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WBJZ
- 104 FM Reverts To Smooth Jazz Format
by Bob Lowe
March 16, 2005
WBJZ-FM (104.7), a Ripon-based smooth jazz station that
switched to country music in early 2003, has resumed playing
smooth jazz, much to the delight of area jazz aficionados.
Although the change occurred in February 2004, many listeners
who drifted away are just now realizing that the smooth jazz
format is back and are once again tuning in to the 24-hour
station.
"They seem to discover it one day at a time," said
Terry Davis, general manager of Radio Plus, the station’s
corporate parent based in Fond du Lac. "It seems as
if people are just realizing that it is back again.”We
will be putting up some billboards advertising the change."
WBJZ – which stands for blues and jazz – was
the brainchild of Steve Peterson, a Fond du Lac cable TV
and radio entrepreneur, who launched the format in January
2000. Prior to this, the station, then known as WISS, broadcast
country music.
Peterson changed the call letters, erected a new transmitter
and transferred the studio from Berlin to Ripon.
Playing
jazz from its own musical collection, listeners suggestions
and other sources, WBJZ pioneered the smooth jazz format
in northeast Wisconsin with an eclectic blend of fusion
jazz, blues, R&B, soft ballads, straight-ahead
classic jazz, reggae and Latin jazz.
Among the artists featured were Anita Baker, Boney James,
Sade, Kenny G, Diana Krall, Grover Washington Jr., Bob James,
Luther Vandross and George Benson, as well as home-grown
favorites Janet Planet and Streetlife, the Milwaukee Bucks
house band.
In
October 2002, Peterson sold the radio station to Radio
Plus "who made me an attractive offer" that he
found difficult to refuse. One factor in his decision was
the fact that Radio Plus had more "resources in programming
and people who can promote and sell advertising better than
I could."
One difference this time around is that WBJZ is utilizing
a live satellite feed from a Jones Radio Networks studio
in Seattle. Jones is a Denver-based radio programming service
that has nine 24-hour formats serving 4,000 stations in the
U.S., according to the smoothjazz.com website.
Jones has smooth jazz stations in 25 markets in places
such as Youngstown, Ohio, Colorado Springs, Lexington, Ken.,
Palm Springs, Calif., Panama City, Fla., State College, Penn.,
and Gainesville, Fla.
Davis said he decided to sign up with the satellite service
because it would not have been cost effective to program
the station locally 24 hours a day.
"We felt in order to get people to respond and to
intelligently comment on the smooth jazz format, we had to
go with a professional service that specializes in this type
of music," he said. "The jazz listener is very
educated and knows his music."
WBJZ is the only station featuring contemporary jazz 24
hours a day. Radio Plus also owns Fond du Lac radio stations
WTCX-FM 96.1 (classic mix), WFDL-FM 97.7 (adult contemporary)
WFDL-AM 1170 (oldies); WRPN-AM 1600 (news talk) and WMDC-FM
98.7, (60s and 70s music). WBJZ is in the same studio that
houses WRPN on Main Street in Ripon.
Davis
said when WBJZ switched from jazz to country, "in
our group of stations, a country station was something we
did not have." The feeling at the time was the change
would fill this niche for country music fans and advertisers
in the broadcast area.
The
change disappointed a good number of listeners, Davis said. "There were a fair amount of calls," he said. "What
we have found is that the jazz listener is fiercely loyal.
In this case, they were disappointed because they couldn’t
find another smooth jazz station in the area."
What
Davis also discovered was that "from a business
standpoint, there were several successful dominant country
stations already in the market" and it as tough to compete
with them. After a year of unsuccessfully going against established
country stations WPKR-FM 99.5 and WNCY-FM 100.3, Davis said
the decision was made to switch back to its previous format.
"Tied to that is the fact that the jazz niche was
still available," Davis said. "When you can offer
something that nobody else does, you could stand out from
all the clutter."
One
still unresolved problem is that the 3,400-watt station
is too weak to penetrate the northern Fox Valley and is not
registered on ratings charts for the Appleton market. WBJZ’s
primary coverage area includes Ripon, Oshkosh, Berlin, Fond
du Lac, Neenah-Menasha and some portions of Appleton, particularly
the south-central portions of the city.
Davis would very much like to serve listeners in the Fox
Cities, which because of music programs in the schools and
at Lawrence University in Appleton, have a significant jazz
fan base.
"We would like to double our power and we are researching
upgrades at this time," Davis said. "But a lot
of that takes time and FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
approval, and a lot of it is out of our control."
For
now, those jazz listeners who can tune on their home or
car radio couldn’t be happier and welcome WBJZ back
like a long lost relative.
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM EXPANDING – Appleton’s
downtown will receive a significant economic boost with the
recent announcement that the Fox Cities Children’s
Museum will be expanding its presence from the second to
the first floor of the City Center West building it has occupied
for
13 years. The $3 million project would expand the museum
by another 7,450 square feet.
That
space, at the corner of Appleton Street and College Avenue,
has stood vacant since the Jim Laabs’ music
store close a few years ago. The space was previously owned
by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The museum’s existing
21,700 square feet on the second floor also will be remodeled
as part of the expansion. Construction will start late this
year, with a projected grand opening planned for early 2006.
The museum will remain open during the construction.
A major effect the expansion will have it to improve the
visibility of the museum, according to Pam Seidl, marketing
manager for the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Although a destination location for many families, many visitors
had trouble finding the museum, according to a recent tourism
assessment done by consultant Roger Brooks.
The
museum is launching a $2.95 million capital campaign to
fund the project, said Dorrie Hipschman, the museum’s
executive director.
