WOGL Rebrands at Big 98.1

[davideduardo]

I believe WODC is programmed locally now since they transitioned to classic hits last year, or they pull from iHeart’s Big Classic Hits feed.

I did not know they have a Classic Hits feed. What iHeart does with most formats is provide access to a big library, and each station pulls the songs from the server that are selected via research for that market. From then on, the workparts are assembled locally or, at least, regionally from a hub.

Smaller markets share research with bigger ones that have similar characteristics (Dayton is like Columbus but not like Macon...). The playlists are assembled locally and integrated with the commercial logs for each station. Talent can be shared via integration of bits with the local log; that is how Seacrest can be on both AC and CHR stations and even in different dayparts.

 

[davideduardo]

I know, I know, “time marches on”, but the concept of the Dance Party being replaced by “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” feels like a big move (pardon that pun) and definitely evidence of major playlist shifting, not just a rebranding.

Have you considered that perhaps they did a new music test and found that a percentage of songs had to be rolled off and a bunch of newer ones added just so they could keep the same median age of the target audience?

When stations do tests... or share with sister stations... they divide the results into age group columns and if they see that some older songs do awfully among the youngest demos, they either kill or slow the rotations on those songs.

 

[JH_Radio]

What is the newest song classic hits will play?
IT'd be even more intresting to know the newest song in rock, in rhythmic, in pop and in hip hop.
Do any of the country crossovers from 2000 make it over?
Thanks,
John

 

[Radio Wreck]

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” is a song I can see becoming their next staple on classic hits, but it is on the newer end as of right now. I mean, we have WIAD playing Bruno Mars, and CBS-FM playing songs like “Bad Day” from 2005, so it’s not extreme. It’s just a bit jarring as WOGL hadn’t evolved to the level a station like CBS-FM has more in the 00s. So it was more noticeable.

“The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World I first heard on a classic hits station (CBS-FM?) in 2016, and it came out in 2002. So that’s a 14 year difference and a 18 year difference with ‘Boulevard’, so I guess it’s not that different.

There has been a lot of talk about what Classic hits stations are going to do about the 90’s. My prediction is that it’s going to skipped over almost entirely except for a handful of tunes.

 

[CTListener]

There has been a lot of talk about what Classic hits stations are going to do about the 90’s. My prediction is that it’s going to skipped over almost entirely except for a handful of tunes.

And the '00s and '10s are going to be just as difficult. You're still going to have the pop fans, the hip-hop fans and the fans of the splintered fragments of rock. Classic hits in the future might be nearly impossible to maintain as a format -- that is, if radio as we know it still exists.

 

[101tm]

There has been a lot of talk about what Classic hits stations are going to do about the 90’s. My prediction is that it’s going to skipped over almost entirely except for a handful of tunes.

Which we’re already seeing. I’ve used KOLA in Riverside, CA as an example for where I could see classic hits in 5 years or so. They’re already well in to the 10s, with well testing 80s (and maybe some 70s) rounding out the rest.

A lot of AC stations will play 2000-current stuff, 4 80s songs per hour and maybe 1-2 from the 90s. It will be featured on classic hits but I think the format will evolve differently or faster than it has when the 90s becomes the sole “prime” decade.

 

[Radio Wreck]

And the '00s and '10s are going to be just as difficult. You're still going to have the pop fans, the hip-hop fans and the fans of the splintered fragments of rock. Classic hits in the future might be nearly impossible to maintain as a format -- that is, if radio as we know it still exists.

I don’t think that there’s much disagreement that 90’s pop has aged poorly. Bands like Nirvana, RHC and Pearl Jam could become more prominent on some Classic Hits playlists. I don’t see stations like WOGL venturing into decades old hip hop but there is one genre that isn’t as talked about and that is dance music. Groups like The Real McCoy and various one hit wonder artists from back then cranked out a ton of very popular dance music which was all over Top 40 in the 90’s. Most of these songs aren’t played anymore. Could there be a resurgence of these hits as time marches on? Given the current trend it looks like the answer is no but if 80’s music starts to age out faster than expected it’s possible we may be waking up to “More and More” by Captain Hollywood Project in morning drive as stations scramble to update their playlists.

 

[101tm]

I find it funny that there are still AC stations that are more adventurous with 70s material than Audacy’s classic hits stations are!

WLTW will plays “Your Song” by Elton John - released 52 years ago in 1970. CBS-FM or WOGL wouldn’t have touched that 5 years ago, so probably an example of something that tests well with the audience but doesn’t fit the station’s agenda. Granted this is still a staple on almost all of iHeart and Cumulus’s classic hits stations.

