Jack FM is a
radio network
There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and the two-way radio ( duplex communication) type ...
brand, licensed by
Sparknet Communications
Jack FM is a radio network brand, licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits format, in most cases not using DJs.
Format characteristics
Station ...
, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an
adult hits format
Format may refer to:
Printing and visual media
* Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements
* Paper formats, or paper size standards
* Newspaper format, the size of the paper page
Computing
* File format, particular way that informatio ...
, in most cases not using
DJs.
Format characteristics
Stations using the "Jack" name are strictly licensed by SparkNet Communications. There are several terms that each station must agree to, including the use of no
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s for at least the first few months of the format. SparkNet has been protective of its format, unsuccessfully filing
trademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may o ...
suits against
Bonneville International
Bonneville International Corporation is a media and broadcasting company, wholly owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation. It began as a radio and TV network ...
for its use of the Jack FM trademarked slogan "Playing What We Want" and other similar phrases. For this reason, many stations airing a Jack-like format use slightly different slogans to avoid infringing on SparkNet's service marks:
WBEN-FM
WBEN-FM (95.7 MHz, "95.7 Ben FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group and broadcasts an adult hits radio format. The studios and offices are in Bala Cynwyd and t ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
uses the tagline "Playing anything we feel like." On
WLKO
WLKO (102.9 FM, "The Lake") is a classic hits-leaning adult hits music station serving the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Although licensed to Hickory, the main studios are located at 801 Woodridge Center Drive, just off the Billy Graham Parkway ...
"102.9 The Lake" in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, the tagline is "We Play Anything". During its run as "Doug FM",
WDRQ
WDRQ (93.1 FM, "New Country 93.1") is a radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan. Owned by Cumulus Media, it broadcasts a country music format. Its studios are located in the Fisher Building in New Center, while its transmitter is located a ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
used the line "93.1 DOUG FM - We Play...EVERYTHING!"
As the voice of "Jack," most stations in the United States use Howard Cogan and Andrew Anthony, while stations in Canada use Greg Beharrell. Meanwhile all Jack FM stations in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
used former
Blake's 7
''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...
actor
Paul Darrow
Paul Darrow (born Paul Valentine Birkby; 2 May 1941 – 3 June 2019) was an English actor. He became best known for playing Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series ''Blake's 7'' between 1978 and 1981. His many television rol ...
as the voice of Jack. In place of DJs, the Jack character makes sarcastic or ironic remarks and quips, often using self-deprecating humor.
Each September of every year, all Jack FM stations ask their viewers to visit a certain link to evaluate which songs should be played on the radio and which ones should be swapped. Changes take effect usually a few weeks to two months after the results are finalized.
History
2000–2003: Origins
One of the early originators of the Jack FM format was radio programmer Bob Perry, on a United States-based
Internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
in 2000. Perry named the station after a fictitious persona, "Cadillac Jack" Garrett, "a hard-living radio cowboy". The back story created by Perry for the original webstream was that Garrett, a disc jockey who had worked many "big sticks", finally got his own radio station and after years of being told what he was to play on-air was creating a station where the motto was "playing what we want". However, according to
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of mobile phone operator, wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet access, Intern ...
, the only thing taken, without permission, for the first Jack FM radio station, in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada, was the name and the tagline. Pat Cardinal, one of the first Jack program directors, says that he was unaware of the type of music on the American website and that "Jack" was one of several names that were considered for the format. Rogers Communications came to an agreement with Perry for the use of the Jack FM name in Canada soon after the launch. The original webstream is still live to this day.
Jack was also inspired by the success of
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHU ...
's "
Bob FM
BOB FM is the on-air brand of a number of FM radio stations in the United States and formerly in Canada. The BOB FM format mostly concentrates on album rock, alternative rock and pop hits from the 1980s and 90s, especially those popular during t ...
" brand on
CFWM
CFWM-FM (99.9 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is owned by Bell Media and airs an adult hits radio format, format branded as ''Bounce 99.9''. The radio studio, studios and offices are at 1445 P ...
radio in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
. Program director Howard Kroeger was inspired to create Bob FM after hearing a mix tape at a friend's 40th birthday party. Other Canadian broadcasters copied the concept as well, adopting such brands as
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Onta ...
