102.2 Jazz FM
Encyclopedia
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
for London run by GMG Radio
GMG Radio
GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...
. The station was based and broadcast from Castlereagh Street in London to around 15.5 million people within the broadcasting area. The station has experimented with its core playlist over its fifteen year history, incorporating smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
, mainstream jazz, soul, jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, acid jazz
Acid jazz
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. In 1994 the station changed its name to JFM to encourage more listeners who were put off by the 'Jazz' in the stations name. Richard Wheatly was appointed to turn around the station in 1995 when there was only three months money left to run the station. Wheatly made a number of sweeping changes to the playlist, selling a sister station and changing the name back to Jazz FM, as well as starting up a record label and spin-off business deals and opportunities which helped Jazz FM swing into the black and make a profit in 2001.
In July 2002, after a relaxation in ownership rules from the publication of the Communications Bill, the Guardian Media Group's radio division
GMG Radio
GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...
was able to purchase the station for £44.5 million. GMG made more changes to the playlist, shifting to more R&B, soul, easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and adult contemporary music during the daytime. In 2004 with the agreement of Ofcom, jazz was dropped from the daytime schedules but retained a requirement of 45 hours of jazz to be played during the night.
In June 2005, GMG Radio replaced the station with adult contemporary station 102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg...
. GMG cited a number of reasons for replacing Jazz FM, including poor listening figures, not making money, the 'Jazz' name putting off potential listeners as well as not enough jazz for jazz purists. The Jazz FM name was retained by GMG for the relaunched ejazz.fm website service which was renamed jazzfm.com on the same day as the launch of Smooth FM. The station broadcast on digital satellite, online and on spare DAB capacity in Yorkshire, South Wales and the Severn Estuary where 102.2 Smooth FM and the defunct Smooth Digital service would have been duplicated.
On 28 February 2008 GMG Radio announced the potential return of Jazz FM in London on DAB radio, digital satellite and the Internet as a relaunch of the current jazzfm.com service. The station relaunched on 6 October 2008.
History
The station was launched as a result of a ten year campaign by musician Dave Lee, who was inspired after listening to a Los Angeles jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
radio station, which has since turned into a classical station. The licence to broadcast was given in 1990 to London Jazz Radio who subsequently changed their name to Jazz FM on launch. Jazz FM launched on 4 March 1990 with an Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
concert at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in London. Ella was flown in by the station to perform the concert to play with the Count Basie Orchestra
Count Basie Orchestra
The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie. The band survived the late '40s decline in big band popularity and went on to produce notable collaborations with singers such as Frank Sinatra and Ella...
and the concert was Ella's last appearance in Europe. To promote the station, Jazz FM paid out £750,000 for advertising on ITV
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
.
Jazz FM faced insolvency in its early life. Broadcast Investments made an offer of £348,000 to purchase the station. Broadcast Investments withdrew their offer when Golden Rose Communications made a higher offer of £500,000 for the station. Golden Rose Communications took over the station in 1991. Former finance director Alastair Mackenzie stated that in an interview in 2002 that the station had run out of money three times in 1991, and he also helped with a management buy-in
Management buy-in
A management buy-in occurs when a manager or a management team from outside the company raises the necessary finance, buys it, and becomes the company's new management. A management buy-in team often competes with other purchasers in the search for a suitable business...
of the station for £435,000 in 1992.
Jazz FM's licence was put up for renewal in 1993 by the Radio Authority. As well as Jazz FM, there was a bid for the licence from Euro Jazz London, which included ex-Jazz FM employees. Jazz FM retained its licence to broadcast.
In 1994, the name of the station was changed to JFM by the station's management in order to appeal to more listeners who may have been put off by the name "jazz" in Jazz FM, and who thought that Jazz FM only played jazz records. The station spent £500,000 on publicising the name change. Richard Wheatly was appointed chief executive officer in 1995 to revive JFM which was running out of money due to both JFM and sister radio station Viva AM, a radio station for women. When Wheatly joined JFM, the station had three months cash remaining in the bank. Golden Rose Communications was floated on the stock exchange in the early part of 1995. Wheatly sold Viva AM
Liberty Radio
Liberty Radio is a UK radio broadcaster and company based in London, England that, , broadcasts on satellite and the Internet, but not terrestrial radio or DAB. The company started as Viva 963, broadcasting on terrestrial radio, predominantly for women, and was later renamed...
which was losing £100,000 a month before the sale for £3 million to Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Al-Fayed
Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English Premiership football team Fulham Football Club, Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store, Knightsbridge...
as part of his cost-cutting plans. After 15 months of being branded as JFM, in the autumn of 1995 the name reverted back to Jazz FM after Wheatly asked the Radio Authority for approval to change the name of the station back from JFM to Jazz FM. The change back to Jazz FM was reported to have cost £900,000.
