This may be old news, but it looks like Arrow 93.1 ‘The Best Classic Rock’ is now gone, replaced with 93.1 Jack FM ‘Playing What We Want’.
More change to the LA radio scene is probably a good thing, but alas it is not a Top 40 station like Kiss-FM going away.
I’m listening now to it and it sounds like a mild rock station with 70s & 80s stuff.
There a few googleable articles on the Jack FM format here and here that shine some light on what to expect.
Taking a look at Yes.net will give up the details.
This morning, they’ve played:
SUPERTRAMP – Goodbye Stranger
MARCY PLAYGROUND – Sex And Candy
THE STEVE MILLER BAND – Abracadabra
WAR – Why Can’t We Be Friends?
BON JOVI – You Give Love A Bad Name
LONDONBEAT – I’ve Been Thinking About You
STYX – Too Much Time On My Hands
BONNIE TYLER – It’s A Heartache
DEF LEPPARD – Animal
THE BEATLES – Get Back
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS – Heartbreak Beat
JOURNEY – Any Way You Want It
SHAWN MULLINS – Lullaby
TALKING HEADS – Once In A Lifetime
CARL DOUGLAS – Kung Fu Fighting
ZZ TOP – Legs
Well, that is some playlist. I’ll leave it up to the reader to decide whether it is good or bad.
52 thoughts on “More change to LA radio”
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wow, i can’t believe kansas city beat l.a. to something. we’ve had a “jack” station for about six months now.
perhaps we’re crawling out of the dark ages here. . .
I swoon for ZZ Top.
Living in a town the size of L.A., I would hope the airwaves would be like a candy store where the only problem is deciding what to get.
I was listening this morning and was shocked to hear that as well. Arrow used to be Clear Channel? Who owns Jack Radio? Random play list by the way.
So, somebody loaded 1000K random albums into an iPod and put it on shuffle play?
And “Kung Fu Fighting” is on there but no “Billy Don’t Be a Hero”? And what about “The Night Chicago Died”?
Wow, that playlist is a friggin’ trainwreck. It’s got variety, but it’s like dropping cayenne pepper into a root beer float.
We have Jack FM in KC… imagine that. Kansas City setting the standard for Los Angleees!
jack is shit i want arrow back
I hate jack fm — the music is all over the map, and the station is souless — it’s got no personality or local feel. But that’s exactly what the owner (who owns it, by the way?)wanted: to save money by having a DJ-less station.
I’ve been listening to Jack… I;m not sure what genre I would call it, other than “No Crap”.
They have a good policy: “No Request Guarantee”. I agree with them: I don’t want to hear other listeners calling in and telling a DJ what special song they want to hear. Just play the damn music. Their motto is “If you want to hear something, relax. You will.”
It’s about time LA did something like this again. We used to have a couple of stations that did this and called themselves “world music”. Sadly they got bought out by spanish stations.
let us hope this one lasts.
As long as they keep playing Journey, I AM FINE.
Well, not really. I mean, it sounds like what Ken says – an iPod on shuffle. MY iPod on shuffle. So why should I put the radio on at all?
They’ve had both a Vancouver and a Victoria Jack FM station for a while now, and they are both a great relief from the other stations with play lists of about 100 songs. Repeats are fewer, there is less chatter, and the songs are more diverse. They stations are also kicking their competitor’s asses. It’s great!
I hope Johnathan Brandmier is off the air now in LA. I couldn’t take one more of his 20 minute cell phone calls while he is driving in to the station and buying coffee…I mean who really gives a shit about his drive in?
im 44 yrs old and love music. good music puots me in a good mood and motivates me. i have been listening to 93.1 for a long time. sat i found out that the format was switched. the last few days i have heard songs i forgot about especially in the 80’s as that was the time. i have been smiling ever since. YOU GUYS ROCK, KEEP IT UP. IM TELLING EVERYONE I KNOW.
so i listened to arrow 93.1 faithfully when uncle joe was the morning person. i attribute my classic rock knowledge to uncle joe. he was awesome. and then jonathan brandmier came out of no where and threw the station out of whack. and then i switched to listening to uncle joe in the pm. which i was fine with. and then i get in my car one day and here jack fm? what the hell? jacks sucks. i hate it. so long to feel good river and beer drinking music. now we have to endure the every other classic rock and 80’s mix. it sucks. not a big fan.
The change at 93.1 is not for the better. I have been listening to ARROW for many years and love the classic rock. Most of the line up I am hearing from the new JACK is absolutely awful! I will be now searching for a new classic rock station and I hope that one does exist since I will no longer be listening to 93.1. What happened to the great D.J.’s. It sounds like everything is pre-recorded. Please bring back the old ARROW 93.1 station!