 

[K.M. Richards]

And the '00s and '10s are going to be just as difficult. You're still going to have the pop fans, the hip-hop fans and the fans of the splintered fragments of rock. Classic hits in the future might be nearly impossible to maintain as a format -- that is, if radio as we know it still exists.

I pretty much said that somewhere in some thread, and your second sentence was crucial to my argument. So ... yeah!

Bottom line: Classic Hits is going to be 80s-centric for a very long time ... probably for as long as the Oldies format was 70s-centric before evolving to the CH format. One advantage (at least right now) is that a lot of younger listeners find the 80s songs being played to be very appealing, which could keep the demos balanced for quite a while.

 

[davideduardo]

I find it funny that there are still AC stations that are more adventurous with 70s material than Audacy’s classic hits stations are!

Probably differences in their particular markets shown by library research.

WLTW will plays “Your Song” by Elton John - released 52 years ago in 1970. CBS-FM or WOGL wouldn’t have touched that 5 years ago, so probably an example of something that tests well with the audience but doesn’t fit the station’s agenda. Granted this is still a staple on almost all of iHeart and Cumulus’s classic hits stations.

Individual markets, particularly those that have a very stable non-migrant population (like Buffalo, not Phoenix) may have very different test results on older songs based on local airplay or lack of it.

 

[TheBigA]

I find it funny that there are still AC stations that are more adventurous with 70s material than Audacy’s classic hits stations are!

But they ALSO play currents. WOGL doesn't. The year a song was released is less important than the demographics the overall station attracts. B101 gets better demos than WOGL. Heck, WMGK gets better demos than WOGL, and they also play more 70s. WBEB is #1 18-34, WMGK is #4 18-34. WBEB is #3 18-49. WOGL is nowhere near either of those stations. The reason WOGL is rebranding is because their demos suck. That's what they're trying to fix.

 

[JH_Radio]

Yeah but WLTW don't play many '70s songs, and its not often.

 

[victorres43]

Which we’re already seeing. I’ve used KOLA in Riverside, CA as an example for where I could see classic hits in 5 years or so. They’re already well in to the 10s, with well testing 80s (and maybe some 70s) rounding out the rest.

A lot of AC stations will play 2000-current stuff, 4 80s songs per hour and maybe 1-2 from the 90s. It will be featured on classic hits but I think the format will evolve differently or faster than it has when the 90s becomes the sole “prime” decade.

I'd have to say, many mainstream AC stations are more adamant playing songs from 2009-2015 than songs from 1997-2003, at least for a long time. Songs like Wannabe and Love Don't Cost A Thing seem to be played only recently.

Mainstream CHRs are not as current-intensive compared to 5-10 years ago, but one can't help but notice a song like Teenage Dream being played substantially on some Top 40 stations in 2022. It's like a Top 40 playing Right Here Waiting in 2001, or I Will Always Love You in 2005, or Mambo No. 5 in 2011. Could the given approach work? Maybe, but nevertheless it is a noticeable discrepancy.

 

[101tm]

I'd have to say, many mainstream AC stations are more adamant playing songs from 2009-2015 than songs from 1997-2003, at least for a long time. Songs like Wannabe and Love Don't Cost A Thing seem to be played only recently.

Mainstream CHRs are not as current-intensive compared to 5-10 years ago, but one can't help but notice a song like Teenage Dream being played substantially on some Top 40 stations in 2022. It's like a Top 40 playing Right Here Waiting in 2001, or I Will Always Love You in 2005, or Mambo No. 5 in 2011. Could the given approach work? Maybe, but nevertheless it is a noticeable discrepancy.

AC’s are heavy on 2009-2015/6 for sure. I’m the right age, but not the right gender for the AC format… but I personally find a lot of 2010s stuff extremely tired. Musically, the 2000s seemed like ages ago, even back in the mid-late 2010s. And it was IMO a way better decade for music than the 90s. I’ve always found it strange that a lot of 90s and 00s hits on Hot AC never made it over to the AC format as they aged.

 

[CTListener]

AC’s are heavy on 2009-2015/6 for sure. I’m the right age, but not the right gender for the AC format… but I personally find a lot of 2010s stuff extremely tired. Musically, the 2000s seemed like ages ago, even back in the mid-late 2010s. And it was IMO a way better decade for music than the 90s. I’ve always found it strange that a lot of 90s and 00s hits on Hot AC never made it over to the AC format as they aged.

