First, it was the music and personalities.  Now, even the call letters, WLFM-LP, are gone.  On Monday, two weeks after flipping 87.7FM in Chicago from Smooth Jazz to an alternative rock format through an LMA with Merlin Media, Venture Technologies Group, LLC announced they’re shifting the call letters to their station in Cleveland. 

This reminds me of the old Twilight Zone episode, “And When the Sky Way Opened.”  Three astronauts return from a space flight and then disappear, one at a time, off the face of the earth.  Then, the aircraft which they flew, the experimental “X-20,” completely vanishes from its hangar, with no one even acknowledging they ever existed. 

Thankfully, in the case of 87.7, 500,000 listeners remember the station.  Don’t you?

~Rick O’Dell (FmAm1@aol.com)

A great frustration here in the aftermath of 87.7’s abrupt change to alternative rock has been the lack of one clear strategy that would lead to the return of the Smooth Jazz format in Chicago.  We didn’t need to think about this in 2009, when Clear Channel flipped 95.5 from Smooth Jazz to Spanish Pop on May 22.  Within hours, Venture Technologies Group, under the direction of Pat Kelley here in Chicago, had the format up and running on 87.7 the same day.  Smooth Jazz fans had only to locate the music on a different spot on the dial.  There wasn’t the need for a protest, letter writing campaign, Facebook pages or anything like that back in ‘09.

Things are much different this time around.  While I continue to talk to industry executives, who have all been sympathetic and supportive but unwilling to commit to the format on any of their stations, what can we as a group do?  Short of hoisting signs at this weekend’s NATO Summit, I come to you now to ask what you think would be the most effective use of our collective time and energy. 

Here’s what is being done right now:

Some of our listeners have contacted WTTW , asking Phil Ponce to devote some time to a discussion of the Smooth Jazz format on his “Chicago Tonight” show.  Others have approached ABC-7  asking them to feature Bill Cochran, Pat Kelley or me on their “Windy City Live” morning show so we could talk about trying to persuade a local radio station to take a chance on Smooth Jazz.

Letters to the Editor are also an option at our three major dailies, the Chicago Tribune (ctc-tribletter@tribune.com), the Chicago Sun-Times (letters@suntimes.com), the Daily Herald and the Southtown Star. Joining these Facebook groups, Bring Back Smooth Jazz to Chicago’s FM Dial and Return Smooth Jazz to Chicago Radio would support the cause. I also provided contact information for Chicago radio stations that would likely improve their performance with a switch to Smooth Jazz in this blog.

We’re coming at this from a variety of angles but, ultimately, we’re going to need to accomplish the following:

1.  Keep demand for Smooth Jazz music high enough so that a local radio operator will ultimately take the plunge and bring the format back on a full-time basis.
2.  Keep attending concerts by Smooth Jazz artists so that promoters will continue to bring artists to town.
3.  Keep supporting Smooth Jazz artists by buying their music as downloads or CDs.
4.  Keep the Smooth Jazz conversation going—on this and other related websites and Facebook pages.

Since there isn’t any single route we can take that guarantees a Smooth Jazz radio station at the end of it, I’m hoping we can count on you to do whatever you can in your own way.  And please share your ideas with me as you go.  Thanks.

~Rick O’Dell (FmAm1@aol.com)

If you don’t think the demise of Smooth Jazz at 87.7 is creeping into the subconscious of lots of listeners, take a peek at this post on the 87.7 Facebook page yesterday from longtime fan of the music, Markus A.:

I had a dream last night, where I was standing at the fringe of a group of NATO/Occupy protesters downtown Chicago. My sign read:  Bring back WNUA 95.5 Smooth Jazz to Chicago!

Thanks for the chuckle, Markus.

One of the projects that had gained momentum at the time of the format flip was “Chicago Music.”  Our Sunday night show had recently been expanded to two hours to accommodate all the new music we were getting in from local artists as well as requests from listeners for a longer show. 

Among the most requested tracks on Chicago Music was teenage keyboard sensation Chris Allison’s brilliant new interpretation of Minnie Riperton’s song, “Loving You,” featuring vocalist Margo Lewis (a/k/a Babi Doll).  Guitarist Paul Richmond had also caught the attention of quite a few listeners with his sizzling rendition of “Chicago Song.”

