It's 2015! Time to get rid of the '70s.

[K.M. Richards]

Just PLAY the music!

Okay, I did it your way. All of the songs on this playlist are from the 1960s and 1970s and peaked at #1, #2 or #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, as confirmed by the Whitburn book (as an aside, I own six of his books, covering different eras and genres of music, although I would never rely on them alone as justification to play any song, except for this experiment).

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini -- Brian Hyland
The Boll Weevil Song -- Brook Benton
A Boy Named Sue -- Johnny Cash
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport -- Rolf Harris
My Ding-A-Ling -- Chuck Berry
Alley-Oop -- Hollywood Argyles
The Streak -- Ray Stevens
Ringo -- Lorne Greene
Disco Duck -- Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots
Monster Mash -- Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Convoy -- C.W. McCall
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron -- Royal Guardsmen
Short People -- Randy Newman
Mr. Custer -- Larry Verne
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah -- Allan Sherman
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haa! -- Napoleon XVI

I wonder how long it would take the listeners to start complaining if I played those songs even once per day each.

 

[Avid Listener]

But they are loath to spend it. The ones with any financial sense realize that they can't depend on Social Security. Yet about half of retired boomers live on Social Security along. They are not good consumers.

Hogwash. Our parents, the Greatest Generation, grew up in the Depression and had frugality instilled in them (for the most part, there are always a few exceptions). We Baby Boomers grew up in the affluence of the 50's and 60's, and remain big spenders (again, there are isolated exceptions). It seems that one of the biggest problem you suits have is that you can't tell the difference between a generation, which retains most of its identity as it grows older, and a demographic segment. You suits acts like when everyone reaches a certain age, they change into different people. That's ridiculous. We Baby Boomers are who we are, and even though there are some changes that come about as a result of age (like aches and pains we never anticipated) we're still the same people.

Okay, I did it your way. All of the songs on this playlist are from the 1960s and 1970s and peaked at #1, #2 or #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, as confirmed by the Whitburn book (as an aside, I own six of his books, covering different eras and genres of music, although I would never rely on them alone as justification to play any song, except for this experiment).

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini -- Brian Hyland
The Boll Weevil Song -- Brook Benton
A Boy Named Sue -- Johnny Cash
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport -- Rolf Harris
My Ding-A-Ling -- Chuck Berry
Alley-Oop -- Hollywood Argyles
The Streak -- Ray Stevens
Ringo -- Lorne Greene
Disco Duck -- Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots
Monster Mash -- Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Convoy -- C.W. McCall
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron -- Royal Guardsmen
Short People -- Randy Newman
Mr. Custer -- Larry Verne
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah -- Allan Sherman
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haa! -- Napoleon XVI

I wonder how long it would take the listeners to start complaining if I played those songs even once per day each.

With few exceptions, those songs sucked when they were new! No one is suggesting that lame novelty songs should be played in even light rotation. But the existence of such trash only proves that H. L. Mencken was correct.

 

[oldies76]

Okay, I did it your way. All of the songs on this playlist are from the 1960s and 1970s and peaked at #1, #2 or #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, as confirmed by the Whitburn book (as an aside, I own six of his books, covering different eras and genres of music, although I would never rely on them alone as justification to play any song, except for this experiment).

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini -- Brian Hyland
The Boll Weevil Song -- Brook Benton
A Boy Named Sue -- Johnny Cash
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport -- Rolf Harris
My Ding-A-Ling -- Chuck Berry
Alley-Oop -- Hollywood Argyles
The Streak -- Ray Stevens
Ringo -- Lorne Greene
Disco Duck -- Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots
Monster Mash -- Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Convoy -- C.W. McCall
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron -- Royal Guardsmen
Short People -- Randy Newman
Mr. Custer -- Larry Verne
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah -- Allan Sherman
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haa! -- Napoleon XVI

I wonder how long it would take the listeners to start complaining if I played those songs even once per day each.

