I was listening to the radio and a few apps recently, and I came across some softer songs(It helps when the Tigers lose in Cleveland again,but back on topic), It got me to thinking and I wondered; Could Detroit support a Soft AC/Easy Listening/Smooth Jazz hybrid station? Pros: It would take the ball from 105.1 FM, and go a little further. no need for newer music, it would be something that you can't get on the radio these days, and if you like Smooth Jazz and don't have a HD radio, it's probably going to be the only way you hear Jazz on commercial radio for a while, if ever. My craving for a Rhythmic station may not happen, but this at least sounds like it could work. What do you think? replies are welcome.
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We could go Country, or we could go Soft.
- Thread starter Matt8650
- Start date
It depends on whether people would like the format. Not every city can support every format.
Personally, I would appreciate it if we had a soft AC/jazz station around here.
Personally, I would appreciate it if we had a soft AC/jazz station around here.
Matt8650 said:
I certainly hope so. I would love to see a soft station like that on the air in Detroit. Something similar to WFEZ in Miami, smooth AC, or Smooth Jazz, would be perfect. But it should NOT play any current music that you can hear on stations like 95.5, 96.3, 98.7, 100.3, or 105.1.
Matt8650 said:
I don't know why you think Detroit needs another rhythmic station. 95.5, 98.7, 97.9, and 107.5 are plenty - not to mention the rhythmic pop you can hear on 96.3 and 100.3. Please explain why you think Detroit needs more rhythmic! (Unless you're referring strictly to Rhythmic AC.)
Corporate radio wouldn't do it, but it could work as a locally owned station with grassroots community support akin to the former WQRS.
I don't see it happening though much as I'd love to have such a station. I think FM would be out, too crowded. It would have to be an AM to be viable and then you have disadvantaged sound quality.
I don't see it happening though much as I'd love to have such a station. I think FM would be out, too crowded. It would have to be an AM to be viable and then you have disadvantaged sound quality.
umfan, I see your point, but at the same time, 93.1 has plenty of music, and could add more if they decided that they wanted to try the format. Soft AC and Country are the only two formats that Cumulus could try without affecting 96.3's very good ratings. Personally, I think 99.5 has had the market to themselves for too long, so another Country station might not work. As for the Rhythmic station idea, yes 95.5 and 98.7 play elements of that type of music, but at the same time, I still think it would be cool to see someone try an Rhythmic AC/Dance station. I referenced that idea because I don't think it would be done right, or there isn't a company here in Detroit that can do the station right. Clear Channel
see 106.7 The Beat of Detroit), CBS Radio:, there's no reason to do it since AMP has turned it around for now. Cumulus(who did Rhythmic AC better than anyone) 96.3 outclasses 95.5 and 98.7, they aren't messing with that station, although going away from local programming at some point at night(when everyone else is local), can't help. My main point in the post was while a Rhythmic station may never happen, a Soft AC could work, and 105.1 before June showed that it could work. Just a thought.
see 106.7 The Beat of Detroit), CBS Radio:, there's no reason to do it since AMP has turned it around for now. Cumulus(who did Rhythmic AC better than anyone) 96.3 outclasses 95.5 and 98.7, they aren't messing with that station, although going away from local programming at some point at night(when everyone else is local), can't help. My main point in the post was while a Rhythmic station may never happen, a Soft AC could work, and 105.1 before June showed that it could work. Just a thought.umfan said:
Corporate radio has done it. WFEZ and WDUV in Florida are #1 in the overall ratings (although their 25-54 ratings and sales are weak), and both are owned by Cox Communications. Granted, Florida is a totally different arena compared to Detroit (more old people, resulting in higher overall ratings), but still.
CC has "Sunny" on iHeartRadio, and it's actually pretty good.
on the other hand, in the start of the 1980's Detroit had THREE 100k beautiful music stations on the air (WCZY-FM, WJR-FM & WWJ-FM) Plus several soft rock stations (OMC-fm, NIC-fm, CZY-AM ETC). and WCZY-FM was #3 18+ and #1 25-54 women!
