ERIC JACKSON of WGBH-FM conducted the only interview of Dizzy Gillespie that the trumpeter wanted a copy of. Jackson hosted an annual on-air commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. that brought listeners to tears. From Duke Ellington to Joshua Redman to any new horns on the block, Jackson was the undisputed champion for jazz in Boston, a cultural treasure whose calm, college-professor voice explains backstories that further illuminate the music. Alas, such richness did not protect him from being the latest casualty of Boston’s public-radio battles, as WGBH takes on its talk-oriented rival, WBUR.
Jackson’s show, a weeknight staple from Mondays through Thursdays, is being moved to weekends. In addition, a Friday night jazz show with Steve Schwartz was cut. Since Boston considers itself a brainy town, WGBH’s desire to be a champion in high-end talk is understandable. But its decision to cut the airtime of Jackson and Schwartz diminishes Boston’s prime-time jazz programming — and makes the airwaves less cosmopolitan relative to other big cities. Jazz, as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis said, “is music that really deals with what it means to be an American.” Thankfully, Eric Jackson is not completely disappearing from the airwaves. But in de-emphasizing jazz, WGBH diminished its soul.
Comments
Amen. WGBH has become nothing more than an NPR propaganda outlet. I used to listen daily to WGBH and give money but no longer.
Much of what is stressed on the radio is political and base. Some are pushing internet radio which is fine but lacking the local color, as this article points out. And lacking variety. Check out iheart radio sometime. With ads that advertise a wide variety off music on hundreds of stations, I did the download and found only two "smooth jazz" stations and maybe one classical station. "Smooth jazz" is not jazz. And iheart radio is filled with Pop, Country, and right-wing propaganda.
WBUR did the same thing. At the end of the 1980s, WBUR began replacing many of its music programs with news and information programming from NPR, Public Radio International and the BBC. This brought WBUR into competition with another major Boston area NPR station, WGBH. Look up WBUR on Wikipedia.
Airwaves are obsolete. It's the 21st Century now. Pandora, Spotify and others give you all the jazz you want for free with an occasional ad or for three bucks a month no ads at all. Or get a satellite radio, a little more expensive but less than $20 a month. Your cable company also offers jazz audio. Eric, start doing a podcast, it's the future and there's an audience out there. Find it.
Did you read the article? It's not just about playing the tunes. It's about providing a context for the music. It's about educating and nurturing the audience. It's about community. Pandora, Spotify just don't cut it.
With the exception of the Boston Symphony broadcasts WGBH radio is now dead to me. And I wouldn't even be able to listen to the BSO broadcasts if I hadn't gone out and bought a special HD tuner for them. If I want news and info I will listen to WBUR or WBZ for traffic and weather. I get my music, jazz and classical, from WHRB. WGBH tv isn't much better. One infomercial after another. Stuff that ch 56 would be embarrassed to broadcast. Who needs it?
I completely agree with the Globe's perspective. WGBH's decision is horrible.
I would certainly welcome Eric Jackson's show, with his perspective and context, on any format. You are both right. Satellite radio and internet radio are the future, whether we are ready for it or like it or not. What exists now (and you are also correct, Giermund, that what currently passes for jazz programming on iheart is woefully anemic) could only be enhanced by the addition of some truly insightful hosts, such as Mr. Jackson.
That's kinda beside the point. We now have two full-time public radio stations running virtually identical programming. I stopped supporting GBH radio when they cut classical and folk a few years back in favor of copy-catting BUR's schedule. There's more than enough yammering about politics now; dare to be different! I agree with other commenters that Eric J. should see about getting himself a podcast. He's well-known in jazz circles and would get a wider audience than he has in Boston.
For me there used to be a difficult choice as to which radio show to listen to when I arrived home at 7 pm: (1) Dinner Classics with Mark Calder on WCRB or (2) Eric in the Evening with Eric Jackson on WGBH. Often times I wanted to hear both programs. It's all gone now. First Eric in the Evening was pushed back to an 8 pm start time. Then WGBH acquired WCRB and discontinued Dinner Classics. Now Eric Jackson and jazz will only be featured on weekends? WGBH/WCRB now plays a canned program called Performance Today at 7 pm, which is not nearly as enjoyable. I usually only listen for a short while before turning it off. I'm a sustaining giver to WGBH, primarily for the classical music, but also for the jazz, and I'm just feeling very disappointed.