Your Thoughts about Jack FM 100.7 (April 11, 2005)

Matt: It has only been a day and I have already changed the pre-sets. When Jeff and Jer come back I'll listen to them, but the station doesnt have an attitude anymore that I want to listen to. Sad. Star was very San Diego.

David Everett: JACK BLOWS!!!! I've listened to B100, Star, etc. for most of my younger and adult life. I'm sorely upset that they did what they did. Tracy, I hope this wasn't your doing- if it is, you've lost it! And now no Jeff and Jer- I'm wondering if they are the latest casualty of Star's death? If so, I hope they are back soon somewhere here in San Diego. (Vacation? come on- you could've told us this rather than hiding it? I fully expect they won't be back, a-la B100 when they moved to Q106) I gave JACK a chance, and in about two hours time moved to 94.1 and haven't been unhappy since. RIP STAR, and GTH JACK.

Billy Clarkson: I wish to weigh in my view on the new Jack FM. Now, the music mix is something unusual in the sense that it seems to avoid playing the wimp songs that I never liked from the 70s through today while they play some of the rockier pop songs from that time range. I like the music mix, but they need to mix in the Old School songs from Magic 92.5 that are funk or disco styles to make it more of my mix. The attitude of Jack is just that, an act. Sure it's not San Diego, but I don't care about that. Jack has decided to take control and mix in and play whatever he wants to play. The requesters are nothing but a nusiance, always wanting to hear whiny Alicia Keys songs or scary Evanessence songs. Hopefully, Jack won't play that shit on the station. I'll be listening. Good riddance to the yakkers and chatters that wasted my time of day. Never paid attention to what they said anyway. Die Star, now give me my Jack!

Laura: Thank goodness I have somewhere to vent. I was saddened to wake up to the new format earlier today. I knew a change was coming, but was in a workshop yesterday and not able to hear "Jack" make his move on San Diego, and a bad move at that. This radio station reminds me of the cheesy barfly who tries to pick up all the women in the place. It is not kind, nor inviting. I am all for change if it offers growth and excitment. This is just another radio station I want to avoid.

Tim: Jack sucks. People just THINK they want less repetition. The truth is that repetition in radio works because people want know there's a good chance that when they turn on the radio, one of 30 or so really good songs will be playing. What were their ratings before they made the switch? I think the writing was on the wall the minute they switched their nightly content to a re-play of the morning show. That smacks of desperation, and apparently, doom. Their only smart move was dumping the surfer girl, Intern Jen.

Jerry: Bring back Jen! She was the best thing about 100.7. I loved her. Oh well, I'll switch to 91X and catch Hillary instead. I'm turning Jack off!

Betsy: I think 100.7 should have stayed Star.I hate Jack FM. and have already deleted 100.7 from my car radio stations. What happened to Jeff & Jer in the morning? I can't imagine anyone actually enjoying this poor excuse for a radio station. There obviously was NO marketing research done before the big switch. Many thousands of people now have a large void in their commute to and from work. I also think the people deserve some sort of explantion of what happened to this radio station, and the radio personalities that became a part of our/my busy life. Going back to KPBS, One of eleven listeners.

Denise: I hate the new Jack format - it sucks! They played Rush today on Jack - I hate Rush - my father listened to Rush - that lead singer with his whiney, weird voice - Ugh! Bring back the daily dirt!

Jay: "Jack" is the worst encounter of media kind I have ever experienced. Not only is the host arrogant and completely disconnected from San Diego culture, he is trying to appeal to a 13 year old menatlity, "play what you want?" who cares? I can switch to a CD in the car anytime, but nobody makes me laugh outloud in the car like Jeff, Jer and Laura. The way they have touched us with the ridiculous and endeared us with topics such as Becky's house etc. Who in the world is responsible for this decision? Are the decision makers so completely out of touch? Go back to Star 100.7 and continue with being a voice for all the San Diegans stuck in traffic who would rather laugh out their road rage than listen to corporate crap.

(name withheld by request:) In radio business, listeners often get upset when change happens to their favorite radio station. The music director decided to field in some opinions on what needed to be done with their once-popular radio station to get some people who abandoned radio in favor of listening to alternate forms. Tracy Johnson, the programmer of KFMB-FM, analyzed what the people wanted in a radio station and has decided to implement a fast paced clutter-free radio station titled "Jack FM". Think of "The Mighty 690" with an attitude. Mighty 690 started in 1980 and knocked the chatty 13K off the air two years later, but 690 was done in by KS103 in 1984 because the songs were in stereo there. "Jack" has the privilege of playing whatever it wants without fear of overplaying the same song too soon, and is giving the disenfranchised listeners in San Diego an alternative to buying an iPod to play popular Boomer and Gen X rock songs all the time. Jack 100.7 FM has to play mass appeal songs such as the hits from the last four decades that people are familiar with and haven't heard in a long time. From a radio person's point of view, the genres heard on the playlist are not only varied but compatable with each other to a degree if you listen to the songs. People didn't want to hear soft, hard, or rap songs. Jack FM is Tracy's solution to serving San Diego something that's not on the air. We'll see how Jack is doing in the books six months from now. Thank you for your time.