I’m not sure about the Jack franchise as a whole, but the Jack in L.A. is owned by Infinity Broadcasting, who also owned the station when it was Arrow.
Love the 80’s music you are playing! I have not heard some of these tunes in several years! Rocking out in Fontana.
The change in format has lost at least one faithful listener, as I no longer listen to 93.1 during my AM and PM Drive. Getting rid of Johnny B. and Uncle Joe and replacing them with taped mass- market randomized pap is a mistake. The commercials for the new format seem to be aiming to a younger demographic than that which traditionally listens to classic rock. So they get rid of the talent, get rid of the great hit music, and aim at a demographic that doesn’t listen to classic rock? They will lose their current listeners and they won’t be replaced by a demographic uninterested in the music. And to further alienate the hold-over listeners, they make a point of saying they don’t care what we want to hear, they’re going to play what they want and to hell with us. They have forgotten that while they can play what they want, I can listen to what I want, and it isn’t 93.1 anymore. I’m afraid I don’t understand the thought process. Perhaps the idea is to become a nonprofit company for the tax advantages?
It’s different. I’m tired of hearing the same hits on every non-Spanish station in L.A. The play list makes no sense, but that’s what I like about jack. It’s unpredictable, and I love that they play non-hits from good artists. The songs that we’ve forgotten about but like. That’s cool. For you classic rock fans, KLOS is great. I hear ya, I like Uncle Joe, but I’m jazzed about jack.
JACK is jacked. But then so was Arrow. Arrow played Stairway to Heaven at least twice a day… Lame.
No DJ’s? RIGHT ON!
Wide variety of songs on the play list? RIGHT ON!
“Dancing Queen” followed by “Welcome To The Jungle”?
RIGHT ON!!!!!
Great!No more Arrowfest, what a bunch of junk this jack is.Who left the decisions all up to jack anyways, what about the millions of Arrow fans who tuned in?
They say “We play what we want” but they are not playing what WE want!!! this radio station sucks! I too want Arrow back!
i haven’t heard any supertramp on the radio since i was 15. i’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
jack sucks, realy. who thought this was going to be a good idea?
Its about time all that old crap got washed down the drain! I hate DJ yack, morning shows, and all the BS that goes with personalities on the radio. While some of the play list dosent do much for me, it is better than listening to some goose wiggle his tongue for fifteen minutes while the world waits in traffic!
So now arrow= no arrowfest? thats hurtful.
I mean no arrow=no arrowfest
Ya…..I’m note sure how I feel about Jack yet….I used to listen to Arrow when I went to bed and in the morning on the way to class…and on the way to work….but I really didn’t like Jonathan Brandmeire (or however you spell it)….so I’m glad that he is no more. He ruined my mornings. BUT I AM really bummed that there will be no arrowfest! I tried SO hard to win tickets to that….even calling at like….5:00 in the morning. But whatever….I think Jack plays pretty good music and if they….say… were to put on a cool concert like Arrowfest…..I’d go. I think I’ll keep listening. 🙂
Please allow me to input my perspective. Several weeks ago, our beloved DJ for Arrow, broke down on the side of the road after smacking into a boulder. He had a flat tire, and called his roadside provider which happened to be affiliated with BMW. They did not assist him expediently enough, and this made him rather irrate. So, he used his notoriety to “bad-mouth” BMW roadside assistance for quite some time, trashing the company and it’s reputation. My best guess would be that some black suit with money and power decided to get even, buy the station, and excersize revenge. I wonder if his name is JACK? In so doing, WE have lost an incredibly “PURE” classic rock and roll station and have no other choice but to listen to KLOS, or go with satellite radio. My sincere request for those that are listening, is… bring back the ROCK. Bring back our DJ. All wrong words are said in haste. Make Southern Calfornia welcome Arrow back again…
JBC-Southern California
I have listended to Arrow 93.1 since the station first aired. Classic rock is just that….Classic. Arrow 93.1 started to go down hill when Jonathan Brandmier came to the station. Arrow 93.1 was and always will be a Classic…like In-N-Out! Bring back Arrow 93.1..I’m gone to Sirius #14 and #15
I drive from Chino Hills to Gardena five mornings a week. I need some conversation or DJ entertainment. Johnny B was great. Please tell me where he ends up, along with the other Arrow DJ’s.
I am so disappointed. No one told us the arbitrons at Arrow were low.
Not only is “Jack” a trite and silly name for a radio station but they mix classic rock with silly pop songs like “Kung Fu Fighting!!!”
Is there ANY loyalty ANYWHERE?? What’s the matter? Did the DJ’s at Arrow have “too much knowledge” about the bands they were playing?
Another sad point….the COMMERCIALS ..My GOD! Two songs then five minutes of commercials.
Satellite radio, here I come.