She said $500,000 has already been pledged by supporters
such as Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, The Boldt Co. Kimberly-Clark,
Plexus, the Mielke Family Foundation and Appleton (formerly
Appleton Papers).
The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority
also is providing $750,000 as a loan guarantee to securing
project financing. The capital campaign will fund the building
purchase, renovations and improvements and also establish
a small endowment.
The
project has the approval of Gov. Jim Doyle, who said a
strong downtown is essential to the growing economy of
the area. "Expansion of the Fox Cities Children’s
Museum is key in the downtown’s continued growth."
It is the fourth major project creating excitement in the
downtown area.
The
Paper Discovery Center, 425 W. Water St., opened on Feb.
26. The Big Picture Theater of Adventure & Discovery,
an 80-foot wide, six story tall big screen theater, formally
opens to the public Saturday.
The
Athena Group, one of the Fox Valley’s high tech
service providers, recently completed a facilities upgrade
in a 9,000 square foot office suite in the City Center building.
TRESTLE
TRAIL – Construction is underway on the $1.6
million one-mile long Trestle Trail that will extend from
N. Lake Street in the Town of Menasha to Broad Street in
the City of Menasha. Donations of more than $300,000 by area
corporations, foundations and individuals will allow the
trestle project, which includes a lift bridge, to proceed.
It will be used by bicyclists, as well as walkers and joggers.
Miron Construction is the main contractor for this recreational
12-foot-wide trail across an abandoned railroad trestle spanning
Little Lake Butte des Morts that will transport trail users
over the Menasha lock. It will feature maintenance-free decking
made from recycled plastic and wood fibers. The project is
a joint effort between the city and the town, with assistance
from the state and local fund raising efforts. The trail
will be opened to public use by Labor Day weekend.
RETAIL
CENTER PROJECTS – The Fox Cities continues
to solidify its reputation as a major retail hub for shoppers
with two recent announcements of additional shopping centers
planned for the area.
Hall
Development and Construction Co. of De Pere expects to
begin construction in April on a $1.5 million 11,000 square
foot commercial development project on South Oneida Street,
just north of the private Five Oaks Drive in Menasha. James
Hall, president of the company, said it is developing into
a "women’s boutique center," with a tanning
salon, a beauty salon and a women’s clothing store.
The shopping center will have seven tenant spaces, ranging
from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, with 69 parking stalls.
Hall said that corridor of S. Oneida Street is undergoing
major development, with a banquet hall being planned at South
Oneida and Manitowoc Road to the north.
Another
regional developer envisions a shopping center with one
or two anchor stores on 140 acres at the northwest corridor
of U.S. 41 and State 47 in Grand Chute. Todd DeVillers,
senior vice president of the Polacheck Company in Appleton,
said although there are no signed tenants, "there is
a lot of interest" in the project.
In addition to the two anchor stores, the proposed shopping
center would include space for a 26,000 square foot retail
outlet, and two small parcels and two out lots that could
be developed according to the specifications of the tenants.
Plans call for the project to be developed over the next
two to three years, DeVillers said.
YOUTH
FUTURES MALL – The country’s first enclosed
shopping mall is continuing to take shape as YouthFutures
Valley Fair, a center for new businesses, nonprofits and
activities geared to teens and the 20-something demographic
crowd. The non-profit organization purchased the south side
Appleton mall at 2145 S. Memorial Drive last September for
$2 million.
A
face-lift on the building could start as early as this
summer. Some existing businesses, like CDS Computers, Jazzercise
and Valley Camera, have relocated within the mall. Some
new businesses are starting to trickle in. Among the new
tenants are The Two Train Depot, which will open in early
May and occupy 4,900 square feet in the east wing, The
Fire, a pottery painting and mosaic store, Matt’s
House Indoor Adventures, and River Church, which took out
a three-month lease in the former Pet Supplies space.
The new mall owners are planning to host a Family Fest
on Saturday May 28 from noon to 6 p.m. at the mall, featuring
community booths, auctions, a carnival outside and activities
for people of all ages.
LAWRENCE
EVENTS – The Cleveland Duo (Stephen Warner,
violin and Carolyn Gadiel Warner, piano) with James Umble,
saxophone, will present a guest recital on at 8 p.m. Monday
March 28, 2005 at Harper Hall. The recital will include pieces
by Till MacIvor Meyn, John Adams, Robert Mueller, Evan Chambers,
Tim Brady, Maurice Ravel, and Srul Irving Glick.
Guest pianist Yoshikazu Nagai will present a recital at
8 p.m.
Wednesday, March 30 in Harper Hall. He will perform works
by Haydn, Schubert, Liszt, Scarlatti, and Prokofiev.
Guest flutist April Clayton and guest pianist Scott Holden
will perform a recital at 3 p.m. Sunday April 3 in Harper
Hall, Music Drama Center. They will present works by Armand
Perilhou, Carl Braun, Eldin Burton, Manuel Sosa, Carl Nielsen,
and Bohuslav Martinu.
All three events are free and open to the public.
FIREWORKS
RESTRICTED– The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
will be allowed to feature fireworks at 16 baseball games
at Fox Cities Stadium, but with restrictions.
The
Town Board unanimously approved Tuesday the organization’s
second request for special event permits for 16 postgame
fireworks shows this season. Among the restrictions are no
loud noises after 10 p.m. weekdays, including Fridays; no
fireworks at all after 10:30 p.m.; and upon any violation
this season, the remaining permits would be null and void.
No restrictions were placed on a Fourth of July celebration.
For
comments or questions, boblowe@juno.com or by phone at
(920) 731-4603. |
