ABC Sets Deal
To Expand Reach
Of 'Jack' Radio
By SARAH MCBRIDE
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 8, 2005; Page B6
Walt Disney Co.'s ABC Radio Networks has cut a deal with SparkNet Communications LP, the new U.S. licensor of the Jack FM trademark.
Under the terms of the agreement, any station in mid- and small-sized markets will have to turn to ABC in order to access the Jack format, which is licensed to 17 U.S. stations. The deal with ABC could potentially springboard Jack onto dozens more stations in the U.S.
Jack FM, which was created several years ago but has only recently caught on in the U.S., has drawn fans with its variety and its unlikely combinations of songs, including hip-hop, hard rock and country ballads. Jack draws on libraries of about 1,200 titles with no single song likely to play more than once every few days. By contrast, most other music radio stations draw songs from playlists of about 300-400 titles, often relying on the same 30-40 songs.
ABC Radio is adding Jack to its menu of 24-hour radio programming to which almost 800 stations around the country subscribe. ABC offers 11 other turnkey radio formats to station operators. ABC plans to offer several levels of Jack-format service, from merely providing the trademark and deadpan voice-overs that run between songs to providing a full Jack feed including all the music, says John Rosso, ABC Radio Networks' vice president for affiliate relations.
In several markets, stations that switched to Jack immediately jumped in the Arbitron radio rankings. A Dallas station owned by Viacom Inc.'s Infinity Broadcasting that switched last summer boosted its market share by one quarter; a Los Angeles station that switched in April almost doubled its market share.
Critics grumble about the lack of new music on Jack, which relies on familiarity with the songs to keep listeners tuned in. They complain that Jack, created to add variety to radio, is quickly becoming a fast-food equivalent.
Still, its success has spawned about 40 imitators bearing names like Jill-FM.
Mr. Rosso says Jack has more staying power with listeners than its imitators. "We have talked to some of our clients, and there is definite interest."
Write to Sarah McBride at sarah.mcbride@wsj.com
Jack Expands
Moderator: Admin
Jack Expands
Last edited by MicheBel on Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Loving ALL of Indie's shows, especially the guys they've been having in the morning!
turnkey radio
So, what exactly is a "turnkey radio format"? You just turn the key and the same preprogrammed music starts spitting out? And how scary is that?
--Miche, hugs Indie closer
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
--Miche, hugs Indie closer
Loving ALL of Indie's shows, especially the guys they've been having in the morning!