's "
Dave FM" and "
Joe FM". In 2003, an
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
station launched "Frank FM" as a one-day
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
prank
A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
. (The prank's name was possibly also inspired by the Canadian satirical magazine ''
Frank
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curr ...
'', and probably the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
stations known as
Frank FM
Frank FM is the branding used by WBIN Media for its radio stations airing a classic hits radio format. The Frank FM format is similar to the Jack FM format in that these stations play around 1000 songs in regular rotation at any time as opposed t ...
.)
Beginning in late 2002, several Canadian
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
s owned by
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of mobile phone operator, wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet access, Intern ...
starting using the format. The first Jack station was Vancouver's
CKLG-FM, which quickly shot to the top of the city's
BBM radio ratings. The format was consequently adopted on other Rogers stations in 2002 and 2003. The format proved popular in many markets where it was introduced, although its success was not always as dramatic as it had been in Vancouver.
2004–2005: Introduction to United States and controversies
In 2004, SparkNet Communications, the owner of the Jack FM and "Playing What We Want" trademarks outside of Canada, started to license the Jack FM trademark in the United States. NRC Broadcasting's
KJAC
KJAC is a non-commercial public radio station located in Timnath, Colorado, broadcasting to the Fort Collins-Denver, Colorado area on 105.5 FM.
History Adult hits (2004-2012)
The station previously aired an adult hits music format brand ...
in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
was the first U.S. station to adopt the "Jack FM" format on April 14, 2004. (It has since switched to a
public radio
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
adult album alternative
Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...
format.)
The success of Jack caused a cloning effect, with some stations using the names of famous local figures, landmarks, or symbols to promote their version of the format. These variations have included
WABZ "Abe FM" in
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
, named for
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
;
WBEN-FM
WBEN-FM (95.7 MHz, "95.7 Ben FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group and broadcasts an adult hits radio format. The studios and offices are in Bala Cynwyd and t ...
"Ben FM" in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, named for
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
; "100.5 FM Louie" in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
; "96.7 Steve FM"
WLTY
WLTY (96.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cayce, South Carolina, and serving the Columbia metropolitan area. It airs a variety hits radio format, known as Steve FM and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios are on Gre ...
in
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...
, named after
University of South Carolina football coach
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former American football, football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often ...
;
WCFF "The Chief 92.5 FM" in
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
, named for the controversial symbol of the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
,
Chief Illiniwek
Chief Illiniwek was the mascot of the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (UIUC), associated with the university's intercollegiate athletic programs, from October 30, 1926, to February 21, 2007. Chief Illiniwek was portrayed by a student t ...
;
WARH
WARH (106.5 Hertz, MHz "106.5 The Arch") is a commercial FM broadcasting, FM radio station city of license, licensed to Granite City, Illinois and serving Greater St. Louis including sections of Illinois and Missouri. WARH is owned by Hubbard Br ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, known as "106.5 The Arch," named for the
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch is a monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Some sources conside ...
, and even a body of water like "106-5 The Lake"
WHLK
WHLK (106.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, known as "106.5 The Lake" and carrying an adult hits format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WHLK's ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, named for
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...
.
On July 29, 2005,
Rawlco
Rawlco Radio Ltd. is a media company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The company is the sole proprietor of seven radio stations in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The Rawlco Radio Corporate Office is just south of Downtown Sa ...
's
CKCK-FM
CKCK-FM is a radio station in Regina, Saskatchewan. Owned by Rawlco Communications, it broadcasts an adult hits format branded as ''Jack 94.5''. CKCK's studios and offices are located at 2401 Saskatchewan Drive in Regina, along with sister stat ...
in
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...
became the first non-Rogers station in Canada to directly license the Jack FM brand rather than adopting an alternate name.
On May 4, 2005 at 11 a.m.,
WQSR
WQSR (102.7 FM, "102.7 Jack FM") is a commercial radio station licensed Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by iHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. It broadcasts an adult hits radio format, using the syndicated "Jack FM" ser ...
