New radio station launches in Tri-Cities

Jeff Jacobs is on a mission to bring all kinds of music to Tri-City radio listeners.

This morning he plans to launch a new sound on local airwaves, Tri-Cities Smooth Jazz at 102.3 FM, online at www.smoothjazz1023.com.

Jacobs has a definite clientele in mind.

"Radio listeners have missed jazz on the radio," he said. "This is a station that will serve the educated, mature, affluent and professional adult between the ages of 45 and 75 who enjoys and can afford the finer things in life."

However, Jacobs admits he's not the first to bring jazz to local radio.

"The Tri-Cities previously had a smooth jazz station a couple of years back, but when ownership changed hands so did the format," he said.

"I heard from many people wanting the format back."

Jacobs owns and operates the only locally owned radio group in the Tri-Cities, Jacobs Radio Programming, based in Kennewick.

His other stations include The Beat at 107.3 FM and U-Rock at 95.3 FM.

He started a strictly Christmas music station last December that plays holiday tunes 24/7 from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It can be heard online at tricitieschristmasstation.com.

Jacobs has been a Tri-City radio personality since the early '90s at a number of local stations, most notably as the afternoon DJ for OK95 radio, before it fell into the graveyard of dead airspace in 1996.

He went on to be station manager for Power 99 and Thunder Country for a time before launching his own online radio station in 2004.

-- Dori O'Neal: 582-1514; doneal@tricityherald.com; Twitter: @dorioneal

This story was originally published August 13, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "New radio station launches in Tri-Cities ."