New traditional Soft AC?

[passtheword]

WQEZ-97.7 in Cheboygan, MI - not streaming as of yet (that I could find), but from what I've read online as far as the station name (Easy 97.7), description, and artists played...sounds like this could be traditional soft AC.

http://mibuzzboard.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=34380

 

[ChrisInMI]

And now Dial Global Standards affiliate WMBN 1340 Petoskey has flipped to Sports in simulcast with an FM sister station in Cadillac (quite a ways south) which used to be Oldies. In light of that, the new Easy 97.7 should hopefully find a ready audience. It should also appeal to the disgruntled listeners of former Standards-turned-Classic-Country 1240 WCBY.

The station signed on in November stunting with Christmas music as "Santa 97-7."

 

[ChrisInMI]

Well, I was in the area over the weekend and got a chance to listen to this station at length. It sounds younger than WDUV but not quite as young as Easy 93.1 in Miami if that makes any sense. Imagine what a soft AC station would have played in the early '90s and inject a few recent AC hits, and that's what this station sounds like. The owner has said that WDUV was an inspiration for this new station.

Some artists I heard played included Neil Diamond, Elton John, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply, Elvis, plenty of softer Beatles cuts, Carpenters, the Hollies, and Carole King.

As far as recent hits or songs from the past decade, nothing more uptempo than Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" (which in an interesting segue, was followed by "You Light Up My Life") or Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," and they restrict it to one song an hour. Green Day's "Time of Your Life" and Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow's "Picture" were a bit of a surprise, but Kid Rock I guess I can forgive since he is a Michigan artist.

As far as the station sound goes, it's pretty much 100% automated, and the way it's automated reminds me a lot of the syndicated formats of the '70s and early '80s. Pre-recorded liners, a handful of jingles which seem to be the same package Easy 101 in Ontario uses, one weather forecast an hour which is updated a few times a day. One thing I didn't hear was any local spots, which I hope is not indicative of the long-term prospects for this station, or it won't last, and that would be a shame because I really like the format.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Well, I was in the area over the weekend and got a chance to listen to this station at length. It sounds younger than WDUV but not quite as young as Easy 93.1 in Miami if that makes any sense. Imagine what a soft AC station would have played in the early '90s and inject a few recent AC hits, and that's what this station sounds like. The owner has said that WDUV was an inspiration for this new station.

Some artists I heard played included Neil Diamond, Elton John, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply, Elvis, plenty of softer Beatles cuts, Carpenters, the Hollies, and Carole King.

As far as recent hits or songs from the past decade, nothing more uptempo than Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" (which in an interesting segue, was followed by "You Light Up My Life") or Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," and they restrict it to one song an hour. Green Day's "Time of Your Life" and Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow's "Picture" were a bit of a surprise, but Kid Rock I guess I can forgive since he is a Michigan artist.

As far as the station sound goes, it's pretty much 100% automated, and the way it's automated reminds me a lot of the syndicated formats of the '70s and early '80s. Pre-recorded liners, a handful of jingles which seem to be the same package Easy 101 in Ontario uses, one weather forecast an hour which is updated a few times a day. One thing I didn't hear was any local spots, which I hope is not indicative of the long-term prospects for this station, or it won't last, and that would be a shame because I really like the format.

Junk.

You had me interested for the first two paragraphs. But when you start letting in the mess that I'm trying to avoid, what you end up with is a station I'd have to switch away from constantly.

 

[passtheword]

Well, I was in the area over the weekend and got a chance to listen to this station at length. It sounds younger than WDUV but not quite as young as Easy 93.1 in Miami if that makes any sense. Imagine what a soft AC station would have played in the early '90s and inject a few recent AC hits, and that's what this station sounds like. The owner has said that WDUV was an inspiration for this new station.

Some artists I heard played included Neil Diamond, Elton John, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply, Elvis, plenty of softer Beatles cuts, Carpenters, the Hollies, and Carole King.

As far as recent hits or songs from the past decade, nothing more uptempo than Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" (which in an interesting segue, was followed by "You Light Up My Life") or Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," and they restrict it to one song an hour. Green Day's "Time of Your Life" and Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow's "Picture" were a bit of a surprise, but Kid Rock I guess I can forgive since he is a Michigan artist.

As far as the station sound goes, it's pretty much 100% automated, and the way it's automated reminds me a lot of the syndicated formats of the '70s and early '80s. Pre-recorded liners, a handful of jingles which seem to be the same package Easy 101 in Ontario uses, one weather forecast an hour which is updated a few times a day. One thing I didn't hear was any local spots, which I hope is not indicative of the long-term prospects for this station, or it won't last, and that would be a shame because I really like the format.

