What Killed Beautiful Music?

CTListener · Jan 28, 2022

TomasEstefan said:
I could never figure Ray Conniff's last name--in Yiddish/Hebrew it translates to "thief"!

That's "ganef," with a hard "g" sound. My paternal grandparents spoke Yiddish and my dad used a lot of the words.

oldradiotapes · Jan 28, 2022

It's a shame they didn't do "Don't Fear The Reaper" from Blue Oyster Cult. Those are two of the worst for Beautiful Music. I thought it would be hard to "beat It" but Alone Again Naturally does even with their rather cheery delivery.

I think there was a somewhat recent (post-1995) Environmental cover of "Don't Fear the Reaper" but I'd have to check my library. Probably by Manasus Music, one of the Disk Eyes imprints or Harley. It certainly didn't appear on any of the LPs.

They definitely did "John Barleycorn Must Die"....

Right. In the late 80s and early 90s, Super Duty trucks weren’t what they are today in terms of convenience and amenities.

Yes. Back then they were proper work trucks, plain and simple. Effectively power tools built for a specific purpose (doing your job), not the jack-of-all-master-of-none, overbuilt family sedans they are today.

TomásEstefan · Jan 28, 2022

CTListener said:
That's "ganef," with a hard "g" sound. My paternal grandparents spoke Yiddish and my dad used a lot of the words.

Not much difference between a hard "c" and a "g". Actual transliteration is GNB. Gimel Nun Beth. Just something to humorously muse over.

frankberry · Jan 28, 2022

How did this thread change to the discussion of Yiddish?
Let's get back on track.

kevtronics · Jan 28, 2022

Some years ago, the Bonneville Radio library of easy listening instrumental covers from the '80s became available online for streaming and downloading, but now I can't find it anymore. Does anyone know what happened to that? The only reference to it I can find is from a thread on this forum back in 2006 saying that Clear Channel acquired the rights to the Bonneville library and was going to use it on a now-defunct XM satellite radio channel ("Sunny", which was replaced by a simulcast of WLTW in 2008).

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/the-two-sunnys-xm-licenses-old-bonneville-exclusives-for-second-ez-channel.467776/

michael hagerty · Jan 28, 2022

TomasEstefan said:
I could never figure Ray Conniff's last name--in Yiddish/Hebrew it translates to "thief"!

Conniff Surname Meaning & Conniff Family History at Ancestry.com®

Discover the meaning of the Conniff surname on Ancestry®. Find your family's origin in the United States, average life expectancy, most common occupation, and more.

www.ancestry.com

Sorry, Frank---just saw your post after responding. Perhaps facts will lay the issue to rest. If not, feel free to delete.

TomásEstefan · Jan 28, 2022

michael hagerty said:
Conniff Surname Meaning & Conniff Family History at Ancestry.com®

Discover the meaning of the Conniff surname on Ancestry®. Find your family's origin in the United States, average life expectancy, most common occupation, and more.

www.ancestry.com

Sorry, Frank---just saw your post after responding. Perhaps facts will lay the issue to rest. If not, feel free to delete.

Yes, let's lay this to rest!

boombox4 · Jan 28, 2022

I worked at a company that supplied music to automated and non-automated radio stations. We had a beautiful music format well into the early 2000s. By then it was hard to find new music, as there was less beautiful music (and standards -- there were a handful of those stations, too) being recorded for sale. We ended up using a lot of European-sourced LPs (some used, that were still in good condition) and CDs for some of the adds to the format, being that the EU market apparently was still a profitable enough one for beautiful music on LP and CD.

The point being that it's not easy for a programmer to keep a format percolating if the sources for new music in that format are harder and harder to find.

davideduardo · Jan 28, 2022

kevtronics said:
Some years ago, the Bonneville Radio library of easy listening instrumental covers from the '80s became available online for streaming and downloading, but now I can't find it anymore. Does anyone know what happened to that? The only reference to it I can find is from a thread on this forum back in 2006 saying that Clear Channel acquired the rights to the Bonneville library and was going to use it on a now-defunct XM satellite radio channel ("Sunny", which was replaced by a simulcast of WLTW in 2008).

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/the-two-sunnys-xm-licenses-old-bonneville-exclusives-for-second-ez-channel.467776/

You might write to Marlin Taylor, the author of the Bonneville format and the programmer until recently of the Sirius/XM format. He is one of the very "good guys" and has a great website, too.