Those days are pretty much gone as most of the music was custom made in the U.K. and the suppliers are now gone, but I wonder what would happen if you found that music base again, mixed it up with some contemporary and put a beautiful music/soft a/c jazz on the air with the type of positioning cozy used to put forth.
got a feeling it would shock a lot of people when the numbers came out.
Those days are pretty much gone as most of the music was custom made in the U.K. and the suppliers are now gone, but I wonder what would happen if you found that music base again, mixed it up with some contemporary and put a beautiful music/soft a/c jazz on the air with the type of positioning cozy used to put forth.
got a feeling it would shock a lot of people when the numbers came out.
umfan. Hopefully Doug's improving ratings will prevent them from doing that. As for 106.7, in my humble opinion, Clear Channel has to make the decision to program whatever format they put on 106.7 correctly. If they ever did that, 106.7 would do ok. The signal is great, so that's not the issue. I also think 106.7 The Fox bombing pretty much killed any future attempt for a Country format on 106.7. I think a station gambling on a format like this as opposed to gaining a 2.0 share and getting pummeled by 99.5, or 104.3(for the Oldies crowd who think we need another oldies station) would be interesting. But all in all, as long as it's not another Rock station, I'm cool.
I doubt it! First of all, those 'custom recordings' were nothing but a joke! Why listen to a low-budget, second-rate, talentless remake of a popular song when you can have the original?! Second, there were artists out there who had talent AND original compositions who probably never or rarely got airplay; yet whose style could have been acceptable on a trad-EZ. Would radio be willing to take a chance on these artists today? Third, much of the audience for which EZ and Soft A/C targeted, has either retired or passed on. I doubt you're going to find many 50+ who are willing to listen to a soft music format these days. Remember, those who have hit the half-century mark graduated high school in 1980. Those people, along with those up to about ten or fifteen years older have grown up on rock 'n' roll. While I realize we may 'mellow out' as we get older, I can't see the stale remakes of yore coming back. You'll really have to update the format for today.ruger22com said:
People comment on how WFEZ and WDUV are doing. I wouldn't point to Florida as examples to be followed around the country; for obvious reasons. Even so, both of those stations aren't all that soft. I'll say it again; you want to try a softer format? AM is about your only saving grace! WROW has done respectable with this format in Albany NY.
http://albanymagic.com/
Here's the model I'd recommend for Southeast Michigan. Doubt that any of the big players would have the guts or the passion to do it right:
http://www.kjzy.com/
http://www.kjzy.com/
Good point... "stale remakes" are also a part of what has killed the smooth jazz format around the country. There is exciting and vibrant contemporary jazz music being created, but thanks to Broadcast Architecture's stranglehold on the SJ format very little of it has made it to the radio. I'm afraid WCHB's part-time airing of the BA Smooth Jazz Network is as "easy" as analog Detroit radio is going to get - unless you have an HD radio and can tune in V98.7 HD2 or WNIC-HD2, which is a simulcast of iHeartRadio's Sunny feed.
Not long ago, Detroit did have such a format on AM, and it didn't work. It was 580 CKWW in the period between their "580 Memories" adult standards days and the current oldies format. Listeners of the previous standards format disliked the updated music and abandoned the station in droves, and not enough younger listeners came on board to stop the bleeding. Many people my age (I'm 32) don't even know how to find the AM dial on their car radios. Some might say the station's signal (not to mention AM 560's IBOC hash) was to blame, but the station had fairly good ratings (although all 55+) as 580 Memories. To quote Kathy Bates' character in "Fried Green Tomatoes," it was "too young to be old and too old to be young."
I love WDUV, WFEZ and CKOT-FM in southwestern Ontario and would be thrilled to see a station of that kind in Detroit. I have a real love for that kind of super-soft AC music. But for business reasons I doubt it would ever happen.
With 1310 being handed over to MMTC (?), could this be an opportunity to put a soft music format on the air?
I was listening to the new KWFM (Star 1330) Tucson AZ - which I thought was supposed to be a soft hits format - on line tonight and thought they were intersting...until I heard them play "In A Big Country". UMM...sorry guys but that ain't soft!
I was listening to the new KWFM (Star 1330) Tucson AZ - which I thought was supposed to be a soft hits format - on line tonight and thought they were intersting...until I heard them play "In A Big Country". UMM...sorry guys but that ain't soft!
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