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Three flip format to 'Yacht Rock'

EricStein said:
KAZM is heavy on “Yacht Rock,” but still plays “mellow” ‘70s songs that wouldn’t fit the label.
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I think a major signal would have to expand on the Yacht Rock definition to be more of a "soft rock" type of approach, and it would likely have to have a limited number of currents and recurrents to avoid library burn.

Our frequent poster Buddy Shula from Buffalo just sold his Yacht Rock FM in Key West... perhaps he can give some additional perspective to this as he actually created his format there.
 
CentralFL said:
"Captain's Log Radio" is on WTKS 104.1 in Orlando on Sunday mornings. 100kw on FM. WTKS is Hot Talk weekdays and music overnights and weekends. Last summer (2024) they had Yacht Rock weekends where they played Yacht Rock all weekend long for the season.
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There's a big difference between a couple of hours during garbage time on Sunday mornings and a 24/7 format. I am sure it is challenging to program as David alludes to.
 
Here are the last 10 songs played on KZOT Yacht Rock 1180. Afternoons have a duo hosting, with traffic reports.

Little River Band - Lady
Barbara Streisand w/ Andy Gibb - Guilty
Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are
The Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat
Champaign - How 'Bout Us
Earth, Wind, and Fire - September
Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around And Fell In Love
Exile - Kiss You All Over
Firefall - Strange Way
Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze

I hear winter can be brutal in Omaha, maybe this helps bring some surf and sunshine to listeners.
 
KilowattKat said:
Here are the last 10 songs played on KZOT Yacht Rock 1180. Afternoons have a duo hosting, with traffic reports.

Little River Band - Lady
Barbara Streisand w/ Andy Gibb - Guilty
Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are
The Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat
Champaign - How 'Bout Us
Earth, Wind, and Fire - September
Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around And Fell In Love
Exile - Kiss You All Over
Firefall - Strange Way
Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze

I hear winter can be brutal in Omaha, maybe this helps bring some surf and sunshine to listeners.
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Interesting that they consider "Rock the Boat", feltby many to be the first true radio disco hit, to be "Yacht Rock". The "rock" in "Rock the Boad" indicates swing, not rock 'n' roll.
 
davideduardo said:
Interesting that they consider "Rock the Boat", feltby many to be the first true radio disco hit, to be "Yacht Rock". The "rock" in "Rock the Boad" indicates swing, not rock 'n' roll.
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"Rock" is applied to subgenres that don't contain much actual rock. "Soft rock" in the '70s and '80s was understood to include songs from James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Art Garfunkel, and the like that had little or no percussion and gentle acoustic guitars and/or strings. Similarly, much "country rock" didn't rock at all.

And what do you mean by "rock" indicating "swing" in the song "Rock the Boat."? The song is an extended metaphor, comparing a relationship to navigating the ocean. The singer is telling his lover that they've managed to stay together in smooth or rough "waters," and is warning her about leaving him for another, which would "tip the boat over." I don't see where "swing" comes into the picture. It's a disco song, pure and simple.
 
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A station with a format that contains the word “rock” playing Barbara Streisand? Wow. Maybe she’ll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next!
 
KilowattKat said:
Here are the last 10 songs played on KZOT Yacht Rock 1180. Afternoons have a duo hosting, with traffic reports.

Little River Band - Lady
Barbara Streisand w/ Andy Gibb - Guilty
Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are
The Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat
Champaign - How 'Bout Us
Earth, Wind, and Fire - September
Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around And Fell In Love
Exile - Kiss You All Over
Firefall - Strange Way
Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze

I hear winter can be brutal in Omaha, maybe this helps bring some surf and sunshine to listeners.
Click to expand...
Interesting that they consider "Rock the Boat", felt by many to be the first true radio disco hit, to be "Yacht Rock". The "rock" in "Rock the Boad" indicates swing, not rock 'n' roll.
 
davideduardo said:
Interesting that they consider "Rock the Boat", feltby many to be the first true radio disco hit, to be "Yacht Rock". The "rock" in "Rock the Boad" indicates swing, not rock 'n' roll.
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There's always a bit of crossover. For example, Lowdown by Boz Scaggs probably got a lot of dance floor play, but is definitely certified "Yacht".

And Earth, Wind and Fire, while not an actual disco band (they're more R&B/funk), is pretty popular with the Yacht crowd. Their early stuff was played on freeform FM rock stations.

If you check the "Yachtski Scale", you'll find a few disco tracks.

 
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I love this idea and would totally listen to a Yacht Rock station if one were on the air close to me. It's frustrating that "Classic Hits" has pretty much become "Classic Rock-Lite," that is, classic rock without some of the heavier titles. I like more of the "soft rock" stuff that seems to get pretty much zero airplay these days, regardless of era.
 
