By Mike Fordham
Flip on the radio, and you may hear all sorts of talk about a bunch of guys. Names like Jack, Ben and Mike may pop up among a surprisingly eclectic arrangement of songs. It’s not some alien, chauvinistic radio station, but a new format that is starting to take hold in the United States-the “Jack” format.
You don’t know “Jack”? Well, this is your chance to meet him. Radio programmers have come up with a fictional person (hence the names), and have determined what songs, artists and genres he might like. Unlike the narrowcasted formats that currently dominate radio, “Jack” embraces many types of music. For instance, you might hear Bob Marley followed by Judas Priest, Counting Crows and finish with the Dropkick Murphys.
If this musical schizophrenia mirrors an iPod playlist, that is exactly the point. With the runaway success of the iPod, as well as Sirius and XM satellite radio and Web-streaming, it’s no surprise that radio has become increasingly stagnant. With stale formats, dwindling audiences and a general lack of daring, radio has taken a hit in the past few years. However, the “Jack” format may be a creative shot in the arm. Rather than rely upon a song library of several hundred tunes, “Jack” blows the door wide open by having over 1,000 songs available to play.
The format originated in Canada and made its American debut in Denver over a year ago. The roots of the format, however, can also be traced back to the inventive “free-format” concept that has been a staple of non-commercial and college radio broadcasting for quite some time now. Currently, “Jack” formats have spread out to stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Boston, with more on the way.
But is “Jack” truly the saving grace for radio? There are several problems with the design of the format that may tarnish this burgeoning idea. For starters, while more songs are “free” to be spun, a 1000 song catalog is still fairly limited. The format could incorporate dozens more genres of music. For example, imagine a playlist where one could hear reggae legend Peter Tosh next to Slayer, followed by Miles Davis and an album cut from the Foo Fighters. Also, “Jack” stations rely upon proven hits when creating a playlist. Instead of playing album cuts, exclusive tracks or other songs, listeners will still get the same big hits heard on other formats, just presented in a different manner. This brings up the question of whether new acts will be able to “break” and succeed on a “Jack” station.
A very disturbing flaw with the format is the emphasis on recorded voices, whether between songs or sets. This would virtually eliminate any need for disc jockeys. With the consolidated state that radio currently is in, more human interaction is needed, not more relying upon more computers. Part of the joy of tuning into a station is to hear a DJ’s banter with callers, talking about news and topics of the day, or informing listeners about the music. One of the advantages that traditional broadcast radio has is the ability to provide localized content, such as local news and community events. With more digitized and streamlined stations, this public outreach may be greatly diminished.
Even with all that a “Jack” station offers, listeners simply may not care. It’s entirely possible that music fans could cling to their iPods, satellite radio receivers, or favorite Internet stream.
The “Jack” format is in its nascent stage here in the United States. In terms of ratings, several stations have garnered decent-sized audiences. The long term sustainability of the format will be proven in the next few years, based upon whether these stations fail or succeed. Even if this musical experiment does not live up to expectations, it still deserves plenty of praise. With radio being downright boring, any sort of step in a bold, new direction should get accolades. It’s about time that programmers decided to take a risk and try something new. Perhaps the “Jack” format could morph into something new in the near future. With all of the talk about the medium reserved for satellite radio and Podcasting, it’s wonderful to see that terrestrial radio has finally responded in kind. Radio has a very interesting future ahead of itself. Who would have figured it may lie in the hands of some guy named “Jack”?