• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 6, 2007

WCBS-FM will ditch its "Jack" format and return to "Oldies" next week, according to several industry observers, who attributed the decision to newly appointed CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason.

While popular in other parts of the country, in New York, Jack's computer-selected mix of music and automated radio airplay had a mixed reception at best after its launch in June 2005.

Many listeners claimed a sentimental attachment to the old CBS format, including DJs Bruce Morrow, Norm N. Nite and Harry Harrison. Others objected to the dilution of the pure "Oldies" format of songs from the 1950s-1970s, with more recent artists from the 1980s to the present.

After the switchover, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was quoted in the New York Post as saying he would "never listen to that [expletive] CBS Radio ever again."

Previously president of CBS Radio from 1995-2002, when he left to work as a consultant for the radio industry, Mason announced his return to CBS Radio in March. The scrapping of "Jack," as well as his decision to return 92.3 K-Rock to its "Alternative" format, signal a return to formats that were CBS Radio signatures under his leadership.