TORONTO RADIO STATION MAKES A JAZZ NOISE HERE
By Adnews Staff
Toronto radio station CJRT has dropped the classical music side of its programming to become Toronto's only all-jazz station. The non-profit broadcaster, which operates at a frequency of 91.1 FM, has adopted the name Jazz-FM 91 as well as a new logo and the tagline "Hear the colour of jazz" to go along with the format change which went into effect Tuesday morning. "We came to the conclusion last summer that we probably didn't have a future in classical music," said station president and CEO Chuck Camroux, citing tough competition for that audience from Toronto broadcasters Classical 96 and CBC Radio Two. Since provincial government funding cuts in 1995, the independent station has existed on listener donations and the four minutes of advertising per hour allowed by its non-profit license. When an analysis of these donations showed that jazz fans were making 75% of the contributions, the decision to switch to an all-jazz format became simple, said Camroux. The station will undertake some kind of promotional effort beginning next month in an attempt to raise the station's profile, but firm plans have not yet been made.