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Travel Notes

B

BlueHen

Just a few quick observations from a recent trip to Williamsburg - Myrtle Beach - Gatlinburg (my annual "WMBG" loop)...

540 in Pocomoke MD was Timeless Favorites. I believe it used to be Dial Global.

740 in Williamsburg (WMBG) was Dial Global once again with some local programming. They were Dial Global (Westwood One) around 5 years ago, then switched to Music of Your Life.

No real change noticed on WEZV 105.9 in Myrtle Beach. They were all-Christmas for Thanksgiving weekend. As much a fan of Christmas music as I am, I find today's all-Christmas formats (usually found on AC or soft rock stations) virtually unlistenable for any extended periods. No such problem with WEZV... the music selection contained a nice dose of very palatable songs long ignored, such as Mitch Miller's "Must Be Santa." When regular programming resumed during the week, I didn't notice any of those instrumentals from a few years ago which I thought they were reverting back to. Instead, they continue to be straight Soft AC, but I enjoy the presentation of their weekday lineup with Jim Morgan, Kelli Dixon, and Scott Richards.

Discovered a true easy listening station originating from Highlands NC - 104.5 WHLC. Beautiful music instrumentals with some standards, MOR, and Soft AC hits. Local and very listenable. It's a shame they don't steam... this would probably be my choice for workday listening in the office.

Gone, of course, from the Pigeon Forge - Gatlinburg area is the old WOEZ on 88.3, which is now contemporary Christian. EZ88's handling of the all-Christmas format is sorely missed. Had to settle on 1040 from Knoxville... Dial Global, but the signal was rather spotty driving through the hills.

1240 in Hagerstown MD - heard a live broadcast from a local marketplace with nice old-time Christmas songs.
 
I'm glad to hear Knoxville has something. I was hearing on their board that the station was running a variety of programming and they may, in fact, be doing that.

WEZV is not soft AC, although a newspaper article I read online said they were (I emailed the reorter and he said he got that from Arbitron; nevertheless, we need consistent format designations based on what is played). WYEZ was soft AC and is now Movin'. But WEZV sounds very close to Dial Global, which is standards or at least called that. You have to admit Dial Global's is more of a standards format than Timeless Favorites.

Where do you go in between Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg?
 
vchimpanzee said:
I'm glad to hear Knoxville has something. I was hearing on their board that the station was running a variety of programming and they may, in fact, be doing that.
Click to expand...

WKTI (formerly WQBB) Studio 1040 in Knoxville does have a brokered program during middays for about 2 hours, but the rest of the time it's all Dial Global.
 
vchimpanzee said:
Where do you go in between Myrtle Beach and Gatlinburg?
Click to expand...

This time straight through in one day - out to Columbia, up to Clemson, Cherokee NC.

vchimpanzee said:
WEZV is not soft AC, although a newspaper article I read online said they were (I emailed the reorter and he said he got that from Arbitron; nevertheless, we need consistent format designations based on what is played). WYEZ was soft AC and is now Movin'. But WEZV sounds very close to Dial Global, which is standards or at least called that. You have to admit Dial Global's is more of a standards format than Timeless Favorites.
Click to expand...

Now my thoughts on labels. I agree WEZV is very close to Dial Global, but I don't consider this a Standards format. Call it what you will... Standards is a blanket term used by the industry. Sure, you're likely to hear some of the great standards now and then, but Soft AC is more descriptive - and appropriate - for the easy listening pop hits from the '60s through the '80s, which make up the majority of the playlist. A Standards station to me would be something like Chuck's station (KZQX), or am1340what.com, or AM740 in Toronto on certain nights.
 
Well, it sounds like what Dial Global calls standards. That's why I say it.

But you said yourself it's easy listening. Which a lot of stations are using to describe a vocal-based format now. I don't like the term AC at all, partly because there's very little AC there. Which is the way I like it.

Yes 94.5 was soft AC. Did you ever hear that?

If you went by way of Columbia and Clemson, you should have been able to hear WCAM on 1590 and WHLC on 104.5. And, of course, the extremely traditional and sometimes Christian WMUU at 94.5.
 
Another solution for those who think standards should sound like KZQX can be found on Wikipedia. I went through and corrected every incorrect article about a Dial Global affiliate which had a link from the article on the format. I didn't feel their formats should be identified as "middle of the road", which is what the piped link went to. "Adult standards/MOR" would have been correct as long as the link was to standards, and given your opinion, maybe it would be better to identify the format as that in the article, but with a piped link to adult standards. I just felt that while timeless Favorites has gone the other way, Dial Global has moved more traditional. I felt the middle of the road lin referred to the format used from 2001 to 2006.

Conversely, I corrected Timeless Favorites articles. I made sure none had "adult standards" by itself as a format, or even a piped link unless it went to "middle of the road". Some stations had "adult standards/oldies" which was fine. I forget how I handled the links there.
 
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