O formato «Jack» imita o iPod? (programar como um...)

«Mp3 files, iPods, Satellite Radio, SmartPhones, PDAs, and other technology is forcing commercial Radio to take a long, hard look at what it has become and how it can stay relevant. If a station pops up in your city named “JACK” or “DOUG” or any other number of names don’t be surprised. This past October 7, 2004, the former KFME-FM (105.1) in Kansas City became JACK-FM. Their slogan? “Playing What We Want”. The Susquehanna owned radio station has taken a cue from the changing challenges of what listeners really want: a library of music that offers real variety and an irreverant but fun attitude. That’s what you get from JACK. (...) The JACK stations are using the iPod “shuffle” metaphor. In other words: don’t expect the same 150 songs over and over again (...)» (fonte: Corey Deitz, (”Maybe Commercial Radio Didn’t Know JACK All These Years“, 20/7/05)

«ll it "whatever" radio, because the programming philosophy is to play hits from the 1970s, '80s and "whatever we feel like." It's part of the latest wave to hit broadcasting in the era of the iPod.  (...) "Take that and contrast it with the amazing success of the iPod. A lot of folks, myself included, have a diverse selection of music on the iPod and put it on shuffle." Put that format on radio and you have a new phenomenon. (...) The variety format is seen, in part, as a way to appeal to listeners used to loading their own iPods with music from different genres or to keep the loyalties of those thinking about switching to satellite. More than that, it's a mea culpa to music lovers who started tuning out as their favorite stations shrank their playlists in the 1990s, playing the same old songs hour after hour. The stations tell listeners "we play what we want" or "we play anything." But they're really carefully crafted to keep advertisers happy, observers say. Song choices target a lucrative but musically hard-to-define demographic, 25- to 54-year-olds who want to hear new music but not rap and bubblegum pop and who declare themselves too young to listen to the oldies (...)» («Random format comes to radio Stations try varied approach to please iPod generation«, San Francisco Chronicle, 31/05/05)

«A empresa Paragon Medias Strategies estudou o impacto do formato JACK nos ouvintes de seis mercados norte-americanos (Denver, Dallas ou Kansas City, entre outros três).
Foram analisadas 12 rádios que aderiram a esse formato e estas são algumas das conclusões:
- 63 % têm entre 25-44 anos;
- mas os 35-44 prevalecem (36%) sobre os 25-34 (27%)
- comparando com outros formatos, a sua fatia de 25-44 é a mais elevada;
- 54% são homens e 46 mulheres
- 8% são ouvintes com idades entre 18 e 24 anos;
- 45-54 anos: 20 por cento;
Conclusões aqui: http://www.paragonmediastrategies.com/rfax/111.pdf»

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