Jazz 93.5 FM

A commercial FM radio station broadcasting on 93.5 MHz in Colorado Springs, Colorado, carrying a smooth jazz format. Smooth jazz as a radio genre emerged in the 1980s under the early labels of "adult alternative" and NAC (New Adult Contemporary), blending jazz, new-age, and adult contemporary music. The format gained significant traction through the 1990s, becoming more jazz-focused and championing a wave of younger recording artists. Prominent artists associated with the format include George Benson, Pat Metheny, Kenny G, Luther Vandross, Sade, Dave Koz, Anita Baker, and Chuck Mangione. The format reached its commercial peak in the early 2000s before declining sharply around 2007, when several major-market stations abandoned it in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Industry programmers attributed the decline to audience demographics aging beyond the core 25–54 advertising target. Despite the decline in terrestrial broadcasting, smooth jazz retained a dedicated listener base through SiriusXM's "Watercolors" channel, Music Choice cable radio, HD Radio subchannels, and internet streaming platforms. Concert attendance and album sales for smooth jazz artists have continued to reflect sustained fan engagement even as commercial radio presence contracted.