Decision to stop playing certain older songs.

[tall_guy1]

What leads to that? There's certain songs say from the 70s which have pretty much gone away and I'm guessing in the future there'll be more which make way for newer songs. What leads to an older song being removed?

 

[davideduardo]

What leads to that? There's certain songs say from the 70s which have pretty much gone away and I'm guessing in the future there'll be more which make way for newer songs. What leads to an older song being removed?

Songs get removed because they no longer have strong positive scores in music tests.

 

[tall_guy1]

Songs get removed because they no longer have strong positive scores in music tests.

Aren't the scores just from a certain sample of the population though? Is it really representative of the total population?

 

[davideduardo]

Aren't the scores just from a certain sample of the population though? Is it really representative of the total population?

Stations take a small sample of their own listeners for a music test. No different than Nielsen taking a sample of all persons for radio ratings.

Lots of research has been done to determine how many people need to be in a station test before the results are the same no matter how many more people are added. A well recruited test can be done with between 80 and 120 people.

Here is how an in-person test used to be done. Few are done in person any longer. https://worldradiohistory.com/research_AMT.htm

The cost of a good test done by a third party is going to be upwards of $25,000 if done online, and over $30,000 if done in person.

 

[tall_guy1]

Stations take a small sample of their own listeners for a music test. No different than Nielsen taking a sample of all persons for radio ratings.

Lots of research has been done to determine how many people need to be in a station test before the results are the same no matter how many more people are added. A well recruited test can be done with between 80 and 120 people.

Here is how an in-person test used to be done. Few are done in person any longer. https://worldradiohistory.com/research_AMT.htm

The cost of a good test done by a third party is going to be upwards of $25,000 if done online, and over $30,000 if done in person.

I know there's online music testing as well. Certain top 40 songs sometimes get a low or declining "aud" score and stay on an individual station's playlist.

 

[davideduardo]

I know there's online music testing as well. Certain top 40 songs sometimes get a low or declining "aud" score and stay on an individual station's playlist.

Any online testing actually done for a radio station is not publicly disclosed and participation is by invitation only. "Testing" by volunteering is strictly "for amusement purposes only" and not used by "real" radio stations.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I have to wonder what testing if any WMXX Kool 103 in Jackson, TN does if any, because sometimes they manage to play things I haven't heard anywhere else in decades and I wish they hadn't played even then. Sometimes I get the impression that they just play what they have on hand. I like what they play a lot of the time, but sometimes they play borderline elevator music and songs that I don't remember being big hits.

 

[Kelly A]

I have to wonder what testing if any WMXX Kool 103 in Jackson, TN does if any, because sometimes they manage to play things I haven't heard anywhere else in decades and I wish they hadn't played even then. Sometimes I get the impression that they just play what they have on hand. I like what they play a lot of the time, but sometimes they play borderline elevator music and songs that I don't remember being big hits.

WMXX is owned by an individual, Gerald Hunt. I seriously doubt they would have the resources to do local music research.

 

[Larry]

Songs get removed because they no longer have strong positive scores in music tests.

I am curious if when a song gets removed due to poor testing of it is ever tested again. If Elton John’s ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ tests poorly will it be tested again in a year or two (or three) to see if is still testing poorly. Or once a song tests poorly is it permanently retired and never tested again?

 

[CTListener]

I am curious if when a song gets removed due to poor testing of it is ever tested again. If Elton John’s ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ tests poorly will it be tested again in a year or two (or three) to see if is still testing poorly. Or once a song tests poorly is it permanently retired and never tested again?

Good question. I'd imagine that if an old song returns to public awareness after many years through its use in a movie or TV series that it might be used in testing. Thinking of "Unchained Melody" (Ghost) and similar songs here. But just your average old song that's stopped testing well? I'm not sure.

 

[michael hagerty]

What leads to that? There's certain songs say from the 70s which have pretty much gone away and I'm guessing in the future there'll be more which make way for newer songs. What leads to an older song being removed?

The points about testing have been covered, so I'll just mention time.

Larry brought up Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom." Great record. Big hit at the time. I was 19.

I'm 66 now. Twelve years older than the last time any ad agency cared about having my attention.

The miracle is that any classic hits station can get away with playing any record more than 25 years old, which would be...1997.

 

[vchimpanzee]

The points about testing have been covered, so I'll just mention time.

Larry brought up Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom." Great record. Big hit at the time. I was 19.

I don't know when I first liked it, but I like it now. I would have been 14 and didn't care much for Elton John.

How did he end up becoming one of the main artists in adult standards?

 

[michael hagerty]

I don't know when I first liked it, but I like it now. I would have been 14 and didn't care much for Elton John.

How did he end up becoming one of the main artists in adult standards?

He was a core artist growing up for people who are now in the adult standards demo.

Even when he was largely a Top 40 or album rock artist, Elton got significant airplay on adult radio for songs like "Your Song", "Daniel", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word".

When he staged his 80s comeback, it was with more adult-targeted material ("Little Jeannie", "Blue Eyes", "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", "Sad Songs (Say So Much)", and "Sacrifice").

"The Lion King" gave him a reboot in 1994 with "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", and he's managed to score a hit in every decade since. Easily the biggest solo artist of the younger boomer (born 1956-64) era, and with a library of hits going back 52 years that fit what the format is now.

 

[anotherguyTN]

WMXX is owned by an individual, Gerald Hunt. I seriously doubt they would have the resources to do local music research.

I know and it shows with some of the odd choices at times.

 

[davideduardo]

I have to wonder what testing if any WMXX Kool 103 in Jackson, TN does if any, because sometimes they manage to play things I haven't heard anywhere else in decades and I wish they hadn't played even then. Sometimes I get the impression that they just play what they have on hand. I like what they play a lot of the time, but sometimes they play borderline elevator music and songs that I don't remember being big hits.

It's likely that a station like that in a rather small market "borrows" test data by looking at MediaBase (BDS is officially gone this week) and assembling a playlist from other stations that can afford the high cost of research.

 

[davideduardo]

I am curious if when a song gets removed due to poor testing of it is ever tested again. If Elton John’s ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ tests poorly will it be tested again in a year or two (or three) to see if is still testing poorly. Or once a song tests poorly is it permanently retired and never tested again?

Every station makes its own test decisions. If a song is borderline, it's likely it will be tested again to see if 6 to 12 months rest made it usable again. But if the score is terrible, it is not likely it will be tested again. In particular, if the weakness is the most in younger demos, it won't be tested again.

 

[exdjted]

I know and it shows with some of the odd choices at times.

I would say that what plays on WMXX is what Gerald was programming for years, and that was what HE wanted to hear. I doubt Gerald or his sons ever worried about what tested well. What's playing today is what the boys grew up on, and they will never change that format one iota.

 

[tall_guy1]

It's likely that a station like that in a rather small market "borrows" test data by looking at MediaBase (BDS is officially gone this week) and assembling a playlist from other stations that can afford the high cost of research.

Kckc in Kansas city plays a lot of songs I don't hear elsewhere either, including songs from the 70s (disco) and sometimes dip back into the 60s even!

 

[tall_guy1]

I wonder what about stations that tank in the ratings? For example a cumulus pop station here plays omg by usher as a gold and neither other pop station in town play it even a little bit! (It sounds super dated today.)