Brandon: I'm in complete shock. As a loyal listener for years, suddenly the personalities I've come to enjoy are gone without any explaination! Not a very good way to keep your audience, especially with the million dollar morning team nowhere to be found with promises they will return. Should of had their involvement to help with the buy in. As far as the music... I really tried to enjoy it yesterday but the mix is too extreme. Now I listen to Channel 933 and My94.1.

Ashley: I like the 70s rock but why can't they play disco on Jack? That's my favorite kind of music.

Nichol Lodico: I'm all for JACK. I have eclectic tastes in music so I pretty much love everything they play. I love the mix up in music and it's refreshing to be surprised by what I here played. I never listened to STAR because I couldn't stand hearing Kelly Clarkson over and over again, but I have a button preset to 100.7 now. I don't really get why the attitude is there, though. Sounds like JACK has a chip on his shoulder. Chill, JACK, just relax and enjoy the tunes.

Tanja Sue: Jack FM is terrible. I thought it was a joke at first--however I realized I'm still waiting for the punchline. I'm a big listener of all SD radio stations, 94.9, 91X, Star, 94.1, but Jack definitely loses my vote.

Leslie: I've already erased my preset with 100.7. I tried listening to the station during my commute to and from work. It may seem funny to admit this, but I miss the pop culture and the talkative djs. Some songs that JACK played had me itching to change the station. It was almost too painful to completely listen through a bad song, it reminded me of being forced fed vegetables. Most other stations have annoying djs in the afternoon. I really liked the format and the topics of Greg and Jen. Their chemistry on the air is what drew me to station. If anyone has recommendations of another station to listen to.. please tell. Maybe when Jeff and Jer come back on April 18th, I can check back to see if the new station will get better. But for now, it's definetely not on my preset.

Sarah: Is this Tracy Johnson's late April Fool joke? Please end this joke and bring back Star. It's not funny.

Adam: I am a recent transplant to Southern California and San Diego from the Midwest. I was recommended Star by a friend who lived here for a while, and I have to say, I really connected with the station. It sort of became an extended family "in my car." JACK is terrible. "We'll play what we want." I don't think you'll be playing what you want when you have no listeners and no advertisers. Killing off Jen and not sure what to do with Greg? I hope Jeff and Jer move on back to another "STAR." Jack is an asteroid hitting the earth.

Mike: The new Jack FM is the worst thing to happen to San Diego radio in recent memmory. We have now been lumped in with every other un-original city, when we used to have a shining Star of a radio station... which is incredibly insulting to San Diegans. Let alone the aloof and condescending voice we now have to listen to on our beloved Star (I'm not switching names, just like Jack Murphy Stadium). These days we can listen to music anywhere: iPods, XM/Sirius, internet, etc. so why does Tracy Johnson feel the need to put one of those internet-like feeds on the airwaves? We tune in for the things we can't get elsewhere, like personality, comedy, and to be entertained by professionals... not by a guy who talks down to us. We all have music collections at home full of old songs, the music on the radio should offer something we can't get at home, such as the latest hits. I am all for expanding a playlist, but can't Greg and Jen play a selection of 1200 songs instead of 200 songs just as well as a satelite can? Loyal listeners will still tune into Jeff and Jer, but let's be sure that 94.1 is ready for a massive influx of listeners at 10:01 AM each day becuase Jack has done a great job of allienating the people who loved Star.

Sameer: Down with Jack, Bring STAR back; Down with Jack, Bring STAR back; Down with Jack, Bring STAR back; Down with Jack, Bring STAR back; Down with Jack, Bring STAR back; Down with Jack, Bring STAR back;

Cecilia Chancery: Just want to know where Jeff, Jer, Tommy, Randy & Laura went... along with whoever helped them on the station, that way i can start listening to that station as "jack" is not for me.