, an
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...
station in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, changed its format to Jack FM. Listeners and staffers alike were surprised by the sudden change because many of the station's long-time air personalities were considered Baltimore institutions. WQSR received a large amount of negative publicity regarding the format change. Popular former WQSR personality Steve Rouse later became the morning show host at
sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement.
Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
101.9
WLIF
WLIF (101.9 FM, "Today's 101.9") is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. through licensee Audacy License, LLC and broadcasts an adult contemporary format. Its studios are located ...
.
By far the introduction of Jack FM in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
generated the most negative publicity of any market that switched a station to the format. On June 3, 2005, at 5:00 p.m.,
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM (101.1 FM) is a radio station offering a classic hits format licensed to New York City and is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are in the combined Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood in lower Manhat ...
, an oldies station in New York City, flipped to Jack FM without any prior warning. The switch to the format, with no DJs and few songs before 1980 was termed ''The Day the Music Died'' by some New Yorkers and has drawn criticism even from non-listeners of the station. The sudden firing of DJs of historic renown such as
Cousin Brucie
Bruce Morrow (born Bruce Meyerowitz on October 13, 1935 or October 13, 1937) (sources differ) is an United States of America, American radio personality, radio performer, known for professional purposes as Cousin Brucie or Cousin Bruce Morrow. I ...
,
Ron Lundy Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
and
Harry Harrison was noted in the press. In a partial nod to this controversy, on June 14, 2005, the station announced that it would tweak the format to include a handful of 1950s and early 1960s songs as well as performers such as
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
— elements not typical of the Jack format. However, a later update retracted this and songs from before the late 1960s were no longer played.
One prominent reaction to the format change came in the form of a derogatory comment from the city's mayor. According to the ''New York Post'', mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
responded to the change by declaring he would "never listen to that fucking CBS radio ever again" (the quote was censored in the newspaper). The new Jack station quickly picked up on this, using its trademark sarcasm: "Hey, Mayor Bloomberg. I heard you took a shot at us in the ''Post''. What's with all the swearin' like a sailor?
Fleet Week
Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, ...
is over. It's just music." Initially,
Arbitron
Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
ratings showed a sharp decline and while ratings did improve, they never surpassed the levels that WCBS-FM had before the format switch.
As a result, on July 6, 2007, WCBS-FM announced it would drop Jack FM and restore the station's old format on July 12 with an updated
classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...
approach, a move attributed mostly to the newly appointed CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason. Three of the fired DJs and staff (Dan Taylor, Bob Shannon, and Mr. G) returned to the station, along with newsman Al Meredith (who had stayed at the station during Jack FM doing his Sunday morning public affairs show), as well as DJ
Pat St. John
Pat St. John (born February 12, 1951) is an American radio personality and voice-over artist. He began his radio career on Windsor, Ontario's CKLW (800 AM) in 1969 and 1970, followed by WKNR (1310 AM) in late 1970 to early 1972, followed by WRIF FM ...
who had previously left CBS-FM for Q104.3 about a year before the flip to Jack. Steve O'Brien, a weekend and fill-in DJ at the time of the format change, also returned in a similar capacity in 2008. For a time, the Jack FM format WAS renamed ToNY. It was available through WCBS-FM's
HD2 subchannel, and via an internet stream a
www.1011hd2.com
On the same day that WCBS-FM flipped to Jack FM, another station owned by CBS,
WJMK, an oldies station in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, changed formats to Jack FM as well. The change at
WJMK didn't attract as much attention as the WCBS-FM flip, but it still drew the ire of its listeners. Just as with WCBS-FM in New York, WJMK Chicago ended the Jack FM format and reverted to
classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...
in 2011.
On July 5, 2005, it was announced that Bohn & Associates Media and Wall Media formed SparkNet Communications L.P. as the exclusive international licensor and owner of the Jack FM format. SparkNet has, in turn, licensed the format to
Dial Global
Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming.
The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...
for satellite-based syndication to stations in U.S. markets outside the 40 largest. This satellite-fed Jack became active in October 2005, and now serves many of the smaller Jack stations, such as those in
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
and
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...
