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Thank you
for your interest in the story behind The Best of Everything®.
When George
Gershwin wrote “I long for the day when I can have my fling; and
have the best of everything” little did he know that one day,
his wish, (musically speaking, at least), would come true. Read on
and learn how this unique music format came to be and how it might
just be the answer to Mr. Gershwin’s, (and your), wistful call.
The Best of Everything®
is a true blue, variety driven, adult music
format embracing 12 great “flavors” of pop music, including
fabulous Solid Gold Favorites, wonderful Classic Jazz, The Best
Songs of Today, Great American Standards, Soft Rock Hits, Sweeping
Soundtracks, The Best of the Band Years, Mo-Town, Hit Parade
Memories, Timeless Country, The Very Best of Broadway and more!
Indeed, the most popular songs and greatest pop artists in the world
are proudly showcased every day on
The Best of Everything®.
The incredible Best of Everything®
library (boasting more than 3000 songs) is a master blend of world
class pop music updated and refreshed daily.
While the blend is unapologetically eclectic, (we love
variety), the songs and artists are totally familiar.
The Best of Everything®
was created and crafted specifically to appeal to grown
up tastes, but, whatever your age, we’re
glad you’re here.
My name is
Bob Bruno. I created The Best of
Everything®.
I am a recently retired broadcast executive who was privileged to
have programmed and managed two legendary New York City radio
stations, WNEW 1130AM and WOR 710AM.
While I loved the
business of radio, anyone who knows me well will tell you that my
first love, my passion, has always been music. If you share a
similar love for music, (and variety), welcome. This one-of-a-kind
music format was created just for you.
I think
people of all ages will enjoy The Best
of Everything® but in truth it was
created specifically for mature consumers.
Business Week
magazine recently called the mature consumer “a marketers dream.”
I agree and the facts overwhelmingly support that conclusion;
mature Americans enjoy incomes that exceed the average household
while controlling the greatest amount of disposable income of any
age group in America.
Today’s adults are
healthier in mind and body than any previous generation. They are
socially active, committed to a youthful lifestyle and living
longer, fuller lives. This generation that has dismantled the old
stereotypes of adulthood and in the process, changed its own
paradigm.
In light of the
facts, one is hard pressed to understand why America’s fastest
growing demographic remains so devalued by both Madison Avenue
and a youth obsessed media.
Ignoring this
active, affluent consumer group simply defies logic. Remember what
Willie Sutton replied when they asked him why he robbed banks; he
said, “Because, that’s where the money is.” Give that man a cigar,
(and 20 years.) Trust me, a Rhodes Scholar Willie was not, but he
gets an “A+” for common sense.
Is 50 the new
30…or isn’t it? Why is this prime consumer sector so grossly
underserved by media? It is a mystery to me and pretty much the
reason behind the creation of this format.
The idea for
The Best of Everything® began some years back at a
National Association of Broadcasters Program Conference in San
Francisco. As I walked the busy convention floor, it was apparent
that broadcasters had minimal interest in creating new entertainment
platforms for the rapidly growing mature market.
Youth targeted
music formats on radio were flourishing and mutating almost daily
while fresh concepts aimed at mature listeners were, for all intent
and purposes, virtually dormant.
How ironic, I
thought. I had just entered the age group that my own industry
considered disposable. I, like millions of other Americans of a
certain age, was about to disappear from the great media radar
screen. Never mind that I was earning more than my four working
youngsters combined, I was no longer a “desired demo,” I was
yesterday’s news.
As I walked the
convention floor, I wondered; does anybody believe in the value of
the mature audience any more? Anybody?
The frustration I
experienced that day had an interesting effect on me. It inspired
me. I felt creatively charged. By the time I returned to my hotel
room, the germ of an idea had already taken root; the creation of a
music format unabashedly targeting the emotional bulls-eye of
contemporary media’s “forgotten generation”.
I have always been
motivated by a wonderful quote from Albert Einstein; “Imagination
is more important than knowledge,” so, with old Albert’s
blessing, I allowed my imagination full freedom to wander. I
systematically removed all standard radio format formulas from my
mind. Broadcasting 101 rules went out the window.
