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The next translator?

passtheword

passtheword

Star Participant
I saw the update on recnet for W293CM licensed to Graysville, with an app to move to 99 watts...just west of Red Mountain. Actually, the app was filed about a month ago, but I just came across it today. The rebroadcast station is listed as WQEN, an HD channel, obviously. Here's the coverage area of the proposed facilities:

http://cdbs.recnet.net:8080/fmq.php?appid=1642075&facid=156380
 
tomservo said:
Haven't they run out of formats yet, or will this be the all-polkas station I've always wished for?
Click to expand...

Since this was filed by E.M.F. broadcasting you would think this would be to bring Air 1 to Birmingham since K Love is already there, however I looked into this and this looks like it will be broadcasting a sub-channel of WEZZ not WQEN so this should be a Summitmedia format and not E.M.F'S Air 1 format. This isn't the only translator though interestingly WAY-FM has a construction permit for 106.3 with 250 watts in Warrior translating WBHJ 95.7 HD 2 http://cdbs.recnet:8080/fmq.php?fac...city=&state=&country=US&arn=&party_type=LICEN and 106.5 in Birmingham would be on the adjacent channel.
 
tomservo said:
Haven't they run out of formats yet, or will this be the all-polkas station I've always wished for?
Click to expand...
Nah...don't you know..it'll be a 4th country station in town. ;) lolol

btw, here's another one I found...application, that is, that just came through a couple of days ago. This one is for W261BX at 100.1. It's on Red Mountain too. Rebroadcast station is listed as WZZK-FM.

http://cdbs.recnet.net:8080/fmq.php?facid=150818
 
Here's an idea I have. See if you could set up a broadcast on one of those new translators, Mr. Passtheword. After all, your musical format would be something different, fresh and exciting for Birmingham.

Dan <><
 
Pass, Your QEZ format would be great on one. IF BMR can do it, so can you. Also, a Big Band format would be great. OK, I'm old.
 
I'll add my name to the chorus. The QEZ format would probably do nicely on a well-targeted translator. I thought that's what Easy 97.3 was going to be, considering the name, but everything I've heard about it just says "sleepy AC". I gave it a brief listen last time I was in the big ol' salty Ham and all I heard was commercials both times I tuned in.

The 106.5 translator app is now a CP. Same directional antenna style as 94.9. I have a feeling this one may be on the air sooner rather than later.
 
That's really kind of y'all about the translator idea. I really appreciate it! bpres, that's interesting you mention BMR and the possibility of QEZ moving to a translator because that was actually mentioned by one of my listeners on the station's Facebook page. Ironically, it was the 107.3 translator that was specifically mentioned...this was before BMR landed there.

Tomservo (or is it "Zach"....which do you wanna go by?), lol...nah, "Easy 97.3" and WQEZ are both considered "easy listening" stations, although QEZ is instrumental easy listening, or "beautiful music" whereas WEZZ is vocal easy listening, or as many in the industry now call it, "soft oldies". I know it's a misnomer to call Easy 97.3's format "soft adult contemporary" because what was soft AC 25-30 years ago is not the same as soft AC today. I just can't bring myself to call the format "soft oldies". To me, oldies implies 50's du-wop, lol. I don't like the term "easy listening", either, to delineate Easy 97.3's format, but that is what I hear it's referred to by people who listen to the station. I guess it's no secret I'm not a big fan of "Easy 97.3" from what I've posted on here. Not that I really dislike the music they play; I just feel there's a LOT of it missing from their playlist that ought to be included. For instance, check Summit Media's new "Easy" station in Richmond, VA. "Easy 100.9" is using the same "Easy" name, same logo as "Easy 97.3", but they'll at least offer music post-1990, unlike WEZZ. I've listened to many of the other traditional soft AC stations streaming online, whether they be broadcast or online-only operations, and they're all airing music and artists that WEZZ won't touch. Why is anybody's guess. I defected early as one of WEZZ's listeners and have chosen to try my hand at the format since I've been listening to soft AC for 30 years or more time, "religiously" for lack of a better word...which is why I brought back Lite 99 via the internet and brought the format forward in time...playing some of those songs and artists that WEZZ refuses to air, for whatever off-the-wall reason that is they're doing it. I figured, "who else better to bring back Lite 99's former format than one of their own dedicated listeners?"..and I do mean, "dedicated" because I used to listen to WLTB for three to four hours a day...NO kidding! lol Although I did want to do an old-school soft AC station online, I originally did not want to use the Lite 99 name for the station. However, I noted on the first day "Easy 97.3" came on the air, the very first comment by a listener on the station's facebook page was by someone who mentioned that "Easy 97.3" sounded a LOT like the former Lite 99 here in Birmingham and wanted to know if anybody remembered the station. A couple of other people "liked" the comment. I thought that was pretty amazing that the first comments out of the Easy 97.3 listeners' "mouths" on the station Facebook page was about Lite 99...a station which has been off the air for 25 years time.

