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Why did AC stop being soft?

Some sort of glitch, so I'll split this into two posts.

Also, EZ-104 in Charlotte did almost exactly the same thing KOST did a month later. But by that time it was the third AC in the market, and the others had preceded it by more than a year. Unless you go by Broadcasting Yearbook, which was listing these AC stations as MOR. But when Format 41 came along, its affiliates were also MOR in Broadcasting Yearbook. While I wouldn't necessarily say Format 41 was AC, I think the soft rock stations I have described do qualify.
 
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vchimpanzee said:
I never said any of these vocal-based stations other than possibly the early version of WLVV were anything but original version hit songs.
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Oh?

vchimpanzee said:
Then the beautiful music station changed to mostly vocals late in 1982, still calling itself EZ-104.
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The later stations do not enter into my original response as "Format 41" did not debut until 1986.
 
vchimpanzee said:
Some sort of glitch, so I'll split this into two posts.

Also, EZ-104 in Charlotte did almost exactly the same thing KOST did a month later. But by that time it was the third AC in the market, and the others had preceded it by more than a year. Unless you go by Broadcasting Yearbook, which was listing these AC stations as MOR. But when Format 41 came along, its affiliates were also MOR in Broadcasting Yearbook. While I wouldn't necessarily say Format 41 was AC, I think the soft rock stations I have described do qualify.
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Broadcasting Yearbook got the station formats from questionnaires it mailed to all the stations. Remember that stations used format names that often did not really represent the actual status of the station as they often did not want advertisers to think they had changed format when, truly, they had morphed into something new.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Broadcasting Yearbook got the station formats from questionnaires it mailed to all the stations. Remember that stations used format names that often did not really represent the actual status of the station as they often did not want advertisers to think they had changed format when, truly, they had morphed into something new.
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Another factor is that many stations considered filling out the annual Yearbook questionnaire to be somewhere below changing the ribbon on the AP machine in terms of "things I want to do" and somewhere around emptying the wastepaper baskets in terms of "things I have time to do".

If you check them from year to year, you will find a lot of stations whose information literally did not change year to year, even though you could find some of their personnel listed under the stations they were now working for. So you cannot use the format descriptions in there as proof of anything.

Sorry, chimp.
 
michael hagerty said:
The only reason I even bother is the worry that sometime in the future, someone will unearth this stuff, read the ignorance and believe it. On the "other board" right now, someone banned here has turned Ron Jacobs' bio into a second-guessing of his "no two R&B records in a row" policy at KHJ from 1965-69. 47 to 51 years ago! Jacobs took KHJ from worst to first, wound up with double the numbers KFWB or KRLA had when they were number one, and some guy with.....let's see.....carry the three.....ZERO experience in radio thinks Jacobs was wrong.

Thanks for understanding, Semoochie!
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This is actually the same problem as the supermarket tabloids: You read something and two years later, you remember reading it but don't remember where and believe it's true!
 
K.M. Richards said:
Another factor is that many stations considered filling out the annual Yearbook questionnaire to be somewhere below changing the ribbon on the AP machine in terms of "things I want to do" and somewhere around emptying the wastepaper baskets in terms of "things I have time to do".

If you check them from year to year, you will find a lot of stations whose information literally did not change year to year, even though you could find some of their personnel listed under the stations they were now working for. So you cannot use the format descriptions in there as proof of anything.

Sorry, chimp.
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I know all about how inaccurate Broadcasting Yearbook was. However, my point was not that the stations being listed as MOR proved anything. Rather, it was that while we're trying to establish who was first with soft AC, Broadcasting Yearbook actually seems to be contradicting what I'm trying to say. I believe WLVV did what KOST did, a year before KOST did it. As for my descriptions of what happened in later years, I don't even know why I added this. We weren't actually looking for histories of further developments in soft AC.
 
K.M. Richards said:
Oh?



The later stations do not enter into my original response as "Format 41" did not debut until 1986.
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1984 or 1985, actually. The first affiliates showed up in NC in 1985 and 1986. And like I said, I don't even know why I listed them since we weren't trying to come up with a complete history of soft AC. Which Format 41 was not.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I know all about how inaccurate Broadcasting Yearbook was. However, my point was not that the stations being listed as MOR proved anything. Rather, it was that while we're trying to establish who was first with soft AC, Broadcasting Yearbook actually seems to be contradicting what I'm trying to say. I believe WLVV did what KOST did, a year before KOST did it. As for my descriptions of what happened in later years, I don't even know why I added this. We weren't actually looking for histories of further developments in soft AC.
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Chimp, I would be happier if you would explain what it is you're saying in the first place. For some reason, I (and a few others) misinterpret your statements, and I am of the opinion that it is that you do not completely say what you mean.