.
In late September 2005,
CJAQ-FM
CJAQ-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 96.9 FM in Calgary, Alberta. The station uses the on-air brand name ''Jack 96.9''. It is the second "Jack" station in Canada and the world, after its sister CJAX-FM in Vancouver. CJAQ's st ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, announced that it would become the first DJ-free station in Canada. Pat Cardinal, general manager and program director of the station, said "The move came as a result of listener feedback. The audience has been telling us that they want no DJs on Jack. They want more music." When it first launched, 92.5 Jack FM operated without disc jockeys in an effort to establish the "Playing What We Want" concept which was new to Toronto. DJs were introduced within weeks. In November 2005, Cardinal defended his decision in an interview with
Michael Hainsworth
Michael Hainsworth is a former business reporter for CTV Toronto and CTV affiliates across Canada. He anchored ''The Close'' on Canada's financial news network, BNN Bloomberg (formerly Business News Network). He also filed business reports for To ...
of
Report on Business Television and stated why he doesn't see commercial-free iPods and satellite radio as a threat to a non-DJ format.
In October 2005, Entravision Radio launched a
Spanish-language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
version of the Jack format dubbed "José" with the "We Play What We Want" tagline translated into Spanish as "Toca lo que Quiere". "José" went live on six FM and AM stations in
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
,
Stockton, and
Modesto, California
Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...
;
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
; and
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. The "José" stations have no affiliation with Jack, SparkNet Communications, or Bob Perry.
On October 25, 2005, Infinity Broadcasting, part of
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
, announced that it would be replacing
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
with Jack FM on some of its stations. Stern left terrestrial radio for
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings.
Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...
in late 2005.
2006–present: North American format changes, international expansion
Following the format's explosive mid-2000s growth throughout North America, Jack FM continued to expand into smaller markets across the continent. However, in many cities the novelty wore off, and in the late 2000s a number of Jack stations modified their playlists drastically or flipped to other formats outright.
In May 2006, the playlist of
CJAQ-FM
CJAQ-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 96.9 FM in Calgary, Alberta. The station uses the on-air brand name ''Jack 96.9''. It is the second "Jack" station in Canada and the world, after its sister CJAX-FM in Vancouver. CJAQ's st ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
evolved into a
mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
format. The 1980s
top-40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...
acts such as
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
,
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
,
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award f ...
,
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...
, and
Falco were dropped in favor of an all-rock playlist, and the station's slogan changed to "Toronto's Best Rock Variety". However, In June 2009, the station flipped back to Contemporary Hits. It returned to its former "Kiss" branding as well as adopted its current call letters. Similarly, Rawlco-owned CKCK-FM (the only non-Rogers operated Jack FM station) in
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...
, adopted a
classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
direction in September, changing its slogan from the traditional "Playing What We Want" to "The Greatest Rock Of All Time" and adding announcers to its afternoon
drive time
Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
show. In 2010, the tagline was changed again to "Regina's Greatest Hits".
In October 2006, the UK's first Jack FM format station won a broadcast licence for the
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
area. 106 Jack FM Oxford started broadcasting at 1:06 PM
BST on October 18, 2007. On December 2, 2009, Bristol radio station Original FM changed to Jack FM after requesting a format change with OFCOM. Two further Jack FM stations were planned on DAB digital radio from 2008 for Northamptonshire and Northeast Wales and West Cheshire but by August 2009 were a year late with no indication of an
ETA
Eta (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἦτα ''ē̂ta'' or ell, ήτα ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative in most dialects, ...
. In addition the Oxfordshire Jack was to have been relayed to a wider area.
''RadioToday'' reported
The Coast was to flip to become JACK FM on July 4, 2011.
In January 2007,
KAJR in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
's
Coachella Valley
, map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg
, map_caption = Coachella Valley
, location = California, United States
, coordinates =
, width =
, boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacint ...
launched as a "Jack FM" affiliate in a region unable to receive the
KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM (93.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and broadcasts an adult hits music format branded as "93.1 Jack FM".
