"Jack" radio format a flop in NYC

A follow-up to an earlier post about the "Jack-FM" radio format.

WCBS-FM, which recently dropped its oldies format in favor of Jack (which is really nothing but an 80's "oldies" format tarted up a little) has seen its ratings drop through the floor and into the cellar. Or, if you prefer, the toilet.

Crain's New York Business breaks the bad news:

A preliminary report from the Arbitron rating company shows WCBS-FM in 17th place among New York stations, with a 2.5 rating among listeners aged 12 and over. The ratings, covering the first month of the three-month summer survey period, mark a sharp drop in the number of listeners for the station since it switched to “Jack” in early June.

While the final ratings numbers covering the entire summer period could look very different from the preliminary report, experts say the trends do not look good for the once-thriving station.

“One thing’s for sure,” said Robert Unmacht, partner in the media consultancy iN3 Partners Inc., “WCBS-FM has ceased to be a major mover in New York radio.”

Somewhere--perhaps in his new studio at Sirius Satellite Radio, where he landed after being uncermoniously canned when WCBS-FM switched formats--radio legend "Cousin Brucie" Morrow must have a big grin on his face.