When I've commented on the Jack format in previous blog posts someone has inevitably come along and said "Jack flopped at WCBS-FM/New York - therefore the format is a failure".
They are wrong. While Jack didn't work too well in New York I am reliably informed (from an impeccable source) that flipping to Jack was the wrong move for that station at that time, rather than a problem with the format itself.
In fact Jack is providing good results for many other stations across the States including top-rated stations among 25-54s in Los Angeles (KCBS-FM), San Diego (KFMB-FM), Seattle (KJAQ-FM), Dallas (KJKK-FM) and many more. It's proving not to be a 'fad format' in the same way that Jammin' Oldies and All-80s both crashed and burned after a couple of years.
Last month (21st January 2011) Inside Radio suggested Jack was a beneficiary of Arbitron's PPM electronic audience measurement system:
They are wrong. While Jack didn't work too well in New York I am reliably informed (from an impeccable source) that flipping to Jack was the wrong move for that station at that time, rather than a problem with the format itself.
In fact Jack is providing good results for many other stations across the States including top-rated stations among 25-54s in Los Angeles (KCBS-FM), San Diego (KFMB-FM), Seattle (KJAQ-FM), Dallas (KJKK-FM) and many more. It's proving not to be a 'fad format' in the same way that Jammin' Oldies and All-80s both crashed and burned after a couple of years.
Last month (21st January 2011) Inside Radio suggested Jack was a beneficiary of Arbitron's PPM electronic audience measurement system:
It wasn’t designed for electronic measurement — but it almost could have been. Adult hits’ clutter-free presentation is a case study in how to convey maximum personality with minimal words, while its variety music position is perfectly suited for PPM’s penchant for wide, mass appeal formats. No wonder nine years after the first “Jack” and “Bob” stations launched, many continue to ring the 25-54 ratings bell.
Of the 18 stations in markets where PPM has been currency for a full year, 14 ranked top ten in persons 25-54 in October (before Christmas programming disrupted normal market shares) and six ranked top 5. Adult hits stations in L.A., Seattle, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and San Antonio ranked top 5 in the money demo most of last year, with St. Louis #1 in every monthly. Some have fared better than they did in the diary, with South Central Communications “Jack FM” WCJK, Nashville the latest example. It improved from a four-book 25-54 average of 5.4 in its final diary surveys (ranked fifth) to a first place 10.3 in its maiden PPM survey (September).
The Jack format started nine years ago in Canada and is now licensed worldwide by Sparknet Communications, who provide stations with the Jack 'Playbook', a 'brand manual' which outlines the format's 'architecture' (music categories, suggested clocks etc.) and execution, as well as brand-generic artwork and TV commercials.
In Austria, Vienna's 88.6 runs the Jack format with the strapline- "Wir Spielen Was Wir Wollen" - but without the usual branding. found at other Jack stations. It also has presenters during the day.Jack has also turned up in Russia on KEKC FM in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Here in the UK it's been a very good Rajar (Q4/2010) for Jack - with both the Oxford and Bristol stations posting their best-ever sets of listening figures. Jack FM Hertfordshire does not participate in Rajar.
Jack FM Oxfordshire, which launched in October 2007, has turned in a fairly steady performance over the past year or so and in the most-recent set of Rajar figures achieved its highest-ever weekly reach of 58,000 (Adults 15+) and total hours (348,000). It also performs well among its core target audience of Men 35+, which is an important selling point against its main commercial rival, the female-focussed Heart Thames Valley based in Reading, Berkshire.
Oxford is an interesting radio market. There is no 'heritage' AM/'Gold' station (The former Fox FM was one of the first ILR stations to launch as FM-only) and no regional FM station either. In addition local listening to BBC Radios 3 and 4 is higher than the national average.
Jack FM Oxfordshire has regularly punched above its weight; probably no more so than last November when they presented their Jack's Morning Glory breakfast show for a week live from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan; producing some compelling radio in the process. This week, along with stablemate Glide FM, they also launched their own 2 Strangers and a Wedding; the controversial contest first used in the UK by BRMB in Birmingham in 1999.
Jack Hertfordshire is also in wedding mode with 'My Big Fat Jack Wedding' where one lucky couple will win a dream wedding worth £25,000 although, unlike the Oxfordshire station, the bride and groom will have met each other before the actual wedding takes place!
