We understand, even if we don’t like it, that corporate radio is now completely under the control of a centralized radio god who spoon-feeds the masses aural pabulum. But when the jazz programs at WUSF-89.7 FM switched to an automated format — with DJs taping intros to sets, which then go into a digital program assembly — that saddened us. WUSF has been running after-midnight jazz programming since 1979 in a loose, free-spirited fashion that relied a lot on listener interaction. It’s a shame to see that go away. Program Director Bob Seymour now selects and compiles all the music, and as radio gods go, he’s a damn good one. No complaints there. (We should also add that the decision to automate was not his, but General Manager JoAnn Urofsky’s.) Still, we’re going to miss the individual tastes and idiosyncrasies of the other jocks. Plus, jazz is built on spontaneity; isn’t automation antithetical?
This article appears in Sep 14-20, 2005.