524 EASY LISTENING /BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FORMAT

inducing customer relaxation. Good music programming in Beautiful music resides in the development of Muzak, a reg- the 195os was transmitted via the FM subcarrier frequency, istered trademark denoting the mood- enhancing background which precluded reception by the general public. Growing lis- music service pioneered in the 192os by Brigadier General tener interest led broadcasters to shift the good music format George Owen Squier. Muzak programming was piped via to their FM main channels in the early 196os. The good music leased telephone circuits into America's factories to stimulate format subsequently evolved into beautiful music. productivity and into retail stores and restaurants to elevate Stations that pioneered the good music format in the late patrons' spirits. 195os included several noted AM outlets. KIXL in Dallas; Programmers for beautiful music and easy listening WOR in New York City; WPAT in Paterson, New Jersey; and founded their presentations in the lush, layered string arrange- KABL in Oakland -San Francisco, all defined the easy listening ments popularized by the Andre Kostelanetz, Percy Faith, and presentation and accelerated the format's popularity. KIXL Mantovani orchestras. Trade publications began using the for- programmer Lee Seagall emphasized the importance of match- mat labels interchangeably during the mid- 197os. But musicol- ing music tempo with the hour of the day- upbeat during the ogists cite several distinguishing characteristics between the morning but down -tempo, soft, and romantic in the evening. formats. Beautiful music delved more deeply into the repertoire Gordon McLendon's KABL relied upon interstitial poetry of zoth- century popular music composers than did easy listen- selections to create distinction. Two evening specialty pro- ing. Tunes by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Hoagy Car- grams -WOR's Music from Studio X and the Gaslight Revue michael-pop music's "standards" -were common fixtures on on WPAT- influenced WDVR Station Manager /Program beautiful music playlists. In contrast, easy listening stations Director Marlin Taylor in 1963 to extend the format on this adopted a more contemporary music viewpoint, favoring a stand -alone FM station to around -the -clock presentation for greater infusion of fresher sounds. Tunes by Burt Bacharach, Philadelphia listeners. Henry Mancini, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney were Pairing good music with the FM medium was fortuitous commonly integrated into the presentation. for performers, broadcasters, and listeners. When the Federal Greater distinction between the formats was evidenced by Communications Commission directed FM broadcasters in programmers' approaches to vocal music, in terms of both the mid -196os to curtail the practice of simulcasting the pro- style and quantity. Performances by "traditional" vocalists, gramming of their AM sister stations, this format emerged as such as Perry Como, Andy Williams, and Frank Sinatra, as the de facto FM format standard. FM broadcasting, in con- well as the cover arrangements produced by artists including trast with AM, exhibited the sonic advantages of high -fidelity the Ray Conniff and Anita Kerr choral ensembles, were reproduction and stereophonic sound. The subtle nuances of sparingly interspersed into the presentation of beautiful orchestral performances, diminished by the process of low - music. Easy listening stations, which tended to blend instru- fidelity, monaural AM transmission, sprang from FM receiv- mentals and vocals on a more proportionate basis, gravi- ers with astonishing clarity and accuracy. After years of lan- tated toward the pop sounds of AM Top 4o. Some of the guishing in the shadow of AM radio, the FM medium began "softer " -sounding hits by Elton John, Billy Joel, the Carpen- to assert its identity as a separate and technically superior ters, and others qualified for airplay. Up -tempo perfor- mode of broadcasting. mances, particularly those punctuated by intrusive guitar licks or intensive percussion, were generally passed over by What It Is easy listening programmers.

Industry followers generally regard the easy listening format as Key Producers a beautiful music derivative. Beautiful music is a program for- mat featuring soft instrumental and vocal recordings directed James Schulke, a former advertising executive and FM radio to a target audience of predominantly middle -aged female lis- proponent, established SRP in 1968 to syndicate an approach teners. Lush, melodic, and subdued in its presentation, the for- to the good music presentation that he termed beautiful music. mat is carefully planned and executed to offer listeners a quiet Capitalizing on the good music format's mood -music heritage, musical refuge for escaping from everyday distractions. Pro- SRP Vice President /Creative Director Phil Stout constructed grammers regard announcer chatter as intrusive and tend to each quarter -hour of programming on a foundation of lush limit the spoken word to brief news reports, time checks, and orchestral and vocal arrangements of popular music standards. weather forecasts. Commercial interruptions are similarly min- One nuance in execution -the segue -differentiated the beau- imized, and the construction of message content reflects the tiful music from the good music format. Stout insisted that format's low-key delivery approach. The objective is to provide transitions between recordings flow in such a manner as to listeners with a background musical environment that comple- preserve the emotions elicited in listeners by the tempo, ments their daily activities. rhythm, and sound texture of the performances.