THE FATHER OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC” MARLIN TAYLOR RELEASES BOOK “RADIO…MY LOVE, MY PASSION”

If you like to read about creating great radio, I’ve got a humdinger of book for you.  Today Mascot Books is officially releasing Radio…My Love, My Passion by Marlin Taylor. 

Taylor is the guy who invented modern Beautiful Music and programmed it at WHFS, WDRV (now WBEB), WRFM, WBCN and global program syndication.

Radio…My Love, My Passion is available now at Amazon [link] and from the author at [link].  Autographed copies are available from Taylor.

I wrote a review of Taylor’s book for Radio World that will be published in April. Because Taylor’s book is being released today, I decided to give my readers a preview. 

Marlin Taylor

You may not know Marlin Taylor’s name but you know his work. Taylor is one of the radio industry’s Greatest Generation, the men and women who built the stations and formats after World War II. 

Taylor has been called The Father of Beautiful Music because of his groundbreaking work creating and marketing the format.

Taylor’s new book – Radio…My Love, My Passion – is not only his personal story, it is a behind the scenes account of the birth and proliferation of the radio format known as Beautiful Music, Good Music, Easy Listening Music and even Elevator Music. Whatever you call it, Taylor was an architect who changed the face of radio programming.  He brought enjoyment to millions of listeners worldwide.

Radio…My Love, My Passion is scheduled for release on March 20, 2018. Taylor’s book is an essential addition to any radio fan’s library. The book is a must-have for scholars.

In early 1961 Taylor was in his final months of duty at Fort Meade, near DC. He was about to get married and needed to find work. In a career changing moment, Taylor describes seeing an ad in Broadcasting magazine. 

A new FM station was being built in Bethesda, Maryland and they needed a Program Director. The station was the legendary WHFS. After all the call letters stood for “Washington’s High-Fidelity Station.”

The FCC had recently authorized FM stereo transmissions. Taylor’s job was to find high fidelity music that showcased the stereo effect. WHFS signed on in November 1961.

In Radio…My Love, My Passion Taylor describes how he built the music library. He was in constant contact with record labels such as Columbia, London, and RCA Victor. He urged them to release more stereo LPs.

Taylor talks about the elements and criteria for the Beautiful Music format. He intuitively knew the importance of making a good first impression. Taylor built Beautiful Music they way an architect might plan a structure. Every part of the format had to be impeccable. Taylor put these skills to good use in coming years.

In February of 1963 Taylor became aware of a new FM station being planned for Philadelphia, his hometown. David Kurtz owned the FCC construction permit for what became WDVR. Kurtz hired Taylor to program the station. The station signed on May 13, 1963. The entire operation occupied four rooms.

NYC SUBWAY BANNER CREATED BY TAYLOR

Programmers will love reading about the “science” of Beautiful Music. about Taylor’s format was based on instrumental versions of popular songs.  He tells about constructing quarter-hour “sets” of music, often arranging songs by mood and tempo.

The assassination of President John Kennedy on November 22, 1963 caused a major change in the presentation of Beautiful Music. Up to that point every voice heard on WDRV was prerecorded. When the shots rang out in Dallas, WDVR was caught with no way to report the story. From that point on, Taylor insisted on having live, local announcers whenever possible. This human touch became another signature of his format.

THE FULL REVIEW WILL PUBLISHED BY RADIO WORLD IN APRIL