Home | Marlin Taylor

marlintaylor.com

There is nobody better at that format than Marlin, past or present (And I say that quite humbly as I once had over 70 subscribers to my own syndicated format).

oldradiotapes · Jan 28, 2022

Some years ago, the Bonneville Radio library of easy listening instrumental covers from the '80s became available online for streaming and downloading, but now I can't find it anymore. Does anyone know what happened to that? The only reference to it I can find is from a thread on this forum back in 2006 saying

KilowattKat · Jan 29, 2022

Were there different variations of Beautiful Music in markets with competing stations? My parents and grandparents were big listeners of it. I remember my parents preferred KMEO and KBUZ which seemed to play brighter up tempo instrumentals, and even originals like Roger Miller. While my grandmother always had KRFM/KQYT on at home which played softer (IMHO somewhat boring) instrumentals, and at a lower volume.

I also remember KBUZ did a 5 minute newscast every half hour, for those who wanted news and music.

KilowattKat · Jan 29, 2022

Phoenix also had the rather odd KDOT 100.7/1440, that had their studio in the Safari Hotel in Scottsdale. They were a pay for play beautiful music station. Hosted shows about financial, gardening, cooking, and more mixed in with the music back in the 70's.

That was when they used the same tower as the infamous "Lumberyard 1440" at 50kw.

michael hagerty · Jan 29, 2022

KilowattKat said:
Were there different variations of Beautiful Music in markets with competing stations? My parents and grandparents were big listeners of it. I remember my parents preferred KMEO and KBUZ which seemed to play brighter up tempo instrumentals, and even originals like Roger Miller. While my grandmother always had KRFM/KQYT on at home which played softer (IMHO somewhat boring) instrumentals, and at a lower volume.

Sure. At one point in the 70s, L.A. had seven beautifuls—-KOST, KBIG, KJOI, KWST, KLVE, KPOL and XETRA (which was targeting an L.A. audience with a stick 140 miles away).

b-turner · Jan 29, 2022

And you had at least one suburban LA Beautiful Music at that time: KSRF in Santa Monica: K-Surf

KilowattKat · Jan 29, 2022

Looking at Duncan's on the world radio history site, in spring 1976, 2 of the top 3 stations both AM and FM, we're beautiful music: KRFM at #1 and KMEO #3. We're the 70's the strongest years for the format? It was extremely popular back then.

b-turner · Jan 29, 2022

Yes there were quite a few beautiful music stations in most any rated market of substantial size. I recall in the early 1970s Dallas Fort Worth had: WBAP FM, KQXI, WFAA FM, KTLC, KFWT (until 1972), KEZT and KOAX.

At one point KRLD FM was lush beautiful music. I can't say why but for many years KRLD changed format almost annually. From 1969 to 1978 it was Beautiful Music, Hit Parade, Top 40, Album Rock (automated by Jon Dillon), Live Top 40, Tight Playlist AOR, Progressive Country, Adult Rock with jazz block late evenings. That's exactly 8 years of KRLD formats (calls changed to KAFM during this time)

Of these, KQXI "Quicksie" "bright down the middle" was more contemporary with more originals than covers (Dionne Warwick doing Do You Know The Way To San Jose versus the Ray Conniff Singers). (Became Z-97 later The Eagle)

WBAP was commercial free after headlines on the hour and the :15 line stated you were in the middle of 30 minutes of continuous music. (Became KSCS with a soft country format)

WFAA was noted for saying "Music only for a woman" then one morning they were the Zoo 98 FM KZEW. That morning I got yelled at for changing my parent's clock radio.

KTLC would say TLC for your ears. Later KMEZ but basically the same format.

KFWT (and then or a short time as KFWD) was traditional music with jingles in lieu of liners. At one point they were Quadraphonic and heavily promoted this. No silence between selections. It was really quite impressive to me but I didn't care for my parent's music so I really didn't listen until they went AC/Top 40 as a "FM style delivery" or 3 in a row and back announce. I'd switch the tuner to the station to catch a listen because my parents turned off the TV and turned on the radio for the evening meal.

KEZT was the FM counterpart to KIXL on the AM dial. For a long while after KKDA applied to buy them, they operated 7am to 7pm only.

KOAX was the winner out of all the stations. I much preferred the earlier format as KXXK "Music for Groovy Grown-Ups". My mom liked KXXK a great deal.

To my ears, there was not a great deal of difference in all the stations. All had silence between tunes and all had a vocal, usually a cover, each quarter hour. Only KQXI mostly played originals for vocals. KQXI was more upbeat or bright. KQXI breaks tended not hype the music as much as music just for you that was more akin to non-beautiful music stations and the jocks sounded less stuffy and scripted; more conversational as if speaking personally to the listener. All the other stations sounded scripted and way too formal in my book.

At KFWT/KFWD I think you only heard the board op/DJ twice an hour for the traditional headlines and weather and psa.