Of course they would start complaining, but you also PURPOSELY chose songs that would cause complaints. And I wouldn't play each of those every day, or even once each a week. You obviously didn't look at the other songs that classic hits radio ignores. Nice try. Look at your Whitburn books again and choose songs that are not played on big city classic hits stations, but are played plentiful on many small market stations.

I Love You - Climax Blues Band
Magic - Olivia Newton John
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
One Thing Leads to Another - Fixx
Telephone Line - ELO
Moonlight Feels Right - Starbuck
Boogie Fever - Sylvers
Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul
Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
Time Passages - Al Stewart
Look What You've Done For Me - Al Green
Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal
One Less Bell to Answer - 5th Dimension
Gold - John Stewart
Lady Writer - Dire Straits
I Can't Stand it No More - Peter Frampton
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
Words - Missing Persons

and hundreds upon hundreds more like this.

And really who plays Disco Duck?? Just AT 40 reruns!

 

[davideduardo]

Of course they would start complaining, but you also PURPOSELY chose songs that would cause complaints. And I wouldn't play each of those every day, or even once each a week. You obviously didn't look at the other songs that classic hits radio ignores. Nice try. Look at your Whitburn books again and choose songs that are not played on big city classic hits stations, but are played plentiful on many small market stations.

I Love You - Climax Blues Band
Magic - Olivia Newton John
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
One Thing Leads to Another - Fixx
Telephone Line - ELO
Moonlight Feels Right - Starbuck
Boogie Fever - Sylvers
Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul
Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
Time Passages - Al Stewart
Look What You've Done For Me - Al Green
Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal
One Less Bell to Answer - 5th Dimension
Gold - John Stewart
Lady Writer - Dire Straits
I Can't Stand it No More - Peter Frampton
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
Words - Missing Persons
!

Bingo... just a personal reaction, but there is not a single song on this list that would NOT make me change stations instantly.

 

[Avid Listener]

Bingo... just a personal reaction, but there is not a single song on this list that would NOT make me change stations instantly.

But then, you aren't part of the target demographic, are you?

 

[davideduardo]

Hogwash. Our parents, the Greatest Generation, grew up in the Depression and had frugality instilled in them (for the most part, there are always a few exceptions). We Baby Boomers grew up in the affluence of the 50's and 60's, and remain big spenders (again, there are isolated exceptions). It seems that one of the biggest problem you suits have is that you can't tell the difference between a generation, which retains most of its identity as it grows older, and a demographic segment. You suits acts like when everyone reaches a certain age, they change into different people. That's ridiculous. We Baby Boomers are who we are, and even though there are some changes that come about as a result of age (like aches and pains we never anticipated) we're still the same people.

"Baby boomers" are, generally although not by everyone, considered to be those born between January 1, 1946 and 1964, or roughly an 18 year period. Those 18 years define a "social generation" which is defined as being a group that shared the same broad experiences.

The oldest turned 69 just 11 days ago. The youngest are turning 50. So most are seniors, and over a third are eligible for Social Security.

However, some became rich. Some became "comfortabe". Others got by well, but saved little. And then others reached this point in history without the proverbial "pot to piss in".

70% of retired persons depend on Social Security for more than half of their income; the average Social Security check is around $1,300. The figures vary based on the date and the method of surveying, but about 1/3 or retired persons live on Social Security alone.

Per a Money Magazine article from the middle of last year, the average income of persons 65 and older is just a tad over $31,700.

U.S. New reported recently:
According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, 45 percent of working-age households have no retirement savings at all. Among people 55 to 64, average household retirement savings total only $12,000. For those near retirement who have savings, the average balance is $100,000 – still not much money to finance the next 20 to 30 years.

In other words, a lot of seniors are not spending much money. And based on the savings of those already retired, a huge percentage of boomers are reaching retirement with minimal saving. Those that worked in the government have pensions, but having a pension tended to have a false security that the pension would "take care of them" in retirement. Corporate pensions have been significantly eliminated, with elective 401k plans replacing them... and relatively low participation save in the higher paying jobs. Many companies have underfunded pensions and boomers retiring in the next decade may find them gone or reduced.