Chris Allison, Margo Lewis and Paul Richmond will be among the headliners at “A Salute to Chicago Artists,” Saturday, May 26^th, at the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University in University Park.  Also appearing are past “Smooth Artist of the Month” honorees on 87.7 Michael Manson, Carlos Cannon and Marqueal Jordan. 

I will have the pleasure of being your host, and I hope you will come and show your support for all this fine area talent.  The radio station might be gone, but the music lives on.  Let’s get together, share a hug and enjoy a night out.  The show is presented by the sponsor of Chicago Music, Narski Music, celebrating 26 years of doing great things in the entertainment industry.

Tickets are available by clicking here.

Today marks our third week with no Smooth Jazz on the Chicago radio dial.  For many of us, it’s been a significant change in our routine.  I must confess for me it’s been a gaping hole I’ve been struggling to fill—and I’m not talking about my job in Smooth Jazz.  Since the days of WNUA, Smooth Jazz had been my go-to music on the car radio.  And on Sunday mornings, even though I was working on the air on the Brunch, I always found the music especially enthralling.

I’d like to know what it’s been like for you.  Where in your life and daily routine does the absence of Smooth Jazz on the radio hit you the hardest?  While you’re thinking about that, let me share with you some of the comments I’ve gotten from listeners about that very thing since the format change took place on Monday, April 30.

“I hate not waking up to you on the radio.” (Pattie N.)

“The music which your station has played over the years has kept me calm and at peace.  Most recently, while having an MRI, they asked me which station I wanted to listen to, and I didn’t hesitate:  87.7.  Listening to the music has made a huge difference.”  (Dawn P.)

“I feel like I’m losing a best friend with the end of 87.7.” (Jan D.)

“To quote Yogi [Berra], this is déjà vu all over again.  We were fortunate to have found someone to lift our spirits and bring you back to us, Rick, and I am hoping that will be the case again, because not having you in our homes the way you have been for so many years makes it an unbearably sad and empty place.” (Linda G.)

“I can hear Smooth Jazz on the internet but not in my car—miss the station very much.” (Debra M.)

“Very disappointed that Chicago’s Smooth Jazz is gone.  I loved waking up listening to Smooth Jazz as well as throughout the day. “ (Patricia M.)

“You have kept me company while I have worked, washed my car and spent time with loved ones, and for that I am grateful.”  (Barrett R.)

“Rainy days and Mondays (without Smooth Jazz) always get me down!” (Katherine M.)

“Monday was not the same in our office without you and the music.” (Wayne C.)

“Sunday isn’t Sunday without Smooth Jazz and you, Rick.”  (Linda M.)

“So, here we are, the first Sunday without Soundscapes, the Sunday Brunch. I had this routine for years:  get up, get the coffee, get the Trib, get 95.5/87.7 on the radio and basically have a short time to relax, read, listen, decompress—you know what I mean?” (Robert G.)

“Every weekend I make pancakes for my grandsons.  The first thing I do is turn on the radio.  BUT this past Sunday was so weird not hearing my Smooth Jazz!!” (Linda F.)

“My daughters would go to sleep each night listening to 87.7.  Now what are we going to do?” (Mildred D-B.)

“87.7 [was] the only thing that [made] me excited on a cold, windy Chicago winter day—jumping into my car on my way to my boring job.” (Eric)

“The station has played a huge role in one of my favorite childhood memories.  In particular, Ramsey Lewis’ ‘Legends of Jazz’ segment back when it used to air on Saturday nights [on WNUA].  I remember as a child listening to him EVERY Saturday night for years in the living room with my parents while playing various board games.” (Courtney S.)

“The morning commute with a live format and real music—so nice.  I remember the day the Spanish language change occurred [on WNUA].  Then the joy of discovering 87.7.”  (Aja-Christian B.)

“You never can fully understand just how important music is in your life, especially as a fan and listener, until that music goes away.  I realized just how your selection of music, and smooth jazz in particular, was such an integral part of my life—the soundtrack of my life, if you will.” (Nicholas W.)

