Originally published on November 22, 2004



At CD101.9, there's a Chill in the air

By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Smooth-jazz WQCD (101.9 FM) wants to get cooler. So starting today, it becomes "New York Chill."
What this means, says program director Blake Lawrence, is that CD101.9 will be incorporating the relatively new style of music called "Chill" into its familiar smooth jazz tunes.

"You'll still hear George Benson and Sade," says Lawrence. "But it'll be mixed in with this new sound you're hearing in more clubs and trendy places around the city."

"Chill" started in Europe in the late '90s, says WQCD senior vice president Barry Mayo, and it incorporates elements of pop, jazz, electronica and world music. It has some overlap with the "lounge" music that has become hip in recent years, though Lawrence says WQCD will continue to focus on contemporary recordings.

Breakout artists of chill music include Chris Botti, a trumpeter now on tour with Sting, and Brian Culbertson.

A number of smooth jazz artists like Dave Koz are also using "chill" elements, notes Lawrence, who took over as WQCD program director in July.

About 30% of WQCD's music will be "chill," says Lawrence, and that won't be the only change listeners will notice.

"We'll have longer music sets," he says. "We're also eliminating most call-in features, so the only things our hosts will talk about will be the music and New York. They won't be selling things."

No changes are planned in the on-air lineup, Lawrence says.

The infusion of "Chill" music should attract a younger audience, says Mayo, without turning off the loyal core.

"When the station went to smooth jazz around '88," says Mayo, "it appealed to young professionals, people in trendy places around the city. We're looking to recapture some of that feeling."

It is, says Lawrence, "the kind of evolution all formats go through."

WQCD has long been popular with 25- to 54-year-old listeners, but in the last year it has slipped out of the top 10 in that advertiser-coveted demographic. In the summer Arbitron ratings it was 13th with 3.1% of the 25-to-54 audience.