I know you mentioned that you kept hearing commercials on Easy 97.3. I tune into the station every now and then just to hear what's going on over there/what they're playing, and it seems like the same songs keep playing over and over. With Lite 99, I'm determined to offer listeners more than just a few hundred songs that "Easy" is offering...and yeah, even music post-1990, too. ;) For those interested, check us out sometime and listen. Right now, we're in the middle of 999 hours of continuous lite favorites, commercial-free.

Getting Beautiful music on an FM translator, well...that would be about impossible, I'm afraid. People have contacted Clear Channel, Cumulus, and other groups like them to inquire if they would air such a format on an FM HD channel for rebroadcast on an FM translator. They adamantly refuse. They have this idea that beautiful music listeners are all 75+ years of age, lol. I hate to break it to them, but I regularly hear from my listeners who tell me they are in their 30's and 40's. Also, I have several friends who do online EZ/BM stations and we're all in the same age brackets I just mentioned. We ain't old or dead, like those broadcasting groups might assume we are. ;)
 
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passtheword said:
That's really kind of y'all about the translator idea. I really appreciate it! bpres, that's interesting you mention BMR and the possibility of QEZ moving to a translator because that was actually mentioned by one of my listeners on the station's Facebook page. Ironically, it was the 107.3 translator that was specifically mentioned...this was before BMR landed there.

Tomservo (or is it "Zach"....which do you wanna go by?), lol...nah, "Easy 97.3" and WQEZ are both considered "easy listening" stations, although QEZ is instrumental easy listening, or "beautiful music" whereas WEZZ is vocal easy listening, or as many in the industry now call it, "soft oldies". I know it's a misnomer to call Easy 97.3's format "soft adult contemporary" because what was soft AC 25-30 years ago is not the same as soft AC today. I just can't bring myself to call the format "soft oldies". To me, oldies implies 50's du-wop, lol. I don't like the term "easy listening", either, to delineate Easy 97.3's format, but that is what I hear it's referred to by people who listen to the station. I guess it's no secret I'm not a big fan of "Easy 97.3" from what I've posted on here. Not that I really dislike the music they play; I just feel there's a LOT of it missing from their playlist that ought to be included. For instance, check Summit Media's new "Easy" station in Richmond, VA. "Easy 100.9" is using the same "Easy" name, same logo as "Easy 97.3", but they'll at least offer music post-1990, unlike WEZZ. I've listened to many of the other traditional soft AC stations streaming online, whether they be broadcast or online-only operations, and they're all airing music and artists that WEZZ won't touch. Why is anybody's guess. I defected early as one of WEZZ's listeners and have chosen to try my hand at the format since I've been listening to soft AC for 30 years or more time, "religiously" for lack of a better word...which is why I brought back Lite 99 via the internet and brought the format forward in time...playing some of those songs and artists that WEZZ refuses to air, for whatever off-the-wall reason that is they're doing it. I figured, "who else better to bring back Lite 99's former format than one of their own dedicated listeners?"..and I do mean, "dedicated" because I used to listen to WLTB for three to four hours a day...NO kidding! lol Although I did want to do an old-school soft AC station online, I originally did not want to use the Lite 99 name for the station. However, I noted on the first day "Easy 97.3" came on the air, the very first comment by a listener on the station's facebook page was by someone who mentioned that "Easy 97.3" sounded a LOT like the former Lite 99 here in Birmingham and wanted to know if anybody remembered the station. A couple of other people "liked" the comment. I thought that was pretty amazing that the first comments out of the Easy 97.3 listeners' "mouths" on the station Facebook page was about Lite 99...a station which has been off the air for 25 years time.

I know you mentioned that you kept hearing commercials on Easy 97.3. I tune into the station every now and then just to hear what's going on over there/what they're playing, and it seems like the same songs keep playing over and over. With Lite 99, I'm determined to offer listeners more than just a few hundred songs that "Easy" is offering...and yeah, even music post-1990, too. ;) For those interested, check us out sometime and listen. Right now, we're in the middle of 999 hours of continuous lite favorites, commercial-free.

