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.