Smooth Jazz Now is happy to include our chat with Steve Kassay Operations Manager of The Wave in Hamilton, Ontario. Canada's first 24-7 Smooth Jazz radio station.

John Beaudin - Hi Steve

Steve Kassay - I will give you no secrets (laughing)

John - (laughing) Hey you must be the cheese because tracking down the big guy at any station should take a while and god knows it's taken a while to get a hold of you!

Steve - (laughing) Thank you I can put you back on hold if that impresses you further.

John - (laughing) I was having breakfast with Mark Lewis who used to be a lawyer with CHUM a few days ago and he tells me your on the road alot between both station's you run.

Steve - Yes I know Mark we've corresponded a few times.

John - Mark is a huge Smooth Jazz fan and he knows his stuff . So do you commute a lot going from The Wave to KX-96?

Steve - Well it's not major. We have KX-96 and I'm a partner there and an hour away is The Wave and my place is just short of an hour the other side of there (laughing).

John - I hope you love the car you drive.

Steve - Yeah so when I go home it's two hours.

John - Were you involved in the beginning of drawing up the promise of performance for The Wave in Hamilton?

Steve - No

John - When did you come on the scene?

Steve - Well through ownership threads were all connected but let's put it this way I wasn't connected to it on paper.

John - I hear you.

Steve - I wasn't on staff if you will, when it launched. I came here in March about seven months after.

John - I have to tell you I get a lot of positive feedback about your radio station on Smooth Jazz Now.com.

Steve - It's a good looking site by the way. Everyone who sees it really thinks it's cool.

John - Thanks. What's the quota for can-con at the Wave and have you had problems finding enough?

Steve - Were at 20%. The Wave was a Pop license. The CRTC re-categorized Smooth Jazz as Jazz I believe its sub Category 3-4 since our approval. We are complying with the stipulation that if you play 35% or more instrumental music than the can-con requirement is 20%. We are in desperate need of appropriate format specific can-con material of course we play more than 20% in any given day. I think we average about 24%. As you know this format is so different in comparisons to working one of the mainstreams. It's very different than country or AC or Modern Rock. That experience won't necessarily help you in this format. You don't have record reps calling you five times a day pushing the latest CD. This is really different. Nobody calls.

John - I'm used to that yeah you call them. That'll change the reps eventually come around and get up to speed.

Steve - Yeah. A year ago when I called them for starters the answer all except for one label was "Smooth Jazz? I guess the Jazz guy handles that and we don't know who that is (laughing) I think he's in that dusty dark corner in the basement and the trouble is we never see him come in or come out. At least I think he's still there" Obviously I'm exaggerating but it really was difficult because most people at that level aren't familiar with this music. They don't know the artist's they don't know the tunes. This is like the old days of AOR and that part of it is really kind of cool. We go on the air and guys walk in off the street like Maurice Gordon from Toronto and Eddie Bullen and Alex Walker from Burlington. Maurice just showed up one day and said "Hi I'm been listening and I have an album that's perfect. Finally someone is playing my kind of music so take it this is going to fit. If you'd please listen to it I'd really appreciate it." So we listened to the album and we all went this is fantastic and the production was really good. It was head and shoulders above a lot of other indie product in other formats. I don't know why maybe it's the headspace man.

John - I just find artists in these Jazz related genres are perfectionists. I've had the same thing people just walk in.

Steve - Well that's what it's like. We a lot of the times think it's great. Like here's four tracks right here. The highlight guys like Aiden Mason who plays guitar dressed in black in the shadows of the big names but with the Wave we can say here's Aiden Mason and he's playing for himself(laughing) So it's cool. The way it works for us behind the scenes is a little bit retro.

John - And there's a whole ripple effect to artist walking through your door, word gets out and every week there's more. I found there wasn't such a hunt after a while the artist would find out and they'd come to you. Hell if I could come up with 30% Smooth Jazz content back in 1986 you can imagine how much of the stuff is out there now. Back then I was only doing 42 hours a week you guys at The Wave are doing it 24-7 and that's exciting.

Steve - It is. It's scary and cool(laughing) It's fun and it's hard because we see ourselves in certain situations as charting the course and we feel like were being watched, we feel like our progress is being charted and observed and I really think it is by a variety of people.

John - I've talked to a few owners, the big boys in the country and they're listening.