I began
envisioning a music format “for the rest of us.”
On a yellow legal
pad I outlined the first draft of a brand new concept that would
encompass seven evolutionary decades of pop music. It would be a
foreground format, (primarily vocal), served up on a kind of musical
Lazy Susan. The uniqueness of the format rested firmly on two solid
programming principles; unlimited variety and the wonderful element
of surprise. As the wheel turned, listeners would never know what
was coming next. Frank Sinatra or Fats Domino? The Beach Boys or
“Jersey Boys?” Glenn Miller or Classic Country? Every few minutes a
different genre would be served up. To my knowledge, it had never
been attempted before. It would be an original. That excited me.
The acceptance of
variety by the target listener was never a serious concern, even
though, at first blush, mixing diverse categories of music together
seem to go against the brain grain. But think again. Just a quick
glance at your own music collection probably tells my story best. Is
it a bit eclectic? Most collections are. We love and embrace
variety in many forms; from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear,
to the music we enjoy.
Building a grand
library with a timeless, classic, core from the vast universe of
available music was challenging for sure but also the most rewarding
part of the project for me. Immersing my head in all of that
wonderful music everyday was akin to Scrooge McDuck diving joyously
into his mounds of money. We were both submerged in what we loved
and having a great time in the process.
No one bats
a thousand, and clearly, it would be foolish to assume that everyone
would enjoy everything I selected for the library. Still, I felt
that I could raise the ratio of listener “likes” to “dislikes” by
avoiding edgy, trendy or banal material, choosing instead only solid
performances that stayed close to the core value of the designated
genre. I wanted The Best of Everything®
“sound” to be smooth; “rounded off”, so to speak, to maintain
listener loyalty and encourage longer listening patterns
I had an initial
working title; The Adult Listener Comfort Zone.
Although it expressed the concept pretty well, unfortunately it
sounded like a rest stop on the Jersey Turnpike. I played with a
number of alternate titles but simply could not find the words to
convey the breadth and scope of the format until, one day, my son,
Christopher casually said, “It sounds like you will be playing
the best of everything.” Bingo! Thank you, Chris.
Indeed. That is
exactly what we will be playing; the very best of
everything…something for everyone from Billie Holiday to Billy
Joel…12 wonderful flavors of popular music…one continuous flow of
easy listening songs and artists…blended especially for grown up
tastes.
Now that I had
identified the ingredients and written the recipe, I was ready to
cook.
And here is the
result:
On any given
day, in any given hour, The Best of
Everything®
menu might include a Fred and Ginger
Soundtrack Classic…Chuck Berry’s good time rock and
roll...the Broadway brilliance of Andrew Lloyd Webber…Ella
weaving vocal magic...The Eagles fly high…Patsy Cline
goes “Crazy”...Springsteen rocks easy…The Miller Band
serenades…Bocelli and Brightman soar…Garth Brooks
takes us down a country road…we get sentimental again with Tommy
Dorsey…we sail The River of Dreams with Billy Joel…Earth
Angel stirs unforgettable teen memories…Whitney Houston
dazzles…Tony Bennett swings gently…and on and on.
It is truly, music
for a lifetime; a lifetime of music.
Well that’s
my story, (the Readers Digest version anyway) of how and why,
The Best of Everything®
came to be.
Crafting an
original music format specifically designed to recognize, respect
and serve the entertainment needs of the under appreciated mature
audience has been the most satisfying thing I have ever done
creatively. It was great fun too. Above all,
I am delighted just to be able to share my lifelong
love of music with everyone.
Thank you
for visiting www.thebestofeveything.net. I hope that you will find The Best of Everything®
a pleasant and joyful listening
experience. Enjoy the music and please come back often. Until then,
be well, and here’s to good listening …The
Best
it can be.
Sincerely,
Bob Bruno
Bob
Bruno
President
Dark Horse Productions, Ltd. |