Meanwhile in Bristol, Jack FM isn't doing a wedding-related promo but is offering to 'Adopt A Listener': "Each month during 2011 That Morning Thing will be choosing ONE listener and adopting them for a month. Our adopted listener will receive anything that we get for free (that we don't want). This could include invitations to exclusive events and openings, the chance to try posh dinners, DVDs, cookery paraphernalia, marmalade, books, CDs and pizza."
Jack Bristol replaced the Adult Alternative format of Original 106.5 in December 2009 and the latest Rajar has shown an impressive and continuing increase in audience for the station after a full year in the format; rocketing from 20,000 listeners (adults 15+) in Q4/2009 to 86,000 in Q4/2010!
Unlike Oxford, Bristol is a more-developed market and does, indeed, have an AM 'Gold' outlet as well as Kiss 101 as an FM regional. Gold, though, is already part of a national network and Kiss is about to follow. The former GWR-FM, now part of Heart West Country performs well, while the city's other FM commercial station, Star, (which has struggled under previous owners for a number of years) has recently relaunched as 'The Breeze', using new owner Celador's Soft AC formatt which is also in use on the South Coast.
Musically, the Jack format has been described as like being "an iPod on shuffle". Apart from having a playlist that is larger than many other stations; especially in the States, what distinguishes it from other stations is that, instead of avoiding them, "trainwreck segues" are encouraged and it's OK to mix musical styles.
Jack Hertfordshire is also in wedding mode with 'My Big Fat Jack Wedding' where one lucky couple will win a dream wedding worth £25,000 although, unlike the Oxfordshire station, the bride and groom will have met each other before the actual wedding takes place!
Meanwhile in Bristol, Jack FM isn't doing a wedding-related promo but is offering to 'Adopt A Listener': "Each month during 2011 That Morning Thing will be choosing ONE listener and adopting them for a month. Our adopted listener will receive anything that we get for free (that we don't want). This could include invitations to exclusive events and openings, the chance to try posh dinners, DVDs, cookery paraphernalia, marmalade, books, CDs and pizza."
Jack Bristol replaced the Adult Alternative format of Original 106.5 in December 2009 and the latest Rajar has shown an impressive and continuing increase in audience for the station after a full year in the format; rocketing from 20,000 listeners (adults 15+) in Q4/2009 to 86,000 in Q4/2010!Unlike Oxford, Bristol is a more-developed market and does, indeed, have an AM 'Gold' outlet as well as Kiss 101 as an FM regional. Gold, though, is already part of a national network and Kiss is about to follow. The former GWR-FM, now part of Heart West Country performs well, while the city's other FM commercial station, Star, (which has struggled under previous owners for a number of years) has recently relaunched as 'The Breeze', using new owner Celador's Soft AC formatt which is also in use on the South Coast.
Musically, the Jack format has been described as like being "an iPod on shuffle". Apart from having a playlist that is larger than many other stations; especially in the States, what distinguishes it from other stations is that, instead of avoiding them, "trainwreck segues" are encouraged and it's OK to mix musical styles.
Here's a typical hour of Jack FM Oxford:
| Hungry Heart | Bruce Springsteen |
| Tears Of A Clown | Smokey Robinson/Miracles |
| Common People | Pulp |
| You Spin Me Round Like A Record | Dead Or Alive |
| You Wear It Well | Rod Stewart |
| Back To Black | Amy Winehouse |
| Angel Of Harlem | U2 |
| Lonely Boy | Andrew Gold |
| I'd Lie For You (And That's The Truth) | Meatloaf |
| Bright Side Of The Road | Van Morrison |
| Once In A Lifetime | Talking Heads |
As Jack, especially in the UK, is automated for much of the day it's easy to dismiss it as "just a jukebox", but this is unfair as the station still provides locally-produced news bulletins and regular travel reports throughout the day. There is also personality via the liners, voiced by Paul Darrow ('Avon' in Blake's 7). These are regularly updated in order to keep them fresh and topical, which can often mean two or three recording sessions a week and a number of freelance writers constantly having to come up with new lines.
Hardly "just a jukebox".
(Photo: Steve Martin/Earshot Creative Review)
(Disclosure: Jack FM Oxfordshire is a 'client'. I worked on their licence application, was part of the programming team around the time of the launch and continue to provide regular Rajar analysis, programming assistance and other 'ad hoc' project work for both Jack and Glide FM. I have also provided UK market analysis for SparkNet Communications).
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