And then there was this note I received from longtime listeners Mike and Karen N.:

“A smooth day is:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Rick O’Dell’s voice,

And ‘Quiet Moments’ too.”

Without Smooth Jazz readily available on free radio anymore, it just doesn’t feel right, does it?  With each day that passes, with every email I get and every note someone posts on my Facebook page about this, my feelings grow stronger. Something this meaningful to people, something this near and dear to them, something that prompts a discussion this honest and heartfelt–a force this positive, in other words–should not be taken away! 

~Rick O’Dell (FmAm1@aol.com)

Mother’s Day is traditionally one of the two biggest days of the year for brunch, along with Easter.  As someone who had the honor of being “The Sunday Brunch Guy” in Smooth Jazz, I’ve been part of some truly wonderful experiences over the years on Mother’s Day.  It all began with the five-star brunch at the Hotel Nikko, where we’d have over a thousand people with us each year on Mother’s Day, sitting down to brunch in the Nikko’s Celebrity Café and Hana Lounge.  After we left the Nikko, in 1997, we moved over to the historic Hilton Chicago, where Mother’s Day meant a full house of moms dining in their Grand Ballroom under crystal chandeliers.  Then, in 2001 and 2002, when our broadcast originated from the Swissotel, Mother’s Day brunch came with a spectacular view of the Chicago River and Navy Pier—from their 43^rd floor Edelweiss Suite.  All in all, for 14 years in a row I never had a Mother’s Day off, but how could I complain?  I got to broadcast from some unique locations, and the food was out of this world.

Mother’s Day on the Sunday Brunch also meant a special feature each year:  the Women of Smooth Jazz.  It was an opportunity for me to salute all the women on our playlist, whether or not they were moms, and acknowledge the color and richness they brought to our favorite music. 

Today, since I have no Brunch show on which to feature their music, I thought I’d share with you my impressions of some of the Women of Smooth Jazz I’ve been lucky enough to meet over the years.

Nancy Wilson . . . the picture of class and elegance.  In the early ‘90s I hosted a charity event where she was the headliner.  She had been dealing with some physical ailments at the time, but she soldiered on that night, the consummate pro.

Candy Dulfer . . . she got hearts a-fluttering from her first visit to WNUA.  You should have seen all the men poking their heads out of their offices when she walked down the hall.  To me, she’s as close as I’ll ever get to someone who could be a supermodel.  She’s also as down-to-earth as they come.

Keiko Matsui . . . I did an interview with her during one of her first American tours.  There was a bit of a language barrier, and she was so soft-spoken it was a difficult interview.  But the minute she got up on stage, it was a different story.  She was a commanding presence.  English comes a little easier to her these days.

Joyce Cooling . . . Charming, easy-going and a pleasure to work with, she’s someone I wish would visit us more often.

Suzanne Ciani . . . Gracious and approachable.  You’d never know she was one of the esteemed pioneers of electronic music, a multi-talented genius in her field.

Patti Austin . . . As a singer, oh, that magnificent diction!  In another career, she could have been a sensation at standup.  She always kept me on my toes, and she can be brash and outrageously funny.

Sade . . . The elusive one, she’s tops on my list of women-of-smooth-jazz-I’d-love-to-interview.  Someday, Sade, someday . . . .

To all the Women-Out-There-Who-Love-Smooth-Jazz, whether or not you’re a mom, I wish you a wonderful day.  Thank you for all you do!

~Rick O’Dell (FmAm1@aol.com)

There are many reasons why I believe Smooth Jazz has plenty of life left in it.  Let me give you two reasons off the top of my head:

1.  Unlike devotees of other radio formats, Smooth Jazz listeners faced a serious test of their loyalty—and ended up passing with flying colors.
2.  Smooth Jazz listeners still actively support their favorite artists and attend station events.

First, in 2009, when the Smooth Jazz format was abruptly uprooted from 95.5 and transplanted at 87.7, fans of the music didn’t know where to turn.  They had to go hunting up and down the dial to find where their music had gone.  Then, when they did find it, they had to overcome some challenges unique to the new station at 87.7. For one thing, not all of their radios could pick up 87.7 because their FM bands didn’t go down that low on the FM band .  Another complication was the broadcast signal for 87.7, which was noticeably weaker than that of 95.5, causing gaps in coverage in parts of the metro area—places WNUA had been able to reach but that 87.7 could not. 

