Not many in the over-70 crowd would know how to run online radio stations. I have a friend who runs an adult standards online stream, and he's completely listener-sponsored. He does pretty well.
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Not many in the over-70 crowd would know how to run online radio stations. I have a friend who runs an adult standards online stream, and he's completely listener-sponsored. He does pretty well.
Not only would I love to have such a format here in Dallas, I'd go one step further and say I would love said format to operate from Reunion Tower and using open reel tape machines. That's what KOAX-FM did back in the 1980s...
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I'm in my mid-50's, not a kid but not quite an oldster either (at least I sure hope not...) So I was a teen in the 70's, and I remember easy listening/beautiful music radio. And it was beautiful, and rich-sounding, but it was also soooo snoozy. Nothing remotely upbeat, and DJS who sounded like wannabee hypnotists ("You are getting sleepy...sleepy...") And I wondered even then why there couldn't be up-tempo easy listening radio, with some kind of "fast-board" DJ-ing. Not bellowers like the teen stations, but energetic. Then el/bm radio just sort of disappeared, and it was years before I thought of it again.
The "space age bachelor lounge" fad of a few years ago brought it back to mind. Friends gave me some of the Capitol "Ultra-Lounge" CDS and RCA lounge collections, and I found you could often walk into a thrift store (or even a used-vinyl shop) and walk out with an armload of the original LPS for a few bucks. I've given mixtapes to a few friends and they like 'em (or so they say, anyhow...) So why not upbeat easy listening?
Some of the artists I'm thinking could be part of such a format would include Bert Kaempfert, Bent Fabric, Les Elgart, Herb Alpert, the Baja Marimbas, the Brass Ring, Ray Conniff, Si Zentner, etc. Much of it would have to come from old vinyl in good shape, but it's out there...after all, those were Dad's records.
The "space age bachelor lounge" fad of a few years ago brought it back to mind. Friends gave me some of the Capitol "Ultra-Lounge" CDS and RCA lounge collections, and I found you could often walk into a thrift store (or even a used-vinyl shop) and walk out with an armload of the original LPS for a few bucks. I've given mixtapes to a few friends and they like 'em (or so they say, anyhow...) So why not upbeat easy listening?
Some of the artists I'm thinking could be part of such a format would include Bert Kaempfert, Bent Fabric, Les Elgart, Herb Alpert, the Baja Marimbas, the Brass Ring, Ray Conniff, Si Zentner, etc. Much of it would have to come from old vinyl in good shape, but it's out there...after all, those were Dad's records.
I really do miss the "always quiet and beautiful" radio station because it used to help me sleep at night, but then again if I'm asleep when the main sponsor comes on, what's the point? Right?
The solution to that is to remind the listener that they're listening to something brought to you by a sponsor, I guess.
It sure would be nice to have a live and local easy favorites station in Buffalo NY once again.
The solution to that is to remind the listener that they're listening to something brought to you by a sponsor, I guess.
It sure would be nice to have a live and local easy favorites station in Buffalo NY once again.
Here's a classic memory from Toronto, Ontario. Buffalo could do with a LOCAL station like this, but I gather it would need a more upbeat morning music show to keep ratings up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbeYldXtDbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbeYldXtDbs
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bmcglynn2
Guest
The B/EZ format was a favorite of mine. Running several signals around the area, the thought crossed my mind to put the format on one of our AM properties. Outside of the business case of whether or not it would make sense to do so, one of the challenges you would face would be the material to play.
B/EZ's concept was to orchestrally produce popular music in a subdued manner. In today's world, you would hear Lady Antebellum, One Republic, Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson tunes done in orchestral arrangements mixed with current hits and softer hits.
To get the material, Bonneville and the other syndicators in the heyday of Beautiful Music had a lot of recordings contracted of current pop music. Much of the material was recorded in England by John Fox, Frank Chacksfield, Lex De Azevedo, and others. North of the border, the Canadian Talent Library was produced with great custom material by Peter Appleyard, Ben McPeek, Haygood Hardy, and others.
Some of the best commercially recorded material came from Paul Mauriat and Franck Pourcel. It's all good material, although unfortunately "destinated" with respect to the timeframe.
For people looking to acquire this material, much of it is available on iTunes now or through Starborne.
Despite being an older format, there is still are a lot of passionate fans for it. I had a B/EZ web stream up for 10 years and pulled it down a few years back due to cost. As for a viable radio format, the biggest challenge would be to get customers to buy it.
I think the last attempt at this format on FM in Buffalo was on 107.7 in the early 90s. It was WEZ...somethin'. Only lasted a few months IIRC. Anyone remember more specifically? Who owned it?