Unlike most radio stations airing the ...
signal from Los Angeles, to the west. Jack did not last long. By February 1, 2010, that station became
soft adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...
-formatted KJJZ.
On October 22, 2007
WJMK in Chicago announced that radio personality
Steve Dahl
Steven Robert Dahl (born November 20, 1954) is an American radio personality. He is the owner and operator of the Steve Dahl Network, a subscription-based podcasting network. Dahl gained a measure of national attention after organizing and hostin ...
would be morning drive personality as of November 5, the first personality on the station since it went to the Jack format. In March 2011, WJMK dropped the Jack format in favor of
classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...
as "K-Hits", featuring 1960s–1980s music. Eddie & Jobo (Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon, former morning hosts at co-owned
WBBM-FM
WBBM-FM (96.3 MHz) is a top 40 (CHR) radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is known on the air as B96 and it is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 3,300 watts, broadcasting from a transmitter atop the ...
) took over the morning show.
On June 29, 2012, it was announced that
KJQN in Salt Lake City would drop the "Jack FM" format on July 16, 2012, and begin to simulcast the talk radio format of
KLO
Klo or KLO may refer to:
* Kalibo International Airport (IATA: KLO), Philippines
* Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, India
* Karabakh Liberation Organization (), Azerbaijan
* Korea Liaison Office, an American intelligence unit in the Korean War
* ...
.
On August 2, 2013,
KFMB-FM
KFBG (100.7 FM, "100.7 Big FM") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to San Diego, California and broadcasts an adult hits format. The station is owned by Local Media San Diego. It shares studios with LMSD's other stations in the S ...
, the Jack FM station in San Diego, began restricting access to its online stream to listeners within the city of San Diego proper.
This move by program director Mike O'Reilly drew the ire of fans who live outside the city limits, including the large
U.S. military community stationed locally and overseas. O'Reilly explained his rationale, citing a new
Arbitron
Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
policy on how online listening is measured:
KFMB-FM achieved this effect by restricting the signal based on the IP address of the device on which a listener streamed the station. However, fans within the city of San Diego were prevented from hearing the station as well. In addition, the station charged for access to its local morning radio show on podcast in September 2013.
On November 17, 2015, KFMB-FM dropped its regular Jack FM programming and began
stunting with all-Christmas music as "Jack Frost"; the station launched a
mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
format on January 4, 2016.
On February 28, 2014,
CFLT-FM
CFLT-FM (92.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada and serving the Halifax Regional Municipality. The station is owned by Rogers Sports & Media and broadcasts an adult hits format, using the syndicat ...
in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
flipped formats to Jack FM becoming the latest Rogers radio station to adopt the Jack branding. Meanwhile, in February 2015, another Rogers station,
CHTT-FM
CHTT-FM is a Canadian radio station in Victoria, British Columbia, which airs at 103.1 FM. The station, owned by Rogers Sports & Media, airs an adult hits format branded as ''Jack 103.1''. Its studios are located at 817 Fort Street in Downtown ...
in
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...
, dropped the Jack FM format and flipped to
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
(CHR) as "Kiss 103.1". That station, however, returned to Jack FM programming on August 15, 2019.
On December 26, 2017 at midnight,
KSAJ-FM
KSAJ-FM (98.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Burlingame, Kansas, United States. The station is currently owned by Alpha Media LLC,.
History
KSAJ-FM went on the air April 1, 1985, as a re-frequencied KABI-FM, and was licensed to Abilene, Ka ...
in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
flipped formats from oldies to Jack FM.
The Jack FM format is distributed via satellite in the United States and internationally. Within the US, distributed originally by
ABC Radio and later acquired by Dial Global (now
Westwood One
Westwood One is an American radio network
There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and ...
). In September 2019, Skyview Networks took over the US distribution rights from Westwood One. US military radio station
Armed Forces Network, Afghanistan broadcasts Jack FM, having adopted the format on August 1, 2011 as a way to expand the playlist and reduce operational personnel.
