I work for a station that uses the ABC AC format, and I think they do a very good job. I've heard the Jones and Dial-Global formats...someone should tell their PDs that AC listeners
do have a pulse (even if the announcers on those two don't seem to).
But, as many have said already, you can't just turn on the feed and not do anything at all on your end to make it work. At our station, we're thankful to have the equipment we need to make it work right. We send in new liners quarterly with local content to help keep things fresh. My rule of thumb is three syllables per second, and more often than not, the liners run as long as they should.
It sounds like the person who started this thread was listening to an ABC AC afilliate that's not taking pride enough in their station to make it sound the best they can. Just don't tar all of us with the same brush.