z-100

One of my favorite radio stations is WCBS 101.1 Jack FM, a hot New York radio station that boasts the slogan “Playing what we want.” This radio station covers just about all genres from the last 40 years or so, which is vastly different from the other popular radio stations in the New York metropolitan area (Z-100, which plays today’s hot songs, covering mostly the newest rap and pop; 103.5 KTU which plays dance radio; Q104.3 which plays classic rock; and 95.5 PLJ which plays mainstream alternative rock and pop).

I’m a person of unique and diverse tastes, and I like a wide variety of music. However, I’m inclined to keep my radio tuned in on Jack FM because it generally combines all four aforementioned radio stations, thereby appealing to my eclectic tastes and ultimately to a wider audience. In local stores, I often hear Jack FM being aired through the company’s stereo system for likely the same reason. Jack’s appeal is often related to an element of surprise, and I’ve heard on numerous occasions that many listeners still tune into Jack even if they don’t like the current song because the next one could be from a different decade and genre and would be much more preferred by that particular listener. Jack’s popularity has prompted for other similar stations to be established in other cities as well (and it didn’t start in New York).