Crys: I am so sad that STAR is gone. I do not like the new Jack and would have appreciated more warning about the change. I would really like them to let us know what's happened to everyone. I miss all of the DJ's, but am starting to get used to the shows on the other stations. I heard that Jeff and Jer will be back on in a few weeks, but I hope they quit. I have been a loyal listener of theirs since the other, other, other station, probably 15 years now. I think they will being fake and untrue to themselves if they continue on that station.

Robert: I hated Star music. I'm glad Jack is on. No more chick music for girls. Now I get rock and pop music, the kind of music I used to hear on the old top 40 stations back then. It's #1 on my presets. The music is fast and unpredictable, the way I've been listening to Internet radio for many years. Tracy is onto something big. Just don't play anything that's for wusses or girly men and Jack will rock.

(name withheld by request): Jack is pretty sad. STAR-FM built up a core audience of listeners who actually participated in crazy promotions where they were running around parking lots and infiltrating stores, asking innocent bystanders if they were the "Fugitive" (yep, I was asked on several occasions) or raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Becky's House, a domestic violence shelter ran by the local YWCA. In one day -- no, actually, in about an hour or two -- their credibility and reputation has been obliterated. While we all know that the STAR logo and moniker "Hi Star!" is a franchise, it was the personality and commitment to their community and their listeners, that actually made it a successful brand. And don't they teach you in college that to be successful in marketing, your consumers must have a positive relationship with brand?? (Hello, Starbucks!!!) San Diego Jack doesn't seem to embody that spark. It actually seems like the station execs are "too bothered" to hear from listeners. Yes, the STAR playlist was a bit too narrow, and Jack promises to play all types of music. But it is the snide, holier than thou, attitude of the voice tracks that have many of us upset. And in a relationship market like San Diego, it ain't going to work. Best wishes to the program director and ad sales GM who may have a tougher time to hit revenue goals. They're gonna need it, especially as they see the mass exodus of listeners and fans who actually bought into the former brand. They're taking their money and influence elsewhere.

Ava: I read your request to voice opinions about the now-exinct STAR 1007. To put it simply, I really dislike the new radio station format, and I miss STAR 100.7. I enjoyed the type of music that STAR played, and I wish it would go back to the old format.

Donna: I am disgusted that you would trade the personal touch that the radio personalities brought to San Diego for a "Jack" recording. I have to sit in traffic for at least an hour every day, I want my Jeff and Jer and Greg and Jen back! If I wanted to hear music I would bring CD's with me! I am going to channel 93.3 ....

Scott: Now that Star 100.7 has gone off the air, what is the next closest station to that line up of music that they played?

Ej: I was a huge star fan. I listened to it every single day. On my way to school, on my way to work, and all night at work. I am so upset that they just changed it to a rude recording. I will not play it at my work anymore. I think that a wonderful, talented radio station is gone and I don't see the reason. I wish that someone would give me a real reason that made sense. I want my star back!

Michael Janke: I hate the new Jack 100.7, and I have alreadys switched over to My 94.1. The format is way too wide for my taste and, call me crazy, I want to hear some new music every now and then. What I'd like to understand is the reasoning behind the move. Why switch a successful, award-winning radio station that is still gettin great ratings, over to a here-today-gone-tommorow experiment? Hopefully gone tommorow, literally. I don't get it and, Jeff and Jer aside, I'm turned my dial.

Marianne: Someone at 100.7 didn't do their homework before deciding to change their format to 'Jack'. Everyone I know who used to listen to Arrow 93.1 in Los Angeles has tuned out since their recent conversion to 'Jack'. You can go online and read about the disgruntled listeners in Denver, too. It's a lousy format; and, certainly does NOT relect what San Diego is all about. After complaining to the station about the format change, I was told to relax . . . that change is never easy to accept. What I won't accept is some lame-brain rude announcer, and a horrible mix of mediocre music. While it was never only the music that I tuned in for, it was for the personalities . . . and they're gone! I'm pretty sure you can't run a successful station with only a morning show! They recently claimed their 'Fugitive' game a huge success; with this format, that'll never happen again. I wonder who decided to make this change, and if they have the courage to listen and heed what San Diego says and run 'Jack' out of town! It stinks!!!

Dave Hansen: jack Radio has to be the worst radio promotion I have ever heard about. Leaving the loyal listeners to wonder about their beloved d.j.'s futures. The almost antagonistic tone set by this monotone voiced mystery man perhaps named Jack is a total joke when you consider the fossilized play list that they subject the listener to. This will be a case study someday on how not to do a format change. I'm so mad/disgusted I'm calling the advertisers and telling them I'm not buying their products. they can jack &#& and eat jack *#@& for all I care....jack asses!

Postings: Jack Stinks! (April 8, 2005)