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Big 98.1

A

AM/FMRAINMAN

Did anyone catch Big 98.1 today? They had a massive change in their playlist. I remember when they switch from OGL to Big 98.1 they were focusing on 70s, 80s, 90s and early 00s rock…but they seemed to have ditched this for more 2000s hip hop. I enjoy all genres of music but just wondered why the shift. I mean they did sound very similar to BEN and now they def do not
 
I think AM/FM Rainman may have discovered something. When WOGL switched to Big 98.1, there were almost NO African-American artists or dance-leaning songs. I think you'd have to wait 3 or 4 hours for Michael Jackson or Prince to pop up. Hardly anyone else was heard.

Now, looking at the last 90 minutes, about a third of the artists are dance-leaning or people of color.

--Madonna ... Like A Prayer
--Mark Morrison ... Return of The Mack
--The Outfield ... Your Love
--Gloria Gaynor ... I Will Survive
--Bruce Springsteen ... Dancing in The Dark
--Oasis ... Wonderwall
--Salt n Pepa ... Push
--TLC ... No Scrubs
--Twisted Sister ... We're Not Gonna Take It
--Aerosmith ... I Don't Want to Miss A Thing
--Billy Joel ... Uptown Girl
--War ... Low Rider
--Whitney Houston ... I Wanna Dance with Somebody
--Gotye ... Somebody I Used to Know
--Next ... Too Close
--Cyndi Lauper ... Time After Time
--EMF ... Unbelievable
--Prince ... Purple Rain
--Eminem ... Lose Yourself
--Wham ... Careless Whisper
--Sugar Hill Gang ... Rappers' Delight
--Journey ... Open Arms
--Pras/Mya ... Ghetto Superstar

Who would have heard Mark Morrison, Pras/Mya, Sugar Hill Gang or Salt n Pepa a few weeks ago? Clearly there are MANY more rap/dance/R&B titles on this playlist than when Big 98.1 debuted.

Actually when WOGL became Big 98.1, I had questioned why a Classic Hits station in Philadelphia, of all places, was so white. 90 miles north, WCBS-FM New York has a more dance-friendly playlist. On the other hand, what are the top male-oriented, older demo stations in the Philly ratings? WMGK and WMMR. So maybe that was the original thinking, making Big 98.1 so rock-oriented.
 
They have played "Push It" before, both before and after the rebrand to Big 98.1. But yes, this is definitely a more rhythmic-leaning shift. Definitely a good thing for my tastes, and distinguishes it more from Ben FM, but we'll see if it works.
 
My brother texted me yesterday to tell me we're officially old because "Gangsta's Paradise" was on WOGL.

The list above sounds much better than what I heard last time I sampled the station. But the Gotye song--while a great song--is only 14 years old!
 
Given the increasing preference for rhythmic, "urban" genres across racial and ethnic lines over the past 40 years, this evolution of the format comes as no surprise.
 
Miguelito said:
I see that they played Dr. Dre and J-Kwon this morning. Very interesting!
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With the huge success of Shaboozey's "A Bar Song" it makes sense to dust off the song that inspired it and it was interpolated from.

Same with Gotye. Doechii's "Anxiety" heavily interpolates "Somebody that I used to know" so why not cash in on it being popular again?
 
Wasn't 98.1 more rhythmic leaning in the "Oldies" and "WOGL" eras? They shifted to a more rock sound before the imaging change to Big 98.1, but I definitely remember a more rhythmic/soul lean back in the day
 
atthestars said:
Wasn't 98.1 more rhythmic leaning in the "Oldies" and "WOGL" eras? They shifted to a more rock sound before the imaging change to Big 98.1, but I definitely remember a more rhythmic/soul lean back in the day
Click to expand...
WOGL went deeper than most on '70s R&B gold, especially the Philadelphia sound. But all those great Gamble/Huff sides (and Atlantic, and Motown, etc.) are at least 50 years old now, meaning the audience that would be pleased to hear them today is one the advertisers don't find worthwhile to reach.
 
I actually am enjoying the change even though I am more of an 80s and r&b fan. I think the station evolving is very smart and I believe they will attract a younger demo.
It was great hearing Dre and Snoop as well as Eve and Gwen Stefani.
 
It's all still pop music and fits the format. Even the Mark Morrison song was a big pop hit and was #2 in the Hot 100.

Ghetto Superstar wasn't a hit in itself, but is a mashup with several major classic hits by James Brown and Kenny Rogers.
 
I've occasionally checked the WOGL playlist over recent months as a lark, given that the station's current iteration is such a jarring difference from the WOGL of my youth ("The Wanderer" and "Duke of Earl" being what I'd formerly associated 'OGL with!) and looking right now, there are some other standouts that I definitely have not seen in my periodic playlist checks-

Nelly- Country Grammar
Bone Thugs N Harmony- Tha Crossroads
Warren G/Nate Dogg- Regulate
Eve/Gwen Stefani- Let Me Blow Ya Mind
 


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