So, the average American at or approaching retirement depends mostly on Social Security and they have learned to be frugal by brute force. Many boomers are among those hit the hardest by the recession, and were let go or got a meager buy-out and forced into early retirement or a lower paying job. Many of them had intended to earn for many more years, and perhaps reach retirement with loans and mortgages paid off... but the recession forced them to dig into savings and will take them into retirement with debts they had intended to have paid off.

Even those over 55 who are still earning are all the more conscious of the insecurity of investments after the major losses in retirement savings during the recession. So the majority are indeed frugal and much more so than they were before the current economic problems hit.

I don't think that there is a marketer... or a broadcaster... who does not have a good understanding on the characteristics of boomers. Whether they are called a social generation or a "demographic" we know the range of years that produced the boomers. And the statistics show that the majority are retired or approaching retirement with inadequate savings.

Not only are seniors more cautious consumers, but they also have more established consumer behaviours. So to become convinced to change brands or to try a new product, it takes more advertising to convince them. Advertisers know this and often don't find the market to produce a good return on investment for radio advertising.

 

[davideduardo]

But then, you aren't part of the target demographic, are you?

That is why I clearly stated that those songs would be negative to me, personally.

I don't tend to like most music that stale, but the ones Oldies76 listed are definite weak titles for me.

 

[semoochie]

Okay, I did it your way. All of the songs on this playlist are from the 1960s and 1970s and peaked at #1, #2 or #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, as confirmed by the Whitburn book (as an aside, I own six of his books, covering different eras and genres of music, although I would never rely on them alone as justification to play any song, except for this experiment).

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini -- Brian Hyland
The Boll Weevil Song -- Brook Benton
A Boy Named Sue -- Johnny Cash
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport -- Rolf Harris
My Ding-A-Ling -- Chuck Berry
Alley-Oop -- Hollywood Argyles
The Streak -- Ray Stevens
Ringo -- Lorne Greene
Disco Duck -- Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots
Monster Mash -- Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Convoy -- C.W. McCall
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron -- Royal Guardsmen
Short People -- Randy Newman
Mr. Custer -- Larry Verne
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah -- Allan Sherman
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haa! -- Napoleon XVI

I wonder how long it would take the listeners to start complaining if I played those songs even once per day each.

There was a time when #1, 2, 4 and 6 were played regularly on Oldies stations but you might have to go back to when the 50s were more prevalent, for anything other than #1, which is the first song I remember hearing on the radio. I also know "Mr. Custer", so Oldies stations must have played it at one time. I remember the rest of those songs, just not as oldies.

 

[semoochie]

If an agency buys Persons 25-54, they are interested in all the subsets. That's why they buy several stations deep. They might pick several stations with good 35-54 or even 45-54, several that are 25-44 or 25-34 dominant, and they would also balance the stations for gender. So to complete the buy, they would want to reach as many 45-54's as 35-34's or 35-44's to have a balanced buy.

Obviously, not all buys are as broad as P 25-54. They might be very specific such as English Dominant Hispanic women 25-44. Or men 25-54. But there is no predominance of 25-34 buys, just as there is n o predominance of 45-54 buys. The idea that stations and advertisers target "under 30" listeners is just not correct.

I'll put it another way: If 45-54 IS a viable target, why was my idea shot down?

 

[davideduardo]

I'll put it another way: If 45-54 IS a viable target, why was my idea shot down?

What idea was that?

 

[semoochie]

What idea was that?

It's been awhile but I believe the idea was for a Soft AC, targeted at the oldest possible viable audience, based on the fact that the older you go, the more people there are. It seems I decided on 42-54, with the thought that the younger end would listen some of the time, if a substantial amount of the music was new enough and the upper end, if it was soft enough ie. without the edge.

 

[davideduardo]

It's been awhile but I believe the idea was for a Soft AC, targeted at the oldest possible viable audience, based on the fact that the older you go, the more people there are. It seems I decided on 42-54, with the thought that the younger end would listen some of the time, if a substantial amount of the music was new enough and the upper end, if it was soft enough ie. without the edge.

