Beautiful Music returns to Memphis

[passtheword]

A new online beautiful music station, WEZI-DB, aimed for Memphis, TN just signed on today. It is a tribute station for the former WEZI-FM there which aired beautiful music from 1973-1990. Here is the link for the new WEZI:

http://www.weziradio.com

 

[vchimpanzee]

You were getting my hopes up. The target audience doesn't even know what the Internet is.

Elvis? He corrupted our children! Get off my lawn, you hippies!

 

[passtheword]

No surprise there, Chimp, that you didn't care for the music. Seriously...you need an mp3 player or ipod.

I imagine my friend is incorporating Elvis into the playlist partly because of his (Elvis') close association with the Memphis area. I have heard many of Elvis' softer songs (ballads) played on beautiful music radio stations in the past as well as online stations offering the format today. I don't believe most listeners would take issue with Elvis' music being aired within an EZ/BM format.

 

[vchimpanzee]

No surprise there, Chimp, that you didn't care for the music. Seriously...you need an mp3 player or ipod.

I imagine my friend is incorporating Elvis into the playlist partly because of his (Elvis') close association with the Memphis area. I have heard many of Elvis' softer songs (ballads) played on beautiful music radio stations in the past as well as online stations offering the format today. I don't believe most listeners would take issue with Elvis' music being aired within an EZ/BM format.

I was actually trying to point out that the people who would actually like "beautiful music" are in the age group that still thinks Elvis was evil and wouldn't know how to turn on a computer.

They want a radio station!

Where's my teeth?

 

[passtheword]

No surprise there, Chimp, that you didn't care for the music. Seriously...you need an mp3 player or ipod.

I imagine my friend is incorporating Elvis into the playlist partly because of his (Elvis') close association with the Memphis area. I have heard many of Elvis' softer songs (ballads) played on beautiful music radio stations in the past as well as online stations offering the format today. I don't believe most listeners would take issue with Elvis' music being aired within an EZ/BM format.

I was actually trying to point out that the people who would actually like "beautiful music" are in the age group that still thinks Elvis was evil and wouldn't know how to turn on a computer.

They want a radio station!

Where's my teeth?

I wouldn't necessarily agree with the premise that most EZ/BM listeners are so old they are unaware of how to use a computer. I know many people who are in their 70s+ and are able to get around on a computer. My dad, for instance, who is 73, regularly listens to online radio on his computer. It's not as much a matter of how old you are than it is a willingness to learn about computers and how to get around on them. As far as EZ/BM listeners wanting a "radio station" to hear their music (as opposed to listening via an online venue)...I would say that would be ideal, but the reality of it is that this format is no longer viable as far as having a profit potential. Yes, there are a few commercial stations offering the format, but the monetary return from operating such a station is little to nothing. The internet-only stations which exist today operate primarily as a "labors of love" and are done so partially or entirely at their expense. Older EZ/BM listeners understand the format is not coming back to broadcast radio, so they have opted to listen to their music online.

Although I do realize that many EZ/BM listeners are in their upper years, I don't agree with the assessment that the vast majority of EZ/BM listeners are now elderly. Given the format's popularity 30-40 years ago, the EZ/BM listeners would have been in their 30s and 40s at the time...so some of those listeners could be over 80 years of age today. Many of them have passed away. This would be especially true for those listeners who were in their 50s and 60s at the time. The remnant of the EZ/BM listeners today are people who grew up listening to the format at an early age. I am in my mid 40s here and began listening to the music/format at 14 years of age. Likewise, my friend who does WEZI is in his mid 40s as well. I know of two other individuals who program online beautiful music stations who are 30 and 31 years old, respectively. The person who formerly operated Dream Radio is also in his 30s, IIRC. If you visit some of the many XM/Sirius fan pages online you'll find that many of "Escape's" listeners are not older, but younger people...people who are also in their 30s and 40s...sometimes even younger. I have heard from some of my listeners as well who have told me they are in those same age groups I just mentioned. Is there a large percentage of the 25-54 age group listening to EZ/BM? No...but much of the EZ/BM audience today varies widely, as far as age is concerned.

 

[publisher]

I remember WEZI from many trips to Memphis as a child. May be one of the reasons I appreciate the music despite my relative "youth."

Good to hear it is back.

 

[ChrisInMI]

I wouldn't necessarily agree with the premise that most EZ/BM listeners are so old they are unaware of how to use a computer. I know many people who are in their 70s+ and are able to get around on a computer. My dad, for instance, who is 73, regularly listens to online radio on his computer. It's not as much a matter of how old you are than it is a willingness to learn about computers and how to get around on them. As far as EZ/BM listeners wanting a "radio station" to hear their music (as opposed to listening via an online venue)...I would say that would be ideal, but the reality of it is that this format is no longer viable as far as having a profit potential. Yes, there are a few commercial stations offering the format, but the monetary return from operating such a station is little to nothing. The internet-only stations which exist today operate primarily as a "labors of love" and are done so partially or entirely at their expense. Older EZ/BM listeners understand the format is not coming back to broadcast radio, so they have opted to listen to their music online.

