The first JackFM in the United States is no more.
Currently stunting as Classic Country “105.5 Bob-FM“, Front Range Sports Network will flip “105.5 Jack-FM” KJAC Timnath/Fort Collins CO to a simulcast of “ESPN 102.3” KDSP Greenwood Village/Denver.
The move brings the stations, which simulcasted from 2008 to 2010 as Jack-FM back together as KJAC covers the northern portions of the Denver market, while 102.3 serves Denver and the western suburbs. 105.5 was supposed to flip to the national ESPN feed in January of this year, but Front Range Sports instead merged the national programming with 102.3’s local programming.
KJAC became the first station in the United States to take the Jack branding in April of 2004. (Correction as Robert Corbin of VARTV.com notes below, 106.1 WPYA in the Norfolk VA market flipped to “Bob-FM” a month prior to KJAC)
Another headline for this piece of news might be “Jack Off.”
Radio’s last attempt at a new music format was to imitate (somebody else’s) iPod on shuffle.
We are moving quickly to the point when the only remaining formats will be:
Sports talk.
Brokered business.
Brokered religion.
Brokered foreign language.
Brokered anything (i.e., radio’s imitation of podcasting).
The New York Times says today the FCC wants to auction off UHF TV channels for other uses. They’d have auctioned off AM but there’s nothing else anybody would use it for (or at least nothing they’d pay to use it for). Maybe we will see an FM auction to make room for more aircraft and police and fire frequencies.
The FCC has wanted to auction off UHF TV signals for over 10 years, thus the mandated switch to digital.
The adult hits format isn’t dead yet, not by a long shot. 106.5 The Lake’s performance in Cleveland (which employs many “Jack FM” elements, only with a localized name) should suggest that it still has some gas in the tank.
Ummm… Sinclair Communications signed on Variety Hits “106-1 BOB-FM” WPYA Poquoson/Norfolk on March 7, 2004 at 6 p.m.; the very first station in the U.S. BOB-FM is still on the air; having moved to a much bigger signal and eventually taking the new calls of WNOB… Bob/VARTV
First “Jack” branded station that should’ve said. Correction noted.