Miami Herald Story: Kenny Noble Cortes
Published Tuesday, February 13, 2001, in the Miami Herald
AROUND THE DIAL: KEVIN BAXTER
Smooth jazz lures stable audience
First of all, let's address the misconceptions.
Yes, smooth jazz is the radio format most likely to feature Kenny G. on its
playlists. And it's the calm-inducing favorite of Muzak programmers, medical
receptionists and elevator operators everywhere. But that doesn't necessarily
make it bad (except, maybe, for the Kenny G. part).
``It's seems like a niche format when you compare it to other [adult
contemporary] stations,'' says Gregg Steele, regional director of programming
for Clear Channel Communications and operations manager for South Florida's
smooth-jazz station, WLVE-FM (93.9). ``But the format is quite strong all
around the country. And here is no expection.''
Indeed, listenership for smooth-jazz stations is up in virtually every major
city. In Detroit, WVMJ-FM (98.7) has the third-highest audience share of
all radio stations while similar outlets in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco,
Philadelphia and Dallas are solid top 10 stations.
In Miami/Fort Lauderdale, the nation's 12th-largest radio market, WLVE recently
climbed back into the top 10 after stumbling during the summer ratings period.
But while size matters when it comes to measuring radio audiences, it's not
the most important factor. The kind of listeners a station draws is far more
important that sheer numbers alone, which is why smooth-jazz stations are
an advertiser's dream -- such stations boast an audience that's older, more
stable, better educated and wealthier than the population at large, according
to statistics compiled by the Arbitron Ratings Co.
It's also a discerning, musically experienced audience uninterested in following
the latest trend, says Steele.
``People who are 35 and older have listened to a lot of radio and they've
become comfortable with the soft jazz/AC format,'' he says.
Steele, 37, counts himself among that number, having started in radio as
a country/western DJ in Hamilton, Mont., 20 years ago. He has spun records
of virtually every type since then, including classic rock, adult contemporary
and alternative -- and he's still working across genres, directing the
programming for active-rock station WZTA-FM (94.9) and classic rock's WBGG-FM
(105.9) as well as for WLVE.
``I listen to everything,'' he says. ``One style of music doesn't satisfy
me.''
As a result, his station's playlists tend to be eclectic. WLVE, for example,
plays smooth-jazz staples such as George Benson, Sade and the late Grover
Washington Jr. as well as Bette Midler, Mariah Carey and Sting. It's a playlist
that varies greatly from those of other top smooth-jazz stations across the
nation, with fewer than half of WLVE's top 10 songs appearing on the playlists
of similarly formatted stations in the nation's 10 largest markets.
SETS IT APART
That, says Steele, is what sets apart the station.
``The presentation of the radio station,'' he argues ``is very important.''
Smooth Jazz's success on the radio has been building since its official birth
at KTWV-FM (94.7) in Los Angeles 14 years ago, but it didn't begin to attract
mainstream attention until the mid '90s, when audience research found the
most successful musical ``points of entry'' to smooth jazz were crossover
vocals familiar to adult listeners of other formats -- hence WLVE's inclusion
of Sting, Sade, Midler, Phil Collins and others.
Paradoxically, ``another factor in smooth jazz's success is its uniqueness,''
says Carol Archer, who covers the format for Radio and Records. ``Approximately
70 percent of music -- the vocals -- on [smooth jazz] playlists is unduplicated
anywhere else on the dial.''
Steele came to Miami in 1995 to work at WZTA, and when Clear Channel purchased
the station he crossed over to help program WLVE as well. Now, as Clear Channel's
regional program director, he oversees three of the chain's seven South Florida
stations.
``The difference here is the ethnicity of this market makes the consistency
a little more difficult,'' he says. ``We have a unique set of challenges
with this radio station in this market.''
But, says Archer, audience research studies show smooth jazz is uniquely
suited to a diverse market such as Miami's.
``The qualitative and demographic data is astonishing,'' she says. ``It attracts
female and male listeners equally, and African Americans and Hispanics contribute
significant numbers.''
WLVE, however, has been without a programming expert since Bret Michaels
left in November. Michaels' departure came two months after he abruptly fired
long-time morning hosts Rick Wiseman and Joanne Rice.
Michaels, who blamed the move on declining ratings, replaced the pair with
Kenny Cortes, a Christian songwriter and former Billboard radio personality
of the year in Houston -- a decision that now appears prescient based on
the lastest Arbitron survey.
STRONG NUMBERS
``Our morning numbers are stronger now than they've been in probably four
years,'' says Steele, citing a 30 percent increase in listeners 25-54, WLVE's
target demographic. ``We're not one of the top stations that you'd think
of for getting your morning news and your morning entertainment. Our radio
station really comes alive when people get into the work setting.''
Especially when you're presenting Kenny G.
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