Because the target audience of this music was listeners over 50, Ham had difficulty selling the idea of syndication. Eager to hear their favorite music on the radio again, Jim West and Ham convinced Bob Lappin of WMAS in Springfield, Massachusetts (now WHLL) to play their music and become the first syndication customer. After a year, the format had three stations including WHLI in Hempstead, New York. The stations saw immediate and major gains in ratings, particularly among older listeners. Ham credited its success to the disenfranchisement of listeners aged 35–64 by most music stations. By 1981, more than 60 stations had adopted the live and automated versions of Music of Your Life, and their ranks had swelled to 130 by 1982. It was particularly credited with providing ratings improvement for AM stations whose listeners had deserted to FM outlets and was a good fit for AM as most older songs were not recorded in stereo; at the time, AM stereo was not in use. In contrast to "beautiful music" stations that mostly programmed instrumentals, the Music of Your Life format emphasized vocals; 20 percent of the music mix consisted of big band selections. Ham promoted listener involvement by starting "Music of Your Life Clubs", an idea that caught on.
