Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator music, light music, mood music, and Muzak are other terms that overlap with this format and the style of music that it featured. Beautiful music can also be regarded as a subset of the middle of the road radio format.
Beautiful music initially offered soft and unobtrusive instrumental selections on a very structured schedule with limited commercial interruptions. It often functioned as a free background music service for stores, with commercial breaks consisting only of announcements aimed at shoppers already in the stores. This practice was known as "storecasting" and was very common on the FM dial in the 1940s and 1950s.
Many of these FM stations usually simulcast their AM station and used a subcarrier (SCA) to transmit a hitch-hiker signal to a store receiver by subscription. The signal was usually a slow-moving audio tape of "background music" or Muzak-type service, which was independent of the simulcast AM signal.
Some FM stations made more income from these music subscriptions than from their main programming. WITH-FM, in Baltimore, Maryland (1950s and 1960s), had to keep its FM carrier on the air until 2:00a.m. for restaurant subscribers, and could not sign-off the main FM carrier until that time and thus had to run a repeat of its previous day's evening concert on its main FM program line.
Growth as a radio format
One of the first beautiful music radio stations in the US was KIXL in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, area. As early as 1947 it played orchestral music on AM radio (1040), and later on FM (104.5). KIXL changed to KEZL (as in "easy listening") in 1973, but ended with a change to adult contemporary in 1976.
In 1959, Gordon McLendon, who had interests in Top-40 radio in Dallas as well as other markets, decided to "counter-program" in San Francisco since several Top-40 stations were already there. McLendon established beautiful music AM station KABL (a tribute to the San Francisco cable cars, named by McLendon's executive assistant Billie Page Odom) which was successful through the 1990s. It then experimented with combining elements of Big Bands and soft rock until its demise in the early 21st century. It was reborn as an Internet radio station where it can be heard today.
In the early 1960s, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a standard for transmitting and receiving stereo signals on a single channel of the FM band. In addition to delivering stereo sound, FM broadcasting provided clearer sound quality and better resistance to interference than AM, thus being ideal for broadcasting the beautiful music format.
In Baltimore, Maryland, programmer Art Wander developed a beautiful music format for the 50,000-watt NBC affiliate WBAL/1090. The station format launched in the fall of 1960 featured music sweeps of lush instrumentals with subtle comments from their staff announcers. The format changed to sports and talk when competing FM stations broadcast beautiful music and easy listening.
In 1963, Marlin Taylor created a custom-designed beautiful music format at Philadelphia's WDVR. Within four months, WDVR became the #1 rated FM station in the Philadelphia market. This was one of the first big successes in FM broadcasting, and was instrumental in establishing the viability of FM. WDVR was a resource for mature listeners who were driven from AM radio at the time when WFIL and WIBG (and others) switched to rock 'n' roll programming. WDVR's billboards made the adult audience aware of the new station.
Airtime resell practice. Libraries of music for radio stations
Others, such as Jim Schulke, devised a method of buying air time on FMstations in bulk and reselling the blocks to interested advertisers. Schulke formed Stereo Radio Productions (SRP) to help his stations get better ratings and pull in more agency advertising dollars. His stations used six hundred 10+1⁄2-inch-diameter (270mm)reels of stereoreel-to-reel tape set on multiple machines so that 15 minute segments would play at a time, alternating from one player to another, allowing a varied programming format in which no half-hour was repeated within a two-week period. One of Schulke's stations using this "matched flow" concept was WDVR's chief competitor in the beautiful music format in Philadelphia, WWSH-FM.
Peters Productions in San Diego, California was active throughout the late 1960s through the early 1980s. At one time Peters Productions offered 7 different syndicated radio formats plus radio/television "station image" packages (custom jingle and integrated promotional graphics packages.) The most popular syndicated radio format was a beautiful music format on a library of 100 reel-to-reel tapes, with 6 new reels provided per month. It originated when founder Ed Peters was station manager of San Diego radio station KFMB-FM. The format aired on over 120 stations during its peak, and was known originally as "Music Only for a Woman." Later the name was changed to "Music Just for the Two of Us."
Stereotypical instrumental-vocal mixes, related to BM/EZ
Many beautiful music programmers constructed their own style of sets, incorporating some vocal songs, usually one to each 15-minute set. Most stations adopted a 70–80% instrumental – 20–30% vocal mix, a few offered 90% instrumentals, and a handful were entirely instrumental. Initially, the vocalists consisted of artists such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Patti Page, Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Doris Day, and others.
By the 1970s, softer songs by artists like The Carpenters, Anne Murray, John Denver, Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Nancy Wilson and others were added to the mix on many stations. Also, some of these stations played soft songs by artists like Elvis Presley, Beatles, Billy Joel, and other rock-based artists. The main test for the vocals played was not the background of the artist but whether or not the song was soft. All vocals on such stations had to be soft. Therefore, songs like "She's Out of My Life" by non-core artists like Michael Jackson or "Live to Tell" by Madonna would be heard on some of these stations. On the other hand, even uptempo jazzier songs by standards artists, such as "Detour" by Patti Page, would not be heard on beautiful music stations except during specialty shows.
