Another round of Jack-FM stations could be installed by Infinity Broadcasting tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., according to a statement made by Howard Stern on his syndicated morning program today.
"Tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., during our show, there will be a few small markets that we are presently on that will switch to the Jack-FM format and take us off the air," said Stern, who was not pleased with the prospect.
"I guess it's the F.U. to Howard," he added. According to the industry site FMQB, later in the program WXRK/New York GM Tom Chiusano was discussing the rumor with Stern and insinuated that the flips might be a Stern/Jack-FM combo.
Jack FM is the moniker and on-air brand of several radio stations in Canada and the United States. Jack stations play a mix of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack stations use the slogan "playing what we want," and promote themselves as having a larger and more varied playlist than other commercial radio stations.
FMQB asked, where might The King Of All Media feel Jack-FM's boot? Looking down the list of his remaining Infinity affiliates, there are a few markets that lack a Jack-FM style station and are potential targets, but don't necessarily fit the "small market" criteria that Stern suggested. Among the stations are WMFS/Memphis, WNCX/Cleveland, WRKZ/Pittsburgh, WPBZ/West Palm Beach, and WOCL/Orlando.
According to the site, WJFK/Washington, D.C. is another option, but it is one of the rumored "Free FM" stations and The Washington Post is reporting that The Junkies - John "Cakes" Auville, Eric Bickel, Jason Bishop and J.P. Flaim - will be taking over for Stern after his departure. The Junkies currently occupy the timeslot on WJFK that follows Stern.
If Infinity decides to flip a Stern station in a market where a Jack-style station already exists, other targets could be WZNE/Rochester (where Entercom's WFKL "Fickle" is filling the Jack-FM space) and KUFO/Portland (where Entercom's KYCH "Charlie" is filling the Jack-FM space), FMQB reports.
"For those of you who listen to us and won't be hearing us tomorrow, I want to say farewell," Stern said. "I want to tell you it has been a spectacular 20 years here with the company. I'm not leaving radio, I'm going to a whole new form of radio. I do not want you to think ever that I don't appreciate your support and your sticking with me through all the FCC stuff and everything the religious right is doing to us. My intention in all of this has always been to entertain you."
