[BC] Early FM Growth. Its Cause

[WFIFeng@aol.com]

In a message dated 02/12/2007 7:06:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
richwood at pobox.com writes:

> Someone must have cared. It was one of the dominant formats on the 
>  air.A lot of people made a lot of money in that format. The fact that 
>  most markets had as many as four Easy Listening stations, most making 
money.

Which is why I am so surprised at the total "death" of that format! Each 
major market could (should?) certainly support at least *one* of these stations, 
no?

>  Willie, you're beginning to sound like one of those Ogilvy IBUZ press 
>  releases. Radios didn't "fly off the shelves." 

I was, of course, speaking figuratively... from my teenage perspective back 
then. ;)

>  It took years for FMs 
>  to take listeners from the dominant Top 40 AMs. Broadening the 
>  variety of formats sure helped but the FCC's prohibition against 
>  simulcasting threw things into high gear. Prior to that there were 
>  many AM formats simulcast and listeners stayed with AM for many years 
>  when the same format was available on FM.

But how many of the younger generation did, once they discovered how much 
better it all sounded on FM? Was FM still mono back then, or were *most* of those 
simulcasts running stereo by then? Remember, my perspective is coming from 
the 70's, when I was a teen. It was different in the 60's, I'm sure... but I was 
too young to remember much but the very late 60's. (I was born in late '62)

>  Remember, AM sounded much 
>  better back then than it does today.

That would also be a factor.

> Just like today, quality wasn't 
>  the driving force. In Boston, WBCN had a free form format that was 
>  almost a cult. Couldn't get that on AM. 

There's another compelling draw toward FM.

> It was imaginative 
>  programming and lower spot loads on FM that drew listeners. At WJIB, 
>  Boston, our spot load was 8 units an hour. It was a very different 
>  Easy Listening station.

Indeed. I still think there's a place for that format, today... I wonder 
who's going to try to revive it, if anyone.

Willie...