User:Vchimpanzee/Draft articles
AM Only was the original name of Dial Global adult standards, a 24-hour satellite music service distributing music to radio stations around the USA.
The target audience of the format is persons 35 to 64, with most of the music from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Artists include Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, The Carpenters, Johnny Mathis, Barry Manilow, Celine Dion, James Taylor, Elton John and Simon and Garfunkel.
The current lineup of DJs includes Jeff Rollins, Chick Watkins, Ed Brand, Mark Haden, and Peter Doeblin on weekdays, as well as Don Reid, Casey Hayes, Bill Jones, Rick Garza, Lou Simon, and Rick Wagstaff.[1]
History[edit]
AM Only was created by Transtar Radio Networks at a time when AM radio was no longer highly regarded as a place to listen to music. The format was promoted only to AM stations, though it was not long before some FM stations used it as well.
The format was promoted on-air as "Great Songs, Great Memories". [2] In 1989, Transtar became Unistar Communications Group as a result of a merger with United Stations Radio Networks, and Westwood One Radio Network took over Unistar in a deal that was completed in February 1994.[3], [4]
Gary Fries served as president of both Transtar and Unistar and is credited with developing their 24-hour radio formats. In 2006, Excelsior Radio Networks announced that Fries would become a consultant for Dial Global and MJI Interactive.[5]
In the first decade of the 21st Century, the format added more uptempo material from the oldies and adult contemporary formats and promoted "A New Variety of America's Best Music". In recent years, though, the commitment to "The Greatest Songs Of All Time" has been renewed.
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