A decade of KOOL

On a packed Jamaican FM dial, the Braemar Avenue, New Kingston- based KOOL FM has long settled on what manager Tomlin Ellis describes as an adult contemporary format to separate itself from the clutter.

"I would not call us a vintage station, but we play mature music," Ellis said.

And, as one of the relatively new kids on the FM block, KOOL is maturing chronologically, marking 10 years of operation with a series of events, mainly in this month, and then a less intense slate of activities over the rest of the celebratory year. There was a party on Sunday night at the Deck, also on Braemar Avenue, and on Tuesday the anniversary cake was officially cut at the Oasis on Oxford Road, also in New Kingston.

On Sunday, KOOL will be teaming up with the Independent VoYces Literary Fair in Robin's Bay, St Mary, one of the types of partnerships which Ellis says the station wishes to make in the future. A live broadcast from Barnes Texaco is scheduled for November 19 and there is a double on November 26 - a Family Expo at the Girl Guides Headquarters on Waterloo Road and a KOOL party at Oasis.

There is also a strong KOOL listenership in commercial settings, Ellis pointed out. "We find that a lot of bars and lounges play KOOL, so we are going to visit some," he said. He said that business places like pharmacies tend to play KOOL as it is family-friendly.

On-air endorsements from Fabulous Five Incorporated Band, Freddie McGregor and Richie Stephens, among others, keep listeners aware of the station's 10th anniversary.

Ellis points out that KOOL plays a "significant" amount of Jamaican music, as "we feel that we have a responsibility to play the music that fits in our format, even if it's new. If a song comes out that fits our format we will play it. I want to increase the amount of good local music on the station, where people know if they make good music it will be played - free, of course".

So although KOOL's adult contemporary stance dates back to the station's inception, Ellis said "we tweaked it about three years ago to include music that appeals to younger ears". It was a "strategic move" to pull a younger audience and, in so doing, attract the attention of advertisers. Ellis said the subsequent listenership survey showed that it had paid off, with KOOL getting more listeners in the 18-year-old plus market.

theatrical productions

Still, there is some advertisers' perception that KOOL has a niche with the older audience, and Ellis said KOOL compensates for the lost revenue through events, including their KOOL parties and trips to the Cockpit Country, Bull Head Mountains in Clarendon, and the Blue Mountains. KOOL has also partnered with the theatrical productions Against His Will and Season Rice, broadcasting live from the venue and doing giveaways at intermission.

Now, Ellis said, "we plan to be seen as the entertainment station", so much so that "before we approach you, you approach us". There are also intentions to "if possible, include a little more sports", this after broadcasting live from the National Stadium for this year's senior track and field championships. "Definitely, we were not known as an outside broadcast station and we are moving into that," Ellis said.

There is also the forging of stronger links with the diaspora, through deeper engagement with listeners on the Internet.

Ellis said over the past three to four years KOOL has been consistently in the top 10 radio stations, but "we are not comfortable where we are. We want to do better, but we are the newcomers in a way and we are still ahead of some who came before".