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If L.A.'s Jack-FM Can Do It, Why Can't You?
July 2, 2019
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Is it possible that the best radio station in America is one that does not have any air personalities? It only takes a quarter hour of listening to L.A.'s 93.1 Jack FM to hear the rich heritage of musical depth that most markets don't have access to, because L.A. was and is home to one of the most groundbreaking platforms to ever exist for propelling sounds to success that didn't work at most other places, and to some degree, were never tried. That, of course, is the World Famous KROQ.
This is just one of the great parts of the Jack FM backbone in SoCal, and while KROQ's history has allowed for this particular Jack FM to have a musical strength like no other, the ENTIRE concept of Jack FM, which succeeds in many markets large and small had some secret sauces that no other format could have even realized that would allow the brand to blossom beyond what anyone could have imagined when it debuted in the early 2000s.
I, for one, believed that like Rock 40, Pirate Radio and the attempts to make Sarah Mc Lachlan's Lilith Fair a radio format, that Jack FM would be at best, an 18-month format, here today and gone tomorrow.
While the music is a great strength for Jack FM, what makes L.A.'s version of this plug and play format so captivating, is the attention to detail and the purposeful balance of messaging in produced imaging, tackling the attitude of the music with identifiers, but not leaving it there.
The Jack of All Teachers
I promise, if Jack FM can do this without one jock on the air, how much more can a Hot AC, or a Top 40 or an Alternative pull this off, taking the template laid out here, and adding something Jack can't do, have a live, local jock fit right into the brand?
Jack FM is considered a jukebox format, and that may be the most unfortunate brand anyone could give this vibrant, new-millennial ratings monster, as L.A. proves book after book that winning PPM isn't about quick messaging to reinforce a one-dimensional brand or positioning statement, but instead, if you can give your audience an experience that makes them FEEL, that they can love your offering beyond seeing the music play out of some cold appliance called a radio.
Here's how Jack FM pulls this off daily:
They are local. They don't make it all about the music. In fact, the way they talk about their music quantity and quality is matter of fact, tongue in cheek, 'we play what we want,' or, the simple 'a lot of songs back to back.'
Updated daily is a What's Happening locally thing, not called that, where they're offering three things going on locally that the audience may have interest in, from baseball games to comedy shows and concerts. They don't list them out, the lone station jock voice, a woman NOT the VO guy, a woman who never does a shift, but tackles this type of imaging daily delivers this information from her perspective, first talking about how hot one of the Angels' ballplayers is, but if you don't find him appealing there's always Nick Swardson, and she shifts to the comedy show. Nothing is done just to say it and leave it there like a liner card of information. Everything is content. What a concept.
Remember, Wally World?
They have a series of imaging that goes in between songs that is updated for the moment, covering sports teams and local politics, and in one promo about tickets to Magic Mountain, instead of saying 'in Valencia,' the promo stated, "We're sending you to the land of affordable housing..."
Now, that may not mean anything to you, because you've never lived in CA, but the depth of thought that it took to share that line hits a bullseye with any man, woman, professional, student or otherwise who understands the explosion that took place 25 years ago that built the Santa Clarita area with TV, Film and creative types who could get more house for the money if they would just drive 20 miles further.
A cracker-jack box size of a house in Burbank could cost you $800k or higher, but in Valencia, you could shave $200k - $300k off the price, just for the willingness to drive a tad further. The price differences in real estate between these two locations still exists, so the brilliant line, not only feeds into a time of the past, but it speaks to the now.
They are funny. Not only does that line ring true to locals, it hits the funny bone, which most people listening are seeking, as daily stresses can go away when the body releases dopamine, which is what occurs when we are evoked to laughter. Instead of telling us about a roller coaster, Jack FM took us for a ride.
May I Have Your Attention, Please
The attention to detail on this radio station is astounding, whether you are listening online or in your car they don't miss moments to feed you attitude; and that swagger that says, 'hey, we don't care if you're listening or not, but hey, you're here, so here you go...'
And it's obvious the man behind the curtain does care, so much that even online when the commercials have to sync up to the real time format; they'll let you know that without ever saying that exact thing, but we know what's going on...and we wait anyway...
And just then online, the VO guy says, "while you're waiting, let's review your Miranda rights... You have the right to remain silent, anything you say..." and they go through the line we've heard all of our lives on Cops, or LIVE PD, for no reason just because and it's genius...and again, they've kept us listening because we know that behind that recorded voice there must be something live, something real, someone, or a team of people who care, who understand me, who love their jobs and make me feel good.
As we wait a bit longer, with some silence, the VO guy comes back on, "Still holding for JACK FM?? Wow!! That's a dedication we don't even have!"
A Case of the Yeah Buts
Maybe you read this, and you think to yourself, "yeah but they have a team of people." Yeah, but I guarantee it didn't start that way.
PPM has dumbed down Top 40, Hot AC, Country and so many other formats, because we've been taught, told or even shown that longer imaging or jock breaks tune them out, and I call BS on that. What tuned them out was a jock break or imaging that wasn't congruent with your brand, one that lacked creativity, and was more about the jock or the station -- than the person who just wanted an experience, to get a dopamine rush without having to do anything illegal.
But no, go ahead, just keep telling them that you're 'number one for New Country.' After the millionth time, it hast to sink in. It just has to.
Until then, do yourself, your staff, your station and your pride a favor, experience the rich offerings of one station in L.A. that could teach you all you need to know about radio and theater of the mind.
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