Golden Rose Communications opened a jazz themed restaurant, Cafe Jazbar in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in April 1997. The restaurant was operated under a joint venture with Regent Inns
Regent Inns
Regent Inns was the parent company of Walkabout, Jongleurs/Bar Risa and Old Orleans chains.It went into administration in October 2009.The part-time executive chairman was Bob Ivell.-Brands:...
. A travel service in partnership with Thomas Cook Group
Thomas Cook Group
Thomas Cook Group plc is a travel company created on 19 June, 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel Group plc. At flotation on the London Stock Exchange 52% of the shares in the new company were held by the German mail order and department store corporation Arcandor and 48% owned by...
and British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
was also set up. There were also plans for jazz retail outlets named Jazshops selling CDs and merchandise.
In December 1997, Golden Rose Communications planned to make a bid for Melody 105.4 FM
Melody 105.4 FM
Melody Radio was an Independent Local Radio station, broadcast to Greater London between 1990 and 1998, when it was purchased by media group Emap and rebranded as Magic 105.4.-History:...
which did not succeed. The station was purchased by EMAP and rebranded as Magic 105.4 FM
Magic 105.4 FM
Magic 105.4 FM is an adult contemporary Independent Local Radio station based in London, purchased by media group Emap in mid-1998, who subsequently rebranded the then-titled Melody 105.4 FM. It is part of the Magic radio network, now owned by Bauer Radio...
.
| Jazz FM Regional and ILR Independent Local Radio Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:... FM applications |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Area | Year | Successful Applicant | Reference |
| North West | 1993 (launched 1994) | 100.4 Jazz FM 100.4 Jazz FM 100.4 Jazz FM was an independent local radio station for the North West England playing jazz music. 100.4 Jazz FM played its own music from its Salford studio during the day, whereas specialist shows like Dinner Jazz and Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis were networked from London's 102.2 Jazz FM... (licensed as Jazz FM 100.4, launched as JFM 100.4) |
|
| Central Scotland | 1998 | Beat FM Galaxy Scotland 105-106 Capital is a regional radio station broadcasting to Scotland's Central Belt, an area surrounding the two cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the kingdom of Fife... |
|
| North East England | 1998 | Galaxy North East | |
| South Wales | 1999 | Real Radio Real Radio (Wales) Real Radio Wales is a Regional Radio station owned and operated by GMG Radio and forming part of the Real Radio network. The station broadcasts from studios at Morganstown in Cardiff on various FM frequencies, DAB via the MXR Severn Estuary multiplex and across the UK on digital satellite TV... |
|
| Yorkshire | 2001 | Real Radio Real Radio (Yorkshire) Real Radio Yorkshire is an independent local radio station that broadcasts across South and West Yorkshire. It is the third regional radio station within the Real Radio brand... |
|
| West Midlands | 2003 | Kerrang! 105.2 Kerrang! 105.2 Kerrang! Radio is a specialist rock music radio station broadcasting to the West Midlands, England. The station's format mixes modern & classic rock with speech programmes targeted at young people and an adult rock audience. Broadcasting on FM in the West Midlands and DAB & Freeview and online,... |
|
| Glasgow | 2003 | Saga 105.2 Saga 105.2 FM, Glasgow Saga 105.2 FM was an independent local radio station in Glasgow, Scotland, part of the Saga Radio Group. From December 2005 it was also broadcast in the East of Scotland on DAB, serving Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians... |
|
From 1998, Jazz FM also looked to expand its operation across the UK. The station made bids to run stations on FM frequencies in Central Scotland, the North East of England, South Wales, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Glasgow. Jazz FM withdrew from bidding for a FM licence in the East Midlands because of chief executive Richard Wheatly's belief that a dance station would secure the licence. The East Midlands FM licence was awarded to Saga 106.6 FM
Saga 106.6 FM
Saga 106.6FM was an independent radio station for the East Midlands, broadcasting to Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland. Part of the Saga Radio Group, the regional station was broadcast from the Riverside Business Park in Nottingham, close to the old...
which started broadcasting in 2003. Jazz FM did become a member of the MXR consortium and did launch on DAB multiplexes operated by MXR as well as Switch Digital multiplexes in London and Central Scotland.
