Easy.Movin sold in Myrtle Beach

Compass Acquires 3 in Myrtle Beach for $1.6 Million
RADIO ONLINE | Monday, December 22, 2014 | 4:40pm CT



Compass Radio Group has agreed to acquire three outlets in Myrtle Beach, SC, from Fidelity Broadcasting Corp. for $1.6 million, pending FCC approval. Included in the deal are 17kw WEZV-FM (Easy 105.9), 12kw WYEZ-FM (MOViN 94.5) and 3.1kw WGTN-FM (Easy 100.7). Fidelity is headed by Jerry Bresson and Compass by Bob Woodward (55%) and John Trent (45%). Compass is already programming the stations under a Time Brokerage Agreement (TBA).

George Reed of Media Services Group represented the seller.

I hope this doesn't mean any changes on the two Easy stations.

It took a while, and I saw an article that said the stations had been sold again (or, rather, listed a different owner I had never heard of), but it only mentioned sports events on the three stations.

Movin', is of course, The Tide.

Easy is called Easy, but it isn't. "Sunny Came Home” by Shawn Colvin was my first clue. “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates, “Still the One” by Orleans, “Wrapped Around Your Finger” by The Police, “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips, “If This Is It” by Huey Lewis and the News, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, and worst of all, “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama.

I heard a lot of Neil Diamond but The Carpenters and Barry Manilow weren't played at any time that I was listening, though who knows if they are played at all. Barbra Streisand (the song was a recent performance, not from the 70s) was on Delilah. Yes, Delilah.

It goes without saying Sinatra is gone (though I have heard him on Surf 94.9 in recent years). And all those standards that have been recorded by Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall and Rod Stewart are surely out as well. I DID hear a Nat and Natalie duet on Surf.

Sad to hear the music changes at Easy. From the list of songs you heard pretty much a boring AC station now. Really enjoyed the standards and thought enough people lived in the area that liked the format to support it.

virgiltab1 said:

Sad to hear the music changes at Easy. From the list of songs you heard pretty much a boring AC station now. Really enjoyed the standards and thought enough people lived in the area that liked the format to support it.

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Those were just the songs that weren't relaxing. There were others. "All Through the Night", "Easy Lover" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" also. Since I can hear it online, I'm trying it at home, and then going back to America's Best Music from Oshkosh, Wisconsin when I get tired. They keep using the word "relaxing" but more often it's "refreshing". Of course, they still have commercials for people planning their retirement, medical professionals, assisted living and so on. Makes no sense to me.

“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”, “Hold Me Now”, “Easy Lover”, “Rhiannon", “Lido Shuffle”, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”, “Heaven” by Bryan Adams, “Private Eyes” by Hall & Oates.

Still called "refreshing' and "relaxing".

vchimpanzee said:

“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”, “Hold Me Now”, “Easy Lover”, “Rhiannon", “Lido Shuffle”, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”, “Heaven” by Bryan Adams, “Private Eyes” by Hall & Oates.

Still called "refreshing' and "relaxing".

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Maybe they think if listeners still hear "refreshing" and "relaxing" they will still believe that despite the music.

I forgot to list "You Make Lovin' Fun" and Madonna's "Borderline". Of course those aren't relaxing. Today, "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears followed immediately by "Every Breath You Take", later "Bad Day" followed by "Kiss on My List" (neither is really bad my itself, but neither is really relaxing).

"Lady" by Little River Band before a commercial break which was followed by "Tell Her About It" which was followed by "Constant Craving". None of those are truly bad but none of them quite relaxing. I should add "Against All Odds" while I'm at it because of the pounding drums that eventually start up, but that one starts out as relaxing.

Okay, it took an hour, but something truly off-the-wall: "Always Something There to Remind Me", followed immediately of course by something else outrageous, "Holiday" by Madonna (even worse, I don't recall the original version having this much of a beat). Followed immediately by "Something to Talk About". Later, "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Lady You Bring Me Up" but not together. At the very least there was a commercial break between them. "Come Monday" came next and was one of the few truly relaxing songs of the past two hours.

What really gets me is "stress-free favorites" and "escape from stress". Stations like this have been doing that one for a long time. Many of the songs actually CAUSE stress.

Now it may be time for people who like this music to plan for retirement or put their parents in assisted living. And it they spent too much time at rock concerts they may need hearing aids.

I have this fantasy that someone will start a station playing music that offers a definite contrast, such as what is on Charlotte's WAVO, with station IDs "Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. And good music is worthwhile" and "We don't do this because it's easy. What we do is hard. But the music isn't."

The true irony of all this is that I was avoiding this station at home even though it streamed because I was sure to be disappointed. And I had no time to listen to commercials at the beach. I always had to either listen to Rush Limbaugh on the way down, once I was able to pick up the station (Swagga, now known as The Rock FM, has a translator on 105.9 in Darlington). I'm actually listening to this station AND its commercials to see outrageous it gets. Then returning to the good music station in Oshkosh, Wisconsin when I get tired of this. Unfortunately, even that station, part of a national network, has some off-the-wall stuff, but the standards are still there in abundance alongside the soft AC.

