Here's a rarity in today's radio landscape -- a beautiful music station. When FM radio was in its infancy, this was the format that many broadcasters chose to showcase the then-new stereo sound that was possible on the FM band. The emphasis was on orchestral covers of pop songs and standards, with occasional easy listening vocals thrown in -- just what you'll hear on WKTZ-FM, operated by Jones College in Jacksonville, Fla.
I discovered this station on one of my many visits to Amelia Island, just north of Jacksonville. Beautiful music is programmed 24/7, with only minimal interruptions for news (hourly) and weather forecasts. There are no commercials on this listener- and business-supported station, which has not changed format since going on the air in 1964.
Internet streaming of WKTZ is in stereo via Live365The technical quality is about average for Internet streams but could be better, considering how crucial good stereo is to the enjoyment of this type of music.
There is a sister AM station, WJAX, that programs standards and big band music. The technical quality of the stream is comparable to that of WKTZ.
You can view the currently playing tracks for both WKTZ and WJAX from a link on the station website.
Some might call "smooth jazz" stations the modern equivalent of the easy listening or "beautiful music" stations of the past. Others might quibble over using the "jazz" label at all. Whatever terminology one chooses, there's no denying the music's wide appeal.
If smooth jazz is your music of choice, there's no better place to turn than Fresh & Smooth - Jazz by DonFX, an Internet broadcaster whose station is hosted by Live365 (also the host for Guitars & All That Jazz).
This station is by far the most popular smooth jazz broadcast on Live365 (more than 60,000 hours tuned every month) -- and for good reason. DonFx (based in San Jose, Calif.) takes great pains to ensure that the music has a consistent sound, is intelligently programmed and is constantly updated. He's also not afraid to play music by new and emerging artists, a welcome change from the tight playlists followed by most commercial stations. Technical quality of the broadcast is top notch, too.