The station signed a deal with Clear Channel Communications in February 1999. The deal not only invested £3 million into the station but also allowed Jazz FM to advertise on unused advertising billboards.
On 12 December 1999, Golden Rose Communications changed its name to Jazz FM plc.
In January 2002, Jazz FM plc made a £20 million bid for London talk radio station London News Radio
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
. The bid was backed by the Guardian Media Group and Clear Channel International. If the bid had succeeded, the station would have combined London News Radio's operations with its own in order to save money. The station was later sold to the Chrysalis Group
Chrysalis Group
Chrysalis Group is a UK media company. It was founded by Chris Wright, who remains chairman and was listed the 1,000th richest person in the UK in The Times Rich List 2009...
for £23.5 million.
In 2002, US radio audience research company Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
announced that Jazz FM was the most listened to Internet radio station.
In May 2002, the Guardian Media Group made a bid of £41 million to Jazz FM plc at 180p a share. The bid came on the day when the draft Communication Bill was published Jazz FM plc's largest shareholder, Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
had been waiting for a 220p a share bid, but agreed to the 180p a share bid in late May. Herald Investment Management who had a 7.7% stake in the company and Aberforth Partners were not happy with the 180p a share bid. On 6 June, GMG raised its bid to 195p a share to secure the institutional shareholders who were holding out for a better bid. Richard Wheatly announced that he would leave Jazz FM once the takeover was complete. The offer was declared wholly unconditional on 5 July. In December 2002, GMG moved its sales operation from Clear Channel Radio Sales to the Chrysalis Group
Chrysalis Group
Chrysalis Group is a UK media company. It was founded by Chris Wright, who remains chairman and was listed the 1,000th richest person in the UK in The Times Rich List 2009...
, inline with the sales operation for other GMG Radio stations.
Jazz FM TV
Plans for a Jazz FM TV channelTelevision channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
to launch in the middle of 2004 were reported by various websites from 2003. The channel if it had launched would have been a mix of music videos and documentaries.
Making way for Smooth FM
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
name completely and rebrand Jazz FM to Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg...
. Chief Executive of GMG John Myers said: "As sorry as we are to say goodbye to Jazz FM, it’s a sad fact of life that it has never made a profit in its 15 years of existence." However, in 2001 Jazz FM plc did make a profit before tax for the six months to December 2000 of £60,000, with most of the profit coming from Hed Kandi
Hed Kandi
Hed Kandi is an UK-based record label and a music brand which was established in 1999 by Mark Doyle, specialising in funky, soulful house music. Hed Kandi's catalogue includes both artist albums and various genres of club compilations. As well as producing music albums and compilations, Hed Kandi...
and other Jazz FM Records CD sales, a move of Jazz FM's sales team to Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
's control, saving Jazz FM plc £1 million pounds every year and increased revenues from advertising due to higher audience figures. Jazz FM also announced in 2001 that it had made full year profits before tax of £134,000 to 30 June 2001.
Other reasons given for the rebranding was disappointing RAJAR
RAJAR
RAJAR was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the RadioCentre...
figures, that the Jazz FM name was putting people off listening to the station and that the station not playing enough jazz for the purists. The latter situation was solved by GMG Radio by adding additional investment into the ejazz.fm website and changing the name to jazzfm.com at the same time 102.2 Jazz FM became 102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg...
. Included in the investment would be two dedicated jazz stations of which one still runs to this day and has been rebranded to Jazz FM.
The North West version of Jazz FM was the first to rebrand on 1 March 2004 and then the London version (including the Freeview and many of the DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
feeds) on 7 June 2005. During the last few weeks before the launch of Smooth FM, Jazz FM changed its jingles slightly from "Smooth Jazz and Classic Soul" to "London's Smooth Favourites" as an indication to listeners of the change to come.
Jazz FM in its previous form closed on Friday the 27 May 2005 with the last track played being, rather fittingly, Ella Fitzgerald's
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
'Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Published by Chappell & Company, "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" is a song with lyrics and music by Cole Porter. It was introduced in 1944 in Billy Rose's musical revue, Seven Lively Arts....