Junk.

You had me interested for the first two paragraphs. But when you start letting in the mess that I'm trying to avoid, what you end up with is a station I'd have to switch away from constantly.

I'm not really familiar with the last song that was mentioned (the one by Kid Rock)...but the format doesn't sound too bad, all in all. One or two "softer" AC hits incorporated per hour sounds very reminiscent of what the soft AC stations offered 25 years ago...primarily airing older based material with very few currents in the mix. I can recall our soft AC station here during the mid to late 80's only playing two current tracks per hour, and they were usually spaced apart fairly well. Charleston's WIOP "Lite 95.9" takes this sort of approach with dropping in a few current hits per hour, and I prefer it that way, as the "format formula" sounds more in tune with what the original soft AC stations used years ago. The inclusion of current hits also keeps the format from becoming stale and allows listeners to be exposed to some newer music they might not otherwise hear.

Again, Chimp...it's not an adult standards format, which is why most adult standards listeners, like yourself, wouldn't prefer this format. As far as it being "junk"...that is all in "the ears of the beholder".

 

[vchimpanzee]

Well, I was in the area over the weekend and got a chance to listen to this station at length. It sounds younger than WDUV but not quite as young as Easy 93.1 in Miami if that makes any sense. Imagine what a soft AC station would have played in the early '90s and inject a few recent AC hits, and that's what this station sounds like. The owner has said that WDUV was an inspiration for this new station.

Some artists I heard played included Neil Diamond, Elton John, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply, Elvis, plenty of softer Beatles cuts, Carpenters, the Hollies, and Carole King.

As far as recent hits or songs from the past decade, nothing more uptempo than Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" (which in an interesting segue, was followed by "You Light Up My Life") or Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," and they restrict it to one song an hour. Green Day's "Time of Your Life" and Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow's "Picture" were a bit of a surprise, but Kid Rock I guess I can forgive since he is a Michigan artist.

As far as the station sound goes, it's pretty much 100% automated, and the way it's automated reminds me a lot of the syndicated formats of the '70s and early '80s. Pre-recorded liners, a handful of jingles which seem to be the same package Easy 101 in Ontario uses, one weather forecast an hour which is updated a few times a day. One thing I didn't hear was any local spots, which I hope is not indicative of the long-term prospects for this station, or it won't last, and that would be a shame because I really like the format.

Junk.

You had me interested for the first two paragraphs. But when you start letting in the mess that I'm trying to avoid, what you end up with is a station I'd have to switch away from constantly.

I'm not really familiar with the last song that was mentioned (the one by Kid Rock)...but the format doesn't sound too bad, all in all. One or two "softer" AC hits incorporated per hour sounds very reminiscent of what the soft AC stations offered 25 years ago...primarily airing older based material with very few currents in the mix. I can recall our soft AC station here during the mid to late 80's only playing two current tracks per hour, and they were usually spaced apart fairly well. Charleston's WIOP "Lite 95.9" takes this sort of approach with dropping in a few current hits per hour, and I prefer it that way, as the "format formula" sounds more in tune with what the original soft AC stations used years ago. The inclusion of current hits also keeps the format from becoming stale and allows listeners to be exposed to some newer music they might not otherwise hear.

Again, Chimp...it's not an adult standards format, which is why most adult standards listeners, like yourself, wouldn't prefer this format. As far as it being "junk"...that is all in "the ears of the beholder".

Right, but I don't like the idea of this becoming a trend. This sort of format is only allowed if it doesn't REPLACE adult standards.

Green Day and Kid Rock I will NOT forgive, and probably not Sheryl Crow either, though I would like to hear her steel guitar player from "All I Wanna Do" with a better vocalist.

 

[ChrisInMI]

To be honest I'd rather have the Dial Global Standards format on an FM station, but I look at it this way: it's better, for me at least, to have some of the traditional Soft AC music on the air than none at all. And with WMBN in Petoskey gone, the only other station in that area playing any of that music is a tiny 750-watt graveyarder station (a DG affiliate) which doesn't hardly reach my vacation home at all. For those moments when 97.7 plays Kid Rock or something else I don't like, there's always the Interlochen classical station, I suppose.

 

[Tim]

As with any format...music or talk: the station ownership's goal/target is the general public....not us, much more intense fans/hobbyists of music and radio.

Obviously some stations formulas succeed, some don't.

Radio/music fans like us pay far, far, far more attention to music & formatics than 99% of the population, who just have the radio pretty much as background...a tiny part of their everyday lives.

After a 40+ year career in broadcasting, my tastes in music are so illogically diverse, no profitable radio station could ever totally please me. That's why MP3 players are perfect for us.