Jack FM stations
Radio stations are listed here if they specifically use the Jack FM brand. Stations branded as
Bob FM
BOB FM is the on-air brand of a number of FM radio stations in the United States and formerly in Canada. The BOB FM format mostly concentrates on album rock, alternative rock and pop hits from the 1980s and 90s, especially those popular during t ...
are listed on that article; stations using alternate brands are listed at
adult hits.
Canada
Former stations
United States
Former stations
United Kingdom
In the UK, the
Jack FM stations
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
were initially licensed to OXIS Media in 2007 by Sparknet Communications in Canada. OXIS Media, who manage the brand, was set up by Clive Dickens, Ian Walker, Donnach O’Driscoll and Adrian Robinson, who had been involved with establishing Virgin Radio (now Absolute). A number of local stations were set up, with the stations being individually run by Passion Radio in Oxfordshire or Madejski Communications Limited elsewhere. By 2021, the Oxfordshire stations were run by JACK Media Oxfordshire Ltd, a division of the JACK Radio Group/JACK Media, with the others by JACK Media National Ltd, with the JACK Radio Group being ultimately run by OXIS Media Ltd.
Current Stations:
* Union JACK Radio (broadcasting nationwide on DAB, a music station with comedy clips)
* Union JACK Dance (broadcasting nationwide on DAB, a dance music station)
* Union JACK Rock (broadcasting nationwide, playing only British rock music tracks)
* JACKfm (
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
– previously
106 Jack FM)
* JACK2 Hits (launched as Jack FM 2 in Oxfordshire in August 2013)
* JACK3 Chill (launched in May 2017 as Jack FM 3)
Discontinued:
* JACK Radio (broadcasting nationwide on DAB, a music station playing only tracks by female artists, which was launched in 2018 and lasted for two years, until the slot was given over to Union JACK Dance)
*
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
– 106 Jack FM (Hertfordshire), existed from May 10, 2010, until rebranded as
Bob FM Hertfordshire on March 10, 2014
*
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
– 106 Jack FM (Bristol) launched at 6:00 am December 2, 2009, with no prior warning, following a staged on-air argument and station hijacking of
Original 106.5 the previous day.
Rebranded on April 1, 2015, to
Sam FM
*
Swindon, Wiltshire
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon unitary authority area had a population ...
–
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
– (previously More Radio) launched at 06:00 am on May 28, 2012, rebranded on April 1, 2015, to
Sam FM
*
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
–
107 Jack FM (Berkshire) – (previously Reading 107) launched on March 2, 2014, the same day as the Reading Half Marathon, rebranded to Sam FM and The Breeze in August 2017
*
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
– 106 Jack FM (South Coast) – (previously The Coast 106), launched on July 4, 2011, rebranded on April 1, 2015 to
Sam FM it returned to
DAB as Jack FM In 2016
Austria
*
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
– Radio 8
Russia
*
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
–
KEKC 89.9
*
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
–
KEKC 91.1
See also
*
Bob FM
BOB FM is the on-air brand of a number of FM radio stations in the United States and formerly in Canada. The BOB FM format mostly concentrates on album rock, alternative rock and pop hits from the 1980s and 90s, especially those popular during t ...
*
BOB fm Hertfordshire
*
Hank FM
Hank FM is the on-air brand name of several radio stations in the United States and Canada. Stations using the Hank FM brand name typically air a country format, in configurations of classic country, contemporary country, or a less tightly-formatt ...
*
Nash FM
Nash or NASH may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Nash, Buckinghamshire
* Nash, London, a hamlet near Keston in the London Borough of Bromley
*Nash, Newport, Wales
*Nash, south Shropshire, a small village and parish in southern Shropshire
* Nash, ...
, a peer specializing in country music
*
Frank FM
Frank FM is the branding used by WBIN Media for its radio stations airing a classic hits radio format. The Frank FM format is similar to the Jack FM format in that these stations play around 1000 songs in regular rotation at any time as opposed t ...
, a similar station
References
External links
Sparknet Communication: JACK FM websiteSparkNet Communication website
{{Westwood One
*
Adult hits radio stations
Franchised radio formats
Adult hits radio stations in the United States
Triton Media Group
2000s fads and trends