The concept of Top 40 radio and tight playlists came from listening to a jukebox in a bar, and realizing that the patrons had a fairly predictable, short list of favorites they enjoyed listening to over and over again. I don't know if that story is true, but I've seen it played out many times in many bars. My particular favorite place had one of those jukeboxes, and I can't tell you how many times I heard Patsy Cline's "Crazy" played. It wasn't anywhere near a current song at the time. And I noticed that it wasn't just one person who played it. And every time it played, the people in the bar sang along. I've been to countless weddings, and the music at these weddings (whether done by a band or a DJ) is pretty predictable. Today, with streaming services offering users millions of songs, I look at the streaming charts, and those user playlists are generally smaller than the ones radio stations use. So I don't think the size of the playlist a radio station uses will make any difference. What matters is the specific songs they play.
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Corona virus and radio
- Thread starter CassChopper96
- Start date
The concept of Top 40 radio and tight playlists came from listening to a jukebox in a bar, and realizing that the patrons had a fairly predictable, short list of favorites they enjoyed listening to over and over again. I don't know if that story is true, but I've seen it played out many times in many bars. My particular favorite place had one of those jukeboxes, and I can't tell you how many times I heard Patsy Cline's "Crazy" played. It wasn't anywhere near a current song at the time. And I noticed that it wasn't just one person who played it. And every time it played, the people in the bar sang along. I've been to countless weddings, and the music at these weddings (whether done by a band or a DJ) is pretty predictable. Today, with streaming services offering users millions of songs, I look at the streaming charts, and those user playlists are generally smaller than the ones radio stations use. So I don't think the size of the playlist a radio station uses will make any difference. What matters is the specific songs they play.
Off topic a bit, but Richard Ward Fatherly worked for Todd Storz and wrote a book about the birth of Top 40.
For the record, Fatherly claims Storz was first with the format followed by McClendon with KLIF. Both Storz and McClendon had similar ideas and launched their formats near the same time, likely not knowing about the other. Todd, the son, who instituted the top 40 format did so after observing what music was chosen from the jukebox for play. He noted bar after bar where he delivered beer for his Dad's company, the same handful of songs were played over and over. He even noted when the bars had few patrons, the wait staff would use some tip money to keep the jukebox playing. Even they selected the same few songs although they had likely heard them a few times during that shift.
The debate still continues as to who was first with the Top 40 format, Todd Storz or Gordon McClendon. I suspect the two men both had the same idea and went with the format about the same time. I could care less who was first. I was fortunate enough to enjoy WHB in Kansas City (including listening to Richard Ward Fatherly, Phil Jay and the bunch) as well as KLIF in Dallas thanks to my Dad's job moving the family from KC to Dallas. I got to hear both stations in their heyday.
I learned McClendon was noted for a quote that great programming would take care of sales but he was actually very money oriented. He wanted to only sell 30s because he could run 3 in the 90 second commercial breaks instead of a 60 and a 30. He paid his talent low wages but that talent said having KLIF or any McClendon station on your resume meant a big salary could be had at the next station yearning to have the McClendon 'magic'. I learned even in junior high that cutting down KLIF was almost fighting words although by about 1969, the stranglehold KLIF had on the ratings had been eroded by competition. WHB enjoyed a huge audience in the Kansas City metro in the day. By the time I left, former talker 1380 KUDL had close to a year under it's belt with the Boss 30, 20/20 News and 'more music' format. For the record, I preferred KXOL 1360 in Fort Worth to KLIF 1190.
At that point in radio's history, playing the hits over and over was the key to success. Both McClendon and Storz figured that out early on and capitalized on it. As radio has evolved, the listener still responds to familiar and known songs just as they did decades before. Some will dispute that but I am one that is like the naysayers who are music lovers that enjoy hearing new music. I recognize I am in a minority and listen to music differently than most. I fight my urge and program for my target audience and what they want, not allowing my personal tastes to enter the equation. That's the hard part of the job: separating yourself.
So, with folks listening to the radio from home, they'll hear the repetition and likely they'll love it. I suspect there will be that one song they wish never gets played but likely they're working and will listen through it because they know the next song will be a favorite.
For the record, Fatherly claims Storz was first with the format followed by McClendon with KLIF. Both Storz and McClendon had similar ideas and launched their formats near the same time, likely not knowing about the other. Todd, the son, who instituted the top 40 format did so after observing what music was chosen from the jukebox for play. He noted bar after bar where he delivered beer for his Dad's company, the same handful of songs were played over and over. He even noted when the bars had few patrons, the wait staff would use some tip money to keep the jukebox playing. Even they selected the same few songs although they had likely heard them a few times during that shift.
