Escape (XM)
Encyclopedia
Escape is a Sirius XM Satellite Radio music channel, available on XM
channel 69, Sirius
channel 69 (which replaced Movin' Easy, which was on channel 4 on November 12, 2008
), and DISH Network
channel 6076. As of February 9, 2010, Direct TV dropped Sirius XM programming in favor of SonicTap. The channel is described as "Easy, Instrumental and vocal favorites and the great popular melodies popular over the last sixty years", and plays a beautiful music
format featuring music from such instrumental artists as Henry Mancini
, Chet Atkins
, Bert Kaempfert
, Alain Morisod, Ferrante & Teicher
, Jackie Gleason
, Andre Kostelanetz
, Paul Mauriat
, and Percy Faith
, as well as vocalists such as Andy Williams
, Anne Murray
, Barry Manilow
, and Neil Diamond
. The program director for Escape is Marlin Taylor, a veteran beautiful music programmer for many stations and program syndicators, such as Bonneville.
XM had previously featured the beautiful music format on Sunny, channel 24. In early 2006, the Sunny channel, programmed by Clear Channel Communications
, changed formats and started airing commercial interruptions as the result of an arbitration settlement with Clear Channel. Due to the format change of Sunny and the commercial interruptions, XM created the XM Escape channel (channel 78, prior to the Sirius-XM merger, and channel 28 after) in a commercial-free and enhanced "beautiful music" format that was much more instrumental than the old Sunny channel was before its format change. After the merger, Escape added a few more vocals, but these were reduced after complaints.
Escape has occasionally been pre-empted in favor of special programming, as for a seasonal "Radio Hanukkah" format during Hanakkah 2009 and 2010, and a "Live Rock Labor Day Weekend" format in 2010.
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
channel 69, Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
channel 69 (which replaced Movin' Easy, which was on channel 4 on November 12, 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
), and DISH Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
channel 6076. As of February 9, 2010, Direct TV dropped Sirius XM programming in favor of SonicTap. The channel is described as "Easy, Instrumental and vocal favorites and the great popular melodies popular over the last sixty years", and plays a beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
format featuring music from such instrumental artists as Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert
Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
, Alain Morisod, Ferrante & Teicher
Ferrante & Teicher
Ferrante & Teicher were a duo of American piano players, known for their light arrangements of familiar classical pieces, movie soundtracks, and show tunes.-Career:...
, Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
, Andre Kostelanetz
Andre Kostelanetz
André Kostelanetz was a popular orchestral music conductor and arranger, one of the pioneers of easy listening music.-Biography:...
, Paul Mauriat
Paul Mauriat
Paul Mauriat was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. He is best known in the United States for his million selling remake of André Popp's "Love is Blue", which was #1 for 5 weeks in 1968...
, and Percy Faith
Percy Faith
Percy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
, as well as vocalists such as Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
, Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, and Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
. The program director for Escape is Marlin Taylor, a veteran beautiful music programmer for many stations and program syndicators, such as Bonneville.
XM had previously featured the beautiful music format on Sunny, channel 24. In early 2006, the Sunny channel, programmed by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, changed formats and started airing commercial interruptions as the result of an arbitration settlement with Clear Channel. Due to the format change of Sunny and the commercial interruptions, XM created the XM Escape channel (channel 78, prior to the Sirius-XM merger, and channel 28 after) in a commercial-free and enhanced "beautiful music" format that was much more instrumental than the old Sunny channel was before its format change. After the merger, Escape added a few more vocals, but these were reduced after complaints.
Escape has occasionally been pre-empted in favor of special programming, as for a seasonal "Radio Hanukkah" format during Hanakkah 2009 and 2010, and a "Live Rock Labor Day Weekend" format in 2010.