KilowattKat · Jan 29, 2022

b-turner said:
Yes there were quite a few beautiful music stations in most any rated market of substantial size. I recall in the early 1970s Dallas Fort Worth had: WBAP FM, KQXI, WFAA FM, KTLC, KFWT (until 1972), KEZT and KOAX.

At one point KRLD FM was lush beautiful music. I can't say why but for many years KRLD changed format almost annually. From 1969 to 1978 it was Beautiful Music, Hit Parade, Top 40, Album Rock (automated by Jon Dillon), Live Top 40, Tight Playlist AOR, Progressive Country, Adult Rock with jazz block late evenings. That's exactly 8 years of KRLD formats (calls changed to KAFM during this time)

Of these, KQXI "Quicksie" "bright down the middle" was more contemporary with more originals than covers (Dionne Warwick doing Do You Know The Way To San Jose versus the Ray Conniff Singers). (Became Z-97 later The Eagle)

WBAP was commercial free after headlines on the hour and the :15 line stated you were in the middle of 30 minutes of continuous music. (Became KSCS with a soft country format)

WFAA was noted for saying "Music only for a woman" then one morning they were the Zoo 98 FM KZEW. That morning I got yelled at for changing my parent's clock radio.

KTLC would say TLC for your ears. Later KMEZ but basically the same format.

KFWT (and then or a short time as KFWD) was traditional music with jingles in lieu of liners. At one point they were Quadraphonic and heavily promoted this. No silence between selections. It was really quite impressive to me but I didn't care for my parent's music so I really didn't listen until they went AC/Top 40 as a "FM style delivery" or 3 in a row and back announce. I'd switch the tuner to the station to catch a listen because my parents turned off the TV and turned on the radio for the evening meal.

KEZT was the FM counterpart to KIXL on the AM dial. For a long while after KKDA applied to buy them, they operated 7am to 7pm only.

KOAX was the winner out of all the stations. I much preferred the earlier format as KXXK "Music for Groovy Grown-Ups". My mom liked KXXK a great deal.

To my ears, there was not a great deal of difference in all the stations. All had silence between tunes and all had a vocal, usually a cover, each quarter hour. Only KQXI mostly played originals for vocals. KQXI was more upbeat or bright. KQXI breaks tended not hype the music as much as music just for you that was more akin to non-beautiful music stations and the jocks sounded less stuffy and scripted; more conversational as if speaking personally to the listener. All the other stations sounded scripted and way too formal in my book.

At KFWT/KFWD I think you only heard the board op/DJ twice an hour for the traditional headlines and weather and psa.

"Music for groovy grown ups" 😄 I love it! "Music only for a woman", would never be used these days. And Quadraphonic, I never experienced hearing that. Wasn't that for better sound separation if more than 2 speakers were hooked up to your FM receiver?

What an amazing history that format had.

TomásEstefan · Jan 30, 2022

michael hagerty said:
Sure. At one point in the 70s, L.A. had seven beautifuls—-KOST, KBIG, KJOI, KWST, KLVE, KPOL and XETRA (which was targeting an L.A. audience with a stick 140 miles away).

Ah yes XETRA, before Beautiful Music: "It's 9,000 miles from Los Angeles to Bombay, but the the World is only 1/14 th of a second from Los Angeles via XTRA News!"

semoochie · Jan 30, 2022

KilowattKat said:
"Music for groovy grown ups" 😄 I love it! "Music only for a woman", would never be used these days. And Quadraphonic, I never experienced hearing that. Wasn't that for better sound separation if more than 2 speakers were hooked up to your FM receiver?

What an amazing history that format had.

Think in terms of surround sound. Quad never quite caught on. There were four incompatible systems and the need for finding room to place two extra speakers. On top of that was the matter of choosing a system for FM. The FCC finally did so many years after the concept was basically extinct!

michael hagerty · Jan 30, 2022

KilowattKat said:
Were the 70's the strongest years for the format?

Yes. Three things fueled it.

1. AM middle-of-the-road stations morphed into adult contemporary, which, in the early/mid-70s, was most of what was being played on Top 40. They did it because of a decline in available product (MOR artists were increasingly being dropped by record labels), and to remain in the ”money demo” of 18-49. That blew off traditional listeners over 45, many of whom turned to Beautiful.

2. Availability of FM receivers in cars was increasing—-especially in the cars adults 45 and older at the time aspired to—-Olds, Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Mercury, Lincoln, and the European imports. That expanded Beautiful’s viability in drive times.

3. Ad agencies expanded their idea of a prime money demo from 18-49 to 25-54. Later, they stretched to include 35-64 as a salable target.

That last bought Beautiful twenty years worth of a salable demo. But by the early 90s, it had aged into a 65+ format, and the writing was on the wall.

What Killed Beautiful Music?

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Conniff Surname Meaning & Conniff Family History at Ancestry.com®

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