• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Comprehensive List Of Stations Still Airing the Soft AC/Easy Listening Format?

Chad-Stevens said:
This is an unidentified reel-to-reel recording posted to YT that I've ID'ed as WDBN Medina, Ohio from January 29, 1975. What's most fascinating to me is that all the songs are backsold. Most vintage EZL/BM airchecks and surviving stations are simply jukeboxes. Did many stations do this sort of backselling of the songs?
Click to expand...
In the 60's, backselling of either the set or the song was common. Once Shulke and Bonneville dominated the genre by the very early 70's, the backsell was eliminated or reduced.

The first Beautiful Music station I owned went on the air in 1966. We never did backsells. Too much talk, and we depended on in-store and restaurant listening for promote the brand and the band (first FM in the market). I ran the format in the 70's in several places, and never backsold. I syndicated the format for much of the 80's and our stations... over 80 at one point... did not backsell..
 
For those wondering and looking for something consistent...I have found WNAM out of Wisconsin to be the best remaining station....it's 99.5% music, they have one or two public service shows on the weekend, and a Sunday morning church service. Other than that, it's straight ABM music. They do also broadcast single-A baseball in the evenings between April and August, But I can live with that. ABC news at the top of the hour...no DJ's...No "swap shop" just the great soft AC/Standards I love. It's very similar to stations I used to listen to that have since folded or flipped like WDEA...KCEE...KAAM and WJAS.
 
DavidEduardo said:
In the 60's, backselling of either the set or the song was common. Once Shulke and Bonneville dominated the genre by the very early 70's, the backsell was eliminated or reduced.

The first Beautiful Music station I owned went on the air in 1966. We never did backsells. Too much talk, and we depended on in-store and restaurant listening for promote the brand and the band (first FM in the market). I ran the format in the 70's in several places, and never backsold. I syndicated the format for much of the 80's and our stations... over 80 at one point... did not backsell..
Click to expand...
I remember WCGY Lawrence, MA, (Boston rimshot) running a canned format of softer CHR back in the mid-'70s that would follow every other song with an announcement that would go: "That was Jim Croce and 'Time in a Bottle,' and before that, Billy Swan, 'I Can Help.' " I believe that was a Schulke (sp.?) format that was still backselling.
 
meteorob said:
For those wondering and looking for something consistent...I have found WNAM out of Wisconsin to be the best remaining station....it's 99.5% music, they have one or two public service shows on the weekend, and a Sunday morning church service. Other than that, it's straight ABM music. They do also broadcast single-A baseball in the evenings between April and August, But I can live with that. ABC news at the top of the hour...no DJ's...No "swap shop" just the great soft AC/Standards I love. It's very similar to stations I used to listen to that have since folded or flipped like WDEA...KCEE...KAAM and WJAS.
Click to expand...
They must have cut back on baseball because I remember frequent interruptions.

But once I discovered other stations airing actual standards, I quit listening.
 
meteorob said:
For those wondering and looking for something consistent...I have found WNAM out of Wisconsin to be the best remaining station....it's 99.5% music, they have one or two public service shows on the weekend, and a Sunday morning church service. Other than that, it's straight ABM music. They do also broadcast single-A baseball in the evenings between April and August, But I can live with that. ABC news at the top of the hour...no DJ's...No "swap shop" just the great soft AC/Standards I love. It's very similar to stations I used to listen to that have since folded or flipped like WDEA...KCEE...KAAM and WJAS.
Click to expand...
WNAM has alot of commercial breaks, hourly news, and now baseball with their play by play of that minor league team. It's less than your estimate of 99.5% music, that's for sure.
 
crainbebo said:
KMGK Glenwood MN (107.1) excellent station with 1950s-2010ish music, lots of rarities and oh wow's, even album cuts - also a couple of TV themes an hour, occasional smooth jazz or new age cuts. 2,000+ songs and I assume more than that, in the playlist. Minnesota Twins affiliate, also airs lots of HS sports, old-time radio each night.

