CA We came into contact with each other through an internet jazz radio program that you host. Tell us about your program.

RK It's funny, the show title "NY Tonight" was lifted (borrowed) from a show with the same name at WNEW-AM that appeared in the 1980s. A great show with recorded music, live music, and intelligent hosts...the only problem: no one listened and it was soon cancelled. I always remembered the spirit of that show and wanted to do something similar somewhere down the line....27 years later here we are. No live music yet but we'll get there.

CA Why did you decide to focus on the format of jazz ?

RK  Jazz and Standards actually. I felt that if the focus was exclusively "Straight Ahead Jazz" we would limit the audience severely. Including the standards opens us up to a much wider audience and allows PJR to feature some of the greatest songs ever written.
The other great thing here is that I can play the same song 10 times a week, performed beautifully by 10 different artists.  A lot of Jazz Stations now focus mainly on instrumental selections. With such great lyrics sung by Ella, Sarah, Louis, Dinah, Carmen, Mel, Nat and a host of great current artists, this make no sense to me.  We're roughly 50 - 50 vocal and instrumental.

CA How is Internet radio different than traditional radio?

RK Well, let’s discuss advantages and disadvantages....
Advantages: Worldwide coverage with digital quality sound.
Disadvantages: internet radio is not yet as pervasive as over air broadcasting.
However, that will eventually change with the spread of WIFI, Internet radios, Smart Phones, even car radios that can be programmed to internet URLs.  A “brave new world” to be sure.
 
CA   What do you find most frustrating about programming Pure Jazz Radio?

RK    Not too much frustration really.  We've managed to build up a pretty loyal audience worldwide… at this point about 10 to 15 thousand listeners a month.  The audience is so hip that I really have to be on top of my game because, if I make a misstatement, somebody in Tokyo, London or Kalamazoo is taking me to task via email!
The only real frustration we’ve run into has been on the technical side.  Keeping the station up and running in the beginning was a bit of a challenge. Through trial and error, with software, hardware, cable connections, fiber optic lines, etc., we’ve managed to have a pretty reliable stream. If someone wants to tune us in -99.999 percent of the time, we’ll be there.  

CA  Is Internet radio a hobby or a profession?

RK  Neither.  It has been a calling.  Actually, PJR really was a hobby starting out.  I figured if we could get a few listeners and pump out a few hours a week of good programming, I’d be happy. As time went by, and the audience grew, I thought PJR could be more - in that we could help promote new artists (playing in the PJR format), pay tribute to the artists of the past and help perpetuate the Jazz art form. What really made this virtually a full time endeavor?  Our commitment to the musicians and  broadcasters, from around the world, that provide programming to the station.  Most of the shows are produced exclusively for Pure Jazz Radio and are world class. (I’ll provide a rundown of the programs, and details, run here at the bottom of the page.  You can use as much of that as you wish). Another major commitment that I have is to the many people around the world who send us Jazz happenings, from their areas, on a weekly basis.  Pure Jazz Radio is committed to getting this information to our audience via the live “Jazz Scene” segment on the “NY Tonight Show”, on the recorded “Jazz Scene” which is heard throughout our broadcast day and on PJR’s website www.purejazzradio.org.
 
CA How do you split up your time during a typical week?

RK  Let’s start with the 3 to 4 hours of sleep I get a night and work backwards from there!
First, I do have a day job as a financial planner here in New York that I work Monday through Friday from 8am to about 4pm. My second full time gig is  Pure Jazz Radio.  Generally, I will work in studio from 6pm to about 2am.  A lot of that time is taken up with the “New York Tonight” show which I do live from 8pm until 11pm M-F.  The rest of the time is split up listening to new music to review what might be suitable for airplay, compiling Jazz happenings from around the world for the Jazz Scene, production, promotion, answering listener and artist email, dealing with hardware and software issues, and continuing to educate myself on the music and artists of the past and today, so we may be as enlightening as possible to the people kind enough to listen to Pure Jazz Radio.

CA What can you offer to jazz recording artists?

RK  I have an ongoing open invitation to all Artists, P. R. People and Record Labels to get me their material for review for airplay on Pure Jazz Radio.  Artists who have a tough time getting on to other, larger stations find that, if they provide a quality product and it is within our format, we’ll play and promote them enthusiastically. 
Another interesting thing we’ve come up with is our “Partners in Jazz’ feature on our website.  If an artist or organization provides a link to Pure Jazz Radio, we will feature them as a “Partner in Jazz” with a link back to their website.  Several dozen artists and Jazz related organizations have taken advantage of the “Partners in Jazz” feature.
 
 

CA Do you conduct interviews with artists?

RK   Generally no.  The reason being, the focus is mainly on the music at Pure Jazz Radio.  I’m sensitive to the fact that a lot of  people are listening to the station as background to whatever they’re doing and extensive talk might encourage a listener to leave the station.
The website however is an excellent venue for information that an artist may want to promote in the way of a new release or appearance.
Pure Jazz Radio also encourages an artist to record a bumper for use before playing one of their sides….something like: “ Hi this is … appearing  at … this week and you’re listening to Pure Jazz Radio”….  Personally, I love that sort of stuff because it humanizes the artist and it sounds great!

CA  What focus do you give to established artists compared to emerging  artists?

RK   Our split right now is roughly 60% to 40% classic to new. 
Recognizing that some of these newer artists might not be as identifiable  as the established ones, PJR makes artist and title listings available both on our website and on most of the media players used to hear us, as selections are being played on Pure Jazz Radio. 

CA Are there commercials during your program?

RK  I’m happy to tell you that Pure Jazz Radio is commercial free.  However, I am not ruling out the possibility that we could have benefactors (as we are a non-profit corporation) sponsoring full hours of programming with extremely limited interruptions to the music.
 
 
 
CA How do you finance Pure Jazz Radio?

RK  Right now we are asking listeners to help us out financially and are rewarding them with some really nice Pure Jazz Radio gear.  That can be done by clicking the “Donation” tab on our website, any of the “Support Pure Jazz Radio” boxes or Artist photos on our website.  We have items available for donations of $25 to $100. 
Eventually, when our 501-c-3 is secured (soon hopefully) we’ll be pursuing grants and larger donations as they will be tax deductible  at that point.
We are also asking listeners to do their online shopping through our “PJR Shoppe” on the website.  By clicking through to any of the stores that we are affiliated with (Amazon, CD Baby, 1-800-Flowers, Walmart, etc.) we get a small pittance from the retailers…but every little bit helps us tremendously.

CA  What are your goals for Pure Jazz Radio ? Do you have plans to expand and if so, in what direction?

RK   I’ve been asked this question by so many people over the last year. Because we are so far ahead of the curve, from where I thought we would be at this point, It has been a tough question to answer.
In the areas of programming, artist relations, record service, audience numbers, technical achievements and the overall sound of the station, I am currently where I thought I would be in approximately 5 years, and yet we are barely a year old.
Dream items and goals would include: 
Expanded studios to include a performance space for live and recorded performances.
Capabilities to broadcast radio shows or musical performances from remote locations.
The ability to actually bring Pure Jazz Radio into our worldwide community supporting educational seminars, workshops and performances supporting the Jazz art form. 
Listener and other support will determine how much we are able to accomplish in reaching these goals.