'. GMG then played a promotion for Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg...
alongside music tracks to be played on the new station and live news at the top of the hour until the launch of Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg...
at 10 am on 7 June with the help of R&B singer Lemar
Lemar
Lemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...
and then breakfast show presenter Jon Scragg
Jon Scragg
Jon Scragg is a radio presenter who has spent most of his career working on radio stations in the south of England. After a spell with the British Forces Broadcasting Service, Scragg joined Essex Radio in September 1981 as part of its launch team, and was the first voice heard on the station...
.
Return to the airwaves
The station continued to broadcast after the launch of Smooth FM under the Jazz FM name as jazzfm.com on the Internet and on DABDigital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
in West Central Scotland
Greater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...
at a higher bitrate
Bit rate
In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....
.
On 28 February 2008 GMG Radio's chief executive John Myers made an announcement that Jazz FM would be brought back in London, the North West and the West Midlands on DAB. Myers also said that he believed it would make more sense for there to be a dedicated radio station for jazz listeners than the current 45 hours of jazz to be played on Smooth FM, as required by the licence granted to them by Ofcom. The closure of theJazz
TheJazz
theJazz was a British commercial jazz digital radio station. The station was run by GCap Media and launched on Christmas Day 2006. originally as a non-stop jazz station on the Digital One DAB ensemble, Sky Digital, Virgin Media and the Internet....
on Digital One
Digital One
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters...
was also part of the reason for the return of Jazz FM. The relaunch of jazzfm.com, under a three year deal with The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company is a British media company, originally based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, that owns ten independent local radio stations in the UK...
happened on 6 October 2008.
Playlist
When Jazz FM launched, the station played a mixture of mainstream jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, with the daytime schedules originally dedicated to smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
, and some soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
programming. Specialist programming from Jez Nelson
Jez Nelson
-Education:Nelson was educated at Dulwich College , followed by the University of London, during which time he first became a DJ.-Career:...
and live concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s were broadcast in the evening and at weekends. In 1992, the policy changed and all non-jazz programming was taken off the schedules.
In 1994, alongside the change of name to JFM, the core playlist was changed under agreement with the Radio Authority to give a more mainstream sound of soul, jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music, with a requirement that only 25% of music played on the station had to be jazz.
In 1995, when the name changed back to Jazz FM, smooth jazz and fusion music was reduced. More popular, well known and mainstream jazz was placed in the core playlist.
Chief Executive Officer Richard Wheatly noted that the station format was in trouble because of its serious straight jazz playlist. To counteract this downturn in listeners to Jazz FM, from 1998, Wheatly introduced more varied jazz into the daytime playlists. From February 1998, smooth jazz and soul music were more integrated into the core playlist of Jazz FM.
Although Jazz FM has originally from the start played jazz music, more soul and softer R&B music was added later on in Jazz FM's lifetime to appeal to the 25-45-year-old market that Jazz FM needed to entice to the station, especially after GMG Radio
GMG Radio
GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...
took over the running of the station and in particular in November 2004, after an agreement with Ofcom, jazz was dropped from the daytime playlists. John Simon, GMG programme director for Jazz FM at the time said that the station was never licensed as a jazz station, but a station that played a broad range of black music styles.
Ofcom licensing requirements
OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
as part of its licence agreement with Jazz FM, stated that Jazz FM had to dedicate at least 50% of the daytime output before 19:00 to 'Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
' music, and that the music "must sit well with the label jazz". However, from the 15 November 2004, as part of an agreement with the Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc is a company of the United Kingdom owning various mass media operations including The Guardian and The Observer. The Group is owned by the Scott Trust. It was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd in 1907 when C. P. Scott bought the Manchester Guardian from the estate of...
, Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
agreed to allow GMG to change the format of the station, with the 50% jazz in daytime output requirement dropped. John Myers, the chief executive of GMG said "The policy we are going on is ratings by day, reputation by night. Jazz is much more of a night-time listen so the changes fit well." As a result, jazz music was increased from 40 hours to 45 hours and the Dinner Jazz programme hours were increased from two to three.
Criticism
Ever since the station launched in 1990, many fans of traditional and modern jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
had criticised Jazz FM for pandering to more 'accessible' music, with Jazz FM playing more smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music, especially during the daytime schedules.
British jazz and blues singer George Melly
George Melly
Alan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
stated to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
in 2003 that he had become so dissilusioned with Jazz FM's playlist he had stopped listening to the station altogether, describing much of the music as "middle of the road". Grammy award winning jazz artist John Chilton
John Chilton
John James Chilton is a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts....
stated that Jazz FM was failing to reach its remit for jazz and also said that he would prefer the station to adopt a pure jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
policy.
