S.A.M.: Simply About Music

Last updated

S.A.M.: Simply About Music
Type Radio network
Country
AvailabilityNational
Owner Dial Global Networks
(through Triton Media Group)
Launch date
2005
Dissolved2015

S.A.M.: Simply About Music (pronounced "Sam") was a 24-hour satellite-driven format produced by Westwood One, based on the adult hits format. Its playlist consisted of a wide variety of popular adult music from the 1960s through today, from artists ranging from Led Zeppelin to Lady Gaga to Linkin Park.

The format's name, other than the acronym, derives from other "Male First Name FM" formats such as Jack FM, Bob FM and Hank FM. The network was founded by the original Westwood One in 2005 in response to the rapid rise in popularity of such formats. S.A.M. has absorbed Jones Variety Hits upon acquisition of Jones Radio Networks by Triton Media Group's Dial Global division (now the modern Westwood One) effective September 30, 2008.

The modern Westwood One, now a subsidiary of Cumulus Media, shut down S.A.M. on August 31, 2015 to avoid duplication with its ownership of the Jack FM national rights. [1] Four years later, the network lost the rights to Jack FM to Skyview Networks and relaunched two variety hits networks: Variety Hits Pop and Variety Hits Rock (the latter of which has a classic rock lean). [2]

Related Research Articles

Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music, broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock, from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLOS</span> Rock radio station in Los Angeles

KLOS is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Meruelo Media. KLOS airs a mainstream rock radio format and has broadcast rock music in some form since 1969. The studios are on West Olive Avenue in Burbank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack FM</span> Radio station

Jack FM is a radio network brand that is licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits format, in most cases not using DJs.

Stunting is a type of publicity stunt in radio broadcasting, where a station—abruptly and often without advance announcement—begins to air content that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what is normally played.

Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s and the nostalgia behind it is a major driver to the format. It is considered the successor to the oldies format, a collection of top 40 songs from the late 1950s through the late 1970s that was once extremely popular in the United States and Canada. The term is sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym for the adult hits format, which uses a slightly newer music library stretching from all decades to the present with a major focus on 1990s and 2000s pop, rock and alternative songs. In addition, adult hits stations tend to have larger playlists, playing a given song only a few times per week, compared to the tighter libraries on classic hits stations. For example, KRTH, a classic hits station in Los Angeles, and KSPF, a classic hits station in Dallas, both play power songs up to 30 times a week or more, which is another differentiator compared to other formats that share songs with classic hits libraries.

Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which was broken up in 2007; Cumulus owned the portion of the network that was purchased by Citadel Broadcasting that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKLQ (FM)</span> K-Love Christian radio station in Los Angeles

KKLQ is a non-commercial FM radio station owned by Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and carries the contemporary Christian music format of its nationally syndicated network K-Love throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Licensed to Los Angeles, California, KKLQ's transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson and has a booster in Santa Clarita, KKLQ-FM2 at 100.3 MHz, to extend its coverage into the Santa Clarita Valley and other areas north of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFBG (FM)</span> Radio station in San Diego

KFBG is a commercial radio station that is licensed to San Diego, California and broadcasts an adult hits format. The station is owned by Local Media San Diego. It shares studios with LMSD's other stations in the Sorrento Valley section of San Diego, and its transmitter is atop Mount Soledad in La Jolla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLVW</span> K-Love radio station in Washington, D.C.

WLVW – branded as K-Love – is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, WLVW does not broadcast any local programming, functioning as the Washington metropolitan area network affiliate for K-Love. The station's transmitter resides in the district's northwest quadrant. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WLVW is available online; the station also broadcasts in the HD Radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRNW</span> Sports talk radio station in Milwaukee

WRNW is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, known as "97.3 The Game". It airs a sports radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on West Howard Avenue in Greenfield.

WOKY is a commercial AM radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is one of two sports radio stations owned by iHeart in Milwaukee. WRNW focuses on Wisconsin-based sports shows, while WOKY mostly airs national programs from Fox Sports Radio, including Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd. WOKY's studios and offices, which became the home of all iHeart Milwaukee stations in 2000 after a building expansion, are on West Howard Avenue in Greenfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXCX</span> Radio station in Siren, Wisconsin

WXCX is a radio station licensed to Siren, Wisconsin. WXCX transmits with 6 kW at 100 meters from a tower in central Burnett County. The station broadcasts a classic country format. It is owned by Zoe Communications, Inc. and has studios in Shell Lake, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNDX</span> Mainstream rock radio station in Lawrence, Indiana, United States

WNDX is a commercial radio station, licensed to Lawrence, Indiana, and serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a mainstream rock radio format, using the moniker 93-9X. The studios and offices are located on North Shadeland Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis.

America's Best Music is the on-air branding of a soft oldies and adult standards 24-hour radio network, formerly known as AM Only. The service is syndicated by Westwood One, a subsidiary of Cumulus Media. It was one of the original Transtar Radio Networks formats. Despite its old name of AM Only, "America's Best Music" is no longer exclusive to AM stations and is carried on some FM stations.

WQTX is a radio station broadcasting a rhythmic adult contemporary format to the Lansing, Michigan radio market. Licensed to St. Johns, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1972, and has been through a number of different calls and formats during its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRRN</span> Radio station in Warren, Pennsylvania

WRRN is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Warren, Pennsylvania, United States, the station is currently owned by Lilly Broadcasting and features programming from CBS News Radio and is an affiliate of Local Radio Networks' "Classic Hits 2" format. An audio feed of this station currently broadcasts on channel 11, a community bulletin board, on one of the local cable providers.

WHHT is a country music–formatted radio station licensed to Cave City, Kentucky, United States, and serving the Bowling Green area. The station is owned by Commonwealth Broadcasting through licensee Newberry Broadcasting, Inc.

Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet storm and rock influence. Adult contemporary is generally a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock style that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with some adjustments that reflect the evolution of pop/rock music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRKX</span> Radio station in Ottawa, Illinois

WRKX is a radio station broadcasting a variety hits format. Licensed to Ottawa, Illinois, the station covers Northern Illinois, including LaSalle, and Ottawa. It is owned by NRG Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nash (brand)</span> Media brand and network owned by Cumulus Media in the United States

Nash is a media brand owned by Cumulus Media. It covers country music-related properties owned by Cumulus, including radio stations, digital properties and publications, Nash TV, concerts promoted by Nash FM stations, and associated programming syndicated by Westwood One—including The Ty Bentli Show, Nash Nights Live with Shawn Parr and The Blair Garner Show. The Lia Show, which has been separately syndicated by Westwood One in the evening hours, will replace Garner in August 2020. Its name comes from Nashville, Tennessee, the center of the commercial country music industry in the United States, which in turn was named for colonial-era politician and Continental Army General Francis Nash. The Nash FM branding is similar to the Hank FM branding in that these stations play over 1000 songs as opposed to other stations which play 300 to 600 songs.

References

  1. "Westwood One Cancels SAM; Leads To Multiple Flips" from Radio Insight (August 31, 2015)
  2. After losing Jack, Westwood One launches two new variety hits networks] from Radio Insight (September 2019)