AAA great "paradisal" locations?

Greetings all:
It's been a while since I've posted or read here. I was drawn in by a thread that I found on google about an old Seattle station from the early 80s called KEZX. They did singer-songwriter, jazz, and some NW acoustic new age. I'm not a radio professional, but I think what they were up to was an early form of AAA.

ANWAY…
I LOVED them, & miss them a lot. I've since downloaded some of the 'soundcheck' files available. For listening these days, someone here turned me on to 91.1 "The Avenue" in Appleton WI. It's GREAT, and is now my new go-to station.

Finally getting to the point, one of the things I love about The Avenue is that it is **from Appleton WI. I'm stuck down here in the hustle & bustle of Chicagoland, and by tuning in I can at least sorta mentally "be there" and not here. Back to KEZX, they were GREAT about tapping into that 'mood' of where they were from. I recall this wonderful female voice cooing, "from the north side of Lake Union." I didn't really know where that was, but it sure sounded great. So, for me, at least PART of the joy of a great AAA station is more than just the programing… it's where they're FROM.

Maybe it's a strange and/or subjective question, but I'll ask it anyway…. does any one have any suggestions of great stations that not only do a wonderful job of AAA programming, but also emanate from some place we'd all rather be????

T.M.

I think KINK and KFOG are some of the best AAA stations out there. However, KINK is the one that I listen to most often (all day), hence my bias.

I'm not really sure that i'm following. I haven't really noticed that a certain station gives you the feel of being in a certain location. However, I do listen to many out of town radio stations because I like the location that they originate from.

fordranger797 said:

I think KINK and KFOG are some of the best AAA stations out there. However, KINK is the one that I listen to most often (all day), hence my bias.

I'm not really sure that i'm following. I haven't really noticed that a certain station gives you the feel of being in a certain location. However, I do listen to many out of town radio stations because I like the location that they originate from.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I think I was probably 'grasping' at a concept...
Going all the way back to KEZX in the 80's there was *something about the on-air 'mood' that they were able to generate. Seattle was a hustling/bustling area of activity, but they seemed to be able to communicate that they were a haven.... an oasis. And their constant invitation was for you the listener to join them in this oasis. Granted, I think that the worst stink-hole of a city **COULD have a radio station that claimed to be an oasis away from the hubbub, but I think KEZX had the added benefit of knowing that the area of the Pacific NW in which they operated was also a picturesque and beautiful area. In other words, they seemed to have a self image that they were not only a 'virtual' oasis...coming to you on the FM dial, they were also a 'physical' oasis. It's as though the 2 ideas went together... as if... were "Rivendell" (of Lord of the Rings) to have a radio station, of course it would be KEZX.
Back to "The Avenue" (WOVM) Appleton WI...
There's something similar going on, but I think it's less intentional on their part. **I get that feel when I listen to them, but it's subjective. I'm down here in Chicago, they're "up there" in God's country. Yet, there are obviously areas of WI that many would consider 'nicer,' more 'picturesque,' more 'paradisal' than the Appleton area. I don't think Appleton sees itself as the apex of paradise for the state. HOWEVER, given that they stream nation/world-wide, they could probably begin to package themselves in more 'oasis' type terms if they so desired.

In the end, I think you make a very good point... you listen to many out of town radio stations because you like the area from which they originate. I think it can **become** something of a self-identity and even a marketing tool for stations that originate in areas that JUST ABOUT EVERYONE WOULD LIKE... to be more conscious about that; to have that sense on-air that they would communicate... 'we know you wish you were here, but listening to us is the next best thing to being here.'