Professional British jazz musician and former Jazz FM presenter, Digby Fairweather
Digby Fairweather
Digby Fairweather is a British jazz cornettist and broadcaster.-Biography:Fairweather has been a professional jazz musician since 1 January 1977, but worked for seven years previously with several local jazz bands in the Essex area and recorded his first album in 1975...
in 2006 wrote an article on the, at the time, upcoming British jazz radio station, theJazz
TheJazz
theJazz was a British commercial jazz digital radio station. The station was run by GCap Media and launched on Christmas Day 2006. originally as a non-stop jazz station on the Digital One DAB ensemble, Sky Digital, Virgin Media and the Internet....
. In the article, he said that Jazz FM had turned into a "tragic and swift disaster story" and that the change of playlist later on was "responsible for both the attempted rape and (fortunately abortive) re-definition of the music" to which no-one within the Jazz FM coverage area would forgive.
Radio Authority Investigation
In March 2003 the Radio Authority (since embodied into the UK governments communications regulator, OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
) investigated Jazz FM after it received two complaints from listeners who complained that the station was playing more "pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
" music, after changes made to the Jazz FM playlist in January 2003. Artists played on Jazz FM which were alleged to have infringed its licence included U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
.
Chris Hodgkins, director of Jazz Service which is funded by the Arts council
Arts council
An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
in the UK, stated he would lodge a complaint with the Radio Authority because jazz artists were being denied airplay because of the daytime output of smooth jazz and soul.
Jazz FM was cleared by the Radio Authority of any breach in June 2003. By the end of the investigation, it was revealed that fifteen people had complained that Jazz FM was not playing enough jazz.
Jingles, slogans and branding
Kay Garner, a British jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer, was asked by the founder of Jazz FM, Dave Lee, to sing the original jingles for the station when it launched in 1990. Jazz FM has also had many other jingles and slogans during its 15 year life. The most well known was the "Listen in Colour" (featuring the Jazz FM chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
) strapline, poster advertising campaign and CD in January 1997. The campaign was created by the Willox Ambler Rodford Law advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
. The campaign was credited with a 48% increase in RAJAR listening figures from 437,000 to 650,000 in the last quarter of 1997. Later on in 2002 a poster campaign by WARL was launched featuring the chameleon peering through a misted window with the tagline "Come into the Cool". Other slogans include "The Rhythm Of The City" and afterwards, during the GMG era, "Get It On" created by Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, though on-air it was swiftly replaced by "Smooth Jazz and Classic Soul". The £5 million relaunch with Manning Gottlieb over three years from 2003 brought an end to the Jazz FM chameleon because extensive research carried out by GMG Radio found that few people could associate and recall the chameleon with Jazz FM. The Bespoke Music Company created the Jazz FM jingles which were in use since 1 January 2003, until 102.2 Jazz FM was relaunched as 102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg...
. A sample of the jingles used can be heard from their website.
Availability
As well as broadcasting on FMFrequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
in London, Jazz FM was also made available on digital radio in the United Kingdom
Digital radio in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio is proceeding since test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990. The UK currently has the world's biggest digital radio network, with 103 transmitters, two national DAB ensembles and 48 local and regional DAB ensembles...
via the Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
platform on 30 April 2002 and on the Freeview platform on 30 October 2002. Both launches were preceded by test transmissions. Jazz FM was also available on DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
digital radio
Digital radio
Digital radio has several meanings:1. Today the most common meaning is digital radio broadcasting technologies, such as the digital audio broadcasting system, also known as Eureka 147. In these systems, the analog audio signal is digitized into zeros and ones, compressed using formats such as...
on a number of MXR multiplexes across England, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
and Central Scotland (excluding MXR North West, which hosted the defunct 100.4 Jazz FM
100.4 Jazz FM
100.4 Jazz FM was an independent local radio station for the North West England playing jazz music. 100.4 Jazz FM played its own music from its Salford studio during the day, whereas specialist shows like Dinner Jazz and Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis were networked from London's 102.2 Jazz FM...
service for the North West) and the Switch Digital multiplex covering Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
. Jazz FM was also broadcast around the world on the Internet through their website.
