I'm aware that KIRO FM 100.7 had The Young Sound from CBS Radio and Hit Parade 6x & 7x, what was the difference between these two formats?
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The Young Sound vs. Hit Parade on KIRO FM 100.7 1967 - 71
- Thread starter PatrickSeattle
- Start date
I can't speak to your specific question. I know someone who probably could but I know him from a different site, so not sure how to connect you to him. I can only speculate that the "Young Sound" was a network program that probably centered on the biggest, family-friendly hits of the era. Hit Parade was perhaps an early "American Top40" in the late 60's, but I was too young to remember either.
From what I have studied over the years, KIRO-FM changed formats many times in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, and even beyond that. But for the period you are referencing, the Wiki info says AOR in the late 60's, then segued into "Beautiful Music" in the early 70's, eventually going to a more contemporary light AC format in the early 80's. This isn't to say they didn't experiment with "The Young Sound" or "Hit Parade". But neither of those apparently lasted long. FM radio in Seattle duirng this time was somewhat retarded due to the hilly terrain. Seattle never really had a true rock station on FM until KOL-FM in the late 60's, (now The Sound at 94.1) and top40 didn't exist until KOL-AM/FM simulcasted, all this in the early 70's. It wasn't until 1975 that KVI-FM started contemporary programming at 101.5, later to become KPLZ-FM.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KKWF
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I found an example of "The Young Sound" format from WCBS FM back in 1969, pretty unique format back then!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ublJCohw7yI&list=PLkMiYNFYKWrSVIRAfG2gvctGfRIH9FFw7
One of the songs that was pretty upbeat was "The Right Track" by The Split Level from 1969 at the 30:20 mark! After hearing it I said "wow"!
You're describing two 24/7 formats mainly for FM radio in the 60s. The first, as you mention, was offered by CBS Radio, and the second (Hit Parade) was from Drake-Chenault. This was at a time when there were several companies offering automated music formats for radio. Bonneville was another, although they mainly offered a beautiful music format based around their top rated WRFM station in NYC. Others were distributed by Schulke, Peters, and Century. These formats were distributed to stations on 10" reels with magnetic tape that would trigger local automation for spots, weather, and IDs. By the 70s, Greater Media entered the business with their Magic format, also on reels.
The difference was the overall sound of the formats. The Young Sound was fairly stiff in presentation, run by John DeWitt, who was a Julliard grad, and created mostly instrumental versions of popular songs. That was what Bonneville did as well. Marlin Taylor, who is still around, ran Bonneville in the 70s. Drake-Chenault was programmed by Bill Drake, who had programmed successful Top 40 stations for RKO, so his formats used original performances of the hits, rather than instrumentals.
There is a myth that all radio was live & local until the 90s, and that wasn't true. I once saw a figure that almost half of the radio stations in this country used some form of automated 24/7 format from one of those companies. FM radio stations didn't become popular until the late 70s, so owners were looking for cheap ways to fill the time. The format business changed in the last 70s with the arrival of satellite distribution. Several companies offered formats that way. Satellite Music Networks and Transtar were two that specifically were created for satellite.
The difference was the overall sound of the formats. The Young Sound was fairly stiff in presentation, run by John DeWitt, who was a Julliard grad, and created mostly instrumental versions of popular songs. That was what Bonneville did as well. Marlin Taylor, who is still around, ran Bonneville in the 70s. Drake-Chenault was programmed by Bill Drake, who had programmed successful Top 40 stations for RKO, so his formats used original performances of the hits, rather than instrumentals.
There is a myth that all radio was live & local until the 90s, and that wasn't true. I once saw a figure that almost half of the radio stations in this country used some form of automated 24/7 format from one of those companies. FM radio stations didn't become popular until the late 70s, so owners were looking for cheap ways to fill the time. The format business changed in the last 70s with the arrival of satellite distribution. Several companies offered formats that way. Satellite Music Networks and Transtar were two that specifically were created for satellite.
And KIRO, if I remember correctly, was Bonneville during this period, which was likely the service they used in this format incarnation.
From what I read Bonneville originally owned KIRO from 1964 to 97, Entercom bought them from 1997 to 2007 and once again Bonneville 2007 to present.
Yes, the radio KIRO properties are Bonneville. TV is owned by Cox. Atleast for now...
