We wrote last Thursday that we were looking forward to hearing what KRTH (K-Earth 101) Los Angeles programmer Jhani Kaye did with his additional responsibilities at Smooth Jazz sister and format pioneer, KTWV (the Wave). It didn’t take long. Within days, listeners on the Radio-Info.com discussion boards were chronicling the changes: the term “smooth jazz” came off the air, there were fewer instrumentals, and vocals now included songs like Timbaland f/OneRepublic’s “Apologize” and Malo’s ‘Suavecito.”

There have been a lot of agendas for Smooth Jazz throughout the format’s recent travails. Those on the discussion board expected that Kaye would quickly turn the Wave into a direct competitor for his former employer, Soft AC KOST. Many in the industry have wanted the format to evolve more towards Triple-A.

The Wave, at this point in its development, is neither of those. Instead, it’s the format that a lot of the Smooth Jazz purists gripe about—lots of R&B (and compatible pop) vocals and instrumental covers of recognizable songs. It’s the Smooth Jazz that nobody likes, except the audience. The R&B flavor isn’t new for this station, but it’s more noticeable with a greater proportion of vocals in the mix.

In a post-PPM world where there is less opportunity to function as the market’s second or third Urban AC, this is the version of the format that many operators have been moving away from. Los Angeles, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single dominant Urban AC. And the station that comes the closest to that function is gold-based KHHT (Hot 92.3), which also shares some Oldies functionality with K-Earth. So Kaye probably won’t mind if The Wave complicates Hot’s life.

Here’s KTWV on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. local time:

Louis Armstrong, “What A Wonderful World” (without Kenny G)

Major Harris, “Love Won’t Let Me Wait”

Kirk Whalum, “I’ll Make Love To You”

Brian McKnight, “Back At One”

Steely Dan, “Hey 19”

Herb Alpert, “Rise”

Luther Vandross, “Love Power/Power Of Love”

Seal, “Stand By Me”

Dave Koz, “You Make Me Smile”

Barry White, “You’re My First, My Last, My Everything”

Stevie Wonder, “As”

Fattburger, “Oye Como Va”

Eric Clapton, “Change The World”

It’s been very clear from their interviews on the format in recent years that many Smooth Jazz programmers can’t wait to steer the format away from Urban AC. Broadcasters never seemed entirely grateful for Smooth Jazz’s older African-American audience. And once Arbitron PPM measurement made it seem that there was less African-American listening to go around, many clearly couldn’t wait to retarget the format—even if their bosses were more likely to just bail on Smooth Jazz altogether.

What many fail to acknowledge is how much Smooth Jazz evolved from the R&B being made in the early ’80s when artist/producers like Quincy Jones, George Duke, and Jeff Lorber were all part of the R&B (and often pop) mainstream. Having Smooth Jazz as a format home helped steer “fusion jazz” away from Urban AC and break it away almost entirely from an increasingly Hip-Hop-driven Urban format. But, as we’ve noted recently, it wasn’t hard for Sade to throw in some Hip-Hop beats on her new single, “Soldier Of Love,” add a little call-and-response and pick up where she left off with “Hang On To Your Love” 25 years ago.

(I also don’t think we’re far from seeing veteran Smooth Jazz artists return to their old roles as producer/impresarios and suddenly start working with contemporary R&B, pop, and Hip-Hop acts again. All that separates Paul Hardcastle from David Guetta is the opportunities available to them at the time.)

As a format outsider, The Wave I encountered yesterday is almost entirely familiar to me—or at least easy to parse: songs I know being covered by acts I’ve heard of. And the only instrumental that isn’t a cover is one of the format’s biggest songs of all time. And it’s easy to imagine this as a strategy that will spread further in a current PPM mindset that is all about eliminating tune-out. Long term, somebody has to figure out what will make people tune in. It’s as logical that following the music would take mainstream Jazz toward R&B as toward pop singer-songwriters. For now, the issue is just hoping that following the music where it’s going takes the idiom somewhere.

COMMENTS

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Thanks so much for the kind words regarding The Wave. Your observations are perfect. (But I'm much happier with the mix that we refined today. — Jhani Kaye, PD KRTH/KTWV Los Angeles

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It is interesting to read of the evolution of KTWV under Jhani Kaye and of how many programmers of the “Smooth Jazz” format hold a disdain to Urban AC and wish to resist moving closer to that format.

But L.A. is unique, and anyone who has gone to any big Wave concert events in Pasadena over the years knows that many African-American listeners listen to the Wave. With KJLH as the only true black-targeted station in town (Hot 92.3 is very Latino, while KDAY is also multiethnic in its approach), the Wave can capitalize on owning the 35-54 African-American listener while also still appealing to older Latinos and Anglos.

This is something that could not be done in Miami. Love 94 was evolving in much the same way the Wave has, with lots of 70s and 80s crossover hits from the Urban AC and even disco era. But Love 94 – as popular as it was – could not contend with Hot 105. I'm not even sure if Clear Channel considered Hot 105 a direct competitor, but it should have. Or, maybe it did – hence the flip to 93-9 MIA and rhythmic AC.

Jazz in the Gardens continues, despite Love 94’s demise. It’s in Miami Gardens – a majority African-American community that is home to the Super Bowl. It’s an area where Hot 105 dominates.

In L.A. it is wise to go more in the Urban AC direction than to “nu jazz” or the Ibiza Lounge route. While I listen every day to “Monte Carlo Nights” with Nick the Nightfly on Radio Monte Carlo (4pm ET/10pm Central European Time), I cannot picture the Wave all of a sudden putting “Sympathy for the Devil” by Freedom Dub or “Diferente” by Gotan Project into heavy rotation.

The Wave is not that; it could be. But the wave is Brian McKnight, Sade, Seal, Kenny G, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey and the greatest jazzy records of the last 40 years.

And the Wave is Southern California.

So let’s give Jhani the chance to craft his work of art – he has the right blueprint. — Adam R Jacobson

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Yeah, I checked out “The New Wave” the other day. I think the new burst of R&B/Pop AC and Churban classics is step one, phase one. The other shoe will drop soon, and it will mean a full format flip for the station. If they wish to worship, and be intimidated by PPM, let them bring in the adult AC classic hits, and quit bastardizing a largely instrumental jazz art form. All the rest of the spineless, visionless corporations have sold out a hugely popular musical lifestyle scene, so, alas, the pioneer of it all may as well cut and run too. — Lar LeKool

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