Bring A Pound To Work Day
Jazz FM, like its counterpart GMG radio stations, held 'Bring A Pound To Work Day' in late October/early November 2003/2004. Listeners were asked to donate and collect pound coins for a local children's charityCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
- Nordoff-Robbins in 2003 and the Lennox Children's Cancer Fund the following year. Listeners could also text message
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
a number for donations at a cost of £1.50, of which £1 went to the charity. Jazz FM has also held auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
s in past years to help boost the money raised for charity. Lots included a signed edition of Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
, exclusive concert tickets and even a chance to join the former breakfast presenter Jon Scragg
Jon Scragg
Jon Scragg is a radio presenter who has spent most of his career working on radio stations in the south of England. After a spell with the British Forces Broadcasting Service, Scragg joined Essex Radio in September 1981 as part of its launch team, and was the first voice heard on the station...
on his show for one day. 'Bring A Pound To Work Day' was enormously successful for the chosen charities; in 2004, enough was raised to purchase a new Lennox holiday home on the south coast of England.
The automated Jazz FM service that exists today no longer runs 'Bring A Pound To Work Day', although the campaign remains on other GMG stations. Jazz FM's successor Smooth FM
Smooth FM
Smooth Radio is an Independent National Radio station in the United Kingdom owned by GMG Radio. It broadcasts on the DAB Digital Radio Digital 1 national multiplex and on Sky, Freesat, Freeview, Virgin Media and online as well as regional FM and DAB frequencies in the North West, London, North...
have rebranded their fundraising effort the Smooth Appeal.
Former Specialist Programmes on Jazz FM
Many of the programmes that formerly played on Jazz FM did continue to be broadcast for a while on Smooth FM102.2 Smooth FM
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg...
and were made available for download
Uploading and downloading
In computer networks, to download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, or to initiate such a data transfer. Examples of a remote system from which a download might be performed include a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems...
on the jazzfm.com website until 2008.
- Andy Peebles' Soul and Soccer: A three hour show on Saturday afternoons featuring soul music alongside soccer updates and scores. The show continues on 100.4 Smooth FMSmooth FM 100.4Smooth Radio 100.4 was an Independent Local Radio station based in Salford, Greater Manchester. It was part of the Smooth brand of stations from 1 March 2004, and changed its name from "Smooth FM" in March 2007. Along with other stations in the network, it was subsumed into a national Smooth Radio...
but is now entirely playlisted, and musically mirrors the station's normal music output. - Behind The Mask: A six-part series which was commissioned in early 2003 following GMG's purchase of the station which saw vocalist Alison MoyetAlison MoyetAlison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
profiling well-known figures within the jazz industry. - Behind The Mic: An occasional series which tended to air on Saturday lunchtimes between 1 pm and 2 pm - famous figures within the jazz/soul industry were invited to play their favourite songs.
- Dinner JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
: One of Jazz FM's flagship shows on weekdays between 7 pm and 9 pm/10 pm featuring easy listeningEasy listeningEasy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. The show made a return as part of Jazz FM's relaunch in October 2008. - Drivetime with Russell Pockett: A four hour show playing jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and soul music, included the Million Sellers at 3 pm, which only played songs that sold a million records or over and the Top 3 Most Requested at 5 pm, where a listener requests three pieces of music to be played in sequence on the show. - Hed KandiHed KandiHed Kandi is an UK-based record label and a music brand which was established in 1999 by Mark Doyle, specialising in funky, soulful house music. Hed Kandi's catalogue includes both artist albums and various genres of club compilations. As well as producing music albums and compilations, Hed Kandi...
: Hed Kandi had two parts: between 2 am and 5 am, presenters Mark Doyle and Andy Norman played dance music for the "post-clubbing generation". Then, for one hour between 5 am and 6 am, the Hed Kandi Chillout Hour played more chilled out music. - Legends of JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
with Ramsey LewisRamsey LewisRamsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
: A show which features classic jazz recordings from major and influential jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
artists. - Mainstem with Campbell Burnap: A two hour programme which included many forms of jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
from classic to Latin as well as a mix of jazz from the younger players of the day. - Mike Chadwick's Cutting Edge: A two hour show on Saturday nights featuring contemporary jazz music. The Cutting Edge was also produced for jazzfm.com, theJazzTheJazztheJazz was a British commercial jazz digital radio station. The station was run by GCap Media and launched on Christmas Day 2006. originally as a non-stop jazz station on the Digital One DAB ensemble, Sky Digital, Virgin Media and the Internet....
and part of the programming for the relaunch of jazzfm.com to Jazz FM in October 2008. - Paul Gambaccini's Jazz 20: A jazz chart show which was originally broadcast on Saturdays but which moved to Sundays in 2004, and became the 'Jazz 40', between 5 pm and 8 pm.
