To the consternation of loyal listeners, WGBH-FM (89.7) is dropping jazz programming on weeknights, moving longtime host Eric Jackson to weekend duties only, and eliminating Steve Schwartz’s Friday show.
The changes, some of which take effect July 2, come amid an expansion of National Public Radio programming on WGBH, including additional broadcasts of “Marketplace” and extending “Morning Edition” to four hours per weekday.
But what the station is calling “a new focus on jazz” amounts to a serious downscaling of jazz programming on Boston radio, where Jackson and Schwartz have been mainstays for three decades, exposing listeners to artists old and new while promoting concerts and other events vital to the local jazz scene.
“Jazz on WGBH With Eric Jackson” will no longer run from 8 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, airing instead from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday. Schwartz’s Friday evening jazz show is disappearing altogether, and he will no longer produce live performances for Jackson’s show.
The date for these changes hasn’t been set, according to station managing director Phil Redo, who broke the news to Jackson and Schwartz Tuesday. By Wednesday it was buzzing around social media websites and jazz circles.
“That’s tragic,” said pianist Danilo Perez, who is on the faculty at Berklee College of Music, reached by phone in Colorado. “In a culture where we are so much in need of hope and optimism, that’s what jazz is all about. As long as people listen to radio, it’s crucial to have jazz [featured] there.”
Jackson, who celebrated 30 years on air last spring, said the station “has been moving in that direction for a couple of years.” A month ago he and Schwartz heard their shows would be cut one hour apiece, he added, but moving his show to weekend nights only was “a total surprise.”
To the local jazz community, “this is major,” Jackson said. “The music has always been there in the evening. To put it on the weekends at 9 p.m., when families won’t necessarily be listening together, is not the same thing.”
Live interviews and shows featuring a single artist may no longer fit the format, he said. But he added: “I still love doing radio, and Boston still needs jazz radio, because jazz is a major part of American culture.”
Schwartz, who’s been on the local airwaves for nearly 27 years, said he felt change was imminent a couple of years ago, when WGBH shifted its classical programming to WCRB-FM (99.5).
“It wasn’t a total surprise, but it is a loss,” he said. “The station is losing a consistent format spread across the week. And the Boston jazz community is losing an important venue for musicians to promote their events.”
The changes, some of which take effect July 2, come amid an expansion of National Public Radio programming on WGBH, including additional broadcasts of “Marketplace” and extending “Morning Edition” to four hours per weekday.
But what the station is calling “a new focus on jazz” amounts to a serious downscaling of jazz programming on Boston radio, where Jackson and Schwartz have been mainstays for three decades, exposing listeners to artists old and new while promoting concerts and other events vital to the local jazz scene.
“Jazz on WGBH With Eric Jackson” will no longer run from 8 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, airing instead from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday. Schwartz’s Friday evening jazz show is disappearing altogether, and he will no longer produce live performances for Jackson’s show.
The date for these changes hasn’t been set, according to station managing director Phil Redo, who broke the news to Jackson and Schwartz Tuesday. By Wednesday it was buzzing around social media websites and jazz circles.
“That’s tragic,” said pianist Danilo Perez, who is on the faculty at Berklee College of Music, reached by phone in Colorado. “In a culture where we are so much in need of hope and optimism, that’s what jazz is all about. As long as people listen to radio, it’s crucial to have jazz [featured] there.”
Jackson, who celebrated 30 years on air last spring, said the station “has been moving in that direction for a couple of years.” A month ago he and Schwartz heard their shows would be cut one hour apiece, he added, but moving his show to weekend nights only was “a total surprise.”
To the local jazz community, “this is major,” Jackson said. “The music has always been there in the evening. To put it on the weekends at 9 p.m., when families won’t necessarily be listening together, is not the same thing.”
Live interviews and shows featuring a single artist may no longer fit the format, he said. But he added: “I still love doing radio, and Boston still needs jazz radio, because jazz is a major part of American culture.”
Schwartz, who’s been on the local airwaves for nearly 27 years, said he felt change was imminent a couple of years ago, when WGBH shifted its classical programming to WCRB-FM (99.5).
“It wasn’t a total surprise, but it is a loss,” he said. “The station is losing a consistent format spread across the week. And the Boston jazz community is losing an important venue for musicians to promote their events.”