Bonneville began distribution of its own format in 1971 with the creation of Bonneville Broadcast Consultants. So it's possible for KIRO to have used The Young Sound from 67-71, as the OP states, and then replace it with its own in-house service originating at WRFM in NYC.
There was KRLD FM in Dallas that ran "Hit Parade".The automated format was primarily original versions of songs but decidedly soft. It was about the halfway point between what became known as the adult contemporary format and traditional beautiful music. At the time it was fairly hit oriented with more recent oldies. Some MOR crossover without the crooners. Most currents at the time might have been "Waiting For A Jet Plane by Peter,Paul & Mary mixed with Do You Know The Way to San Jose by Dionne Warwick or Good Morning Starshine by Oliver. The format was certainly vocal oriented.
Great description. The Bonneville music was heavy on the strings and echo, with groups known as The Living Strings and (my favorite) The Living Marimbas. Perhaps a variation of Herb Alpert. As you say, there were vocals, but usually not the original singers. You could buy records of this stuff in stores, but I think some were original performances exclusive to the service. There was a time when there were three stations in NYC each with a variation of this format: WRFM (Bonneville) WPAT and WVNJ. I think one was Schulke and the other was Century. All of them were getting pretty good ratings at the time. But it all became obsolete as the demos got too high, and they shifted to either soft rock or something else. WVNJ is now Z-100. At some point, the jingle house TM merged with Century to become TM Century. They got into the music library business, selling CDs of current releases to radio stations that couldn't get promotional services from the labels, similar to CDX.
During the time period you mention, KIRO-FM was a Bonneville station (very pre-Entercom). All of the KIROs were still under one umbrella and operated from Broadcast House. Hitparade was automated (reels and carts). Its automation and transmitter was located at the TV tower on Queen Anne.
I mentioned in an earlier post how then (more) conservative Bonneville made a fairly hard turn; switching from their quiet, sleepy, in-house beautiful music format to the much more energetic Drake-Chenault product. The automation they ran both formats on was the same system and, for some months, very publicly displayed its displeasure at suddenly being required to do segues and multi-machine overlays. It was pretty entertaining... and not just for the format!
I mentioned in an earlier post how then (more) conservative Bonneville made a fairly hard turn; switching from their quiet, sleepy, in-house beautiful music format to the much more energetic Drake-Chenault product. The automation they ran both formats on was the same system and, for some months, very publicly displayed its displeasure at suddenly being required to do segues and multi-machine overlays. It was pretty entertaining... and not just for the format!
KIRO-FM 100.7 in the late '60s/early '70s was listed at times as AOR and hard rock. Which had to be a confusion with KISW because the LDS/Mormons (who own Bonneville) didn't particularly like hard rock then and mostly still don't.
The '60s Hit Parade format, from the airchecks I've heard really did straddle the fence between B/EZ and Soft AC. Glen Campbell, Sergio Mendes & The Brasil '66, The Lettermen, Rubber Soul Beatles, Fifth Dimension etc. were regulars. Wanna hear psychedelic? Or even The Doors? Forget it. Not on Hit Parade. I'm not sure of "The Young Sound" (never heard any tapes), but I imagine it was more or less the same as Hit Parade.
I thought Bonneville had entirely in-house produced B/EZ instrumental music until they started abandoning the format in the '80s (KIRO-FM became KSEA in 1976, retaining their B/EZ format. They flipped from B/EZ to Soft AC in 1989, then AC - with call sign change to KWMX, to a near CHR Hot AC by their demise in 1992 with a format change to News/Talk and the KIRO-FM calls returned.) They threw out the B/EZ reel tapes in the dumpster, which was tragic not only because of the loss of music that was a part of FM radio history, but collectors are willing to pay BIG $$$ for complete reels in decent condition today.
Seattle's first Top 40 on FM was actually KTW-FM 102.5 (now KZOK) in 1964, which briefly simulcasted KTW-AM 1250 (now KKDZ) as a supplement to their AM's wonky hours of operation then (KTW-AM was required to sign off at sunset to protect 1250 in Pullman and returned to the air at midnight when Pullman signed off) until KTW flipped to country (or religion) later that year. Trouble was in the winter months, KTW-AM had to sign off at 4pm and since school usually got out at 3pm, that didn't work very well. So they tried the FM simulcast. But very few young people had FM radios then. FM in 1964 was still mostly AM simulcasts. The independent FMs were nearly all classical and jazz music and Broadway show tunes in (((STEREO))) (a trend that continued until the early '70s.) Portable/car radios with FM were very rare and expensive and statistically, almost no one listened to it but rich classical fans until 1967. And it took another 14 years for a Seattle FM to go to #1 in the ratings (KISW in 1981.)