This business of you post, I answer based on a misinterpretation, you having to say what you meant to is making us both look bad.

And anytime you wonder "why am I adding this?" it is probably a good idea to delete the content you are wondering about without posting. (That's good advice for anyone, in any thread, actually.)
 
vchimpanzee said:
1984 or 1985, actually.
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I had made that statement based on several industry press releases that were dated 1986 and were phrased in such a way that it seemed the format itself did not launch until that year. I have subsequently searched old issues of Billboard and have indeed found references going back to 1984.

I stand corrected.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I know all about how inaccurate Broadcasting Yearbook was. .
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The data like the technical facility and ownership came directly from the FCC, so it was reasonably accurate. What was subjective came from the questionnaires such as format, staff and ad rate.
 
I heard somewhere that the longest-running AC format in the top ten markets in the nation is KVIL from Dallas-Ft. Worth. KVIL went on air in 1962 as a Top-40 and it adopted its current AC format in 1969. KVIL didn't do so well under its AC format over the past decade and a half. In May 2013, KVIL 'retooled' its AC format which had them dropped 80s music altogether and morphed into a 1990 to present AC format. In May 2014, KVIL switched from the AC panel to the Hot AC panel according to Mediabase which left the DFW market as the only major market w/o a Soft AC/AC on commercial FM radio.

KMGL from a smaller/medium market, Oklahoma City, evolved the same way as most other major/medium markets AC like KOST, WLTW, WLYF, and WLVV did. KMGL went on air in 1965 as KOFM as a BM/Top-40 which it later morphed into a Top-40 programmed by Mike Miller, John Jenkins and Charlie Cooper. On June 2, 1986, KOFM flipped formats to Transtar's Format 41 as KMGL programmed by Charlie Cooper while Steve O'Brien was a morning personality at the time. KMGL eventually adopted its current AC format. Steve O'Brien is still a morning personality at KMGL today and he's also KMGL's PD as of today.
 
andrewduong77 said:
I heard somewhere that the longest-running AC format in the top ten markets in the nation is KVIL from Dallas-Ft. Worth. KVIL went on air in 1962 as a Top-40 and it adopted its current AC format in 1969. KVIL didn't do so well under its AC format over the past decade and a half. In May 2013, KVIL 'retooled' its AC format which had them dropped 80s music altogether and morphed into a 1990 to present AC format. In May 2014, KVIL switched from the AC panel to the Hot AC panel according to Mediabase which left the DFW market as the only major market w/o a Soft AC/AC on commercial FM radio.
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I am looking at the excellent http://www.dfwradioarchives.info/ site which chronicles DFW radio history.

In 1962 KVIL 1150 AM simulcast its traditional MOR station on 103.7, and did so through the end of 1966 which is when the FCC mandated the end to full simulcasts starting with the year 1967.

Then, to quote the site referred to, "KVIL had very modest beginnings as a daytime-only AM station in 1960. An FM companion was added a year later, but not many people noticed. KVIL launched a run at top 40 against KLIF in 1967, but again not many people noticed. In 1969, people did start to take notice. One of KLIF's prominent morning men, Ron Chapman (known as Irving Harrigan on KLIF), took over the morning shift at KVIL. Having been well-versed in Gordon McLendon's school of radio - Chapman brought a lot to the table. He took the showmanship of top 40 and applied to it music that would appeal to adults who grew up listening to KLIF. The format wasn't quite MOR, and it wasn't quite top 40, today we might label such a format as "Hot AC", but for continuity's sake, KVIL is labeled here as "adult contemporary". Semantics aside, KVIL would slowly but surely grow to become the same kind of institution KLIF once was. In the fall of '76, KVIL would lead the ratings for the very first time, as the AM-FM simulcast edged out WBAP by one tenth of a share."

So the timeline is 1961 to 1966 as MOR, then two years as Top 40 morphing into Hot AC... what at the time many called "chicken rock".

I looked at the Wikipedia article you linked, and, while it is generally and reasonably accurate, it has some significant issues of interpretation and fact. As an AC programmer from the early 70's, I'd say to exercise caution with this, as with any, Wiki article.

As a sidebar, stations do not select the panel they are on in MediaBase or BDS. That is determined by those services themselves based on playlist analysis. While a station can suggest reclassification, the decision is that of the monitor service itself.
 
