Rodney Allen Rippy Revives the ‘Beautiful Music’ Radio Format

The classic radio format known as ‘Beautiful Music’ has made a comeback, not on traditional radio, but through the internet with a newly launched station called KJBM, which stands for Just Beautiful Music. You can tune in at kjbmradio.com.

You may ask yourself, what is Beautiful Music? Is it still relevant today? Didn’t it fade from the airwaves back in the 1970s?

To find out, I reached out to the station’s founders, Rodney Allen Rippy and Dan Pettegrew. Both confirmed that while the Beautiful Music format disappeared from local radio, their mission is to fill that void online, providing a music style that is hard to find elsewhere.

Yes, this is the same Rodney Allen Rippy known from the Jack in the Box commercials of the 1970s with the catchy tagline, “Take Life a Little Easier.” After his time with Jack in the Box, Rippy transitioned into acting and marketing, working behind the scenes at various radio and television stations, including Westwood One Radio Networks and KFWB (980 AM).

Even while managing various projects, including establishing the Rippy Foundation to support at-risk youth, seniors, and veterans, Rippy continues his passion for music through KJBM.

Joining Rippy is Dan Pettegrew, a former executive with Clear Channel, now known as iHeart Media. Pettegrew oversaw various operations, including managing when and where commercials aired. He now engages with audio and broadcasting media services and collaborates with Rippy and the Ripped Marketing Group.

James Simon, another experienced broadcaster, has helped create the music library for KJBM. The station features over 3,400 songs, predominantly orchestral arrangements of popular hits like "It Had to Be You," "Stardust," and "Over the Rainbow," spanning three decades.

Rippy explains that while KUSC (91.5 FM) focuses on classical music, KJBM caters to listeners who enjoy orchestral versions of pop music without the classical element. "We program pop music performed by pop orchestras," he elaborates.

Many might recall KPOL, a leading station in the Beautiful Music genre that enjoyed great popularity in its time. Although it has long since left the air, Rippy believes that there remains a market for this music style. He shares, "I personally enjoy it. It brings back memories, and just like my old song suggests, it encourages listeners to take life easier!" Indeed, well-executed string orchestra music can be quite calming and pleasurable.

Notably, Rippy lends his voice to the station's commercials, adding a personal touch to the broadcast.

According to Pettegrew, KJBM has attracted a global audience. They hope to eventually bring KJBM to a traditional broadcast radio station, mimicking the success KPOL once had in the Los Angeles market. "KJBM should echo the sounds of KPOL," he states. The music library is rooted in the same classic Beautiful Music style, mainly drawn from LPs popular in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Anyone who remembers KPOL is likely to find joy in KJBM.

Nielsen's New Approach

In the world of radio ratings, Nielsen Ratings has announced a significant change regarding how it tracks listening habits in markets using the Portable People Meter (PPM). Previously, a listener needed to hear a station for five minutes within a quarter-hour to count it in the ratings. This will now be reduced to just three minutes starting January 1.

This adjustment may seem minor, but it poses challenges since the PPM system struggles to detect listening through headphones or in noisy environments like cars with open windows or at parties. The change may help balance some of these issues.

As the radio landscape evolves, it will be interesting to see how these new changes affect listener ratings in the upcoming January reports.

music, radio, nostalgia