J1 listeners…  Michi here!!

As you may have heard, we are leaving the Phoenix area by the end of this year.  Actually, times have been very tough here so we are looking for a place where we can afford.  We are also in a situation where we are living in a place where the landlord really does not care much about.. So therefore, it’s time to move on. 

Since August, I have been working on preparing the services of REC Networks including J1 Radio to be put into a transitional phase during the move and to eventually restore normal service when we are established at a new location. 

While the transition date has changed several times, we are currently looking for a transition date of October 24 (October 25 in Japan).  On this date, J1 Radio will convert over to the Live365 Basic Broadcasting solution. 

What this means is that the programming will not originate “live” from Phoenix but instead will use music that was stored on a server at Live365.  During the transition period,  you will notice several distinct differences about J1:

• The playlist will be limited.  The amount of space we have on Live365’s server is very limited as compared to when we stream live.  We currently have a playlist of 536 different songs Live365.  This playlist consists of mainly new releases, older 2010 releases that have had chart activity and tracks from previous years that have appeared on the Hardcore J/J1 Top 100 annual charts. 
• Listeners who are not subscribed to Live365’s VIP service will hear occasional audio advertisements. 
• Scheduled programming such as the Top-40 Countdown and Michiasa Music will not be heard during the transition.
• The number of “free” slots for listeners will be 40 instead of 20 as it is when we operate in Live mode.

This is not our desired operation for the long term.  Our hope is that once we determine where we are moving to and are able to obtain broadband services, after some time for studio set-up, we can then revert back to live mode.  In a perfect world, I would love to have it happen in time for New Year’s, but right now I can not guarantee it. 

During the transition, I will try hard to update music and the weekly charts (this will be more possible in the early weeks of the transition).  We do not know yet what the situation will be on a week by week basis.  I have taken J1/Hardcore J through 488 weeks of continuous charts.  I will do my best to not break that streak, even if we are a day or few late on publishing a chart.

Just know that during the transition, I am not giving up on J1 but because of circumstances that are beyond my personal control, it may be awhile before we are back to normal.  J1 Radio is a very important part of my life and I really hope it’s a part of your life.

I am going to ask that you please keep in touch with J1 through our channels of communication including our Facebook, Staff Blog and Twitter.   If you have any questions about this transition or you are interested in doing a weekly block program for J1, please e-mail me at info@j1fm.com. 

Again, stay tuned to our social channels and I will do my best to keep you all in the loop. 

Thank you for your understanding and thank you for listening.   J1 LOVES YOU!!

=michi