The debate still continues as to who was first with the Top 40 format, Todd Storz or Gordon McClendon. I suspect the two men both had the same idea and went with the format about the same time. I could care less who was first. I was fortunate enough to enjoy WHB in Kansas City (including listening to Richard Ward Fatherly, Phil Jay and the bunch) as well as KLIF in Dallas thanks to my Dad's job moving the family from KC to Dallas. I got to hear both stations in their heyday.
I learned McClendon was noted for a quote that great programming would take care of sales but he was actually very money oriented. He wanted to only sell 30s because he could run 3 in the 90 second commercial breaks instead of a 60 and a 30. He paid his talent low wages but that talent said having KLIF or any McClendon station on your resume meant a big salary could be had at the next station yearning to have the McClendon 'magic'. I learned even in junior high that cutting down KLIF was almost fighting words although by about 1969, the stranglehold KLIF had on the ratings had been eroded by competition. WHB enjoyed a huge audience in the Kansas City metro in the day. By the time I left, former talker 1380 KUDL had close to a year under it's belt with the Boss 30, 20/20 News and 'more music' format. For the record, I preferred KXOL 1360 in Fort Worth to KLIF 1190.
At that point in radio's history, playing the hits over and over was the key to success. Both McClendon and Storz figured that out early on and capitalized on it. As radio has evolved, the listener still responds to familiar and known songs just as they did decades before. Some will dispute that but I am one that is like the naysayers who are music lovers that enjoy hearing new music. I recognize I am in a minority and listen to music differently than most. I fight my urge and program for my target audience and what they want, not allowing my personal tastes to enter the equation. That's the hard part of the job: separating yourself.
So, with folks listening to the radio from home, they'll hear the repetition and likely they'll love it. I suspect there will be that one song they wish never gets played but likely they're working and will listen through it because they know the next song will be a favorite.
The official story is that Storz and his PD (who later went on to work for McLendon, too) went for coffee several times a day to a restaurant near the station. They saw that the waitresses would use a nickel of the tip money to play the juke box, but they always played the same couple of songs for days on end.
That inspired the format of just the hits, over and over.
And that is the story that Todd told me in early 1964 when I met him at WQAM in Miami, just days prior to his passing.
If anyone gets tired with the playlist of one station, there are dozens of other stations available on the exact same device, likely with completely different song lists. That's how I became aware of lots of other songs my one favorite station didn't play. Tired of the classic rock station? Try listening to country. I hear people tell me that current country music sounds like 70s rock. That may be true. When you have lots of spare time with nothing else to do, it's a good time to experiment and go outside the comfort zone.
Generally, Big A, that's a sub-set what others and myself were curious about at points throughout the thread -- speculation about how listeners now working from home (or otherwise furloughed) would react ; how or if their listening habits would tend to shift under unusual circumstances.
Lots can be read into the latest Philly ratings. Of course those tabulations are from weeks already past. And naturally, those privy to more updated PPM material there and in other markets would have a more updated fix on those recent trends.
Still, recent market leader WIP took a real shot to the knee. WBEB, 'riding high in December', seems to've been 'shot down in February'. Uptrending WHYY might be in the process of cleaning KYW's format clock throughout the crisis.
It goes without saying that time and the March numbers will be much clearer. They'll be more revealing about the music stations and individual listener tastes / priorities.
Stay safe, folks. This unscheduled Cabin Fever Season II is changing a lot of things. Radio listening is just one of the many.
Lots can be read into the latest Philly ratings. Of course those tabulations are from weeks already past. And naturally, those privy to more updated PPM material there and in other markets would have a more updated fix on those recent trends.
Still, recent market leader WIP took a real shot to the knee. WBEB, 'riding high in December', seems to've been 'shot down in February'. Uptrending WHYY might be in the process of cleaning KYW's format clock throughout the crisis.
It goes without saying that time and the March numbers will be much clearer. They'll be more revealing about the music stations and individual listener tastes / priorities.
Stay safe, folks. This unscheduled Cabin Fever Season II is changing a lot of things. Radio listening is just one of the many.
How do you think WDAS and WUSL will do
If you're playing the right songs, it doesn't matter if you're stuck at home, stuck in traffic, or stuck in the office.
People turn you off when you play stuff they don't like. That's the secret. It hasn't changed in eons.
The skill comes in making sure that the songs you play are the right ones.
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