On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 12:40:02 EDT, John Higdon wrote:

In article ,
ai4i wrote:

Does it matter with background instrumentals? Do people really "listen"
to the music, or is it just -there-?

I actually found KBAY to be a foreground station. It played original
popular hits as well as selected covers. It dipped into KKSF territory
with pop jazz pieces. It even played an occasional show tune. It was
borderline eclectic.

Apparently, people listened closely enough for the station to do well
for its advertisers, many of whom had been with the station for years
and years. It was always sold out.

The station was frequently characterized by people who never bothered to
listen to it as "elevator music". It would have had to have been some
pretty hip elevator.

During the time I lived in Ukiah, I worked for KLIL, an "easy
listening" station. I and my friends often "DXed" KBAY. It was
amazing to pick it up (for us), being over 150 - 200 miles distant,
and Ukiah being in a rather deep valley. Never-the-less, we got it
quite well using a cheap-o Radio Shack 4 element FM beam. I and many
others even picked it up as we drove around town in our cars, although
it was spotty in places.

We listened a LOT to KBAY, everything John tells you is true ! It was
one heck of a station !!

Warren