The '60s Hit Parade format, from the airchecks I've heard really did straddle the fence between B/EZ and Soft AC. Glen Campbell, Sergio Mendes & The Brasil '66, The Lettermen, Rubber Soul Beatles, Fifth Dimension etc. were regulars. Wanna hear psychedelic? Or even The Doors? Forget it. Not on Hit Parade. I'm not sure of "The Young Sound" (never heard any tapes), but I imagine it was more or less the same as Hit Parade.
I thought Bonneville had entirely in-house produced B/EZ instrumental music until they started abandoning the format in the '80s (KIRO-FM became KSEA in 1976, retaining their B/EZ format. They flipped from B/EZ to Soft AC in 1989, then AC - with call sign change to KWMX, to a near CHR Hot AC by their demise in 1992 with a format change to News/Talk and the KIRO-FM calls returned.) They threw out the B/EZ reel tapes in the dumpster, which was tragic not only because of the loss of music that was a part of FM radio history, but collectors are willing to pay BIG $$$ for complete reels in decent condition today.
Seattle's first Top 40 on FM was actually KTW-FM 102.5 (now KZOK) in 1964, which briefly simulcasted KTW-AM 1250 (now KKDZ) as a supplement to their AM's wonky hours of operation then (KTW-AM was required to sign off at sunset to protect 1250 in Pullman and returned to the air at midnight when Pullman signed off) until KTW flipped to country (or religion) later that year. Trouble was in the winter months, KTW-AM had to sign off at 4pm and since school usually got out at 3pm, that didn't work very well. So they tried the FM simulcast. But very few young people had FM radios then. FM in 1964 was still mostly AM simulcasts. The independent FMs were nearly all classical and jazz music and Broadway show tunes in (((STEREO))) (a trend that continued until the early '70s.) Portable/car radios with FM were very rare and expensive and statistically, almost no one listened to it but rich classical fans until 1967. And it took another 14 years for a Seattle FM to go to #1 in the ratings (KISW in 1981.)
The main office of Bonneville Broadcast Consultants in Tenafly NJ actually donated cases of the old reels to a college station in the area. The tapes themselves had been reused and played so many times that most of the oxide had worn off. But I'm sure a few collectors managed to save a few. I doubt there was any archiving, since it would have been physical archives instead of just digital memory.
Were those the studio masters? I would hope not. Even though this music has no real commercial value today, I would like to think at least an upload of the masters to something like Internet Archive would be manna for B/EZ fans and radio scholars alike.
I don't think so. These were the reels that were bicycled around from station to station, used over and over. My understanding is that the format was a combination of original recordings and commercial recordings. Obviously the commercial recordings were archived somewhere by whoever owns the masters. The original recordings are probably in a vault somewhere in Salt Lake City or Iron Mountain. The best person to ask is Marlin Taylor. He was there at the time.
I was working at a Top 40 in a small market in the early 1980s. The station had used Peters for the few weekend hours we were automated. So we got all the automation companies mailing us stuff.
One sample I listened to might have been an aircheck of KIRO. The format was titled "Light and Lively". The suggested configuration was 3 vocal reels and one instrumental. Instrumentals would have been 1960s and 1970s covers that were certainly not lush beautiful music types. On the instrumental reels were more 'contemporary' tunes like "Love's Theme" by Barry White along with Wes Montgomery and such doing stuff like "When A Man Loves A Woman". Vocals were much like "Hit Parade", mostly 1970s with a good sprinkling of 1960s tossed in. The format was pretty much the size of an average Beautiful Music format...a bit north of 200 hours. It was about 72 reels and around 206 hours of music. It was not 'currents' based but as reels were updated, newer songs would have been added like any automated format of the time. The format was obviously an attempt to capture a younger demo than traditional beautiful music which was becoming more rare on the FM dial at that time.
