Smooth jazz in Philadelphia since August 2006 WISX

1 smooth jazz in philadelphia since august 2006

1.1 first smooth jazz revival
1.2 second death of smooth jazz
1.3 second smooth jazz revival

smooth jazz in philadelphia since august 2006

bucking become national trend of smooth jazz outlets through country shifting and/or flipping formats (due lower ratings , revenue), philadelphia has seen few revivals of smooth jazz format on radio.

the first smooth jazz revival

after on 2 months without smooth jazz outlet, rival broadcaster greater media announced on october 13, 2006, newly acquired property, wthk, pick smooth jazz format , wjjz call sign. new smooth jazz 97.5 wjjz made debut on november 17, 2006. same on-air montage of various smooth jazz artists used @ end of 106.1 s smooth jazz format played mark sign-on of new wjjz.

some of former 106.1 airstaff rehired @ new address on 97.5, notably michael tozzi. programmed new wjjz , handled midday airshift. brought on board gerald veasley, teri webb , greg purcell weekend duties, writing new chapter smooth jazz in philadelphia. bill simpson returned in late december host all-new version of philadelphia after hours, had been dropped old station shortly before discontinuation. frank childs reclaimed role overnight host, , desirae mccrae former wjjz personality return new station. therefore, new wjjz s airstaff had numerous ties old station. broadcast 2 syndicated weekday shows via broadcast architecture s smooth jazz network: ramsey lewis hosted morning show, , dave koz handled afternoon drivetime shift. november 2006 april 2007, after three-month hiatus, new wjjz held first sunday brunch @ zanzibar blue, continuing popular philadelphia tradition since old station s debut in 1993.

there few noticeable differences between new wjjz , old one. example, old station s branding placed callsign before frequency; new station used opposite arrangement in branding year after debut. old station had catchy jazz-themed jingle sung wjjz 106.1 , demonstrated short clip, , many different arrangements used it. common practice used clear channel-owned smooth jazz stations. new station introduced series of new jingles in july 2007, although differed ones used old station (most obviously, fact sung 97.5 wjjz ). november 2007, new station had started use previous station s jingles (with vocals added in december 2007), tribute smooth jazz format s tenure @ 106.1 frequency. had reversed branding practice, , known smooth jazz wjjz 97.5. new wjjz s jingles sung wjjz 97-5 (without point, case when still located @ 106.1), though announcers still identified wjjz 97.5. also, old station s liners spoken famous voiceover artist charlie van dyke; when new station signed on, decided not use services. currently, van dyke doing voiceovers abc s owned-and-operated station wpvi-tv in philadelphia.

in june 2007, new wjjz relocated transmitter trenton, nj, wyndmoor, pennsylvania, northern suburb of philadelphia, closer of major philadelphia stations towers found, including 1 old wjjz once used. coverage new station same old one, new signal directional.

the second death of smooth jazz

by july 2008, there rumors new wjjz undergo format change due low ratings, , on september 5, 2008, greater media dropped smooth jazz format on 97.5 fm frequency. week later, station dropped wjjz call sign closely identifies jazz format, in favor of wnuw. smooth jazz format broadcast on 106.1 hd subchannel 2.

the 2 wjjzs ended respective runs playing songs philadelphia-based artists: last song heard on original 106.1 incarnation s gone daryl hall, , last 1 heard on 97.5 revival ll make love boyz ii men. new station on 97.5 called 97.5, playlist closer in comparison of heritage ac station wbeb (b101.1), emphasis on newer songs, suggested slogan: younger approach today s soft rock. (now 97.5 proved failure: in october 2009, wnuw flipped sports, simulcasting sister station 950 wpen , changing call letters wpen-fm).

the second smooth jazz revival

on june 10, 2013, @ noon, wisx s sister station wdas 1480 flipped urban oldies smooth jazz, returning format market second time. station, known smooth jazz jjz , has no local personalities except michael tozzi, , available on wisx hd2, returning smooth jazz format original position on dial.