Getting Beautiful music on an FM translator, well...that would be about impossible, I'm afraid. People have contacted Clear Channel, Cumulus, and other groups like them to inquire if they would air such a format on an FM HD channel for rebroadcast on an FM translator. They adamantly refuse. They have this idea that beautiful music listeners are all 75+ years of age, lol. I hate to break it to them, but I regularly hear from my listeners who tell me they are in their 30's and 40's. Also, I have several friends who do online EZ/BM stations and we're all in the same age brackets I just mentioned. We ain't old or dead, like those broadcasting groups might assume we are. ;)
Click to expand...

I would bring myself to call your format soft oldies and Easy 97.3's Soft AC. Easy listening is a mix of soft pop, country, oldies, and could even be soft rock, or Christmas music. Though I haven't listening to your station Pass, I have listened to stations similar(APR HD 2's and HD 3's) and that's not easy listening at least not the way I see it. I plan on going into radio as a D.J. that plays this type of music and I wouldn't call it Jack FM because this would be all soft music.
 
Rrrrzzzz419 said:
I would bring myself to call your format soft oldies and Easy 97.3's Soft AC. Easy listening is a mix of soft pop, country, oldies, and could even be soft rock, or Christmas music. Though I haven't listening to your station Pass, I have listened to stations similar(APR HD 2's and HD 3's) and that's not easy listening at least not the way I see it. I plan on going into radio as a D.J. that plays this type of music and I wouldn't call it Jack FM because this would be all soft music.
Click to expand...

I would disagree with using the name "soft oldies" for my station. I do play one or two currents per hour, so the Lite 99 format is not exclusively older material. For instance, my station does play John Legend's "All of Me", which is a recent hit. Most of the traditionallly-based soft AC's out there do not offer any music after the year 2000. I am attempting to do Lite 99 employing the original formula for the soft AC format from the 80's...mostly older, soft rock ballads, with a small amount of current material (1 or 2 songs) added per hour to keep the format fresh; this was the original formula WLTB-FM and many other soft AC's during the 80's were using. Easy 97.3 doesn't offer any music past the year 1990 (unless they've changed that in the last few days I've checked), so if WEZZ could be considered "soft AC" and not air any music made after 1990, I know my station would qualify as "soft adult contemporary", because there is at least *some* contemporary material in the Lite 99 playlist. It seems to me that Easy 97.3 would be better classified as "easy oldies" since there is no contemporary material in their playlist. Many of the traditional soft AC's that have come online recently are referred to as "soft oldies" and not "soft AC". The soft AC format today and what was soft AC 25 years ago are not one and the same. Given most traditional soft AC stations no longer air contemporary material of any sort, I imagine that is why the name of the format has been revised to "soft oldies" most of the time in radio circles. As far as the easy listening term...to me....I always remember the beautiful music format being "easy listening" and soft AC was "soft AC". However, the soft AC format back then (and traditional soft AC today) has been alternately referred to as "vocal easy listening". If you ask most people what type of music/format that Easy 97.3 offers, they'll tell you without hesitation, easy listening. I have been working with several local nonprofits in our area, as a means to cross promote Lite 99 with their organizations..via Twitter, Facebook, etc, I mention the fact that Lite 99 programs a "soft adult contemporary" format, but they'll retweet, repost on Facebook and refer to the station's format as "easy listening" every time. You really can't get past that...how listeners classify the format. To them, the term "soft adult contemporary" does not equate in their minds, but "easy listening" does.
 