Steve - Excellent. Now we don't assume to know everything (laughing) and we know we don't have an absolute handle on what the definitive Smooth Jazz presents. We are fans and I think that's important. I think it's a mistake to put an announcer on air on a Smooth Jazz station that knows nothing about the music, he should love the stuff. So really were committed to the music and artists but really were open to suggestions and were feeling it out. Someone was going to be first, someone was going to go through the things were going through; someone was going to have the challenges of finding the appropriate music and establishing the appropriate connections. Let's just get back to the music for a second John. You were asking about can-con you know music in general Smooth Jazz is very subjective and in any mainstream format you have to do your best at being objective and not subjective. You can't play a record because you don't like it because that's crazy. We concentrate a lot on ensuring that our overall sound is true to smooth jazz. We don't feel comfortable compromising our sound to achieve objectives that are not solely in line with offering Smooth Jazz music and we don't want to cross certain Jazz lines to upset the core fan base nor would we want to. It's just not in our best interest. We are a Smooth Jazz radio station and were trying to do our best.

John - You're also teaching.

Steve - Sure were teaching a whole bunch of people to what it is. We have a good outdoor campaign so were committed to advertise a lot and we feel it's really important in spreading the word and getting people to sample us. I think we help educate those that need it on what this is all about.

John - A lady emailed me this morning. She's from Burlington and she had no idea that this type of music even existed until she accidentally found you guys. It wasn't word of mouth she was just flipping through the dial and there you were and when she told her friends turns out they all listened to you also.

Steve - That's a great story and I love those. Of course the most frustrating stories are of those people who love us but live on the fringe of the footprint (transmitter range). I wish we could do more but unfortunately we can't do any more than what were radiating now. Getting back to that story though John I love hearing those stories and really that's what It's all about in terms of growing with the audience. You know John we don't have a lot of major artists pass through to highlight and showcase. They just don't come here so we just do our best to develop them. Alex Walker is a great young sax player from Burlington he was included in a show we did a few months ago. These guys don't get distribution so were taking them in and we have a stock and they're available here

John - I remember in 1986 it took a while for us to get the sales staff to get it, to understand the format, to understand why we were doing it and why anyone would want to listen to Smooth Jazz or Contemporary Jazz as we called it back then. How was it for you guys getting the sales staff up to speed on the format?

Steve - Well it's a work in progress. The whole darn thing is a work in progress and will continue to be. I take some time with them in terms of keeping them up to date with programming changes or enhancements or additions. We have a very committed group so I do my best to share with them what's important to programming and why it's important to program. My theory is that these are the people that are on the streets every day interacting with the public on a daily basis. We do also but the sales crew is very much one on one. I want the sales crew to be well armed to answer the questions that are asked about programming and the format.

John - What's been the reaction on the streets about the format?

Steve - It's just been incredible. It's been awesome much like that email from that lady that you just told me about. It's the old 'I never knew you were there and now I know and I'm telling everyone.' You know one of the big pluses is our sales manager really digs the music and is a big fan and he can really talk about it.

John - I think that's a key.

Steve - He helps finish the process that I'm engaged in with them.

John - I just found out the New Orleans Smooth Jazz flipped to another format and of course there was the Portland station that flipped a few months ago. When I talk to people like Carol Archer of R&R or Allen Kepler of Broadcast Architecture they usually say that the biggest problem in the format is weak links like does the music director get the format or even does the GM, does the sales manager? When I hear of another station flipping it's like a mini-funeral around my house. Thankfully the format is still strong. At Chum my GM Paul Ski loves and knows Smooth Jazz and at CKXM-FM in Edmonton David Nevett was the same he just knew it.

Steve - I know what you mean because we all loose when someone flips. It's true what you said it's so important to have everyone on a role. We have one individual here who's over sixty and he loves it! He digs this stuff and he can tell you all about it forever and we have another member here who's twenty two and he also loves it, digs it and knows it.
Were talking a big spread in years and a big difference in historical recall and experience. So both ends of that spectrum are covered and that helps fill any gaps in the knowledge. You know John one of the things I concentrate on is everyday, every week on every promotion that everyone understands why were doing what we do. Why we look the way we do, why we advertise were we do and everyone has to know this and that's just standard radio stuff.

John - Standard stuff yes but everyone has to be on the same page in the positioning of the radio station.

Steve - Exactly it's important to know what everyone else is doing and why.

John - How's it been educating the Ontario market?

Steve - Well it's been a big deal educating the market and we feel like were responsible helping drive this format.

John - I hear you. Educating the public is the key in other words keep your eye on the ball show the audience what you got; tell them why you like it. If I really love something and it moves me people around me tend to want to know what the hell I'm playing with.

Steve - That's very true and it's very true in radio.

John - I've heard all your on-air talent…… What were you specifically looking for in announcers?

Steve - I wasn't responsible for picking the on air talent and I'm not saying that defensively (laughing).

John - (laughing) I'm just quietly listening!