- Peter Young's The Soul Cellar: A show on Sunday afternoons which featured soul music, including northern soulNorthern soulNorthern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
. - Sidetrax: A half-hour show (1990–1991) from 10 pm on Saturday nights doubly presented by curators from the British Library Sound Archive in which a broad selection of jazz tracks was alternated with world and popular music according to a chosen theme. Introduced in a one-hour live special with the late Malcolm LaycockMalcolm LaycockMalcolm Richard Laycock was a British radio presenter and producer, best known for his work on programmes related to jazz, dance band and big band music. During his career he presented shows for both BBC Radio 2 and the BBC World Service...
on the station's first day of transmission, the programme ran in its original form for over a year with Chris Clark and Lucy Duran as the main presenters. Sidetrax transferred to a slot within 'Somethin' Else' in February 1991 and continued until May that year. - Smooth JazzSmooth jazzSmooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
Through The Night: A three hour show through the night which played well known smooth jazzSmooth jazzSmooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
records from the archives of Jazz FM. - Somethin' Else: A four hour show on week nights featuring contemporary and classic jazz music, competitions and listener contributions. Presented and produced by Jez Nelson and Chris Phillips.
- The Late Lounge with Rosie Kendrick: A two hour show featuring chillout grooves and jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. In 2008, the show was brought back on the relaunched Jazz FM and presented by Claire Anderson. - Tony Blackburn's Real Party Night: A show presented by Tony BlackburnTony BlackburnTony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
featuring lively soul and discoDiscoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music from the ages. Tony BlackburnTony BlackburnTony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
also presented a show on Jazz FM called Real Soul between 10 pm and 12 am on weeknights from March 2003 for twelve months. Real Soul was replaced by a three hour show from 1 March 2004 featuring jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, soul and R&B music presented by Clive WarrenClive WarrenClive Warren is a British radio DJ. He has worked at several broadcasters and now presents on weekdays and Sundays for Metro Radio.-Early career:...
.
Former Presenters on Jazz FM
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Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini is a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom... Angie Greaves Angie Greaves is a British radio presenter on London-based radio station Magic 105.4 FM.-Early career:Angie started her media career in 1982 as a BBC Administrator at Television Centre. In 1986 she moved to London’s Capital Radio, where she began working on the radio after being “discovered” by DJ... Kevin Greening Kevin Greening was a British radio presenter, who co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show with Zoe Ball from 1997 to 1998.-Early career:... Chris Hawkins Chris Hawkins is a presenter, performance DJ, reporter, journalist, producer, and music pundit.... Nicky Horne Nicky Horne was a road manager for Emperor Rosko in 1969, before presenting shows on BBC Radio 1, from 1970 - 1973.Horne was one of the original line-up on London's Capital Radio, where he presented shows such as Your Mother Wouldn't like it, Mummy's Weekly & 6 of the Best... Paul Jones (singer) Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio personality and television presenter.-Career:As P. P... Dave Koz Dave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California.... Malcolm Laycock Malcolm Richard Laycock was a British radio presenter and producer, best known for his work on programmes related to jazz, dance band and big band music. During his career he presented shows for both BBC Radio 2 and the BBC World Service... (former programme controller) Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:... |
Diana Luke Diana Luke is a Canadian-born radio presenter and hynotherapist who grew up in Toronto, Ontario and works in the UK.-Radio:Luke has worked for many radio stations across the country. Her radio career started on Viking Radio in Kingston-upon-Hull in 1987, where she was their first female presenter.... Helen Mayhew Helen Mayhew is a British radio presenter and producer, specialising in jazz music. Mayhew started with the BBC, and then moved to 102.2 Jazz FM at its launch, then rejoined the BBC where she presented her own weekly show, and finally returned to the relaunched Jazz FM... Alison Moyet Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,... Tony Myatt Tony Myatt is a UK radio presenter. He has previously worked at the BBC, on Channel 4, on Jazz FM, on Capital Radio, on PrimeTime Radio, Radio Mercury and on Saga DAB radio stations... Jez Nelson -Education:Nelson was educated at Dulwich College , followed by the University of London, during which time he first became a DJ.-Career:... Charles Nove Charles Alexis Nove born in London, is a long standing news and continuity voiceover announcer for BBC radio and television. In recent years he has provided holiday relief for BBC Radio 2 and what used to be Saga Radio in Scotland, and following John Marsh's retirement in February 2007 he became... Bill Oddie William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies.... Andy Peebles -Early life:The son of a head postmaster, Peebles attended Bishop's Stortford College, Hertfordshire before training in hotel management.After DJing at a college dance he was offered a job at Samanthas in Bournemouth.He worked at Chelsea Village,The Scotch of St James in London and at the Hardrock... Gilles Peterson Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai... |