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passtheword said:
I would disagree with using the name "soft oldies" for my station. I do play one or two currents per hour, so the Lite 99 format is not exclusively older material. For instance, my station does play John Legend's "All of Me", which is a recent hit. Most of the traditionallly-based soft AC's out there do not offer any music after the year 2000. I am attempting to do Lite 99 employing the original formula for the soft AC format from the 80's...mostly older, soft rock ballads, with a small amount of current material (1 or 2 songs) added per hour to keep the format fresh; this was the original formula WLTB-FM and many other soft AC's during the 80's were using. Easy 97.3 doesn't offer any music past the year 1990 (unless they've changed that in the last few days I've checked), so if WEZZ could be considered "soft AC" and not air any music made after 1990, I know my station would qualify as "soft adult contemporary", because there is at least *some* contemporary material in the Lite 99 playlist. It seems to me that Easy 97.3 would be better classified as "easy oldies" since there is no contemporary material in their playlist. Many of the traditional soft AC's that have come online recently are referred to as "soft oldies" and not "soft AC". The soft AC format today and what was soft AC 25 years ago are not one and the same. Given most traditional soft AC stations no longer air contemporary material of any sort, I imagine that is why the name of the format has been revised to "soft oldies" most of the time in radio circles. As far as the easy listening term...to me....I always remember the beautiful music format being "easy listening" and soft AC was "soft AC". However, the soft AC format back then (and traditional soft AC today) has been alternately referred to as "vocal easy listening". If you ask most people what type of music/format that Easy 97.3 offers, they'll tell you without hesitation, easy listening. I have been working with several local nonprofits in our area, as a means to cross promote Lite 99 with their organizations..via Twitter, Facebook, etc, I mention the fact that Lite 99 programs a "soft adult contemporary" format, but they'll retweet, repost on Facebook and refer to the station's format as "easy listening" every time. You really can't get past that...how listeners classify the format. To them, the term "soft adult contemporary" does not equate in their minds, but "easy listening" does.
Click to expand...

Then what would you call the format I'm talking about Mr. Passtheword
 
passtheword said:
oh yeah...I came across Rrrrzzzz419's post and had to comment and totally forgot why I pulled up this thread to begin with, lol. W293CM Graysville has been approved for the application that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Here's the info on the new CP:

http://cdbs.recnet.net:8080/fmq.php...tate=&country=US&arn=&party=&party_type=LICEN
Click to expand...

I see that RECnet shows the parent station is now WQEN. Curious. They're already loaded up with Vulcan and Rock 94.9 on the subchannels, so I have a feeling that the parent station will change again before it goes on the air.
 
tomservo said:
I see that RECnet shows the parent station is now WQEN. Curious. They're already loaded up with Vulcan and Rock 94.9 on the subchannels, so I have a feeling that the parent station will change again before it goes on the air.
Click to expand...

I suspect the parent station will change for WQEN to WMJJ. They will probably put the 106.5 translators format on WMJJ 96.5 HD 3 Now that I look into this application It more than likely may be the first Air 1 network station to sign on in Alabama 103.5 WHVK in Huntsville could have took that format but went K-Love instead. I think Air 1 or The Smooth Jazz format would do great added as the WMJJ HD 3 format and add the Wild Party Hit format as WDXB HD 3. I wonder if and when the 106.5 translator launches if it will give Huntsville's 106.5 Kiss FM translator any interference? Now on the topic of the new 100.1 translator construction permit won't it interfere with WZAL-LP(APH RADIO) on 99.9? Also I don't think it will end up paired with WZZK since it's not already in HD. I think it will be paired up with WEZZ HD 3. Remember when the Old School Jams format channel supposedly briefly launched on this channel after it diminished on 102.1 to move Y'all to this channel to launch Easy 97.3 but then suddenly got taken off? Anyway I could these additions to the lineup off Birmingham's HD sub-channels. Asterisk after channel means I could see this addition of a new HD sub-channel happening. Only included HD channels with current or proposed HD 3 sub-channels.

WDJC-FM:

HD 1: WDJC-FM 93.7

HD 2:WDJC-AM 850

HD 3:Superstation 101.1 WYDE


WMJJ:

HD 1: Magic 96.5

HD 2: 104.1 The Beat

HD 3: 106.5 Air 1* or, Smooth Jazz 106.5*


WEZZ:

HD 1: Easy 97.3

HD 2: Birmingham Mountain Radio 107.3

HD 3: Old School 100.1*


WDXB:

HD 1: 102.5 The Bull

HD 2: Foggy Mountain

HD 3: Wild Party Hits*


WQEN:

HD 1: 103.7 The Q

HD 2: Mainstream Rock 103.1 The Vulcan

HD 3: Classic Rock 94.9


WERC:

HD 1: News talk 105.5 WERC

HD 2: Hallelujah 105.1

HD 3: K-Love 96.1
 
Air1 getting on air in Birmingham would be quite the accomplishment for EMF.

As for the 99.9/100.1 issue I could see problems with some radios but I think they're far enough apart that it shouldn't be an issue. If someone did complain, I wonder which station would take precedence? Lpfm and translators are both secondary services AFAIK.
 
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