Steve - (laughing) what I meant….I just wasn't the guy who did that. What I can tell you is the line-up hasn't changed since day one because we have people who understand the music and they understand radio and they know the format. Not everyone came in at the same level mind you Mike Marshall who has been a music fan forever completely acts like one and you can't get him off the sites and off the trail of some CD that he thinks that he might be able to track down if he just goes to three more sites and makes a few more calls (laughing).

John - (laughing) Hey that sounds familier.

Steve - Obviously the radio criteria aside it was knowledge of popular music first off and knowledge of the artists that were playing. You have to understand what a formats about and you need to know the instrumental component and you have to know how to deal with that on air. For the last twenty years with the exception with the odd Classical station or public radio station or specialty programming no one has had to deal with instrumental music and so there's a respect to it. A respect in terms of execution.

John - Sure you can't just slap it on.

Steve - Sure we have to do more than just play the music. It's great that we play it but we can't be sloppy around it either. Sure it's Smooth Jazz but people in this area are also looking for other important things like surveillance, traffic and news and community information and weather of course.

John - I've been listening a lot especially in the morning show and your local information is comparable to what we do at QM-FM in Vancouver.

Steve - Thanks and we think it's important and as a radio guy you know how important it is to people in the morning. We do the same in afternoon drive but mid-morning and evening it's just a music fans treat, it's just a heaven and haven. As you know John in this format daytime and evening is just as important as mornings and afternoons.

John - With Smooth Jazz that mid-morning slot is gold the hours tuned can be tremendous.

Steve - Traditional stations will see high tuning in the morning and afternoon but not with this music it's great anytime and yes that daytime tuning is big.

John - Are you getting those long hours tuned during your mid-morning slot?

Steve - Oh sure and we've got pretty much a straight line across the board. A lot of that has to do with the people we have on the air Vickie Van Dyke who does the daytime is a very lively person (laughing) and she usually doesn't hide her opinion if she has one and she doesn't let the fact that she's working a daytime radio show stop her from saying what on her mind at any given moment. Vickie likes to have fun and I think that's refreshing and generally you don't heart on-air personalities doing that.

John - Well it's rare on Smooth Jazz stations.

Steve - Sure is. You know John I was discussing this the other day, the question of what kind of radio station is this? It's not a top 40 teenager station, it's not a station laden with contests or on-air winner every half hour. Well it's a station with great music with the surveillance and information you expect and it's a little more mature. It's simply mature radio.

John - Interestingly mature I found can mean a lot of thing in Smooth Jazz. When I mc a show I see a lot of different age groups, sure it's mostly 35-54 but even the younger crowd who don't fit in there tend to be more mature for their age.

Steve - Absolutely.

John - So why didn't The Wave in Hamilton go with Broadcast Architecture?

Steve - I'm not sure if they've ever approached us. Others have but we do like to think that amongst the key people at the radio station in terms of management we have much experience in many different formats, a lot of time served and have had measurable success in our individual career endeavors and we have applied and successfully put together an application package, successfully made our case, won the license and delivered. We were on air in less than five months.

John - Five months after the approval?

Steve - Yep. That's pretty fast. We have the experience and knowledge to get from a piece of paper to a radio station on the air in less than five months so were pretty confident in our abilities in programming the format based solely on the fact that there are many fan on our team.

John - I just talked to an ex-broadcaster from out east who told me of a certain eastern U.S radio station in a major market who couldn't keep the format going because the GM didn't have a clue, didn't listen to testing results, the music director was from rock radio and thought all the same rules applied to Smooth Jazz of course that only partly true and the on air staff were strong broadcasters but none of them really like the format. The format didn't work. I can't say it enough the GM. PD and MD better love this stuff because that pretend love in that gets them the job will wear off quickly. I know that some people don't like Broadcast Architecture but when I talked to Allen Kepler of B.A. for instance I really got the fact that he loves Smooth Jazz. The ex-broadcaster friend who worked out east was never a fan. He also told me he knew he'd never be a fan. I'm glad Kepler is a fan considering the position he's in.

Steve - That make sense. I'm not saying that through our love of the format that we know everything but in the year and a half we've been on the air we have managed to develop this station into one that's on a role with advertisers, with the audience and the industry. Perhaps someone could help us role it up faster but were happy with our progress.

John - And you know your market.

Steve - It's an interesting market and we've all worked it and it's a diverse market too from Niagara Falls right around the lake to Toronto but yes we do know it very well.

John - Do you do focus groups with the music?

Steve - No we haven't conducted any formal focus groups.

John - Do you do any local research?

Steve - For the most part we've been introducing the format on the air with a core of artists and seeing the response that way. We have done our fair share in introducing and developing local folk.

