Westwood one to launch a soft AC network

Cumulus to launch a Soft AC Network

https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/106844/westwood-one-to-launch-soft-ac-network/


Well it will be interesting how that will work out

I think it will work out fine. Not much cost for WW1 since they'll find some jocks to voicetrack the network for little to no extra pay. Probably quite a few small town stations will pick up this network, instead of the Standards network (unhosted, too sleepy) or the Mainstream AC network (hosted, but focused on 2000s and 2010s music).

Doubtful they'll pick up many stations that weren't already with one of the WW1 networks.

Could it also wind up on major market HD2 signals, or is Westwood One programming not available for that purpose?

I think Cumulus is doing that in a few places, but a lot of those HD2s are just a computer in a closet playing a jukebox.

I hope standards stations don't change to this. That's just another way of losing standards stations. Westwood One proved its commitment to standards by keeping the standards and even adding more of them as they added more AC to the standards format.

vchimpanzee said:

I hope standards stations don't change to this. That's just another way of losing standards stations. Westwood One proved its commitment to standards by keeping the standards and even adding more of them as they added more AC to the standards format.

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Since most Standards stations are on AM, it's unlikely that they will adopt a purely Soft AC format, in any numbers, since the vast majority of the audience for the latter, wouldn't go near the AM dial on a bet!

semoochie said:

Since most Standards stations are on AM, it's unlikely that they will adopt a purely Soft AC format, in any numbers, since the vast majority of the audience for the latter, wouldn't go near the AM dial on a bet!

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Good to know.

Because America's Best Music has pretty much figured out which AC songs I want. A few that I would listen to aren't there (but fewer with the recent changes), and a few that are there, especially with the recent changes, I wouldn't want. But they know pretty much what I like.

I'd still like to hear the new format just to sample it if it streams.

vchimpanzee said:

Good to know.

Because America's Best Music has pretty much figured out which AC songs I want. A few that I would listen to aren't there (but fewer with the recent changes), and a few that are there, especially with the recent changes, I wouldn't want. But they know pretty much what I like.

I'd still like to hear the new format just to sample it if it streams.

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I'm really intrigued that there is still a Standards format in existence. I can't believe anyone is actually making money from it at this point. At the station in my area, the owner just happens to like the format. Maybe, it's a lot of people like that but that doesn't explain KIXI in Seattle, for instance. At some point, the syndicators are going to lose interest and I'm surprised that time hasn't already passed.

I'm just grateful the format is still there. Now that I know I can stream even with my slow Internet, I know I can hear music I like without the radio. Whether other streams besides KKOV will work I don't know. Another station had better quality but for songs I don't like, that would not be a good thing. But the better quality station kept going out, so with my slow Internet, I'm guessing that would be a bigger problem.

What speed do you have vchimpanzee? Is it slow because a higher speed isn't available, or because the cost is prohibitive?

umfan said:

What speed do you have vchimpanzee? Is it slow because a higher speed isn't available, or because the cost is prohibitive?

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They call it "always on". I think I've been told I could upgrade at no additional charge, but every time I think I'm doing something that won't cost more, it does. Since I've already had to get a new modem in the past year because tech support misunderstood my problem, if it involves changing modems again, I think I'll pass. The new modem is an additional cost per month, while the old one wouldn't have been as long as it worked. However, my new TiVo required either Wi-Fi or a modem I could plug several devices into, and the new one provides me with both options.

Since it's been a wk since Lite AC should have debuted, does anyone know of any afflliate stations which stream so we could sample the programming?

So here's where I answered the question. I asked, and this time I was told the next fastest speed is $40 a month, more than twice what I pay now. And that goes up to $60 after a year.

But I'd still like to try streaming other stations. It might work.