In the same mailing was "Country Fresh & Beautiful", something I felt really had merit. It was primarily non-country artists doing country covers and beautiful music groups doing country covers. You got a little Ray Price, Nashville Brass and such as originals since it mixed well. I figured plenty of stations would have gone with it had it been conceived about a decade prior. There were so many small markets with an FM where the AM was Country full service. In such cases, the FM was automated and it would have been a natural for rural areas. I think that might have been 1981 when I got the mailing.
One sample I listened to might have been an aircheck of KIRO. The format was titled "Light and Lively". The suggested configuration was 3 vocal reels and one instrumental. Instrumentals would have been 1960s and 1970s covers that were certainly not lush beautiful music types. On the instrumental reels were more 'contemporary' tunes like "Love's Theme" by Barry White along with Wes Montgomery and such doing stuff like "When A Man Loves A Woman". Vocals were much like "Hit Parade", mostly 1970s with a good sprinkling of 1960s tossed in. The format was pretty much the size of an average Beautiful Music format...a bit north of 200 hours. It was about 72 reels and around 206 hours of music. It was not 'currents' based but as reels were updated, newer songs would have been added like any automated format of the time. The format was obviously an attempt to capture a younger demo than traditional beautiful music which was becoming more rare on the FM dial at that time.
In the same mailing was "Country Fresh & Beautiful", something I felt really had merit. It was primarily non-country artists doing country covers and beautiful music groups doing country covers. You got a little Ray Price, Nashville Brass and such as originals since it mixed well. I figured plenty of stations would have gone with it had it been conceived about a decade prior. There were so many small markets with an FM where the AM was Country full service. In such cases, the FM was automated and it would have been a natural for rural areas. I think that might have been 1981 when I got the mailing.
I'm not sure what was behind this decision to play covers rather than originals. The royalties were the same, since radio has always paid the songwriters. I can only guess the reason was for the flow from one song to the next. It was also interesting to see what programmers, who were in their 40s and 50s at the time, thought would appeal to "younger demos." Might be some of that going on now, as there are still a lot of boomers trying to program to millennials.
None of the Beautiful Music syndicators did 100% custom music.
The top tier, with stations in the largest markets, were Bonnevile, Shulke (SRP) and the FM 100 Plan (Darryl Peters, not to be confused with Peters Productions of San Diego). While not in as many big markets, Churchill was a later-arrival contender in some markets.
There were some lower cost services, such as the Beautiful Music options of Peters Productions, TM Century, Drake-Chennault, Kalamusic, RPM, IGM. And there was my company, Música en Flor, which got up to around 80 stations in markets like Lima, Bogotá, Guayaquil and most of the other major Latin American markets.
The big three produced their own custom cuts, most being instrumental arrangements of pop hits. A number of the smaller ones grouped together to do custom music, although not as many cuts and not as prestigious a set of orchestras. Almost all were done in Europe.
I was member of an independent group, and it included WDVR in Philadelphia and Art Kellar's E-Z Communications. And I also did my own custom cuts of Latin American hits in Spain.
But the custom material was a smaller percentage of the programming, even with the most costly syndicators who had the resources to spend more on it. The main purpose of custom music was to get versions of big hits but which had not been covered by the orchestras and soloists that were the core of the format. It also provided some necessary tempo control and there was an element of "songs nobody else has".
In my experience, reels were not bicycled; every subscriber had the same set of reels and a percentage of them were replaced every month, and the old ones returned not for reuse but for security (to prevent cancelling the service but having lots of "free" music).
A few of the syndicators did a matched flow version of Beautiful Music, where they got precise quarter-hour segments, played as a whole and selected for perfect flow control and tempo consistency. Most stations, however, used random select, where songs from three, four or five reels would be integrated. Each reel was generally intended to provide tempo and texture control. And because there were an infinite number of ways the songs could be combined, patterns never repeated.
Marlin Taylor just published a book with his remembrances of that era, https://www.amazon.com/Radio-My-Lov...&qid=1540758189&sr=8-1&keywords=marlin+taylor
Yes the tempo control element was what I read about "The Young Sound," and the hiring of John DeWitt, with his Julliard music degree. Big difference between him and Bill Drake. I was led to believe that Bonneville recorded their custom music in Salt Lake City, or perhaps Orem, where they had a studio large enough for an orchestra.
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