One thing that helps is that the volume is actually pretty low. It's kind of a jolt when I turn back to the Oshkosh station with its easygoing music. The harder stuff on that station is even more of a shock than it would otherwise be.

During the past two hours "Baby I'm Amazed", "Let's Groove" and "Lucky Star". Anyone who thinks the introduction to "Lucky Star" belongs on a "relaxing" station needs some medication that will help them relax. I've also heard "Rosanna", "Lights" twice, and "Send Her My Love".

vchimpanzee said:

During the past two hours "Baby I'm Amazed", "Let's Groove" and "Lucky Star". Anyone who thinks the introduction to "Lucky Star" belongs on a "relaxing" station needs some medication that will help them relax. I've also heard "Rosanna", "Lights" twice, and "Send Her My Love".

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have you checked out WPTK AM in Raliegh, NC? haven't listened, but the playlist looks much better than what you are hearing in Myrtle Beach

virgiltab1 said:

have you checked out WPTK AM in Raliegh, NC? haven't listened, but the playlist looks much better than what you are hearing in Myrtle Beach

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I've tried it in the car, but the car I have now won't pick it up. I could probably listen at home, but I have KKOV and WNAM online. And if I could listen on more than one radio, Charlotte has WAVO which can't afford to stream. They raised enough money from listeners for royalties but not streaming. Even on that one radio and can listen to it on, the signal is pretty bad.

This morning, "Take It on the Run", along with "Let's Groove" and "Lucky Star" in just a short period of time. "Invisible Touch" later. And they keep telling us about "relaxing" and "stress-free". And telling people to plan for retirement. And check out assisted living. I wish there was a list so I didn't have to listen too. What I can do is go back to WNAM and keep WEZV going, since I can sort of hear WEZV too.

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article201738894.html#navlink=SecList

If they were writing about the rap station, I told The Sun News to please report format changes on WEZV and WRXZ. Nothing so far on WRXZ.

Both Easy and The Tide changed. The Tide stopped playing older songs.

The man in charge tried to claim the format change on WEZV wasn't a format change. Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You might just believe it. And Frank and Dino weren't a big enough part of the format in recent years to even be mentioned. They are gone for good, but Billy Joel, Elton John and The Eagles were probably already there. If you want to list artists who are new to the format, try John Mellencamp, REO Speedwagon and Journey. Madonna and Sting, maybe, but they might have had softer songs that WEZV was already playing.

Easy is telling us they are building a special radio station and need people to sell commercial time. No, they HAD a special radio station.

Update on Easy: changes took place a few weeks ago and now it is even worse. More of the bad songs, though probably not as many of the really bad ones. More songs from decades since 1990 ("Drops of Jupiter", "Fallin'", "Girl on Fire") but I can't say how old individual songs are. On the other hand, the "easy" songs that stayed around are still there and I even heard The Carpenters for the first time since the big change. And an instrumental, also for the first time since the big change. Believe it or not, an instrumental version of a hit song, not an instrumental that was itself a hit.

Wow, Neil Diamond is on right now.

I should have listed "Waterfalls". What is this station's obsession with that song?

Overall, actually more mellow over the past hour than it is sometimes, but there are station IDs with that Katy Perry type sound.

Rather than start a new thread, I am going to ask … is it just online or has Easy gone crazy? The same songs get played every few minutes, then it goes off the air, and then there are new songs, then the same ones again … and no DJs or commercials.

vchimpanzee said:

Rather than start a new thread, I am going to ask … is it just online or has Easy gone crazy? The same songs get played every few minutes, then it goes off the air, and then there are new songs, then the same ones again … and no DJs or commercials.

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If you had any radio experience, that would indicate technical problems - most likely computer issues. Just guessing.

DJfrombackwhen said:

If you had any radio experience, that would indicate technical problems - most likely computer issues. Just guessing.

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That would be my guess. If someone was working, they might be able to fix it.

The other two days last week, things were normal.

Bob Collins back on WEZV

Bob Collins is back on WEZV for the first time (as far as I know) since the change. He's substituting for the usual midday DJ, who moved from The Tide.

It took me this long to realize WEZV changed their format. I was a regular listener 5-10 years ago and was in total awe of their relaxing format. I considered it an American treasure.

I decided to listen to them today for the first time in years. For some reason I expected them to still have the soft oldies format I remember. Was I in for a shock. They were playing all the uptempo burned out songs a million other adio stations play. I guess they are mainstream AC and I absolutely hated it, especially knowing what they used to be. I understand the business reasons behind it. I don't care. I now hate this station with all my heart and soul.