The “Jack” format has claimed another victim. This time it is WCBS FM in New York City. Now I was never a big fan of WCBS FM when I lived outside NYC but my first thought on hearing this news was “What about Cousin Brucie?” Thankfully the NY Times shares my way of thinking: After Decades on the Dial, Cousin Brucie Falls Victim to a Changing Media World. It looks like the 69 year old will land on his feet. For that I’m happy. But I find they switch to JACK for WCBS strange and sad. Then again the NYC radio dial is not what I remember from growing up. Richard Nerr’s FM: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio is a good read to understand how NYC and radio in general has changed over the years from an insider who saw it change from the Beattle to WNEW-FM’s demise as a true rock radio institution.
But back to Cousin Brucie. I think he sums uup things pretty well with this quote:
“Somebody out there,” he said, “a smart broadcaster, who really cares about broadcasting and not counting beans so much, is going to grab this. Because now there’s a huge, huge market to be serviced.”