Center Stage on Live365 this week is The Sound, "playing the best of pop and mellow rock." We spoke with station manager Ted Anthony about their history with radio, their station's programming, and we got some music recommendations. Check out the interview below!
What made you get started in radio?
1989 - KKIQ (101.7FM) in Pleasanton, California. The station was located in nearby Livermore at that time.
What brought you to Live365?
I heard about Live365 through a longtime friend and co-worker at KKIQ - Saul Vigil. He's also the music director of The Sound.
What's your favorite part about running your own radio station?
The freedom to play music we want, without consultants telling us what to play. At the same time, the music on The Sound is focused, and is built just like any FM/AM or satellite radio station.
Tell us about your station's programming. What can listeners expect when they tune in to your station?
The Sound, which originates from the San Francisco Bay Area, gets its inspiration from a small community-based radio station licensed out of Moss Beach, California - "Relax FM." The station no longer exists, but it played a fantastic blend of adult contemporary that I hadn't heard since maybe the late 80s/early 90s. I mean, they played "Kentucky Rain" by Elvis Presley! Who played that song anymore?!! Better yet... who even played Elvis Presley anymore?!!! So, we based The Sound after "Relax FM," but we wanted to expand the format to include more of pop, mellow rock, and adult contemporary. Ours is a format we truly believe is not played anywhere else. The Sound plays the top artists and singer-songwriters from the late 60s through the 70s (Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor, Jim Croce, etc.), the pop stars of the 80s and 90s (Phil Collins, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Winwood, etc.), along with a mix of the great country crossover artists (Alabama, Wynonna Judd, Steve Wariner, etc.) that perfectly fit the format. As for the artists of the 80s and 90s, The Sound focuses more on their album tracks, rather than their most played songs, as those are played non-stop on every other adult contemporary station. Give our station a listen. We really believe you'll notice the difference!
Name one artist that you play on your station that is underrated in your opinion.
Steve Wariner. His early 90s' version of The Orleans' song from the 70s, "Sails," is absolutely beautiful!
What's your favorite music memory/moment?
I would say my favorite moments are from my early years in radio, whether it was my time at KCRH (89.9FM) at Chabot Community College in Hayward, California, or my first few years at KKIQ in the early 90s. Everything about the radio business was still new to me, and it was fun to be in the studio any chance I had. Plus, radio had yet to be taken over by corporations. And I loved all the syndicated shows from that time - "American Top 40," "National Music Survey," "Dick Clark's Rock, Roll and Remember," etc.
Please list your top 5 or 10 songs, with a brief reason why the songs made your list.
The song list is in no particular order, but I believe it reflects what we feature on The Sound:
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"Here Comes The Sun (2019 Mix)" - The Beatles
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"Sara (2018 Remaster)" - Fleetwood Mac
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"I Cannot Believe It's True (2016 Remaster)" - Phil Collins
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"Crazy Love (Live-HQ)" - Poco
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"Every Kinda People (Live 1978)" - Robert Palmer
Listen to The Sound on Live365.com and like them on Facebook!
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