I was an AE selling a beautiful music-formatted station in Portland, Maine in 1989. It was a relatively easy sell, believe it or not. I wouldn't want to try to sell this format in 2014.
Nick Seneca
I was an AE selling a beautiful music-formatted station in Portland, Maine in 1989. It was a relatively easy sell, believe it or not. I wouldn't want to try to sell this format in 2014.
Nick Seneca
Here's something I found very interesting about the EZ listening format. From what one of the announcers told me they had lots of lonely female listeners who called the station. Some very attractive young ladies from what he said!
Did any of them ask "Play Misty for me?"
I gather it would need a different format to keep the ratings up.
Yeah, just add some right wing blowhards, that oughta do it...
Not really. Buffalo is in the States. As I've said before, if the ratings are weak, the idea would be a deliberate act to show that it's a station that is not a threat to other sister stations at a time now where it is legal to own up to 60% of a market.
Heck I'd even settle for an FM standards station that airs "Always quiet and beautiful" instrumentals (not classical) late evening well into the early morning hours.
Thanks for the link. As a teen in the 70's I had an intern job filling out music logs at the old CHFI. I think I was a 680 CFTR fan back then though...but remember the beautiful format well. I moved to Maine in the early 80's and used to listen to BM on 95.7 WZID Manchester, NH. I also remember WRHP Syracuse, well.
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Must've been WHOM? Very strong signal reach!
Yes, in fact, it was WHOM. With the tower on Mt. Washington, it covered all of New Hampshire and huge chunks of Maine and Vermont.
From a local sales point of view, however, the coverage wasn't relevant. Local retailers were interested in reaching local customers. Spots, generally, were not priced based on the coverage. They were priced to be competitive in Portland and other local markets within the coverage area.
When cold calling in 'HOM's beautiful music days, I never had to "explain" what I was selling. Nearly everyone I called on knew the station and knew it as the "beautiful music" station...although some knew it somewhat derisively as the "elevator music" station.
Nick Seneca
From a local sales point of view, however, the coverage wasn't relevant. Local retailers were interested in reaching local customers. Spots, generally, were not priced based on the coverage. They were priced to be competitive in Portland and other local markets within the coverage area.
When cold calling in 'HOM's beautiful music days, I never had to "explain" what I was selling. Nearly everyone I called on knew the station and knew it as the "beautiful music" station...although some knew it somewhat derisively as the "elevator music" station.
Nick Seneca
No Problem!
Currently there is a station near Toronto.
Too bad 88.5 FM isn't really a Toronto radio station.
(picks up in random parts of Toronto)
They tend to behave like a CHFI for an older listening base.
They could do with instrumental "elevator music" at night and their current format the rest of the time. ("Lite and refreshing" http://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/CKDX )
Back to Buffalo, I guess Entercom's current format on 107.7 is still more profitable than "Beautiful music", while doing a good job of not competing with other Entercom Buffalo stations.
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The calls were WEZQ, owned by John Casciani according to the 1991 Broadcasting Yearbook, blazing with an ERP of 11.5 kilowatts, just over half of their current 19.5. In the 1993 Yearbook listing the calls have changed to WNUC with a country format.
If you'd like to hear this music, check out these excellent online choices:
americanbeautiful.podbean.com - a beautiful music podcast, of all things!
www.crystalradio.ca - from Canada (obviously)
www.KWXY.com - from Palm Springs. It's an over the air station. Was on AM 1340 and just recently began using an FM translator at 107.3. With the new FM signal, they modified their music to this really fine standards-beautiful music blend.
Nick Seneca
americanbeautiful.podbean.com - a beautiful music podcast, of all things!
www.crystalradio.ca - from Canada (obviously)
www.KWXY.com - from Palm Springs. It's an over the air station. Was on AM 1340 and just recently began using an FM translator at 107.3. With the new FM signal, they modified their music to this really fine standards-beautiful music blend.
Nick Seneca
Not good enough. Something local would be nice. BTW Crystal radio tweaked themselves recently anyway. If you ask me, I say it makes waaaay too much (music) noise.
They should have stayed with the instrumentals for at least 95% of their music base.
It's actually fun reacting to the music saying to yourself "OH...I KNOW that song!!!" then suddenly singing some of the absent lyrics to yourself.
(or not-or simply enjoying the fact that there's no words, knowing that you know how the "hit music without the lyrics" sounds...)
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Lets not forget KAHM FM102.1 and KAHM.Info for beautiful music with
periodic standards for good measure......
periodic standards for good measure......
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