peterography

In the last few decades popular music has splintered into ever  narrower segments. In most big city markets you can tune to stations featuring formats such as Adult Hits, Adult Contemporary, Adult Standards, Classic Hits, Contemporary Hits (AKA “top 40”), Pop Standards, Progressive Rock, Soft Rock, Soft Adult Contemporary, Urban Contemporary, Urban Adult and Urban Oldies. Few ordinary listeners know the difference between these, but the radio industry does, and those categories matter to the executives and program directors who select the songs we hear.

Listeners who like a little variety are bored by this narrow specialization, and those who like a little music from their music stations are bored by all the yakking of the DJ’s, especially during the morning commute when many stations are now double-teaming the poor listener with pairs of happy-talk jocks blabbing endlessly about TV shows and celebrity gossip.

Some listeners are tuning out of terrestrial radio altogether, preferring satellite radio or playlist shuffles on their MP3 players. And some radio listeners are tuning into a new format called “Jack radio”.

“Jack FM” first appeared among a handful of Canadian and US stations in 2002 and the format quickly spread in both countries and is now appearing in the UK.  Typical “Jack” stations play a mix of hits from the 1960’s to the present. Most “Jack” stations have no disc jockey, although they may have a canned voice promoting their format or announcing on-air contests. The moniker “Jack FM” is trademarked by Rogers Communications but competing brands are now offering “Bob Radio” or “Joe Radio” Here in the Boston area, Jack radio is called “Mike FM” – WMKK. I listen to them sometimes, especially when I’m near a radio that I can’t connect to my iPod, but Mike FM’s playlist is too small.

On my iPod I have the usual music of my generation, such as Joni Mitchell, the Clash and Johnny Cash, or Diana Ross and ZZ Top. Also, the Allman Brothers, Tori Amos, A-ha and Abba. Not to mention Leonard Cohen and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello. Also, the Bangles, the B-52’s, the Band, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Billy Idol as well as Men at Work, Men Without Hats, Moby, Bob Marley, and Martha and the Vandellas.

But Mike FM’s slogan is “we play everything”, with the word “everything” drawn out with snarky emphasis. And I beg to differ. I’ve never heard Yo Yo Ma on Mike FM, not even playing soundtrack music from “Crouching Tiger”, never mind the Bach Cello Suites. I’ve never heard Miles Davis or Sarah Vaughn or Tito Puente. I’ve never heard Brian Eno or Edward Elgar. I’ve never heard Edvard Grieg, George Gershwin or Max Graham. No Bob Wills, Duke Ellington, Billy Holiday, or Cibo Matto. No Ozo Matli, Battlefield Band, the Peatbog Faeries, the Klezmatics or Evgeny Kissin. But I listen to all those on my iPod.

Mike FM likes to capitalize on their variety by playing “mash ups” and “trainwrecks” of unlikely pairs of artists back-to-back. Their idea of a mash up is Billy Joel followed by Nirvana. You should hear my mash ups. Mike FM doesn’t know anything about “everything”.