Although I do realize that many EZ/BM listeners are in their upper years, I don't agree with the assessment that the vast majority of EZ/BM listeners are now elderly. Given the format's popularity 30-40 years ago, the EZ/BM listeners would have been in their 30s and 40s at the time...so some of those listeners could be over 80 years of age today. Many of them have passed away. This would be especially true for those listeners who were in their 50s and 60s at the time. The remnant of the EZ/BM listeners today are people who grew up listening to the format at an early age. I am in my mid 40s here and began listening to the music/format at 14 years of age. Likewise, my friend who does WEZI is in his mid 40s as well. I know of two other individuals who program online beautiful music stations who are 30 and 31 years old, respectively. The person who formerly operated Dream Radio is also in his 30s, IIRC. If you visit some of the many XM/Sirius fan pages online you'll find that many of "Escape's" listeners are not older, but younger people...people who are also in their 30s and 40s...sometimes even younger. I have heard from some of my listeners as well who have told me they are in those same age groups I just mentioned. Is there a large percentage of the 25-54 age group listening to EZ/BM? No...but much of the EZ/BM audience today varies widely, as far as age is concerned.

I'm another one in the 25-54 age group that enjoys Escape (I'm 33). A friend of mine who also posts on this site and is only a little older than I also has the station on his Sirius/XM presets. Some of us who were exposed to B/EZ stations by our parents when we were kids actually developed a fondness for the music and still seek it out today, especially those of us (like me) who think the term "music" shouldn't apply to 95% of what's played on CHR stations in 2013.

 

[passtheword]

I'm another one in the 25-54 age group that enjoys Escape (I'm 33). A friend of mine who also posts on this site and is only a little older than I also has the station on his Sirius/XM presets. Some of us who were exposed to B/EZ stations by our parents when we were kids actually developed a fondness for the music and still seek it out today, especially those of us (like me) who think the term "music" shouldn't apply to 95% of what's played on CHR stations in 2013.

Yes...that is where I picked up my interest in format...from my dad who would regularly listen to beautiful music radio. I hated it initially, but by the time I was in my mid-teens, I was listening to it, too. btw, I just sent you a message through RadioDiscussions.com. Given how everything with the site has gone awry lately, it may never show up, lol. If you don't receive it, please shoot me an email at my site below. Thanks!

 

[vchimpanzee]

I've enjoyed beautiful music radio since I was a teenager, and even liked it in businesses before that.

A clarification: To me, Elvis can do no wrong. Nevertheless, except for those tech-savvy seniors, and some young people who like me are just different, who belong to a Yahoo group for the music, I expect most people in Memphis would have hoped this was a real radio station. After all, if you can listen online, you can listen to any station.

 

[passtheword]

After all, if you can listen online, you can listen to any station.

No, because not every broadcast station streams because of the costs involved.

A clarification: To me, Elvis can do no wrong. Nevertheless, except for those tech-savvy seniors, and some young people who like me are just different, who belong to a Yahoo group for the music, I expect most people in Memphis would have hoped this was a real radio station.

I don't believe most listeners are concerned about what particular venue they hear their music or whether they consider internet stations as "real radio." My friend has mentioned to several people at his church that he is doing a remake of WEZI. Many of them remember WEZI-FM and have expressed interest in listening to his online station, despite the station being internet-only. If listeners cannot find what they want to listen to on broadcast radio, they will seek out that programming elsewhere. WEZI-FM has been off the air now for 23 years, and listeners there realize that neither WEZI or beautiful music is coming back to Memphis radio. Sometimes listeners even opt to listen to programming sent strictly via the internet than traditional radio. I had one of my listeners send me a very nice email not too long ago. She lives in Rochester, MN and she told me she listens to my online station every day at work. Rochester, MN is the home of longtime EZ/BM station, KNXR. The fact that she is willing to listen to my online station on a daily basis rather than just listen to KNXR, a local FM station in her area..well, words just cannot express it...

 

[vchimpanzee]

After all, if you can listen online, you can listen to any station.

No, because not every broadcast station streams because of the costs involved.

Sorry. I meant any streaming station.

 

[Joe in Prescott]

Beautiful Music returns to Memphis, really? I've listened to the internet stream
and any similarity to Beautiful Music is purely coincidental. I'm not certain
what genre would best reflect what WEZI is offering but it certainly is unlike
any Beautiful Music station I've ever heard, including KAHM FM 102.1 and
KAHM.INFO.

 

[passtheword]

Beautiful Music returns to Memphis, really? I've listened to the internet stream
and any similarity to Beautiful Music is purely coincidental. I'm not certain
what genre would best reflect what WEZI is offering but it certainly is unlike
any Beautiful Music station I've ever heard, including KAHM FM 102.1 and
KAHM.INFO.

