Jazz FM: RIP
I’m not convinced this is a good move for me personally, but Jazz FM has shut up shop, and will re-launch on the 7th June as Smooth FM.
I’ve listened to Jazz FM since it launched, and remember it having a crisis problem when it changed to J FM, and then back. Anyway, in my opinion the station has gone down hill in recent years - I guess as it tries to appeal to a wider audience - so I’ve not been listening to it so much over the last year or so.
One thing that bugs me is they are always playing Sade! I can’t stand her! It’s funny (not really) how often she comes on, and when she does I have to hop stations straight away - usually to Classic FM. I must be getting old. But I really can’t stand her music: I guess it’s just played too much.
And I ran out of beer tonight. That sucks.
Right, I’m going to get an early night - stag do tomorrow, so gotta be on the ball!
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June 5th, 2005 20:01
I sort of agree ! Daytime playlist was very limited and boring. I did however enjoy Peter Young and Campbell Burnap. Will they become Smoothies ? What a tacky name - Smooth Fm !!!
June 6th, 2005 17:34
Yeah - really bad choice of name. We’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best!
June 7th, 2005 19:48
i agree, their classification of jazz includes supermarket jingles, the kind of stuff they play when you’re shopping to advertise special deals on mens’ socks.
And what’s with the ’smooth’? If I want to listen to smooth music then I’ll listen to Heart FM or Magic FM, i used to listen to jazz FM ‘cos i wanted to listen to jazz!
July 11th, 2005 08:43
I returned from one of several business trips abroad this year (hence being a bit out of touch) to discover that my car radio could no find jazzfm, but eventually up came “smoothfm”.
What on earth?
There is already a station called Magic that surely caters for this market. What is the regulator doing? Jazz is jazz and not wallpaper music.
So it is back to CDs and CD compilations to listen to jazz. I will have to search the BBC’s liting to find the jazz programmes again. In fact perhaps the BBC should cater for those of us that like jazz. BBC 8 perhaps?
August 1st, 2005 20:53
I listened to Jazz FM on Sat & Sun nights some times, it played music that many other stations didn’t. Now “smooth fm” or should we say “Bland FM” plays the same lift music that every other station plays. RIP Jazz FM - clearly a revenue decision rather than a listeners decision.
Bill.
August 4th, 2005 09:28
JazzFM has been moved to the web, offering a stream for a fee of £8.50 a month. This is just a way of fleecing listeners in a specialist market. All they’ve left behind is an insipid Magic clone (almost identical playlist). I urge everyone to boycott both stations.
August 5th, 2005 21:45
I have to say I’m quite surprised at the level of interest this post on JazzFM has had - I wonder if anyone at the station knows what the feeling out there/here is?
October 5th, 2005 20:53
I entirely agree with all the above posts,it should be called ChavFM,I caompalined to Offcom before the change,to no effect.
We have more or less given up and rely on radio3 and web streams from U.S. and France.
January 4th, 2006 13:08
Try getting a DAB radio and listening to Chill (if available), it’s laid back music *with no adverts or DJs* - great for late night bedroom listening.
June 25th, 2006 21:22
102.2 Jazz fm London went down hill when the station was sold in 2003 to GMG, followed Jazz fm’s name change in the NW England.
The station never made a profit in all the 15 years, it was John Baish at the then Jazz fm who returned home to the UK with ‘adult instrumental jazz’ in 1998, why remove for example Peter White, Basia and Gota from popular day time slots.
I get the neadle when Smooth plays no instrumental jazz, tired of continues vocal music and the sation sounds like any other with no real decent jingles.
If I need jazz, then I listen online to Jazz fm for jazz heads, why cant we have a mix of online Jazz fm and Smooth as a new station title.
The new station is boring.
August 7th, 2008 23:41
Jazz FM is coming back!!
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a105662/tlrc-sells-stations-resurrects-jazz-fm.html
October 15th, 2008 23:50
Well,I miss your great choice of jazz at midnite.Now there is no jazz on fm radio nor my new digital radio.Compare with some of the USA programs…eg in Naples florida ,there is always something good To listen to,as well as public radio classical.
Why is there no UK product?
By the way,I play d.bass with symph orch there,and jazz piano with big band…..and coming back to the UK I feel bereft of “nice” jazz on the radio ….
Cant wait for June !!!!
Mike Mendelsohn