Still, driven by their passion for the music, most listeners were able to find their way to 87.7, sometimes going to costly extremes (e.g. having a new radio installed in their car) to be able to listen.  Unlike fans of other musical genres, Smooth Jazz fans had to jump through some unusual hoops to get back to their favorite music, but they came through the ordeal rather well.  In the end, 87.7 was able to draw an average of more than a half million listeners each week beginning with the summer of 2009, when it first hit the air, to its final week of the format in April of 2012. 

Second, it takes only a quick glance at the crowd at some recent events to see how passionate listeners still are about Smooth Jazz.  Last December’s Dave Koz Christmas concert drew a packed house at the Auditorium Theatre.  This past March, George Benson and Boney James played before a full house—3,000 plus–at the Chicago Theatre.  And, for the past year and a half, our Sunday brunch broadcasts at the Parrot Cage have nearly all been sellouts, attracting 200-300 guests each time—numbers which, by the way, far eclipse the final brunches WNUA did in the mid 2000s. 

There were other positive indicators for the future of Smooth Jazz on Chicago radio at the time 87.7 changed formats.  I’ll touch on them in other blogs.  Next time, however, I’ll let you in on how simple it would be for another radio operator in town to hit the ground running with a Smooth Jazz format if they’d just take a chance.

~Rick O’Dell (FmAm1@aol.com)

It’s now been seven days without a Smooth Jazz radio station in Chicago.  If you’re a fan of the music as I am and you’re feeling a bit off-kilter, there’s a reason why.  Only once in the past 25 years has the city gone without a Smooth Jazz-formatted station on its radio dial for more than a couple hours, let alone a full week.   

That brief interruption was in 2009, as you’ll recall.  The owners of WNUA flipped to a Spanish language format at 9:55am on May 22, 2009.  By 2 o’clock that afternoon, however, WLFM 87.7 had jumped in to fill the void.  If you had kept an eye on the media blogs that week, it probably didn’t take you long to find the new station and settle into a routine of listening to 87.7 instead of 95.5.  Between WNUA and WLFM, Smooth Jazz was able to enjoy a remarkably stable run on Chicago radio.

By comparison, consider the stations that have left the Chicago dial since the debut of the Smooth Jazz format on August 3, 1987, on WNUA.  I bet you’ll remember many of these stations and their formats, even seeing just their call letters:

WAUR-FM, WCKG, WCLR, WFYR, WGCI-AM, WJJD, WKQX, WKXK, WLOO, WMAQ, WNIB, WPNT, WRCX, WUBT, WWBZ, WXEZ, WYSY, WYTZ.

A lot of major radio stations and their formats aren’t around anymore.  And that’s just a partial list, by the way.  I guess we ought to be thankful that Smooth Jazz lasted as long as it did because a quarter-century is a long time.  But is it the end of the life cycle of the format?  No.  Not by a long shot!

I want the format to return; I want to do everything I can to make that possible. I firmly believe the Smooth Jazz format had not run its course when the owners of WLFM dropped it this past Monday at midnight.  To paraphrase Bob Seger, “the old boy may be barely breathin’, but the heart of [Smooth Jazz] is still beatin’.”  It really is.  I’ll state my case in my next blog. 

–Rick O’Dell (FmAm1@aol.com)

*My apologies to the pizza industry from whom I stole this line, which I think applies as nicely to our music as it does to pizza, two of my favorite things.

My wife and I were never more relieved to get home from a vacation.  We drove straight from O’Hare to our dog sitter’s, thanked her profusely for taking care of Mike an extra six days, and proceeded to rush home.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbors heard our sighs of relief as Lori and I plopped ourselves on the couch in the living room.  We were grateful we had been together the whole time during the tragedy of 9-11 and its immediate aftermath.

We had been stranded in Las Vegas over 9-11.  If you’re thinking that might have been the best place to be at a time of disaster and uncertainty, you’d be right to some extent.  There were lots of ways to distract ourselves.  But Las Vegas feels different when you want to leave it but can’t.  And the Las Vegas of 9-11 was not the same as what we were used to.