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DavidEduardo said:
As a sidebar, stations do not select the panel they are on in MediaBase or BDS. That is determined by those services themselves based on playlist analysis. While a station can suggest reclassification, the decision is that of the monitor service itself.
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Very interesting! I learned something new. I never knew about this for six years. I had always been a little curious about how the panel selections for the stations worked. Thanks for explaining it!
 
K-104.7 in Charlotte NC plays in a mall I walked in yesterday since it was raining, despite a forecast that made it sound like it wouldn't be raining all day. And the rain eventually did stop. But before it did, "Rock with You" by Michael Jackson and "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles. Both from the 80s. Both soft. "Just the Way You Are" (I'm guessing it was Bruno Mars because it was not Billy Joel's song with those words) later. I did hear something contemporary but still relatively soft. "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John was the only thing even close to loud, but that's old too.

The station has aired a lot of Hot AC type material at night when I have checked on it. Maybe that's when they do it. But it sure sounds like AC used to be during the day. One possible explanation is that competitor 107.9 The Link, which plays "90s, 2K and today", is called AC by some sources.
 
I found WKQC (K 104.7) to be somewhat AC friendly as of now. Mainly because of a handful of 70s tracks, a lot of 80s tracks, and a handful of 90s tracks they're still playing as of now. WKQC resembles medium and major market AC including KMGL, KODA, and WLTW playlists back in 2011.

Much like WKQC, WRVR (104.5 The River) in Memphis and WEAT (Sunny 107.9) in West Palm Beach are also still playing a handful of 70s tracks, a lot of 80s tracks, and a handful of 90s tracks as of now.

Interestingly, both WKQC and WEAT were both previously owned by CBS. WKQC was taken over by Beasley Broadcast Group after the swap with CBS in 2014. WEAT was sold to Palm Beach Broadcasting in 2012 which was acquired by Alpha Media earlier this year.
 
andrewduong77 said:
I found WKQC (K 104.7) to be somewhat AC friendly as of now. Mainly because of a handful of 70s tracks, a lot of 80s tracks, and a handful of 90s tracks they're still playing as of now. WKQC resembles medium and major market AC including KMGL, KODA, and WLTW playlists back in 2011.

Much like WKQC, WRVR (104.5 The River) in Memphis and WEAT (Sunny 107.9) in West Palm Beach are also still playing a handful of 70s tracks, a lot of 80s tracks, and a handful of 90s tracks as of now.

Interestingly, both WKQC and WEAT were both previously owned by CBS. WKQC was taken over by Beasley Broadcast Group after the swap with CBS in 2014. WEAT was sold to Palm Beach Broadcasting in 2012 which was acquired by Alpha Media earlier this year.
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That is because the three stations mentioned beforehand have Hot AC's as their sisters under the same company. Hot AC's tend to skew younger while mainstream AC shifts older. So when one company owns both Hot AC and Mainstream AC, you will be hearing much older stuff on a Mainstream AC than on a Hot AC, some dating as back as the early 70's.

The AC station where I live no longer plays any 70's music, except during the noon hour. Just a couple of years ago, I used to hear Maxine Nightingale's Right Back Where We Started From, Patti Labelle's Lady Marmalade, Rod Stewart's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? and others I could even not think of. They even have a special hour dedicated to that decade as well every weeknight.

Another strange move for this format is that I heard Aerosmith's Dream On not on my local AC station, but on Sunny 95 out of Columbus while streaming. This is very weird how they include this song in their playlist as none of the other AC stations that I have known ever played it, even the ones that are owned by IHeartMedia. This song was released in 1973, WAY TOO OLD for today's AC environment. It should only be heard on both Classic Rock and Classic Hits stations, not on an AC format. The younger end are mostly into the 80's-today, and the oldest of the 25-54 audience are already shifting to the Oldies stations. That is why AC's across the country are starting to remove 70's from their playlist.
 
CurtisNEPA said:
This song was released in 1973, WAY TOO OLD for today's AC environment. It should only be heard on both Classic Rock and Classic Hits stations, not on an AC format.
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It depends on if you program based on the age of the song, or its familiarity with the target audience. Aerosmith has done a good job at remaining current and keeping their music in the public eye, so even their oldest songs still resonate with younger audiences. That's not the case for a lot of 70s artists. Also I agree it's way too rock for mainstream AC 20 years ago, but in today's rhythmic environment, it works.
 
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