Also, during weekday morning drive times, most beautiful music stations increased the vocals to as much as 50 percent to accommodate a broader audience. While these stations were mostly playing instrumentals, some had a couple of specialty programs that were vocal-based such as a Big Band program on Saturday nights, a Frank Sinatra show sometime on the weekends, and maybe a program featuring Broadway showtunes.
Generally, the recordings heard on beautiful music stations were newly orchestrated arrangements of the songs of the day. These were available from the major record labels and performed by such artists as Andre Kostelanetz, Percy Faith, Mantovani, the 101 Strings, Billy Vaughn, The Living Strings, Frank Chacksfield, among others. When the record companies cut back on releasing this material, syndicators of the format had custom recordings produced for them, performed by many different orchestras from around the world. These new custom recordings were usually instrumental versions of current or recent rock and roll or pop hit songs, a move intended to give the stations more mass appeal without selling out. Some stations would also occasionally play earlier big band-era recordings from the 1940s and early 1950s.
Many beautiful music stations would air a few Christmas songs per hour beginning around Thanksgiving each year, increasing their frequency as the month of December progressed. The stations' vocal content would typically increase to about 40 to 60 percent of the playlist during this period, as well. There would then be a special marathon of seasonal music on December 24 and December 25. After the 25th, most continued to play wall-to-wall Christmas music until the first of the year. This concept was later borrowed (and expanded upon) by Soft AC, Oldies, and even some country music and Hot AC stations. Today, the average wall-to-wall Christmas format begins on Thanksgiving and ends at the end of the day around midnight on December 26.
The predominantly instrumental-vocal mix is still in use today, mainly by smooth jazz stations.
Declining years
Peters was the first beautiful music syndicator to sell its library in the late 1980s to Broadcast Programming, Inc., which then bought several other syndicators. (BPI, later part of Jones Radio Networks, is part of Dial Global as of 2012.) Bonneville, which had acquired the SRP and Century catalogs in the 1980s, sold its beautiful music assets to Broadcast Programming in November 1993.
Some beautiful music stations (especially on AM) successfully transitioned to adult contemporary formats, often with call letter changes to shed the "elevator music" identity. Many of these stations marketed themselves as playing many of the same songs from the original artists; adult contemporary had the benefit of having core acts that could much more easily be marketed and were more familiar to listeners, as opposed to the lesser-known and poorer-selling studio acts that made up the majority of the beautiful music format.
Beautiful music stations declined in the late 1980s and early 1990s as country music became popular and moved to the FM dial (formerly, country was relegated to AM). Many beautiful music stations, especially in rural areas, switched to country around that time.
While the seasonal Christmas music format helped salvage softer vocal selections from the era even as formats such as adult standards withered, radio industry writer Sean Ross noted in 2005 that this did not apply to beautiful music instrumentals, which remained widely unpopular. Ross noted that beautiful music drew as much revulsion from listeners as novelty songs and that the appetite for instrumental Christmas music, even among older listeners, was mostly restricted to newer instrumental cuts such as from Mannheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.[1]
List of instrumental artists associated with "beautiful music" radio format era
Some instrumental artists associated with beautiful music have included:
Jones College of Jacksonville operated WKTZ-FM, a beautiful music noncommercial station, from its 1964 founding until 2014, when it sold the station (and sister station WJAX) to national Christian broadcaster Educational Media Foundation for $3.375 million. EMF ended the beautiful music format and switched WKTZ-FM to WJKV, broadcasting its in-house satellite K-Love network.[2]
Some commercial beautiful music stations still exist, often in areas with large retiree populations. These are often popular in their markets. An annual influx of vacationers from colder climates has helped such stations as KAHM (102.1MHz) in Prescott, Arizona, and, until 2021 KWXY (1340kHz) in Cathedral City, California. Most of the remaining commercial beautiful music stations are primarily in markets with major resorts. An exception is WGCY in Gibson City, Illinois which serves rural areas in Central Illinois with mostly instrumental beautiful music.
Today most stations that play beautiful music are either characterized as nostalgia, smooth jazz or easy listening. In Canada, Evanov Communications' "Jewel"-branded stations in Ontario and Quebec (including CKDX-FM in metro Toronto, CJWL-FM in Ottawa, and CHSV-FM in metropolitan Montreal, among others), which play soft adult contemporary music during the day and standards in the evening, feature an hour of traditional beautiful music from 11:00p.m. to midnight, dubbing the program "The Instrumental Concert Series". The Cleveland market features non-profit WKHR 91.5, which plays many classic beautiful and light jazz instrumentals from the 1930s through the 1960s, as well as timeless pop and jazz vocals.
Radio production veteran Jason 'Jake' Longwell, currently produces and hosts a weekly hour long radio program devoted to Beautiful Music called Something Beautiful.[citation needed]
Muzak also provides several beautiful music channels which are described as "environmental" background music channels.
Instrumental beautiful music can also be found on a number of Internet radio feeds. Many radio stations mentioned below have Internet "doubles".
