WXJC-FM FLIPS FORMAT TO SMOOTH AC

Seems like several of the former Smooth Jazz radio stations in the U.S. are now switching over to Smooth Adult Contemporary (AC). Now word come to us that yet another station - WXJC-FM in Gainesville - Florida is flipping formats. After a dozen years as a traditional Smooth Jazz outlet, Asterisk Communications' WXJZ-FM in Gainesville moves to Broadcast Architecture's vocal-focused Smooth AC format. According to a press release, "It was our desire to freshen up our successful 12-year run of Smooth Jazz with new artists and more vocals in order to attract a younger, more mass-appeal audience," WXJZ-FM General Manager John Starr said. "Broadcast Architecture's Smooth AC is the logical choice." Braodcast Architecture President Allen Kepler said, "We are very excited to assist John, Bill Elliott, and their team on bringing the Smooth AC Network to Gainesville. With typical AC stations moving away from the softer approach, we know that there are many adults looking for a companion to help them relax and enjoy their day. The music mix offers a variety of styles, genres, and eras of music not found on other stations, and we see this to be a solid opportunity to deliver strong 25-54 PPM ratings." For those of you unfamiliar with the Smooth AC format – it’s about 75 percent vocals, with core artists including Sade, Michael Buble, Michael Jackson,and Seal. The rest of the music comes from such Smooth Jazz staples as Boney James, Dave Koz, Grover Washington, George Benson, Brian Culbertson and Chris Botti, among others.