I've noticed some subtle changes in the programming on Watercolours. They seem to be adding more vocals to their play list. I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other. It's just something I've neen noticing.

I've noticed that as well. I've also seen the trend in the weekly music survey on the gosh-awful Broadcast Architecture site. They both seem to be grudgingly picking up on the trend started by Jhani Kaye to refresh the Wave in LA: http://bit.ly/cmDbD8.

I'm taking a driving trip to Toronto, Detroit and Chicago over the next few days - maybe I can get a better perspective on this change from listening to a few more SJ stations, even a couple that haven't been fully infected by the "Allen Kepler virus".

One of the worst examples I've seen is WSJT in the Tampa Bay area. We spend some time there every year and it's always been a pretty decent SJ station. It's ownwd by CBS, so when I returned this year I didn't know what to expect. I was afraid they may have flipped it like they did with WVMV in Detroit.

But no. It's still there. They still call it Smooth Jazz. It still plays some stuff one would recognize as Smooth Jazz. But now, about 80% of their play list is vocals by jazz heavyweights like Barry Manilow, John Denver and The Bee Gees.

Yuck! Talk about false advertising. I'm part way through my trip. Wave 94.7 in Hamilton still has as decent a playlist as possible with the CanCon rules. CBS hasn't screwed up 98.7 HD2 in Detroit quite as badly as WSJT. There seemed to be a heavier mix of R&B vocals - about half of the cuts compared to a third back in the day when SJ was on the main signal. Marginal HD2 signal in Essex County due to CJAM on 99.1; better reach on the Michigan side. 92.9 in Lansing and 105.7 HD2 in Grand Rapids are straight-out-of-the-box Broadcast Architecture jukeboxes.

I'll be quite interested in hearing 87.7 WLFM in Chicago tomorrow. It started out as a quick fix to 95.5 going Spanish AC, but as it's gained popularity the owners have invested in some local air talent - including former WNUA program director Rick O'Dell. In the last weekly Arbs I saw, 87.7 had pulled almost even with 95.5.

87.7 is a great success story given the obstacles it has faced as a non-traditional start up. The ratings are very respectable given its dial position and small budget.

Clear Channel taking 95.5 Spanish-language was a terrible move. They are competing against two companies who program Spanish-language formats almost exclusively -- SBS and Univision.

The smart play would've been to develop a brand/format similar to Radio 104-5 in Philly for Chicago.

Following up from my two-day visit to Chicago, listening to 87.7 WLFM: Decent signal with good on-air presentation. Music mix was good when local programming was running (enjoyed the local Sunday Brunch program in particular), more generic when running BA's programming off the bird. The investment in local content is paying off in both increased listenership and advertising.

Then there was the five minutes that I accidentally tuned into WGN's morning drive trainwreck. I'll leave it at that. It's already been beaten to death in another thread.