AMRadioGuy said:
I love this idea and would totally listen to a Yacht Rock station if one were on the air close to me. It's frustrating that "Classic Hits" has pretty much become "Classic Rock-Lite," that is, classic rock without some of the heavier titles. I like more of the "soft rock" stuff that seems to get pretty much zero airplay these days, regardless of era.
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Yes!! I agree 100 percent. I am glad to hear you say that. I also like soft rock, and I like Yacht Rock. I also don't like the louder rock that dominates the radio dial. The "classic hits" station here in Peoria, IL, 93.3 the Drive, is actually a classic rock station too, which I do not like.
 
I grew up on this stuff (in addition to oldies, folk, classic country and a smattering of other stuff), so I'm glad to see some of it come back, even if only for a time (I wonder how long this format will last?)

I like classic hits fine, but as @AMRadioGuy and @brian marchand note, it's mostly classic rock without some of the heavier stuff, which gets tiresome after awhile.

Nothing like this will ever happen in the SF market, which I've pretty much given up on, so I decided to do it myself instead with my Part 15 station.

As radio goes, having one's own personal station is about as on demand as it can get and still be radio.

c
 
brian marchand said:
Yes!! I agree 100 percent. I am glad to hear you say that. I also like soft rock, and I like Yacht Rock. I also don't like the louder rock that dominates the radio dial. The "classic hits" station here in Peoria, IL, 93.3 the Drive, is actually a classic rock station too, which I do not like.
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cc333 said:
I grew up on this stuff (in addition to oldies, folk, classic country and a smattering of other stuff), so I'm glad to see some of it come back, even if only for a time (I wonder how long this format will last?)

I like classic hits fine, but as @AMRadioGuy and @brian marchand note, it's mostly classic rock without some of the heavier stuff, which gets tiresome after awhile.
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Yowza guys, glad to know I'm not alone and there are other folks here who appreciate this great music:)
 
Now for something completely different....94.3 Dockside Radio WINX. Yacht Rock purists will find a lot of 'nacht' with this one. Very wide and somewhat deep. Here's the last 10 played...

Bon Jovi - Who Says You Can't Go Home
Jimmy Buffett - University Of Bourbon Street
The Young Rascals - Groovin'
R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (acoustic version)
Allman Brothers - Blue Sky
Kenny Chesney - I Go Back
Smash Mouth - Why Can't We Be Friends
Van Morrison - Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)
Jimmy Buffett - Migration
Anita Baker - Sweet Love

Mornings and afternoons are live and local.
 
davideduardo said:
Interesting that they consider "Rock the Boat", felt by many to be the first true radio disco hit, to be "Yacht Rock". The "rock" in "Rock the Boad" indicates swing, not rock 'n' roll.
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The whole genre is dreck that has nothing to do with "rock". It might fit best into the old MOR category with some style restrictions. Keep in mind, "yacht rock" was never a real genre, it was conceived as a running joke for an online comedy web series. I feel that it has run its course, but there's hardly a dead horse that radio doesn't still like to beat.
 
Very wide indeed!

Not only in terms of style, but year-wise, it's a pretty wide spread (1967-2004).

Theater of My Mind said:
The whole genre is dreck that has nothing to do with "rock". It might fit best into the old MOR category with some style restrictions. Keep in mind, "yacht rock" was never a real genre, it was conceived as a running joke for an online comedy web series. I feel that it has run its course, but there's hardly a dead horse that radio doesn't still like to beat.
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Yeah. The "official" radio genre for this stuff (one that isn't based on some Internet meme) is probably either soft rock or some sort of AC, I would think.

c
 
cc333 said:
Very wide indeed!

Not only in terms of style, but year-wise, it's a pretty wide spread (1967-2004).


Yeah. The "official" radio genre for this stuff (one that isn't based on some Internet meme) is probably either soft rock or some sort of AC, I would think.

c
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Yep, Yacht Rock is not a format like AC, Country, CHR, etc. I consider it a flavor of either Classic Hits, AC, or Soft Oldies. It will fall under one of those labels in Nielsen Audio or Eastlan ratings. I doubt we'll be seeing a 'Yacht Rock' label anytime soon.
 
cc333 said:
Yeah. The "official" radio genre for this stuff (one that isn't based on some Internet meme) is probably either
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The "official" genre depends on what descriptors Nielsen offers and which of them each such station picks. A station has to pick from their list, not the other way around.

There are Classic Hits and AC descriptors, but no such thing as "Soft Oldies".
 
I see. This type of music would probably fit into AC (is "soft AC" on Neilsen's descriptor list?) or classic hits, then, for want of something more specific.

c
 


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