E
EZway2go
Guest
After receiving a new Amazon Kindle Fire for Christmas, the first thing I did with it was to see if I could listen to my favorite radio stations. That's how I discovered an app called iHeartRadio.
Now, I had previously heard of iHeartRadio (who hasn't?), but what I didn't know was its association with Clear Channel. I may have grown just a little suspicious this past November and December while searching the internet on my PC for different stations around the country playing Christmas music because, by far, the vast majority used iHeartRadio as their streaming mechanism. The most notable aspect of this experience was the similarity of the playlists; in fact, hearing the same song on so many different stations at the same time, or within minutes of each other, made it apparently clear I was listening to a huge network with a common thread.
While I haven't found a way (yet) to listen to my "regular" stations - KMGR Manti UT, WGCY Gibson City IL, WEZV Myrtle Beach, KZQX Longview TX, WHLC Highlands NC, KAHM Prescott AZ - since they obviously aren't Clear Channel stations, I was able to download the free iHeartRadio app and its access to over 800 stations. As all of us on here are painfully aware of the scarcity of our favorite format on the dial, I was determined to find something worth listening to by searching the entire iHeartRadio database.
When you open the iHR app on a tablet, you can scroll down a list of states, then cities, to select a station. Each station has its own icon with its moniker and a very brief description to identify its format. iHR also allows you to search for stations by format, but the only category even remotely close to Easy Listening is Soft Rock, which I have found to be nothing short of an oxymoron.
Listed herewith are the results of my search... state by state and city by city. If there's a lesson to be learned here, it's to stay away from any station referring to itself as "Mix," "Variety," or that real head-scratcher, "We Play Anything We Want." Who are they kidding? Based on my sampling, whoever came up with those ditties should go back and consult a dictionary, unless their idea of real variety is playing songs by both male and female artists.
So for those who are interested, this is the softer side of what's available on iHeartRadio...
AM 1230 KOY - Phoenix*
Magic 1340 KTPI - Lancaster CA
KIIX AM 1410 - Fort Collins CO*
AM 1320 & 1450 The Dove - Sarasota FL
600 WMT Cedar Rapids IA (Jim Doyne's Musical Memories - Sundays 2 to 7 PM Central)
KOGA 930 AM - Ogallala NE*
680 AM WINR - Binghamton NY*
*an "America's Best Music" (Dial-Global) affiliate
I'm putting the following three stations in a borderline category. They can definitely be classified as Soft AC in its truest definition. But while you probably will not hear anything by the classic standards artists, you also won't hear any of the "irritants" which ruin most of today's "Soft" AC stations; at least I haven't whenever I've listened. So, until I do hear something offensive, I think it's fair to include them here.
94.5 Lite FM - Dayton OH
101.5 The River - Toledo OH
Mix 98.1 - Eau Claire WI (Alright, we'll forgive them for using "Mix"
)
Now, I had previously heard of iHeartRadio (who hasn't?), but what I didn't know was its association with Clear Channel. I may have grown just a little suspicious this past November and December while searching the internet on my PC for different stations around the country playing Christmas music because, by far, the vast majority used iHeartRadio as their streaming mechanism. The most notable aspect of this experience was the similarity of the playlists; in fact, hearing the same song on so many different stations at the same time, or within minutes of each other, made it apparently clear I was listening to a huge network with a common thread.
While I haven't found a way (yet) to listen to my "regular" stations - KMGR Manti UT, WGCY Gibson City IL, WEZV Myrtle Beach, KZQX Longview TX, WHLC Highlands NC, KAHM Prescott AZ - since they obviously aren't Clear Channel stations, I was able to download the free iHeartRadio app and its access to over 800 stations. As all of us on here are painfully aware of the scarcity of our favorite format on the dial, I was determined to find something worth listening to by searching the entire iHeartRadio database.
When you open the iHR app on a tablet, you can scroll down a list of states, then cities, to select a station. Each station has its own icon with its moniker and a very brief description to identify its format. iHR also allows you to search for stations by format, but the only category even remotely close to Easy Listening is Soft Rock, which I have found to be nothing short of an oxymoron.
Listed herewith are the results of my search... state by state and city by city. If there's a lesson to be learned here, it's to stay away from any station referring to itself as "Mix," "Variety," or that real head-scratcher, "We Play Anything We Want." Who are they kidding? Based on my sampling, whoever came up with those ditties should go back and consult a dictionary, unless their idea of real variety is playing songs by both male and female artists.
So for those who are interested, this is the softer side of what's available on iHeartRadio...
AM 1230 KOY - Phoenix*
Magic 1340 KTPI - Lancaster CA
KIIX AM 1410 - Fort Collins CO*
AM 1320 & 1450 The Dove - Sarasota FL
600 WMT Cedar Rapids IA (Jim Doyne's Musical Memories - Sundays 2 to 7 PM Central)
KOGA 930 AM - Ogallala NE*
680 AM WINR - Binghamton NY*
*an "America's Best Music" (Dial-Global) affiliate
I'm putting the following three stations in a borderline category. They can definitely be classified as Soft AC in its truest definition. But while you probably will not hear anything by the classic standards artists, you also won't hear any of the "irritants" which ruin most of today's "Soft" AC stations; at least I haven't whenever I've listened. So, until I do hear something offensive, I think it's fair to include them here.
94.5 Lite FM - Dayton OH
101.5 The River - Toledo OH
Mix 98.1 - Eau Claire WI (Alright, we'll forgive them for using "Mix"
)