by Grzegorz Tusiewicz
There are just few stations in the world devoted exclusively to jazz
music. Only couple of them remain in private hands and transmit broader
than their particular local community or university. In Europe there, is
only one station in the Netherlands. But the Poles admiration to jazz
music, which is originally so far from their cultural sources, seems to
be proverbial. The country which was a birthplace of many great
musicians -- mentioning just few Frederic Chopin, and what is more
familiar to jazz buffs Bronislaw Kaper (composer of "Green Dolphin
Street" ), Krzysztof Komeda ( composer of the "Rosemarys Baby"
soundtrack) -- got its first and only radio jazz station, which
broadcasts 24 hours jazz now only in two major cities of the country:
Warszawa for about one a year on 106.8 FM and since this past September
in Krakow on 101.00 FM.
The format provides jazz or jazz oriented programs run by jazz
musicians and journalists, and also a morning block of easier idioms of
jazz. There are no news or political programs with except for cultural
news (i.e., theater performances, art exhibitions and concerts). The
station is popular during daytime as not conflicting background music in
offices among rather high rank officers, and on weekend reaches
approximately 10-15 % of men from the ages of 30-50 . There is a certain
interest from big commercial agencies in buying air time.
There are several jazz programs throughout the nationwide public
radio broadcasts, especially in Program III of Polish Radio, but new
private stations almost present and almost statuary anti-jazz approach.
The owner of the Jazz Radio Mariusz Adamiak owns also a major jazz club
in Warszawa Akwarium" and runs a concert agency which organizes several
important jazz events in the country.
Jazz Radio also plans to open transmitters in Gdansk and Wroclaw,
which will enable their potential audience to reach about 4.5 million
people.
The station personally reminds me of the unforgettable WRVR in New York
City, part of my four months spent in Manhattan in 1970-ies, by its
relaxed and artistic attitude to music and enthusiasm.
