| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | National |
| Owner | Westwood One |
Launch date | 1989 |
Former names | AM Only |
Official website | America's Best Music website |
America's Best Music is the on-air branding of a softoldies andadult standards 24-hour radio network, formerly known asAM Only. The service issyndicated byWestwood One, asubsidiary ofCumulus Media. It was one of the originalTranstar Radio Networksformats. 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.
Its main competitor isMusic of Your Life, syndicated by Planet Halo, Inc. Until 2010,Timeless fromCitadel/ABC Radio had been another similar format.
The target audience of the format is listeners 35 to 64, with a range of softer hits, primarily from the 1950s through the 1980s, plus a few newer titles in theplaylist.[1] Artists includeThe Beatles,Celine Dion,Elvis Presley,Dionne Warwick,Neil Diamond,Billy Joel,Frank Sinatra,Barbra Streisand,The Carpenters,Lionel Richie,Barry Manilow,James Taylor,Elton John,Anne Murray,Simon and Garfunkel,Andy Williams,Linda Ronstadt,Natalie Cole,Nat King Cole, TheCaptain & Tennille, andThe 5th Dimension.[2] The format also incorporates "new standards" material by artists likeNorah Jones,Diana Krall,Michael Bublé,Rod Stewart,Bette Midler andCarly Simon. An occasional newer song is heard if it has adult appeal, such as some recent hits byAdele. Also, the network switches to allChristmas music beginning in mid-December through Christmas Day each year.
"AM Only" was created byTranstar Radio Networks at a time whenFM had overtakenAM for listeners seeking music on the radio. Most AM stations that had previously programmed formats such asTop 40,adult contemporary andcountry music saw their listeners switch to FM stations. These stations were in search of a format for mature listeners who were content with hearing music on AM radio, especially if the station played songs that FM stations thought was too old or conservative. "AM Only" was promoted exclusively 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," and it continues to use that slogan to this day. One affiliate used an ad which stated:
Ray Charles lives here. So doesRosemary Clooney,Perry Como,Bing Crosby,The Lettermen, and TheNelson Riddle Orchestra. AtKVIN, Vintage 920 The Vine, we play the original hits of the 40s, 50s and 60s. All day, every day.[3]
After a February 1987 debut with Chick Watkins as program director, "AM Only" had 157network affiliates by the end of 1993. Growth of the format was helped by new material from Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis, and artists such asHarry Connick Jr., along with movies such asSleepless in Seattle.KJUL jumped to number 3 in theLas Vegas market, andKOY became the number 5 station inPhoenix, Arizona.[4]
In 2000, over 240 radio stations used the adult standards format which was being distributed by this time by Westwood One.[5]
In the first decade of the 21st Century, the format added more uptempo material from theoldies andadult contemporary formats and promoted "A New Variety of America's Best Music".
On October 1, 2008, America's Best Music absorbedJones Standards, a short-lived format created by the now-dissolvedJones Radio Networks, as a result of Jones's purchase by Westwood One. Many, though not all, Jones Standards affiliates switched over to America's Best Music. Westwood One's subsequent purchase ofWaitt Radio Networks added a second adult standards/MOR-based format to the syndicator's portfolio in the form of "The Lounge", formerly distributed by Waitt and now discontinued.
In July 2015 it was announced that all the on-air personalities would be terminated as Westwood One downsized its air staff.[6] Original morning show host Jeff Rollins[7] and afternoon host and production director Carl Hampton were terminated as well as fellow weekday voice John Gleason, plus weekenders Pat McNulty, Wayne Yafee and Paul Worden.[8][failed verification] Rollins returned to the air, hosting mornings atWOSN, Ocean-FM, inIndian River Shores, Florida.
Former DJs included Dick Heatherton,[9] Nick Gerard, Ed Brand,Joe Daniels,[10][11] Mark Haden,[12] Rick Wagstaff, Rick Garza, Lou Simon, and Peter Doeblin.[13] Chick Watkins, the format's former program director, was also a DJ for many years.
As of 2025, America's Best Music was the last of Westwood One's 24/7 networks to include a substantial portion of pop music from prior to the 1970s, after it shut downGood Time Oldies and Classic Hits Gold, two other networks that had a substantial 1960s component, in April of that year. (Twoclassic country networks also continue to carry some 1960s material, and itsclassic rock outlet maintains a small amount.)[14]