Jack FM sucks!!!!…If your goinh to play rock play rock…forget that 80’s bullshit music.
KLOS is now my #1 radio station.
Arrow was the best station and now this Jack is a piece of shi* and should die. they seem like cocky arrogant basterds
This might be humoros to some of you. I sent Jack an email asking where the Arrow DJ’s moved or if there was a hint of Arrow anywhere. This it what I got.
Sorry to report that Arrow has completely switched over to Jack. Quite simply, it doesn’t exist anymore. The DJs are moving on as well. Try giving Jack a listen–a lot of former Arrow listeners are starting to come around and tell us how much they like the new station.
On the mention of former Arrow listeners switching over I gave them another Email on how much they suck and on other forums including this one only if even 10% of former listeners are on their side.
First of all, those of you who think 93.1 went down hill after Jonathan Brandmier joined the station are full of crap. Johnnie B is the best sounding morning voice in radio ever! Maybe his show was a little different than the morning crap you are used to and you didn’t recognize that different can be good! Mainly, his show was only from whatever 6am-10am. How can ONE 4-5 hour show bring a WHOLE station down. HELLO?? Where’s the logic in that people.
Next, what the heck does Jack mean? Their slogan is moronic. It seems to alienate the listeners by yelling “we play what we want”, which implies ” who cares what you want.
I grudgingly listened to it a few times and while they do play an interesting mix of music that you rarely hear on the radio, as someone else mentioned, it has no soul.
We listen to the radio as much for the music as for the dj’s. They become like your friend. Listeners look forward to hearing the chitchat the dj’s fill the air with. The loyal listeners are in with the jokes because they listen every morning on the drive in to work. They know the shows characters, and bits. If we want just music we have our cd’s, ipod’s or satellite radio to listen to.
Bring back the soul! Bring back the dj’s! and LAY OFF OF JOHHNIE B!!!
Wow, I couldn’t disagree more. The BEST part of Jack is the complete lack of self-important DJs cluttering up the air with annoying stories about their pathetic social lives, something that happened to them at the store, some unimportant crap I didn’t really need to know about Tom Petty’s cousin, and the wonderful deal they got at the laser hair restoration place.
Not to mention the mix of music is so much better. I love classic rock, but if I only wanted to listen to the same ten albums for the rest of my life, I’d buy them.
Viva Jack!
What genious did this?? Do you guys have any idea the competition you are up against with Satellite radio? Arrow was L.A’s best CLASSIC ROCK. Your Arbitrons weren’t that bad. You guys had more then your share of the market. You are just greedy. There is no way I will listen. The DJ’s had too much class for Infinity Broadcasting. They actually knew the music they were talking about. Boycott Infinity and move to either KLOS or Satellite.
I want arrow back. The thing about genre stations is that you can be your own DJ. If I want random 80s and 90s rock, I’ll look to another station. But when I want Pure Classic Rock I go to Arrow. What the hell happened? Was there any warning? What happened to the folks at Arrow? Did they just get fired?!
JACK SUCKS.
Oh lord. I googled and I think Arrow moved to Utah. Arrow 103.5
I started in radio in college. I stopped after college because I couldn’t stand what was happenning to a medium I once LOVED. Here’s my rant– I will keep it factual and as short as the average station commercial break:
1. 93.1 was once owned by CBS, bought out by Infiniti which owns 10+ stations in LA. They own more than 1000 stations across the country. Clear Channel is their competition. I believe they currently own 14 stations in LA and more than 2000 stations natiowide. Bottomline– two companies own the majority of the radio stations to which people across the country are listening.
2. “Jack” is a format created by radio consultants hired by these mega radio companies, just like “Star”, “Alice”, “Old School”, “The Beat”, “Kiss” etc…These formats exist in almost every major market. Why?
Various formats are tried out in markets like Vancouver, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. If they get good ratings, then they are expanded into major markets where these mega-owners have stations failing in Arbitron ratings and/or losing revenue. That is what happenned to Arrow 93.
3. Most stations have a playlist limited to no more than 250-300 songs AT THE MOST. Therefore, between a commercial load of approximately 18 minutes per hour and hearing the SAME songs over and over based upon “listener research” which says “YOU ONLY WANT TO HEAR THE SAME MUSIC ALL THE TIME”, this is why so many of you have said “radio sucks.” Research proves you right. Radio is in a major slump in terms of lost listenership and lost ad revenue.
4. More importantly, stations ratings and ad rates are based on something called AQH- Average Quarter Hour listening. YES– they actually EXPEXT you to change the dial constantly. btw– AQH listenership counts for only 7 1/2 minutes listening before you change the dial. And YOU change stations because you KNOW there’s a 5 minute commercial break OR you’ve already heard the same song twice or more that day.
