Sad news from Philadelphia, where at 6 pm yesterday, (Friday September 5, 2008), Greater Media abandoned its smooth jazz output on 97.5 and, in what was the nation’s seventh-ranked market, effectively ended the tenure of WJJZ. The fact it signed off after Boys II Men's ‘I'll Make Love to You’ speaks volumes as to how out of touch radio programmers have become with what smooth jazz listeners want to hear. It is hoped when 97.5 re-launches on the morning of Monday September 8, with an as yet unspecified format, that it tries a little harder to connect with whatever audience the new target demographic happens to be.
Indeed, smooth jazz in Philadelphia has experienced a checkered history since August 10, 2006 when Clear Channel, which had aired WJJZ on 106.1 for the previous 13 years, chose to pull the plug. Although Greater Media resurrected WJJZ in November of the same year, and in the process moved it to 97.5, the failure of the company to tap into the obvious advertising potential of a genre that is not only about the music but also the lifestyle associated with it is now clear for all to see.
