I recall about 1980 one of the format providers (maybe Peters or Broadcast Programming) we got a mailer from offered a beautiful music format based on country versus pop music. It was MOR artists doing vocal covers of country songs and orchestrated versions of country songs with a bit of Chet Atkins, Danny Davis & The Nashville Brass and sort tossed in for good measure. Although my cup of tea, I recall thinking what a great idea. Some many, especially rural areas had country stations and since those rural areas had older populations, the idea was a natural since these were covers of what the local station played. Also about that time, lots of towns had recently signed on an FM to supplement their AM and like so many FMs at the time, would have been automated.
By the way, this was different from what was pitched as 'The Natural Sound' where they tried to bridge soft pop and easy country songs in the pre-Urban Cowboy days. This was all vocal.
RE: The Natural Sound: The Natural Sound was a mix of AC and easy country hits, done by Broadcast Programming during the 1990's (and probably earlier). Whether they got it from one of the companies who's format contracts they bought, I don't know. It didn't after they were bought by one of the companies who bought them.
Don't recall a BFL vs. Country version of that format happening at BPI. Might have been the other format company you mentioned.
Music Just For The Two Of Us was also a BP format. I'm not sure if they got it from another company or not. It was love songs, EZL oriented.