Some "internet radios" have dedicated smartphone apps; and most apps would play music as a background task, like a typical music app would.
As for looking up for archived tape-like selections from beautiful music era rather than modern music labelled as "beautiful", one can look up for a radio [station] aircheck from 1970s or 1960s.
List of radio stations, related to BM/EZ
As mentioned above, many radio stations have Internet doubles and some even have own mobile apps. Therefore, it may be possible to listen to a town-scale or city-scale BM/EZ-like radio station from another state.
WCTM were the call letters assigned to an FM radio station, and later an AM station, both licensed to Eaton, Preble County, Ohio, United States.
WYJB is a commercial radio station licensed to Albany, New York, and serving the Capital District, including Schenectady and Troy. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. On weekday evenings, WYJB carries the nationally syndicated call-in and dedications show hosted by Delilah. The station's radio studios and offices are on Johnson Road in Latham.
WWPR-FM is an urban contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. WWPR-FM is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building. The station is the flagship station of the nationally syndicated morning show, The Breakfast Club.
WLIF is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. through licensee Audacy License, LLC and broadcasts an adult contemporary format. Its studios are located on Clarkview Road in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, while its broadcast tower is located near Loch Raven Reservoir near Towson. at.
CHFI-FM is a commercial radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Rogers Radio, a division of Rogers Sports & Media, it broadcasts an adult contemporary format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. The studios are in the Rogers Building on the northwest corner of Bloor and Jarvis Streets in Downtown Toronto. CHFI is often the most listened-to commercial radio station in Greater Toronto, according to the Numeris ratings.
WLIT-FM is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter is on top of the Willis Tower.
WPAT, is a radio station licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, with a brokered programming format. WPAT is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting, and its studios are located in New York City, in Manhattan's Financial District. The station's four 380 feet (120 m) transmitting towers are located in Clifton, New Jersey.
KWXY is a commercial radio station licensed to Cathedral City, California, and serving the Palm Springs radio market in the Coachella Valley. The station was founded in 1964 and is owned by Louie Comella, through licensee IVOX RADIO LLC. Studios, offices, and transmitter are on Dinah Shore Drive.
WRVF is a commercial radio station in Toledo, Ohio, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to all-Christmas music for much of November and December. WRVF carries the syndicated Delilah music and call-in show in the evening. The radio studios and offices are at Superior and Lafayette in Downtown Toledo.
WXYT-FM is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan, serving Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios and offices are located in the nearby suburb of Southfield.
WDUV is a commercial radio station licensed to New Port Richey, Florida and serving the Tampa Bay Area. Owned by Cox Radio, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. It switches to all-Christmas music from mid-November to December 25. WDUV's studios and offices are located in St. Petersburg. The transmitter site is off Dartmouth Drive in Holiday.
KKWF is a commercial radio station in Seattle, Washington. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it airs a country music radio format. The studios and offices are on Fifth Avenue in Downtown Seattle.
WRRM is a commercial radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station is owned by Cumulus Media, broadcasting an adult contemporary radio format. For much of November and December, it switches to Christmas music. The studios and offices are located on Montgomery Road in North Cincinnati.
WEJZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned by Renda Broadcasting and airs a mainstream adult contemporary radio format. WEJZ is the Jacksonville affiliate for the syndicated Delilah show. Between mid-November and December 25 each year, the station switches to all-Christmas music.
WHIO-FM – branded AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO – is a commercial talk radio station licensed to serve Pleasant Hill, Ohio, covering Dayton, Ohio and the Dayton metropolitan area. Owned by Cox Media Group, WHIO-FM acts as a full-time simulcast of WHIO. The WHIO-FM studios are located at Cox Media Center building in Dayton, while the transmitter is located in nearby Piqua. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WHIO-FM streams online.
KTSM-FM is a commercial radio station in El Paso, Texas. It airs an adult contemporary radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on North Mesa Street in West Central El Paso. Evenings feature the syndicated Delilah call-in and request show. On Sunday mornings, Dave Koz hosts a smooth jazz show. The rest of the schedule features local DJs.
WSRW-FM is a commercial radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It airs an adult contemporary radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on Monroe Center Street in Downtown Grand Rapids. The transmitter is off Payne Lake Road in Middleville.
WARQ is a commercial radio station in Columbia, South Carolina. It is owned by Alpha Media and it airs a Top 40 (CHR) format branded as "Live 93.5" Its studios are on Pineview Road in Columbia, off U.S. Route 378.
WHKO is a commercial radio station in Dayton, Ohio. The station is owned by Cox Media Group and carries a country music radio format. Its studios and offices are co-located with the Dayton Daily News, WHIO-AM-FM-TV, and two more radio stations in the Cox Media Center building near downtown Dayton.
WMXY is a commercial radio station in Youngstown, Ohio. It broadcasts a mainstream adult contemporary radio format and switches to all-Christmas music for much of November and December. WMXY is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is the Youngstown network affiliate for the Delilah syndicated music and call-in show in the evening, and carries the Ellen K Weekend Show Saturdays and Casey Kasem's classic American Top 40 on Sundays.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