Russell Pockett Russell Pockett is a radio presenter who has spent the majority of his career working for stations in the south of England.Russell was heard on Radio Mercury from 1984 to 1997, later moving to Thames 107.8 as their weekday mid-morning presenter, also appearing on Star 106.6 in Slough... Jon Scragg Jon Scragg is a radio presenter who has spent most of his career working on radio stations in the south of England. After a spell with the British Forces Broadcasting Service, Scragg joined Essex Radio in September 1981 as part of its launch team, and was the first voice heard on the station... Tim Smith (DJ) Tim Smith is an English broadcaster and radio personality in the U.K. He started out on university radio whilst studying in York. In 1984 he worked for several stations including BBC Radio York and BBC Radio Shropshire... Clive Warren Clive Warren is a British radio DJ. He has worked at several broadcasters and now presents on weekdays and Sundays for Metro Radio.-Early career:... |
Jazz FM Records
Jazz FM also had an established record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
called Jazz FM Records, publishing smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
and soul music in line with its former music output before the rebrand. The first CD released by Jazz FM was in 1996 and titled Dinner Jazz American Classics.
Jazz FM Records Discography
|
Paul Hardcastle Paul Hardcastle is an English composer and musician, specialising in the synthesizer.-Discography:In the early 1980s, Hardcastle played the keyboards on several singles on the Oval record label by the dance music groups Direct Drive and First Light, before going solo.He achieved some acclaim for... - Three Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable... Jazz Sounds Tony Blackburn Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity..... - Soul Survivor |
Jazz FM Records also brought out compilation tracks from the Hed Kandi team before Hed Kandi Records was set up as a label in its own right. In 2001, Jazz FM promoted their Hed Kandi record label in Ibiza, by hosting twelve weekends of dance and house music at the Pacha
Pacha
Pacha is a nightclub franchise with headquarters in Ibiza, Spain. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, located in Ibiza Town, is the best known venue today. During 2009 Pacha acquired El Divino, near the marina of Ibiza la Nueva, which will be...
nightclub in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
. This followed previous events elsewhere in Ibiza, Amsterdam and London. In November 2001, Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
and Jazz FM plc made a deal where the Ministry of Sound would distribute all Jazz FM records. Jazz FM also launched a new record label, Stereo Sushi Records in February 2002.
Jazz FM Records has since been renamed Enterprise Records, which in turn was bought by the Ministry of Sound record label from the Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc is a company of the United Kingdom owning various mass media operations including The Guardian and The Observer. The Group is owned by the Scott Trust. It was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd in 1907 when C. P. Scott bought the Manchester Guardian from the estate of...
for an undisclosed sum in January 2006. However, under plans to relaunch jazzfm.com as Jazz FM, the Jazz FM Records label was brought back.
Jazz FM Events
Jazz FM Events specialised in setting up and providing events based on a wide range of jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and soul music based on the radio stations output. This included anything from concerts to performances in bars across the UK. Major events would be publicised via the radio station and the Jazz FM website, including the famous Soul Weekender weekends.
Jazz FM Connections
Jazz FM Connections was a datingCourtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
site run by People2People.com
Phoenix Media/Communications Group
Phoenix Media/Communications Group is a Boston, Massachusetts corporation with several publishing and broadcasting interests. In addition to the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix and the Portland Phoenix, the company publishes a biweekly publication about Boston nightlife called Stuff and...
. The service required an individual to pay a subscription
Subscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
to chat and meet up with other people registered on the service. The service continued as Smooth FM
Smooth FM
Smooth Radio is an Independent National Radio station in the United Kingdom owned by GMG Radio. It broadcasts on the DAB Digital Radio Digital 1 national multiplex and on Sky, Freesat, Freeview, Virgin Media and online as well as regional FM and DAB frequencies in the North West, London, North...
Connections, and later became Smooth Soulmates.
External links
- Jazz FM Online (now used by the relaunched Jazz FM, previously also used by jazzfm.com)