Allen who decided to set up his own radio station Reef Radio so that he could broadcast the music he likes. At 83 years old, Eric finally retired as a drummer with his band Lotsa Jazz in 2007. Now he is using his record collection of something like 25,000 titles for his station's playlist of music from the 1930s to the 1970s. Reef Radio has been running for two years from a small studio in Eric's home in Port Chevalier. He doesn't make much money from it, but Eric says it's good fun and doesn't involve much time. Local listeners within a 5km radius have praised the station for its variety and the absence of commercials!
(Photo Jason Oxenham/Auckland City Harbour News).

Jazz On The Radio in the U.K. (February, 2008)

It is around a year ago that we included a piece about Jazz On The Radio that noted the demise of Jazz FM and the introduction of 'theJazz' digital radio station. We also queried whether the BBC was putting out enough Jazz air time in proportion to the radio listening public.
Now it seems that theJazz is to go off the air at the end of March 2008. GCap Media, the parent company of theJazz said that digital audio broadcasting was not proving to be a viable platform and the company's future lay in broadband and traditional FM stations. Whether another company might take over GCap remains to be seen. For more on this story, click here: News
From February 25th, 2008, Classic FM is broadcasting two hours of jazz between midnight and 2.00 am. Helen Meyhew from theJazz is covering Monday to Friday and Tim Lihoreau is in the chair on Saturday and Sunday. The programme will be available on FM and DAB radio, and apparently it will also be possible to listen to the programme through www.classicfm.com/listenagain at any time of the day or night for seven days after the broadcast.
Writing to the Radio Times (23-29 February 2008), Simon Anderson from East Sussex argued that the odds seemed against a jazz station 'being allowed to breathe' in the commercial sector and that the BBC should step in with a station for jazz, perhaps broadcasting in the evenings. Although it is said that theJazz attracted more than 330,000 listeners in its first three months, these changes do raise the question of whether enough people want a 24 hour programme dedicated specifically to jazz.
We have recently heard that if you have a wireless computer, it is possible to buy an 'internet radio' that will play some good jazz programmes from around the world accessed through your computer. We have not tried this, has anyone else?

(Item from September 2007 up-date)
A month or so ago we included a piece about Jazz On The Radio that noted the demise of Jazz FM and the introduction of TheJazz digital radio station. We also queried whether the BBC was putting out enough Jazz air time in proportion to the radio listening public. In the September edition of Jazz Journal, Mike Whitaker takes to task readers who whinge about the variety of music on TheJazz and points out that although we may not like everything they play, we could encounter something good that we haven't heard before. A good point. We must still remember however that TheJazz is only available to those who have digital radios. In support of the BBC, did you know that they have a website that gives you details about jazz that is coming up during the week, and information about playlists for programmes such as 'Jazz Record Requests'? You can find the page at www.bbc.co.uk/music/jazz. You can also listen to various BBC jazz programmes on your computer by going to the right side of the page where it says 'Listen' and click on 'Listen to Jazz Shows'.

Jazz FM and the Jazz (April 2007)

At the end of March 2007, Campbell Burnap wrote to us saying that he had left Jazz FM and that from April 15th, he would be joining 'theJazz' radio station as a presenter on Sunday nights from 10.00 pm until midnight. Apparently Jazz FM has relaunched itself as 'Smooth Radio' with a target audience of 50-65 year olds and playing pop and rock rather than jazz.

The press noted that when Jazz FM started in 1990 it was launched with an expensive publicity campaign and tried to serve a wide range of listeners' interests by playing all types of jazz from Gospel to Latin, New Orleans to Soul. Under financial pressure, it started to move away from a total jazz programme, became 'Smooth FM' and now 'Smooth Radio'.

As an offshoot of Classic FM, 'theJazz' is Britain's first new radio station for more than four years, but it is a digital station and can only be received on DAB sets, Sky, Virgin TV, online and cable (not on Freeview). This rather restricts its access. On the plus side, it will be broadcasting for 24-hours, and has taken on a number of well known presenters including Cambell Burnap, Helen Mayhew, David Jensen and Mark Forrest. Jamie Cullum, Digby Fairweather, Jacqui Dankworth and Courtney Pine will also be presenting programmes. Darren Henley, managing director of 'theJazz' is reported as saying, "We feel we are filling a hole in the landscape, and we hope to do for jazz what Classic FM has already done for classical music.We want to reach people who aren't already listening to jazz on the radio. Now, 'theJazz' may be a digital-only station, but things are changing fast, so why can't we achieve something as successful as Classic FM?"

It seems that the 'epicentre' of 'theJazz' is to be the music of Miles Davis (as apparently the music of Mozart is to Classic FM). Writing in the Sunday Times, Paul Donovan says, "If we want New Orleans, I think we will have to ask for it". (Now, from a feedback from listeners, Stan Kenton, the Dutch Swing College and Stephane Grappelli have been added to the playlist).

During Easter Week (7th - 13th April), there was a total of five hours and forty-five minutes of Jazz programmes on BBC Radio 3, and two and a half hours of Jazz programmes on BBC Radio 2 (this includes an hour of Paul Jones' Blues programme). Does this represent the right proportion of listeners' interests?

'theJazz' is on DAB radio; online at www.theJazz.com, on Sky 0113 and Virgin TV 961. We should be interested to hear what you think of it. Contact Us. (Please also see Eric Chaffe's letter below).

From Eric Chaffe, East Rainton, Sunderland, U.K. (reprinted with permission of Radio Times Reader Services). (April 2007).

I'm often disappointed at the treatment of jazz lovers compared with classical music fans on BBC3. Recently we had a Saturday spoilt when the usual programmes were dropped so that classical fans could listen to one composer for hours on end, and then on 10 March we lost Jazz Record Requests for an opera. Surely the balance is so in favour of classical music already that the jazz could be left alone?