WEVR River Falls WI (1550 AM, 106.3 FM) simulcasting each other for the last 50 years or so. Soft AC format mostly 1960s-1990s, with occasional B/EZ cuts. A two-person operation - a female during the afternoons and a male (I think his name is TJ Campbell) with live weather updates. They always cut off the last song around :58:30 at the hour for the TOH ID, a Freeman Drug commercial, and into USA Network News. This station is a time warp to about 1990, or even earlier. Listening to it makes me think I'm in a past dimension of radio that shouldn't exist anymore. Brewers affiliate.
There's a KiwiSDR near Minneapolis that pulls in 1550, so I have monitored the WEVR broadcasts through the AM simulcast.
Click to expand...
Sadly WEVR is no more
 
meteorob said:
The adult standards format that Local Radio Networks had was very good...lots of Sinatra, deep Nat King Cole tracks, Steve and Eydie, the soft 60s stuff like Gerry & the Pacemakers as well as 70s-today standards. The DJ's were ok but the programming was fantastic. I work mornings so driving to work at 2:30 in the morning and hearing "Around the world" by Nat King Cole or "Dedicated to the one I love" by the Mamas and the Papas was perfect...nice and mellow.

My question to the group is this...I was a big listener online to WDEA...before that it was KCEE...KAAM and WJAS...all of those have now fallen by the wayside...what stations do you know of that are like these?...all music...streaming with little to no other programming other than the music 24/7...bonus if the station has top of the hour news. I've checked out some of the stations in the previous pages, but it's just not what I'm looking for

Not interested in classic hits or anything like that...just a true Standards/nostalgia format. I've heard that WERT is good but their stream does not appear to be working.

Like many of you, I'm also surprised Sirius does not have this type of format anywhere on their platform. I wish I could get a copy of the playlist for the Adult Standards from Local Radio Networks and just make my own playlist.
Click to expand...
I, like you, are looking for a similar station. That’s what brought me to this forum today. I used to listen to Humbolt 101 who played what you mentioned but the owner recently past away. They had great weekend programming too where they played special one hour segments of big band, lounge, broadway music . I like 50’s,60’s,70’s music that is not overplayed and your typical hits from those eras. I look for stations that play Beautiful Music, exotica, countrypolitan, jazz, some big band. These are the stations that I found so far that I find tolerable.

KYMM (this station would be so much better if it was well curated. You get blocks of good music then you get blocks of whatever).

KABL ( I discovered this station here. It’s not bad. It isn’t great either)

WSBB (this station is a good runner up to KYMM or better)

WEMP ( this station would be so good if they play a majority of 50’s & 60’s music)

KMGK & WJEJ I’m still testing out. I don’t think they are keepers.
 
Last edited:
Oh no! Did they take both the AM and FM silent?
I'm very happy to say that I have a bunch of airchecks of the 1550 from those Minneapolis-area SDRs.
 
Here's another nice sounding Soft AC from out of Eureka CA (my favorite radio market).

KWSW 980/95.5 Eureka CA EZ 95.5

Home Page - EZ 980

Easy Listening! "The Songs You Know and Love!" Now streaming! Click to listen Get Local Election Results From the County of Humboldt HERE Listen to the Raiders and Golden State Warriors Games on EZ Radio! Hear Raiders Football on EZ 95.5! Home for the NBA Champion Warriors EZ 95.5! *Please note...
kwsw980.com kwsw980.com
 
cc333 said:
Stations that I know of that play some mixture of Easy Listening, Soft AC or Standards:
  • WHLC 104.5 Highlands, NC (they air a beautiful music-like format with some Soft AC and a ton of ads)
  • KAHM 102.1 Prescott, AZ (similar to WHLC, but with a somewhat more traditional EZ Listening playlist).
  • WJEJ AM 1240 Hagerstown, MD (probably one of the few MOR stations that still exists more or less in its original form, with a bit of everything ranging from oldies and classic rock 'n roll (like, really old stuff from the 50s) to AC and even some classical).
  • WERT AM 1220 Van Wert, OH
  • WEMP Two Rivers, WI (kind of like KAHM and WHLC, but more AC-leaning, with some oldies)
Any others? Internet-only streams don't count.

c
Click to expand...
There’s KYMM also. They play oldies, American Standards, Countrypolitan, beautiful music, etc.
 
If this one has already been mentioned, I apologize. But it is worth a 2nd mention, since they self describe as Easy Listening/Soft AC. That sounds exactly what the OP was looking for, when this thread was started. Nice playlist.

KMGR-FM Nephi, UT Classy 102.7/99.1 FM

radio.securenetsystems.net

KMGR

Listen to our station on your computer or mobile device!
radio.securenetsystems.net radio.securenetsystems.net
 
Noted WEVR-AM on the air using the Minneapolis KiwiSDR this afternoon, with Richard Marx and Lovin' Spoonful, as well as other gold/soft AC songs. It's still alive!
 


Back
Top Bottom