What types or pieces of music would you say that you heard on WEZI which you feel wouldn't be considered "beautiful music"? I will admit there are some semi-classical pieces thrown in occasionally with the station, but nothing IMO that would "disqualify" it as being beautiful music. Most of what KAHM offers is beautful music, of course, but from what I've heard, much of their music is what aired on those kinds of stations 30 years ago. Formats evolve over time, so it's safe to assume that most online BM stations you hear today will not sound 100% identical to FM stations which aired the format two or three decades ago. That's a good thing because it gives an opportunity to broaden the base of who will be listening to this format today. Most of the original BM listeners would not take issue with that fact (the format evolving), provided the entire format is not "redesigned from top to bottom".

I do appreciate the music on KAHM, but I was rather disappointed with their "revamp" which took place not too long ago. Their website, KAHM.info, has a much better look and feel to it, but the sound quality of the stream itself is unchanged at 32k mp3. I do try to listen to KAHM, but given the (lacking) sound quality, I just cannot listen for more than 20-30 minutes at a time before the sound begins to wear on my nerves. I suppose their choice of bitrate is what's affordable for them and that's great that they offer a stream. Most of us, however, don't have the privilege of having a beautiful music station in our local area which resides on the FM dial (I am assuming that you listen to KAHM on FM there since your screename is "Joe In Prescott"). It's much easier to tout a low bitrate stream for one of your local stations (to distant listeners) when you're free to hear that same programming in much better quality via FM radio.

 

[Joe in Prescott]

You are correct in that I can and usually do listen to KAHM on F.M.
I have to point out that when I listen online and send the signal to
my Harmon Kardon stereo, the difference between F.M. and online
is really hard to hear. I cannot help but wonder if the online stream
is affected to some degree by the distances involved. Friends in
Australia, who lived here, tell me the online experience is disappointing
at best. As for "Beautiful Music," KAHM has evolved since it signed
on in 1981, I assure you. The music content varies more than in the
past. However, when something evolves beyond a certain point,
it no longer is the same thing it started out as. Case in point, WEZI.

 

[passtheword]

You are correct in that I can and usually do listen to KAHM on F.M.
I have to point out that when I listen online and send the signal to
my Harmon Kardon stereo, the difference between F.M. and online
is really hard to hear. I cannot help but wonder if the online stream
is affected to some degree by the distances involved. Friends in
Australia, who lived here, tell me the online experience is disappointing
at best. As for "Beautiful Music," KAHM has evolved since it signed
on in 1981, I assure you. The music content varies more than in the
past. However, when something evolves beyond a certain point,
it no longer is the same thing it started out as. Case in point, WEZI.

Since you didn't mention any specific types/titles of music WEZI plays that you wouldn't consider "beautiful music", I'm not sure as to how to respond to your assessment of the station. I do know from listening to WEZI that they are offering many of the same types of artists that other classic beautiful music stations aired, such as 101 Strings, Mantovani, Caravelli, Paul Mauriat, Bert Kaempfert, Henry Mancini, Francis Goya, Franck Pourcel, etc etc. Does KAHM not air those same artists? If they do, why would WEZI not be considered a "beautiful music" station? I have listened to probably 25-30 beautiful music stations which stream online, and they all vary to some degree. The fact that each of those stations has a "different sound" doesn't disqualify them as beautiful music stations. Obviously, we all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to music, and I'm sure many of us have different ideas as to what a "beautiful music" format should entail, but that is personal preference. I'm sure that there are some people might not like what I offer on my online station as far as beautiful music goes, and I'm fine with that being the case; I am much more interested in seeing this format preserved. I have been speaking with different people about starting online beautiful music stations across the US, preferably on a local level. One person I spoke with has converted his online BM station with more of a local perspective. WEZI is the 2nd such online outlet to offer a "local" beautiful music station. I am currently discussing the idea with other individuals about doing similar stations...one of whom is in the process of doing so next month; another is seriously considering the idea. As much as I'd like to see the remaining beautiful music FM stations continue forward, the reality of the situation is that in most cases they will not. KAHM and the other remaining commercial stations left which are offering this format could go by the wayside at any time. Owners eventually want to retire (as in the case with KWXY-FM in Palm Springs) or they will pass away. Once those stations fall into other hands, the chance of the BM format being carried forward is unlikely.

 

[Joe in Prescott]

I've listened to WEZI several times, including while I'm writing this. Other than today,
I'd have to call the music "soft sounds" and not Beautiful Music. Today, however,
the music is very pleasant and very familiar. I checked my browser to make certain
the station I had been listening to and are listening to currently are the same. They
are in fact, the same. I cannot speak to why the differences in sound but would agree
that what I'm now hearing is, in fact, very, very Beautiful Music!

 

[Bongwater]

No surprise there, Chimp, that you didn't care for the music. Seriously...you need an mp3 player or ipod.

I imagine my friend is incorporating Elvis into the playlist partly because of his (Elvis') close association with the Memphis area. I have heard many of Elvis' softer songs (ballads) played on beautiful music radio stations in the past as well as online stations offering the format today. I don't believe most listeners would take issue with Elvis' music being aired within an EZ/BM format.

I was actually trying to point out that the people who would actually like "beautiful music" are in the age group that still thinks Elvis was evil and wouldn't know how to turn on a computer.

They want a radio station!

Where's my teeth?

LMFAO!!!!