Went on tune genie and checked to see if they still do all 80's weekend and as it turns out they have dropped it. Maybe they played 80's too much. But I like the format as is, some 80's some 90's and as little 2000's on the weekend. And I'm a guy who really likes kola. I know I'm not their target as I'm 48 years old guy but still it's fun to listen to KOLA.
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KOLA FM
- Thread starter 30james
- Start date
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
That happened a LONG time ago, James. I'm thinking they dropped it after Labor Day weekend 2020.
I'm sorry but it sounds like you're exactly the target! You turned ten in 1984 and 30 in 2004.
Your ahead of me then. Sorry for being slow.
KOLA Was also a great station to listen to in the 70's thru the early 80's. Always a very good selection of old and new music. It wasn't overloaded with commercials either.
90s/00s are oldies now? Heck I'm so old my records were played on this:
Ooh, it doesn't just stop at the 90s or even early 00s. 2010 hits like Hey Soul Sister, Firework, and Animal are now considered "oldies" as well!
On the other hand, KOLA has minimal, if any, airplay of songs like Sweet Home Alabama and Uptown Girl.
Good strategy since KRTH has a perfectly local signal in the Inland Empire and would be direct competition for a more traditional oldies station.
I have a feeling KRTH is taking cues from KOLA. KRTH hardly plays Sweet Home Alabama or Jack And Diane as of late, but they do play songs like Kryptonite and The Middle (if this log is any indication, though it is subject to change).
An alternate view of the KRTH 7-day playlist: https://onlineradiobox.com/us/krthfm/playlist/
and for KOLA 7-day playlist: https://onlineradiobox.com/us/kola/playlist/
and for KOLA Mediabase daily playlist: http://www.mediabase.com/whatsong/whatsong.asp?var_s=075079076065045070077
(no Mediabase playlist available for KRTH)
and for KOLA 7-day playlist: https://onlineradiobox.com/us/kola/playlist/
and for KOLA Mediabase daily playlist: http://www.mediabase.com/whatsong/whatsong.asp?var_s=075079076065045070077
(no Mediabase playlist available for KRTH)
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I wonder how soon before the 90's become the core decade for Classic Hits? There's been a slow introduction of 90's hits for awhile now. What time frame are we looking at till the 80's are put in the rear view mirror, with the focus on the 90's.
I doubt very much that KRTH pays any attention to KOLA. More than likely they are simply doing regular music tests and adjusting the playlist.
If you look at a typical Classic Hits station (such as KRTH), you will see that the focus is very heavily on the 1980s. However, while the focus of KOLA is still on the 1980s, the 1980s focus on KOLA isn't as strong as it is on a typical Classic Hits station.
It will be interesting to see what happens in 2024-26, given that the format is doing rather well now (with certain statuons even doing well in younger demos) and that the 1990s were a fragmented decade for music until the very end. Given how well the format is doing with 1980s music, I fail to see why Classic Hits would do a mass exodus of the 1980s given that the music is even resonating with younger demos and the fragmented decade coming ahead. While I do think the quality of 1980s pop hits and the legacy they've left behind on pop culture have a part in the formats success, I also think a big part is younger people feeling unsatisfied with the current music that's out today, which could change by 2024-26. I do think the KOLA formula could be a blueprint for how the format sounds later in the decade, assuming that younger audiences are still interested in the 1980s by then.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Generally, you are on the mark in being skeptical about a massive adjustment. About the only thing Classic Hits programmers are doing right now is culling out the songs from 1980-81 that are dropping in popularity.
There are really only about 50 titles in those two years that are still getting heavy airplay, and about half of those are by Pat Benatar, Blondie, Journey, Hall & Oates, Tom Petty, Foreigner, The Police and REO Speedwagon. But there are some lesser titles in there by artists like Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and even Michael Jackson that are likely to be casualties by the 2024-26 time frame you identified. By that time, we'll undoubtedly be looking at 1982, given that CHR's resurgence began in 1983.
Hell, when it comes to Michael, Adult Hits/Classic Hits hybrid KKHH here in Houston hasn't played Billie Jean in awhile, and that's the 2nd biggest hit of 1983! It will certainly be interesting to see which songs from 1980-82 remain and which stay as we move later in the decade.
It's interesting how the classic hits stations operated by the 3 big owners are programmed differently. Audacy classic hits stations have been the most adventurous in to the 90s and 00s. iHeart is heavily 80s but still plays more 70s than 90s on most of their stations. Cumulus will play an early 90s song on a rare occasion, but not too often (if they do, it's in the vein of "Friday I'm In Love", "Something To Talk About", or "Losing My Religion").
I've noticed that except for "Dancing Queen", "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever" and "I Will Survive", though, classic hits stations across the board have ditched disco. Disco was still getting a lot of AC airplay even a decade or so ago.
I've noticed that except for "Dancing Queen", "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever" and "I Will Survive", though, classic hits stations across the board have ditched disco. Disco was still getting a lot of AC airplay even a decade or so ago.
"Dancing Queen" does not seem to fit a disco label. It's simply 70's Europop with the sometimes stilted English as a Second Language lyrics of ABBA.
Everything ABBA did in English was done phonetically.
The reason they stay around is simple. Women (of a certain age) LOVE ABBA. It is that simple. I have witnessed it over and over again. "Dancing Queen" is their biggest hit (in terms of recognition and longevity, I have no idea about the charts) so that is the one they will continue to play, probably until these women age out of demo, whenever that is.
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