That is pretty much what is already being done with stations in Tampa, Miami and San Diego. It took a while in each case to get the station focused on more under-55 listeners, but all are working nicely now. There is a new one in Phoenix on a less than perfect signal and it is going up impressively in the ratings.

 

[Music Lover]

So at some point, even streaming will become as tightly formatted as OTA radio

I think a tightly formatted stream is more likely on these multi-channel networks (like this: 181.fm) than on a stream run on the side as a hobby (like this: http://www.ezdoesitradio.com/)

 

[Music Lover]

Hogwash. Our parents, the Greatest Generation, grew up in the Depression and had frugality instilled in them (for the most part, there are always a few exceptions). We Baby Boomers grew up in the affluence of the 50's and 60's, and remain big spenders (again, there are isolated exceptions). It seems that one of the biggest problem you suits have is that you can't tell the difference between a generation, which retains most of its identity as it grows older, and a demographic segment. You suits acts like when everyone reaches a certain age, they change into different people. That's ridiculous. We Baby Boomers are who we are, and even though there are some changes that come about as a result of age (like aches and pains we never anticipated) we're still the same people.

Applauds!

 

[Music Lover]

Of course they would start complaining, but you also PURPOSELY chose songs that would cause complaints. And I wouldn't play each of those every day, or even once each a week. You obviously didn't look at the other songs that classic hits radio ignores. Nice try. Look at your Whitburn books again and choose songs that are not played on big city classic hits stations, but are played plentiful on many small market stations.

I Love You - Climax Blues Band
Magic - Olivia Newton John
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
One Thing Leads to Another - Fixx
Telephone Line - ELO
Moonlight Feels Right - Starbuck
Boogie Fever - Sylvers
Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul
Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
Time Passages - Al Stewart
Look What You've Done For Me - Al Green
Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal
One Less Bell to Answer - 5th Dimension
Gold - John Stewart
Lady Writer - Dire Straits
I Can't Stand it No More - Peter Frampton
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
Words - Missing Persons

and hundreds upon hundreds more like this.

And really who plays Disco Duck?? Just AT 40 reruns!

Only 7 songs I never heard of on that list but it looks to be the kind of playlist I would seek out for some relaxing listening during my busy work days.

 

[TheBigA]

I think a tightly formatted stream is more likely on these multi-channel networks (like this: 181.fm) than on a stream run on the side as a hobby

Once again, you have to understand that these "hobby" streams are costing the operators thousands of dollars that they pay to the music industry. They're all losing money, and at some point, they're either going to hit you up for money, or they'll put limitations on how much streaming you can do. There is no such thing as free music. Someone is paying. At some point, it will have to be you.

 

[Music Lover]

Once again, you have to understand that these "hobby" streams are costing the operators thousands of dollars that they pay to the music industry. They're all losing money, and at some point, they're either going to hit you up for money, or they'll put limitations on how much streaming you can do. There is no such thing as free music. Someone is paying. At some point, it will have to be you.

They already ask for money on a voluntary basis because they know that not everyone can afford to pay all the time.

 

[TheBigA]

They already ask for money on a voluntary basis because they know that not everyone can afford to pay all the time.

Do you contribute?

 

[Music Lover]

http://www.radionomy.com/en/radio/love-2-love-radio/index

This station just played this mix.

Coldplay - Fix You
Atlantic Starr - Secret Lovers
Ed Sheeran - Kiss Me
Boyzone - Baby Can I Hold You
Chris Rea - Fool If You Think It's Over
One Direction - Steal My Girl
Neil Diamond - Play Me
Simply Red - Holding Back The Years

If AM/FM gave me a relaxing mix like that in my neck of the woods, I would be happy. You see, it's not just about missing old favorite artists or songs, it's about missing that relaxation spot on the radio dial.

 

[Music Lover]

Do you contribute?

Yes. I have every now and then when I can afford it.