Try being a country fan! We're already seeing numerous '10s titles sounding too dated for use on contemporary formats. But '90s songs and artists are creeping back in as the pendulum takes a more traditional turn. And now I'm seeing articles about the labels seriously pushing crossovers not only to pop but r&b!

 

[vw86]

I believe WODC is programmed locally now since they transitioned to classic hits last year, or they pull from iHeart’s Big Classic Hits feed.

Find the most recently played songs on 93.3 The Bus

Find the most recently played songs on 93.3 The Bus, Favorites of the 70's, 80's, & 90's

933odc.iheart.com

Looking at today's list it still looks like the iHeart Variety Hits list to me, which of course does have plenty of overlap. But I see iHeart 90s Variety Hits staples like Mr. Jones, Life Is A Highway, Dreams, Candle In The Wind '97, Walking In Memphis, All Star, etc., that aren't on Big Classic Hits. Yet.

Also of note on the iHeart Variety Hits front, it looks like 1027 Jack FM Baltimore and 1025 The Lake Ashville, NC share a song for song log (save for right now, 1027 Jack in Baltimore is airing AT40 the 80s), which also looks to be the national "The Lake" iHeart feed for "Variety Rock Hits". 1029 The Lake in Charlotte, 1065 The Lake Cleveland, 1049 Steve FM Roanoke, 96.7 Steve FM Columbia, SC and 94.7 Bob FM in Erie, PA all look to share a log as well. Many of the iHeart Variety Hits stations, despite being jockless, do seem to air AT40 the 80s and/or The 80s Show with Jeff Stevens.

 

[davideduardo]

Also of note on the iHeart Variety Hits front, it looks like 1027 Jack FM Baltimore and 1025 The Lake Ashville, NC share a song for song log (save for right now, 1027 Jack in Baltimore is airing AT40 the 80s), which also looks to be the national "The Lake" iHeart feed for "Variety Rock Hits".

There is not a "national feed" for their formats. The stations do either market specific or compatible market/same format research and we end up with mostly the same songs. But each market will have some differences, often based on what the competition does. There are also blend differences due to ethnic influences in each market.

If you see a station that is listed in BDS or MediaBase, it must be separately and locally programmed or it does not qualify for reporting status.

 

[101tm]

There is not a "national feed" for their formats. The stations do either market specific or compatible market/same format research and we end up with mostly the same songs. But each market will have some differences, often based on what the competition does. There are also blend differences due to ethnic influences in each market.

If you see a station that is listed in BDS or MediaBase, it must be separately and locally programmed or it does not qualify for reporting status.

Does iHeart no longer offer the direct Premium Choice format? I remember with the AC format you could go to market after market and they all played the same songs at the same time with no deviation, using tracked DJ’s that would add in a few generic sweeps for the stations as well as recording of them saying the stations name before they would speak. This started around 2010. Is the individual market customization something more recent?

 

[davideduardo]

Does iHeart no longer offer the direct Premium Choice format? I remember with the AC format you could go to market after market and they all played the same songs at the same time with no deviation, using tracked DJ’s that would add in a few generic sweeps for the stations as well as recording of them saying the stations name before they would speak. This started around 2010. Is the individual market customization something more recent?

Advances in automation and high speed data transfer as well as huge improvements in their music scheduling software makes it possible to assemble the formats locally with specific commercial loads, service elements and even shared talent.

Seacrest is not even live most of the time in LA. He does workparts and the station assembles the show with its own music and other elements. Each Seacrest station can run the show in different hours, and even have more or less hourly content insertions.

 

[101tm]

Advances in automation and high speed data transfer as well as huge improvements in their music scheduling software makes it possible to assemble the formats locally with specific commercial loads, service elements and even shared talent.

Seacrest is not even live most of the time in LA. He does workparts and the station assembles the show with its own music and other elements. Each Seacrest station can run the show in different hours, and even have more or less hourly content insertions.

Interesting. I knew Seacrest and Delilah could be customized, but not really the “national” formats (well, as they once were). I do know that a lot of these sub-100 market iHeart clusters have next to no one in them outside of sales and an OM - I wonder if they are putting any effort in to the music, or are just running whatever iHeart provides? I know WBBQ in Augusta, GA always seemed to run the exact same songs (song for song) at the same time as WYKZ 98.7 in Savannah.

Back to WOGL, I do wonder what will happen if the Big 98.1 rebrand doesn’t work? There were obvious issues under the hood. They obviously had issues in the useless 6+ but they ran a lot deeper. If they can’t get things up 25-54, I wonder how much effort they’ll put in to the station before considering the once unthinkable (although IMO unlikely) format flip?