Beautiful Music Radio

[b-turner]

Gregg said: I believe all four stations had live announcers 24/7, unlike BM stations in most markets. WRFM told you most of the song titles and sometimes the artist. WPAT mainly used their announcers for news and weather updates or to say something cheerful but not usually song titles. Was having live announcers the reason these stations had no problem, as far as I know, selling spots?

All stations needed a warm body overseeing the station back then. It wasn't until transmitters could be read and adjusted via a computer screen or phone screen that stations could be unmanned.

Having live announcers was the usual fare for Beautiful Music stations even if it was recorded on cart a few minutes prior by the AM jock in smaller markets.

Live announcers or the perception of live announcers wouldn't make or break a beautiful music station ratings. If anything, how much they talk likely could hurt the station in the ratings.

 

[radiofollower]

There were a few long-time WDBN sponsors I remember: Old Phoenix National Bank, Maibaugh's Furniture in Sterling (south of Seville), The Westfield (Insurance) Company, and Walker Oldsmobile/GMC, which was just around the corner from WDBN's studio located on Gateway Drive

Most of those sound like trade-outs to me.

 

[davideduardo]

Gregg said: I believe all four stations had live announcers 24/7, unlike BM stations in most markets. WRFM told you most of the song titles and sometimes the artist. WPAT mainly used their announcers for news and weather updates or to say something cheerful but not usually song titles. Was having live announcers the reason these stations had no problem, as far as I know, selling spots?

Both Shuke and Bonneville wanted live announcers in the top 25 or so markets. Shulke was stricter about this, though.

All stations needed a warm body overseeing the station back then. It wasn't until transmitters could be read and adjusted via a computer screen or phone screen that stations could be unmanned.

But very often one person did both an AM and FM. Or the AM jock did the readings and changed the tapes for the FM.

Having live announcers was the usual fare for Beautiful Music stations even if it was recorded on cart a few minutes prior by the AM jock in smaller markets.

In smaller and medium markets, many of the syndicators provided tracks for end and start of segments and for the top of the hour ID.

Live announcers or the perception of live announcers wouldn't make or break a beautiful music station ratings. If anything, how much they talk likely could hurt the station in the ratings.

All the major syndicators provided the copy to be read for every break. There was no improvisation a station did not follow the "operations manual". I have seen manuals for about 6 of the syndicators and also written the one for my syndication company and all local "buffers" around stops were tightly scripted. The freedom was limited to things like extreme weather and the like.

 

[radiofollower]

At the time, FM usage wasn't very high. Beautiful music was easy because it could be automated, and the AM rock jock could periodically change the reels or rotate the carts.

Yes. Some stations were serious about the format (WDBN, and the NY stations WTFM and WRFM for example), but often AM/FM clusters or AM/FM/TV clusters put an automated BM format on their FM. Two reasons: It was cheap to do. Plus, it was a safe way to do something with the FM that added a certain "dignity" to the whole cluster and was not initially designed as a major money maker.

 

[davideduardo]

Ratings were always great for Beautiful Music but advertiser response was not that good.

It was an easy sell in most markets during the 70's and early 80's, with all 8 minutes perpetually sold out.

 

[davideduardo]

Yes. Some stations were serious about the format (WDBN, and the NY stations WTFM and WRFM for example), but often AM/FM clusters or AM/FM/TV clusters put an automated BM format on their FM. Two reasons: It was cheap to do. Plus, it was a safe way to do something with the FM that added a certain "dignity" to the whole cluster and did not make waves.

It was also a way to get as high as #1 in markets with just one Beautiful Music format. The stations all limited ads to 8 units an hour, two per stopset. In almost every case, and well into the 80's, they were sold out and high in ratings.

When the format was "alive" there were no "clusters". The format died towards the end of the 80's but well before consolidation.

I had a Beautiful Music station in Quito, Ecuador in 1966. It was the first FM in the country and in all northern South America. By its second year it was sold out 24/7 and had higher rates than any of my four top rated AM stations. It was, in fact, #2 in upper income and top 5 in middle income and fabulously profitable.

 

[davideduardo]

Most of those sound like trade-outs to me.

WDBN did very well... those were likely not trades at all.

 

[radiofan2023]

This is a good website about WDBN:

MEDINA'S RADIO STATION

Medina County District Library Medina County Ohio genealogy local history blog

mcdlgenealogyspot.blogspot.com

 

[K.M. Richards]

There were a few long-time WDBN sponsors I remember: Old Phoenix National Bank, Maibaugh's Furniture in Sterling (south of Seville), The Westfield (Insurance) Company, and Walker Oldsmobile/GMC, which was just around the corner from WDBN's studio located on Gateway Drive.

Most of those sound like trade-outs to me.

No, those were very likely actual ad buys. Those sound exactly like the clients we used to air on the station I worked for briefly in 1977-78. Those types of businesses -- banks, furniture stores, insurance, car dealers -- were aiming for an older audience with plenty of $$$. The bank wanted those dollars in their accounts, the furniture stores wanted the replacement living room furnishings business (which meant homeowners most of the time), insurance brokers wanted to sell life insurance, and that car dealer was getting the older demos into brand new Oldsmobile luxury cars.

 

[Yabadabado1]

As a viable format, I don't think it'd make money today. But I have noticed recently that a few stores I've been in lately, mostly high-falutin' ones but quite a few others [mostly non-corporate ones] have been playing what could be considered Beautiful Music/incredibly easy listening music [I mean, take your soft rock and ten times it, THAT'S how easy listening it is]. Whether they're doing it to keep out "undesirables"-rowdy teens, hillbillies pulling up on the family horse, etc-I don't know, but I sorta enjoy going into a store and hearing that music.....takes me back to when I was a kid in the 60s and listening to WWBA every once in a while as well as WDBN, WAEZ, etc. when I moved north in the 70s.

 

[gr8oldies]

Both Shuke and Bonneville wanted live announcers in the top 25 or so markets. Shulke was stricter about this, though.

But very often one person did both an AM and FM. Or the AM jock did the readings and changed the tapes for the FM.

In smaller and medium markets, many of the syndicators provided tracks for end and start of segments and for the top of the hour ID.

All the major syndicators provided the copy to be read for every break. There was no improvisation a station did not follow the "operations manual". I have seen manuals for about 6 of the syndicators and also written the one for my syndication company and all local "buffers" around stops were tightly scripted. The freedom was limited to things like extreme weather and the like.

From the dark recesses of my mind, (since we had a thread about Broadcasting and Cable), I remember an ad for a Beautiful Music station advertising for an announcer: "Mic open one minute in 60 so you must be perfect".