By the afternoon of 9-11, when it was apparent what had really happened, casinos along the Strip began shutting down their electronic billboards or replacing the images with that of an American flag.  We walked out onto Las Vegas Boulevard that afternoon, and there was Old Glory on one billboard after another, as far as the eye could see, in both directions.   That was a neat sight.

We learned that all major shows and entertainment were canceled indefinitely.  Some casinos took the unprecedented step of halting any gambling for awhile that day.  At the Mirage, where we were staying, the mood on the gaming floor was completely subdued.   Piped-in music, as ubiquitous in Las Vegas casinos as secondhand smoke, had been turned off entirely.  There was very little action at the table games, and the usual din of the slot machines was gone.  Dealers, pit bosses and cocktail waitresses were mostly standing around in shock.  Everyone in the casino, from the employees to the gamblers, was caught in the same haze of uncertainty.  I noticed people were sitting down at the tables not as much to gamble but to be able chat with the dealers and other players.  There was great comfort in knowing you weren’t alone in the anxiety you were feeling.

Since all commercial flights were grounded, there was a mad rush for transportation out of Las Vegas.  All rental cars in Las Vegas were gone within a couple days.  Greyhound and Amtrak announced on the local news that they had no tickets left, and they couldn’t even offer a guess as to when they would have any more.  Lori and I weren’t scheduled to fly home until Thursday, the 13^th.  Surely, we thought, planes would be in the air again by then.  We were wrong.

It wasn’t until the following Tuesday, the 18^th, that United resumed their normal flight schedule and we were able to leave.  Thankfully the Mirage, like most other hotels in town, came up with a special room rate (most of them called it their “God Bless America” rate) that allowed us—and thousands of other stranded tourists—to add extra days to our stay without having to pay the regular rate.   

My first day back at the station was Wednesday, the 19^th.  Between the elation and the relief of finally being back, that day flew by.  I hardly remember it.  The one thing I do remember is sitting in my boss’ office that day when he announced that Richard Elliot was going through with his concert at the Chicago Theatre that Friday night, the 21^st.  And, when he came out on stage that night, Richard said what was going through the minds of all of us:  “I think this is what we all need.”  I would have to say that our collective healing process began at that moment.

Reasonable table minimums.  Cordial dealers.  Clean air.  I don’t ask for much out of a gaming experience.  You’ll notice that I didn’t even include winning.  Winning helps, but if those three conditions are met, I’m pretty much assured of having a good time regardless of how my bankroll fares.

I went over to the new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines for the first time this weekend, and I was impressed.  My three prerequisites were all there, in abundance, along with some pleasant surprises.

By the way, if you’ve never been to a casino right after it opens, take this opportunity.  The place will never look cleaner or brighter, and there’s something about the smell of a brand new casino.   Also, the slot machines and gaming tables are right off the assembly line.  The chips have the sharp edges that only factory fresh chips have.  And the staff is well-scrubbed and eager to please. 

When you get to Rivers, use the self-park because it comes with a helpful feature that I wish all parking garages were equipped with.  Above each parking space is a light which glows orange if there’s a car in the space, green if the space is open.  You don’t have to drive down every aisle, looking for an open space.  When you’re at the end of an aisle, look at the overhead lights.  If they’re all orange, go the next aisle.  Spot a green light and you’ll know there’s an empty spot.

Since Rivers is a brand new casino, everyone who visits has to sign up as a new players’ club member.  I can envision quite the logjam during peak times, but they were ready for the crowd at the time I went.  They had over a dozen extra computer terminals set up, and the process went smoothly and fairly quickly.

The gaming area is spacious and easy to navigate.  I’ve actually gotten lost a couple times at other casinos in the area.  You won’t have to worry about that here.  In terms of layout and décor, Rivers reminded me of the newest of the smaller casinos in Las Vegas, the M Casino (at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard), in particular. 

Of course, some good luck always enhances the experience.  I was in the black when I left, thanks mainly to an initially weak blackjack hand, a pair of 3s, which turned into a win of five units, thanks to winning the two splits and the two double-downs which followed on that hand.

I’ve been to every casino in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, and I’d have to put Rivers in the area’s top three.  It’s worth checking out.