5. Ergo– “Jack”. Research has proven people will switch between classic rock, oldies, “the 80’s”, top 40, R&B, talk and ANYTHING else that sounds NEW and DIFFERENT that they haven’t heard in a long time. And so they HOPE us listeners won’t have to change the dial AS OFTEN. “Jack” is predicated on the fact that people are so BORED, anything different is interesting. That’s why they try to promote it as “Your iPOD”! But there’s more….
6. These mega-owners try to stem an unprecedented loss of radio listening and ad revenue. They believe satellite is real and a real threat as many of you on this blog have indicated. Here’s the problem— satellite is programmed and managed by the SAME people that created the blandness and lack of originality existing across the radio spectrum today. Lee Abrams destroyed progressive FM radio in the 70’s by limiting album cut playlists and dj choices. Today he programs XM Satellite music. Sirius is now run by Mel Karmazin. He’s responsible for putting Infiniti Radio together and homogenizing the sound of radio across the country. Do you really want to start paying these companies $10-15/mo subscription fees to START before they begin adding commercials and charging more for premium services. Remember when cable TV was going to be the savior to boring repetitive network TV? Don’t bet on it.
7. Finally– yes “Jack” and SO MANY other formats across most of the U.S. are lacking personality because they are TOTALLY automated. Look up “voice tracking” sometime on google on and you’ll discover that the mega radio monopoly is hiring cheap non union talent in Butte to “voice track” 100’s of stations across the country digitally rather than pay for REAL local talent.
Radios’ real threat won’t be satellite, but ipods and new mp3 tech coming down the road.
And for better or worse, that’s the FACT JACK!
Well I am posting all over the place tonight, haha! This is my third Jack-related blog/post/whatever.
If they play ABBA followed by GNR who can complain? Not moi. For a long time there has not been a station breaking the genre boundaries.
It is really nice not to have to push a preset button every 2 1/2 minutes to prevent mind-numbing boredom!
But I am guilty of being weird enough to try and connect the old Pirate Radio format – the ORIGINAL of which was similar to Jack i.e. playing Tone-Loc then Metallica — to this new ‘Jack’ station: What is the [first] name of the most famous pirate these days?
I rest my (dubious) [questionable] case.
The worst part is, I MISS UNCLE JOE!
I hate the pre-recorded voice on Jack. More and more the human element is being removed from our lives. This is just one more example. It takes all the fun out of it.
The music is OK, most of it is good, but some of it is weird.
I don’t miss the babble in the mornings though. I hated it when Arrow switched to a morning talk show. I don’t like to hear talking in the morning, I want to hear music.
BRING BACK UNCLE JOE!
A big thank you to Bob N. That was the most insightful blog I have ever read. You are right on. I do miss Uncle Joe in sort of the same way I miss Chick Hearn, but as far as music programming goes, Jack actually works well. It does track the way I would flip through channels -which is to end up going from a GNR song to Journey to ABBA, and for the most part, unless you live in the 909 and have a mullett, you probably like multiple styles of music and are not put off by this, even if it does smell of corporate autocracy.
91X is still the best station in Cali.
We just lost an awesome radio station in san diego to jack. http://www.histar.com Jack is evil.. he is taking over the radio im america. We MUST stop him. *Power to the listeners*
I can tell you that the move arrow made sometime last summer which sloted that twit Jonathan Brandmeir and moved Uncle Joe to afternoons was a mistake and disasterous. The result no more Arrow classic rock. Now we have this indi type Jack which draws quite a bit from the old playlist but adds the terrible disco,funk god aweful stuff. At first i thought well this might be an early april fools joke kind of like what Mak and brian played on us a few years ago, but…^*(*!)*&&^@#$&_it wasn’t arrow was indeed gone. rest in piece Arrow go to hell JACK. rest assured Uncle Joe will be back…Soon.
We used to listen to the Wave or KOST then my co-worker told us about this new station, so we changed the station – and now WE ARE HOOKED! We’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time.
Thank you
jack is whack i want arrow back
Bob N.
A very lengthy and insightful blog. However you did mention the fact that the same people are doing satellite radio. One big difference…one big HUGE difference—Satellite has so many channels, you can go to 70’s 80’s 90’s, Mixes, R&B ONLY …whatever you want! That WON’T change. That is the beauty of increased bandwith and 200 channels, there is something for everyone and no one cancels.
Radio in general is dead. Satellite is your best chance. Bob N is right, they think we all station hop when in the car. If they for once would stop with so many commercials, people would have a lower tendency to change stations.
Second of all, the playlists have to be larger then 300-350 songs. The beauty of KLOS and KMET were that they did play the same more popular 350 songs but “sprinkled” it with other lesser known cuts off the same albums. THAT WORKED.
Too much greed guys. Too much greed.