So you’re on your way to class listening to your morning gospel jams to prepare for your day. It hits 10 a.m. and now you’re ready to nod your head to some hip-hop.
To your surprise a smooth jazz groove graces your speakers and you are wondering, “What’s going on?”
It’s the new jazz lineup for 90.5 WANM. Keith Miles, the general manager of the station, said he has done his research and is ready to diversify the station.
The show launched Oct. 16 and is hosted on Tuesdays and Thursdays by Sunny Blak (Justin Grayson).
“The show will feature traditional, contemporary, progressive and hip-hop jazz,” said Grayson, a senior broadcast journalism student from Philadelphia.
Miles said after sitting in his car and flipping through the R&B/hip-hop stations in Tallahassee he continued to hear the same things. He said he knew something needed to be done to separate 90.5 from the rest.
“I thought we should become more cutting edge,” Miles said.
“I think the show exposes people to new things,” said Matthew Shelton, a freshman business student from Houston.
This transition was not just based on one person’s decision. After all of the positive feedback from the station’s Sunday line up which includes gospel, jazz, reggae and neo-soul, Miles said that including jazz on a daily basis could only improve the station.
WANM disc jockey, Wise One, thinks the new genre will be well-received, as well as provide the community with more musical variety.
Jazz is not at all new to 90.5. A few years ago it was featured in the morning. Many jazz listeners don’t have a station that caters to the genre, according to Michelle Myers, a sophomore fashion design student from Orlando.
“It’s time we had a station that plays that kind of music all the time,” she said.
Miles said he is not trying to abandon the hip-hop community, but rather trying to include the entire community.
As far as campus involvement, students from the jazz ensemble are expected to be participating in the jazz line-up as well.
In addition to jazz, there are a few new things to look out for. Listeners should expect to hear more oldies, news, sports and SGA Talk.
Tune into jazz from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Thursday on 90.5 WANM, and from 1 -4 p.m. on “The Jazz Central Station” on Sundays.
The station will continue to be a voice in the community, as well as continue to spice up the airways.
“Since we are the Flava Station, we are going to add a little more flavor,” Miles said.