John - A lot of those people have been emailing me after being played on your station and thanks to your morning man/music director Bob Farrow who directed some of them my way.

Steve - Oh really. Were happy to have supported not just airplay but performances around town. The like of Eddie(Bullen) and Carol Welsman and that's where the future lies in this country it's in the development of our own artists and this goes back to the beginning of our discussion where it's not a standard record company driven hit format. We have to do a lot of this on our own and I mean us and the artists. We create our own events.

John - Doug Kirk's name comes up a lot when I talk with the artists about this format and his commitment.

Steve - A heck of a commitment.

John - You know we all grew up with a favorite uncle who we loved because they gave us the time. I've heard that said about Doug and the Wave.

Steve - That is great to hear(laughing) You know a lot of our success depends on what people think it is were suppose to be doing and another large part of our success depends on peoples understanding on what it is we do. Weather they understand that yes we want a license to put something on the air but it's a business endeavor to make that happen. There's a huge financial commitment needed to get something like this off the ground and behind the financial commitment comes someone who spearheads that and risks a lot in order to see in some cases a venture in some cases a dream come true. We are not prone to share with people weather it's a venture or a dream. Quite frankly it's none of their business. That's for us to take satisfaction in. The point is here we love this. With this company I've been involved with them in a business aspect for almost ten years now and they deserve every great comment. Doug's a wonderful guy and he smiles like a little kid when he says "I did it now how can we make it better"

John - What's your expectations of Smooth Jazz in Canada?

Steve - Well I hope it grows in the country.

John - Given of course the ok from the CRTC.

Steve - Well yeah. Oddly enough except Calgary not another has been licensed since ours was granted.

John - Global applied in Winnipeg.

Steve - Yes they did.

John - It's going to be a slow process we all know that.

Steve - Is it going to grow? I sure hope so. Look at the emails your getting and the reaction were getting. You were probably getting that back in the eighties doing this. I mean people dig this. It's new and it's refreshing and it's an alternative for everybody. If you've lived in the market forever listening to the same radio stations forever and your not a huge music fanatic living in record stores and buying your favorite music all the time and your looking for something new and something fresh here we are. Now of course it's our job to make you aware of this. All we are saying is we play great music all day long and if you love great music then give us a shot and if you listen more than your going to learn more because were going to tell you more and take it from there.

John - I talk to so many people who had given up on music until they discovered Smooth Jazz.

Steve - Sure it can make your mood and it works any time. The responsibility is also not all ours to get it out there it's the artists, the fans, its managers. Everyone has to work together and in the end we'll all benefit from it.

John - I've found once the audience accepts it as part of their lifestyle then your in.

Steve - You Know John One of the things that blew me away the most when I arrived here was the amount of people in the audience have such a vast knowledge of this music and the artists. You know many people didn't hesitate to give us their honest two cents! We have used a lot of this information to formulate the programming. They don't have to be on staff to be right (laughing) you know you don't have to be working at the radio station to know what's going on. I'll take comments and opinions from anyone who wants to take the time to lend them. We spit it out but they have to take it so they deserve an opinion.

John - Let's talk about some of the Personalities before we wind up. Tell me about Bob Farrow.

Steve - You know I can answer almost similarly from our Morning host to daytime to afternoon and that Bob, Vickie and Mike in order. They are all huge music fans. They've either played, toured or worked in radio for a long time in formats that they personally loved and therefore their knowledge is deep. Bob is a great guy. He's easy to work with.

John - Is he from the area?

Steve - He is from the area. He lives on a farm that was originally owned by his grandparents I believe so the ruts run deep. He's farmer Bob, he's a country boy. It's like what are you doing today Bob? "Oh shopping for a new tractor" (laughing). Bob loves the open spaces and inside his house it's just music, music, music. Listening to Bob on air is like being with Bob off air.

John - So he's real on air in other words.

Steve - I think it's the highest compliment that I would want to receive from my days of being on-air. You know same guy on same guy off. Bob is of course our music Director and he works a system and a process unlike any other MD in the country. Unlike the beginning the amount of product we receive is monstrous. Bob just spends a lot of time talking with these people. I was an artist I know how important that is.

John - What did you play?

Steve - Bass and keys and I founded the band Lee Aaron.

John - Now there's a side you I didn't know. Like a lot of great smooth-Jazzers you were once a rocker.

Steve - You know I haven't talked to Karen (Lee Aaron's real name) in over twenty years. I should say ten to protect her age.

John - Steve this has been fun. I know we rambled a little bit but two radio guys will do that

Steve - Thanks John for thinking of us. I appreciate the exposure on your site.