I heard on the news this morning that The Jazz digital radio station is going to cease transmitting, although I don't think they said when.

I thought it had gone - I couldn't find it last week

Oh for gawd's sake. If that's true I think they made a mistake by not being daring enough. You try to please everybody you end up pleasing no one...

It was still on this morning - it's my radio alarm!

and they're pushing the Easter w/e top 500 jazz tracks again, plus they've been winning awards and gaining good publicity in places like The Guardian - seems a bit strange to pull the plug now.


EDIT:
But sadly, it would seem to be true - theJazz will continue to air until the end of next month, but with a rotating playlist rather than presenters. It would seem that the problem is with the economics of digital radio rather than the station or its format.

Yes, sadly, the station closes on March 31, and the only replacement will be two hours of jazz on Classic FM from midnight 'til 2am each day.

I am not a happy bunny...

I'm really upset about this - it was a good format, they played good music, fairly safe, but a bit of pushing the boundaries, and the station was doing well and gaining listeners. It's difficult to think what more they could have expected of it.

It will leave not a lot of jazz on UK radio. Bits 'n' pieces on Classic FM, Radio 2 and Radio 3, and I think that's about it.

Still not a happy bunny.

Yes it's true. What a bore. I saw them discussing the failures of DAB radio on Channel 4 News tonight; apparently not enough people have gone out and bought DAB radios. My mum gave me one for Christmas a couple of years back and I have to admit I probably wouldn't have bought one myself - wouldn't have seen the need. My mum's a huge radio fan yet hasn't got one herself - she doesn't see the point as she can listen to Radios 3 and 4 and whatever else she listens to without one.

The thing is, everybody will have to go out and buy one when they switch off the digital signal, which I guess will mean stations like Thejazz will have a much better chance of surviving. How short-sighted (and money-grabbing) to close it down now. Grrrr.

What a great pity that is. I love the station.

I bought my dad a digital radio for his birthday about 9 months ago. I was trying to think of something a bit different from the usual bottle of whisky / sweater / book type present and I thought it was worth a try. It was surprisingly successful - mostly because he took it into the conservatory and sits in there after dinner most evenings listening to the easy jazz programme on TheJazz. He'd even got to the point of thinking that the easy jazz was a bit too light and was exploring slightly more challenging options - I was really pleased with this development! I'm not sure how much use the radio will get now. It would be slightly easier to take if the station hadn't been successful - but it was, in terms of listeners, market growth and critical success. I think that it has proved there is an audience out there for jazz, I've got everything crossed that someone else will take on the baton.

Exactly. Well said, TSax.

It still doesn't make any sense this morning - I noticed my wake-up program was just a playlist though, no presenter. This piece was published in the Guardian only a couple of weeks ago.

It's going to carry on transmitting until the end of March but like it was in the beginning with no presenter. Then it's going to disappear.

I wouldn't be surprised though if there's an uproar in the jazz community and somebody tries to rescue it, or starts something similar. I blooming well hope so anyway...

Rats.

I will have to make sure I listen to it loads in the meantime.

And me!!

Oh no!


What are we to do for jazz radio now then?