While driving back from the City last week after cheering Mrs. Bixby (Not Her Real Name) on for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, I noticed that the radio was playing a decent mix of old and new music. I assumed I had left Nine FM on when I was last in the car. That is, until this large announcer voice burst out with “This is JACK FM, 104.3.”
“104.3? That can’t be right!” I thought. I checked the radio and sure enough, the dial read 104.3 FM. To quote Vizzini (as I often do), “Inconceivable!”
I was in quite a state of shock. My friend, who was assisting me with child-wrangling while Mrs. Bixby (Not Her Real Name) was gone for the weekend, couldn’t understand my dismay and distress. See, she was born in Plano, IL, but moved to the Quad Cities area at a young age. Unlike me, she didn’t grow up with Dick Biondi. She didn’t remember Magic 104, nor, later, Oldies 104. She didn’t know the pleasure of being able to turn on a station and know that it wouldn’t blow out your eardrums with noise or profanity and that you had a better than even chance of hearing a song you know and/or love.
Apparently, without warning to us faithful listeners, Inifinity Broadcasting decided to change to some new Canadian format that eschews DJs and any thematic format. As they proudly say, “We play whatever we want and we don’t take requests.”
I am not the first or only person upset by this. Chicago Sun-Times Chicago media critic Robert Feder writes about the change here and publishes reader reaction here.
Bill Dennis seems somwhat perplexed by the hubbub.
My response is quoted in it’s entirety:
“I’ve been meaning to blog about this for the last week. What started all of this Jack discussion in Chicago is that Infinity Broadcasting had the wise idea to replace Oldies 104.3 WJMK in Chicago, a station that has successfully broadcast the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s format since 1984, included some of the most beloved deejays in the Chicago area and had been an absolutely reliable station to listen to if I didn’t want my kids to hear profanity or overly loud music, with JACK shite.
I’m young enough that my entire living memory of radio includes and involves Oldies 104 (formerly Magic 104). My dad listened to it because he hated contemporary music. It’s what he and I both grew up to.
The worst part is not that JACK is soulless, without DJs, and without theme. The worst part is that we already have three simulcast stations (NINE FM) that do the same thing. And better. To screw over Dick Biondi who has given 20 years of his life to that station and banish him to the internet is deplorable. To do so and replace it with such drek is unforgivable.”
My wife and her parents were equally perturbed and disheartened by this news. In breaking the news, I simply asked both my wife and her mother (in separate conversations) one question. “If you had to choose one Chicago radio station that wouldn’t change formats, which would it be?” Both women responded with Oldies 104. Both were disappointed to find out which Chicago radio station changed formats.
I have personally chosen to remove 104.3 FM from my presets dial and if I am in the mood for mixed music, I will listen to NINE FM which replaced some bad Top 40, 80′s or Spanish-language stations. The channels they replaced had been through several format changes before settling on the IPOD shuffle format. It has worked for them and, while still starting out, they seem to be doing well. Oldies 104.3 was one-of-a-kind and could be heard as far away as Michigan. It was a comfort to hear when returning from a road trip, an aural taste of home. I’ll sorely miss it.
The worst part of the whole deal was the mistreatment of the dedicated and loving staff and DJs who now have to live out the remainder of their RADIO contracts on the INTERNET. Shameful. Biondi was a Chicago institution and he deserves better.
“As they proudly say, “We play whatever we want and we don’t take requests.””
Oh, bull.
Anyone who thinks this format doesn’t have a strickly limited playlist is severely braindamaged. Station managers aren’t deciding what songs get played, and certainly there aren’t any DJs involved. It’s all prerecorded.
Drek.
Agreed Bill. It really is wholly without character. If I wanted an iPod in my car, I would have one. I listen to the radio almost as much for the DJs as for the music.
By the way, welcome to the new digs. Whaddya think?